Oregon lawmakers rush to finalize $11B transportation package
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Time is running out on the Oregon legislative session, and lawmakers are still working on a .
With just three days to go, questions remain about what it will include and if they can finish in time.
Wyden doubles down on fight to keep Trail Blazers in Portland in Rolling Stone interview
On Wednesday night, a was introduced under House Speaker Julie Fahey's name. Republican lawmakers said they are not thrilled about the timing.
The Joint Committee on Transportation Reinvestment met Thursday for a public hearing and work session to discuss the amendment — the committee elected to advance the plan with the amendment on Thursday evening.
This new version cut out a lot of tax increases the original had, but it still would raise over $11 billion over 10 years.
The amendment includes a bump to the gas tax. The original would raise it to 55 cents by 2028, but the new version raises it to 52 cents next year.
KOIN 6 News asked what sticking points remain as the deadline approaches.
'I think it's just the size and the scope of the tax,' Sen. Bruce Starr (R-Rural Polk & Yamhill Counties) said. 'It's a massive tax, over $11 billion that they're going to pull out of Oregonians' pockets. I think that's really the issue.'
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Democrat Sen. Khanh Pham, the co-chair of the transportation committee, shared the following statement.
'Ultimately, is a compromise bill that provides some resources, at least for the next few years, to maintain our existing roads and keep our buses running at just current service levels, no extension, and just invest in safer streets in our communities.'
If this bill does pass the House, it still has to go through the Senate.
Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What's in the latest version of Trump's big bill now before the Senate
WASHINGTON (AP) — At some 940-pages, the legislation is a sprawling collection of tax breaks, spending cuts and other Republican priorities, including new money for national defense and deportations. Now it's up to Congress to decide whether President Donald Trump's signature's domestic policy package will become law. Trump told Republicans, who hold majority power in the House and Senate, to skip their holiday vacations and deliver the bill by the Fourth of July. Senators were working through the weekend to pass the bill and send it back to the House for a final vote. Democrats are united against it. Here's the latest on what's in the bill. There could be changes as lawmakers negotiate. Tax cuts are the priority Republicans say the bill is crucial because without it, there would be a massive tax increase, totaling some $3.8 trillion, after December when tax breaks from Trump's first term expire. Those existing tax rates and brackets would become permanent under the bill. It temporarily would add new ones that Trump campaigned on: no taxes on tips, overtime pay or some automotive loans, along with a bigger $6,000 deduction in the Senate draft for older adults who earn no more than $75,000 a year. It would boost the $2,000 child tax credit to $2,200 under the Senate proposal, or $2,500 in the House's version. Families at lower income levels would not see the full amount, if any. A cap on state and local deductions, called SALT, would quadruple to $40,000 for five years. It's a provision important to New York and other high tax states, though the House wanted it to last for 10 years. There are scores of business-related tax cuts. The wealthiest households would see a $12,000 increase from the legislation, which would cost the poorest people $1,600 a year, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office analysis of the House's version. Middle-income taxpayers would see a tax break of $500 to $1,500, the CBO said. Money for deportations, a border wall and the Golden Dome The bill would provide some $350 billion for Trump's border and national security agenda, including $46 billion for the U.S.-Mexico border wall and $45 billion for 100,000 migrant detention facility beds, as he aims to full his promise of the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history. Money would go for hiring 10,000 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, with $10,000 signing bonuses and a surge of Border Patrol officers, as well. The goal is to deport some 1 million people per year. The homeland security secretary would have a new $10 billion fund for grants for states that help with federal immigration enforcement and deportation actions. The attorney general would have $3.5 billion for a similar fund, known as Bridging Immigration-related Deficits Experienced Nationwide, or BIDEN, referring to former Democratic President Joe Biden. To help pay for it all, immigrants would face various new fees, including when seeking asylum protections. For the Pentagon, the bill would provide billions for ship building, munitions systems, and quality of life measures for servicemen and women, as well as $25 billion for the development of the Golden Dome missile defense system. The Defense Department would have $1 billion for border security. How to pay for it? Cuts to Medicaid and other programs To help partly offset the lost tax revenue and new spending, Republicans are seeking to cut back some long-running government programs: Medicaid, food stamps, green energy incentives and others. It's essentially unraveling the accomplishments of the past two Democratic presidents, Biden and Barack Obama. Republicans argue they are trying to rightsize the safety net programs for the population they were initially designed to serve, mainly pregnant women and children, and root out what they describe as waste, fraud and abuse. The package includes new 80-hour-a-month work requirements for many adults receiving Medicaid and food stamps, including older people up to age 65. Parents of children 14 and older would have to meet the program's work requirements. There's also a proposed new $35 co-payment that can be charged to patients using Medicaid services. Some 80 million people rely on Medicaid, which expanded under Obama's Affordable Care Act, and 40 million use the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program. Most already work, according to analysts. All told, the CBO estimates that under the House-passed bill, at least 10.9 million more people would go without health coverage and 3 million more would not qualify for food stamps. The Senate proposes a $25 billion Rural Hospital Transformation Fund to help offset those reductions. It's a new addition, intended