Alaska drilling, mining could see a megabill comeback
House Republicans sacked two prominent Alaska drilling and mining provisions from their tax, energy and national security megabill just hours before it cleared the chamber, but a top GOP lawmakers has hopes the Senate will add them back in.
The two provisions cut from H.R. 1, the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' would have facilitated approval of the Ambler mining access road and ramped up drilling in Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve. They are long-sought priorities for Republicans, and their fate on the cutting room floor came as a surprise.
House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), however, said the provisions were removed over procedural concerns relating to the budget reconciliation process.
Advertisement
'These provisions were addressed in the manager's amendment out of an abundance of caution as part of the nuanced reconciliation process,' Westerman said in an email.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wall Street Journal
29 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
Republican Megabill Would Make 11 Million People Uninsured, New Estimates Show
WASHINGTON—Passing the GOP's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' in its current form would push about 11 million people out of Medicaid or other forms of health coverage, leaving them uninsured by 2034, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday. Here's what to know:
Newsweek
29 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Bernie Sanders Agrees With Elon Musk
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Progressive Senator Bernie Sanders, who has held rallies for months as part of his "Fighting Oligarchy" tour, echoed billionaire Elon Musk on President Donald Trump's spending proposal, saying on social media the so-called "big, beautiful bill" is a "disgusting abomination." Newsweek has reached out to Sanders' press team and X's press team on behalf of Musk via email for comment on Wednesday. Newsweek has also reached out to Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune via email on Wednesday. Why It Matters Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with the Democrats, has been outspoken against billionaires like Musk and their political influence, calling it a "shadow government," thus the convergence between Sanders and Musk is notable. Although Sanders has been actively campaigning against the influence of billionaires in American politics, he has at times sided with Musk on a handful of topics, including reducing Pentagon funding. The Trump-backed reconciliation package passed the House last month following weeks of negotiations in which House Speaker Mike Johnson wrangled votes from the ultraconservative and more centrist factions of the GOP. While Trump praised the measure in its current form, Senate Republicans have made it clear that they plan to make significant changes to it before it passes the upper chamber. What To Know On Tuesday, Sanders shared Musk's X, formerly Twitter, post, adding: "Musk is right: this bill IS a 'disgusting abomination.'" His post continued: "We shouldn't give $664 billion in tax breaks to the 1%. We shouldn't throw 13.7 million people off of Medicaid. We shouldn't cut $290 billion from programs to feed the hungry. Let's defeat this disgusting abomination." The bill, which is the centerpiece of Trump's domestic agenda, including wide-ranging tax cuts and extra money for the military and border security, has been labeled by Musk as a "massive, outrageous, pork-filled," and a "disgusting abomination." Musk served as one of Trump's top advisors, previously leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cost-cutting task force. On Tuesday, he took to his social media outlet X to denounce the spending bill in a series of posts. (L):Elon Musk attends news conference with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. (R): Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is seen during the Senate Health, Education,... (L):Elon Musk attends news conference with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. (R): Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is seen during the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing titled "FY2026 Department of Health and Human Services Budget," in Dirksen building on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. More AP Photo/Evan VucciTom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images He said the bill undermines DOGE's efforts to cut federal spending and warned that it leaves "American taxpayers saddled with crushingly unsustainable debt." The bill is expected to add $2.4 trillion to the U.S. federal debt, according to analysis published by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on Wednesday. Musk previously estimated DOGE would save $2 trillion in federal spending. It has achieved $160 billion in cuts and eliminated 20,000 federal jobs—roughly 1 percent of the workforce. In another post on his social media account, Sanders voiced his agreement with Musk's stance, touching on its social and programmatic implications, saying: "When Mr. Musk, the wealthiest man alive & major campaign contributor, expresses strong distaste for Trump's Big Beautiful Bill, Republicans will listen & obey. That means more cuts to Medicaid, nutrition & education. The oligarchs want it ALL. We're not going to let that happen." Other lawmakers have offered partial support to Musk's stance on the bill, such as Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican and staunch supporter of President Trump. She did vote for the bill but said later that had she known about a section that "strips states of the right to make laws or regulate AI for 10 years...I would have voted NO..." What People Are Saying White House Press Secretary Karolina Leavitt said during a Tuesday briefing when asked about Musk's response: "Look, the president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill. It doesn't change the president's opinion. This is one big, beautiful bill, and he's sticking to it." Bernie Sanders in a Wednesday X post: "If Musk & his pals are so concerned about increasing the national debt in Trump's Big Beautiful Bill, why don't they cut the $664 billion in tax breaks for the 1%; the $420 billion in tax breaks for large profitable corporations; & the $150 billion in increased military spending?" Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene told reporters on Tuesday: "Well, you know, I have to agree with him [Musk] on one hand. I always love it when Americans are angry at the federal government and express it. I think that should've been happening for years now. I mean, we're $36 trillion in debt for a reason." Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Tuesday: "We obviously respect everything that Elon did with DOGE. On this particular issue, we have a difference of opinion ... he's entitled to that opinion. We're going to proceed full speed ahead." Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, in a tweet this afternoon in reference to Musk's comments: "He's right." What Happens Next Trump recently gave Senate Republicans a July 4 deadline to pass the bill and get it to his desk.