to win over holdout GOP senators and a coalition of House Republicans warning that the proposed Medicaid provider tax cuts would hurt rural hospitals. Both the House and Senate bills propose a dramatic rollback of the Biden-era green energy tax breaks for electric vehicles. They also would phase out or terminate various the production and investment tax credits companies use to stand up wind, solar and other renewable energy projects. In total, cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and green energy programs would be expected to produce at least $1.5 trillion in savings. Trump savings accounts and so, so much more A number of extra provisions reflect other GOP priorities. The House and Senate both have a new children's savings program, called Trump Accounts, with a potential $1,000 deposit from the Treasury. The Senate provided $40 million to establish Trump's long-sought 'National Garden of American Heroes.' There's a new excise tax on university endowments, restrictions on the development of artificial intelligence and blocks on transgender surgeries. A $200 tax on gun silencers and short-barreled rifles and shotguns was eliminated. One provision bars money to family planning providers, namely Planned Parenthood, while $88 million is earmarked for a pandemic response accountability committee. Billions go for the Artemis moon mission and for exploration to Mars. What's the final cost? Altogether, keeping the existing tax breaks and adding the new ones is expected to cost $3.8 trillion over the decade, the CBO says in its analysis of the House bill. An analysis of the Senate draft is pending. The CBO estimates the House-passed package would add $2.4 trillion to the nation's deficits over the decade. Or not, depending on how one does the math. Senate Republicans are proposing a unique strategy of not counting the existing tax breaks as a new cost because those breaks are already 'current policy.' Senators say the Senate Budget Committee chairman has the authority to set the baseline for the preferred approach. Under the Senate GOP view, the cost of tax provisions would be $441 billion, according to the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation. Democrats and others say this is 'magic math' that obscures the costs of the GOP tax breaks. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget puts the Senate tally at $4.2 trillion over the decade.
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Austin Living: New smiles, familiar tradition
Jun. 28—With gratitude for the past, new owners of The Tendermaid take tradition into the future For nearly three decades, a person could count on two things when they entered The Tendermaid: a great loose-meat burger and a Sara Nauman smile. But there are changes coming and while people will still be able to count on the burgers that have become iconic in their own right, visitors to The Tendermaid will have to get used to a pair of new smiles — those of Zach and Betsy Morem. In April of this year, the couple became the new owners of the cozy, diner-styled burger joint, taking the business over from Nauman, who has run the business for 28 years. "When I moved back to Austin and started a family here, we kind of had a mutual goal that we wanted to help the community. Invest in the community," Zach said. "If we're going to be here, why not." "Continuing the legacy," Betsy added. Nauman bought the business with her then husband, Gary White, who had always nurtured a dream to buy The Tendermaid, in the late 1990s. Gary passed away in August of 2019, and Nauman, who is now married to Brad Nauman, continued to carry on with the establishment until this year when she began entertaining the idea of selling it. "Just so many changes in my life since then," Nauman said, referring to the time after Gary's passing. "In February I remarried and then in January (the Morems) approached me. April we sold The Tendermaid. I couldn't think of a better family to carry on this precious, cherished Austin tradition." It's a rich tradition that dates back to 1938, when Jerry and Mildred Thatcher moved to Austin from Iowa. As the story goes, the couple stood on various street corners in Austin until they came to what is today the intersection of Fourth Avenue Second Street NE, the busiest intersection in town at that point. While the building looks different than it did in 1938, the location has never strayed, and in all of those 87 years The Tendermaid has been creating traditions and memories — traditions and memories that Zach has experienced as well. "I think a lot of people from Austin have a very similar story, which I have noticed since the change of ownership — the nostalgia factor," he said. "People coming in and saying 'I remember when I came here with my parents or grandparents.' I was a similar story of coming here with my grandfather and being able to have that memory is pretty cool." While not originally from the area, it was Betsy, who grew up in Olivia, Minnesota, who first saw the opportunity to buy The Tendermaid. It was an opportunity that couldn't go to waste. "When I found out I came out into the kitchen of our home and was like the Tendermaid was for sale," she said. "He quickly became excited about the idea and then we met with Sara." "It happened quickly after that," she continued. "It was a good fit. We've known each other and Zach has restaurant experience." That experience comes from across town at another local and iconic restaurant — The Old Mill — where Zach got his first taste of restaurant experience. Since then, he has built up just over a decade of time in food service. He said that this opportunity has refreshed the spark in him to be back in the industry once again. "My very first job was at the Old Mill washing dishes," he said. "I owe a lot of this to Dave and Ann Forland and Dave specifically. I have been close with him since I was 14-years-old. I have a lot to thank him for." The transaction between the two families came about in a rather natural way as the Morem's have harbored that tradition The Tendermaid has established over the years, while for Nauman it was the ideal situation in which to hand it off. For Nauman, the next owners had to be someone who cared as much for the Tendermaid and customers as she did. "The right people came along at the right time," she said. "Just continuing the tradition and knowing that the people are going to love it as much as I did and (Gary) did. I know Zach and Besty have been coming here forever, they've brought their kids in. You look at that and you know they are going to do the right thing with something that is treasured." That right direction isn't likely to include much change. While there has been some additions to the menu from the days when it was only a burger and a small assortment of condiments available, The Tendermaid sandwich itself continues to be the star of the show. And it will remain so under the Morem's ownership. "We don't want to mess with everything because it's been the same for so long. It works," Zach said. "People have stressed that." That's not to say there might not be some reversal of things, though. When the COVID-19 pandemic played its upsetting hand, The Tendermaid suffered the same reality as other dining establishments. It had to close shop and was ultimately limited to take-out only. That took away The Tendermaid's 17 stools and unique seating arrangement in a U-shape around the staging area. It gave the Tendermaid its diner-type feel and allowed Nauman and employees to openly converse with the customers as they waited for their food. The Morems want to bring that back. "There have been a lot of people that have asked about the indoor dining thing," Zach said. "We will be doing that eventually, but we don't have a time yet or date." "People really want to be able to sit inside and I understand that. I was one of those people," he continued. "We want to make sure everyone gets the opportunity to come and sit down." And along with that, the Morems want to continue the trend of making sure people feel special when they visit. "Any time I would walk into The Tendermaid, Sara would make me feel like a thousand bucks and I know every person who came through that door felt like that," Betsy said. Nauman's influence won't entirely be gone going into the future. Her daughter, Jenna White, a fixture in her own right in recent years, will also be working the counter with the Morems. At the same time, Nauman will always have a place in her heart for The Tendermaid, no less than the thousands of customers who have woven their way through the little restaurant in the heart of Austin. "It's been a privilege for me to serve and be a part of the Austin community for all these years and I want to thank all of my amazing customers for all of their support for all the years," Nauman said. "I'm just looking forward to the future of The Tendermaid." For the Morems, this chance is about being able to contribute back to the community in their own way. "We're just really grateful for the support of the community," Betsy said.
Fox News
11 minutes ago
- Fox News
SCOOP: Blue state Republican could oppose Trump tax bill over Medicaid changes
FIRST ON FOX: A House Republican representing part of Southern California will oppose President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" if it returns to her chamber without the House's original language on Medicaid, a source familiar with her thinking told Fox News Digital. Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., is one of several moderates who are uneasy on Saturday after the Senate released updated text of the massive bill advancing Trump's agenda on tax, immigration, defense, energy, and the national debt. Two other sources told Fox News Digital that as many as 20 to 30 moderate Republicans are reaching out to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., with serious concerns about the Senate's bill. The source familiar with Kim's thinking said, "As she's said throughout this process, 'I will continue to make clear that a budget resolution that does not protect vital Medicaid services for the most vulnerable, provide tax relief for small businesses, and address the cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions will not receive my vote.'" The Senate released the nearly 1,000-page bill minutes before midnight on Friday night. It makes some notable modifications to the House's version of the bill – which passed that chamber by just one vote in May – particularly on Medicaid and green energy credits. Among their issues is the difference in provider tax rates and state-directed payments, both of which states use to help fund their share of Medicaid costs. Whereas the House bill called for freezing provider taxes at their current rates and blocking new ones from being implemented, the Senate's bill went a step further – forcing states to gradually phase down their provider tax rates to 3.5%, if they adopted the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) Medicaid expansion. That would include 40 states and Washington, D.C. The Senate's most recent bill text shows that phase-down happening between 2028 and 2032. Sixteen House GOP moderates wrote a letter to congressional leaders sounding the alarm on those Medicaid provisions earlier this week. They said it "undermines the balanced approach taken to craft the Medicaid provisions in H.R. 1—particularly regarding provider taxes and state-directed payments." "The Senate version treats expansion and non-expansion states unfairly, fails to preserve existing state programs, and imposes stricter limits that do not give hospitals sufficient time to adjust to new budgetary constraints or to identify alternative funding sources," the letter read. To offset Senate Republicans' concerns about their chamber's proposed limits on state-directed payments and provider tax rates, the Senate Finance Committee included a $25 billion rural hospital fund in their legislation. It was enough to sway Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who told reporters on Saturday that he would support the bill after expressing earlier concern about the Medicaid provisions' impact on rural hospitals. But in the House, sources are signaling to Fox News Digital that moderate Republicans could still need convincing if the bill passes the Senate this weekend. It could pose problems for House GOP leaders given their thin three-vote majority, though it's worth noting that the legislation could still change before it reaches the lower chamber. But one senior House GOP aide told Fox News Digital they believe the moderates will ultimately fall in line, even if the text doesn't change. "Moderate Republicans can plead and beg with House leadership all they want – the reforms to Medicaid made in the Senate are here to stay," the senior aide said. "And ultimately, these lawmakers will roll over and vote for the 'Big, Beautiful Bill' because the wrath of President Trump is far worse than a lower provider tax." Fox News Digital reached out to Speaker Mike Johnson's office for comment. For his part, Johnson, R-La., has publicly urged the Senate on multiple occasions to change the bill as little as possible – given the fragile unity that must be struck in the House to pass it.