CNN
34 minutes ago
- CNN
Gay rights icon Harvey Milk's legacy slighted by decision to rename Navy ship
American gay rights activist Harvey Milk was known for keeping his face and name on the front pages of San Francisco's newspapers. Now, as Pride Month begins, the Trump administration is set to take the almost unprecedented action of stripping his name from a Navy ship, a defense official told CNN. The order to rename the oiler ship USNS Harvey Milk – christened four years ago – is unusual but is in line with the White House mandate to reverse a number of military initiatives by Democratic presidents. The move also comes amid the administration's broader efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in government and education, as well as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's promise to 'revive the warrior ethos' in the military. Milk was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. His legacy as one of the first openly gay politicians elected to office in the US – and the first openly gay official elected in California – was burnished in history with an Oscar-winning biopic performance from Sean Penn. Before Milk served as a supervisor in San Francisco, the politician followed in the footsteps of his parents and served in the Navy. His service as a stateside diving instructor during the Korean War was cut short after four years when his Navy supervisors caught him at a park popular for gay men and questioned him about his sexual orientation. Decades before the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy prohibited the military from actively investigating its members' sexuality, Milk was outed and forced to resign with an 'other than honorable discharge' and the rank of lieutenant junior grade. Gay service members were not allowed to serve openly in the US until 2011. Milk later set up shop in the Castro neighborhood in San Francisco – the country's most famous 'gayborhood' – where he helped start the Castro Village Association, one of the first predominantly LGBTQ-owned business groups in the country. In 1977, he was elected to San Francisco's Board of Supervisors after years running his political operation from his camera store in the Castro, where stacks of campaign posters competed for space with stacks of 35mm film. While serving as a city supervisor, Milk introduced legislation to protect the gay community, including a gay rights ordinance in 1978 to ban discrimination against LGBTQ people in housing or employment. He and other activists also succeeded in striking down Proposition 6, which would have mandated the firing of gay or lesbian teachers in California. Milk was a popular figure in San Francisco, but his actions were also controversial at times. Milk fervently encouraged gay people not to be secretive about their lives, even with hostile or unsupportive family members. 'We are coming out to tell the truths about gays, for I am tired of the conspiracy of silence, so I'm going to talk about it,' he said at a 1978 gay pride march. 'And I want you to talk about it.' Milk is believed to have been one of the people behind the forced media outing of Oliver Sipple, a friend and fellow veteran who was credited with saving the life of President Gerald Ford when he grabbed the arm of would-be assassin Sara Jane Moore just as she was firing her second shot in 1975. Milk's biographer Randy Shilts told The Washington Post the politician 'wanted Sipple's homosexuality made public' because it was an opportunity for the gay community to be seen in a positive light. 'For once we can show that gays do heroic things,' he told Shilts. Sipple, who had not come out to his parents and didn't want his sexuality revealed, unsuccessfully sued media organizations that reported on it, according to The Washington Post. Less than a year after Milk became a city supervisor, he and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone were shot to death in the San Francisco City Hall by former fellow city supervisor Dan White over a job dispute. Investigators determined that White was motivated by a political dispute rather than anti-gay animus. But a jury's decision to convict White of manslaughter rather than murder shocked the gay community and prompted rioting at City Hall, the San Francisco Examiner reported. White argued in the trial that he was not fully responsible for the killings because he was depressed and acted in 'the heat of passion.' White was sentenced to seven years in prison. Milk's legacy has never faded in San Francisco, where his bust now sits in City Hall and a school in the Castro is named after him. Milk, who told friends and loved ones he knew he was in danger of being assassinated, according to the Harvey Milk Foundation, hoped his death would inspire the cause he worked for. 'If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door,' Milk said in an audio message accompanying his will. The USNS Harvey Milk is part of a class of oilers that were designated to be named for 'people who fought for civil rights and human rights.' Some of those namesakes are people who never served in the military, including congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis and women's voting rights advocate Lucy Stone. The future of those other honors is unclear. A Navy webpage marking the beginning of construction on the USNS Thurgood Marshall has been deleted. Although much of the administration's LGBTQ rollback has been focused on the transgender community – the federal government even removed the 'T' from the abbreviation – it has also cracked down on affinity groups and barred the flying of the Pride flag at any US embassy or consulate. The administration also formally declined to recognize Pride Month, instead referring to June as 'Title IX Month,' referencing the civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools. The White House has cited the law in its ban on transgender women participating in women's sports. Despite the decision falling in line with White House policy, Rep. Nancy Pelosi – whose San Francisco district includes the Castro – said erasing Milk from the military is particularly insulting. 'Our military is the most powerful in the world – but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the 'warrior' ethos,' Pelosi said in a statement.'Instead, it is a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country.' CNN's Natasha Bertrand and Nicquel Terry Ellis contributed to this report.
