Senate official rejects food aid cuts proposed by Republicans in megabill
The measure passed by the House last month and on track to be considered in the Senate next week would cover part of the cost of extending and expanding large tax cuts by cutting social safety net programs including Medicaid and nutrition programs, including SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.
Republicans are moving the bill through Congress using special rules that shield it from a filibuster, depriving Democrats of the ability to block it. But to qualify for that protection, the legislation must comply with a rigorous set of budgetary restrictions meant to ensure that it will not add to the deficit. And the Senate parliamentarian, an official appointed by the chamber's leaders to enforce its rules and precedents, must evaluate such measures to ensure that every provision meets those requirements.
Elizabeth MacDonough, the parliamentarian, ruled that the SNAP measure, which would push some of the costs of nutrition assistance onto the states, did not. That sent Republicans back to the drawing board to find another strategy for covering tens of billions of dollars of the bill's cost.
She also said Republicans could not include a provision that would bar immigrants who are not citizens or lawful permanent residents from receiving SNAP benefits, according to Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Budget Committee.
The House-passed bill would require all states to pay at least 5% of SNAP benefit costs, and more if they reported a high rate of errors in underpaying or overpaying recipients. That provision was estimated to save roughly $128 billion.
Senate Republicans were unsettled by that plan, arguing it would tee up insurmountable budget shortfalls for their states. They softened it, advancing a lower share for states to shoulder than that set forward by the House proposal. On Saturday, Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., the chair of the Agriculture Committee, said GOP senators would continue to try to find a way to cut food assistance that complied with Senate rules.
'To rein in federal spending and protect taxpayer dollars, the committee is pursuing meaningful reforms to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to improve efficiency, accountability and integrity,' Boozman said in a statement. He said he was looking at options 'to ensure SNAP serves those who truly need it while being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.'
Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, the top Democrat on the Agriculture Committee, cheered the parliamentarian's decision, saying she had 'made clear that Senate Republicans cannot use their partisan budget to shift major nutrition assistance costs to the states that would have inevitably led to major cuts.'
Several fiscal hawks in the House and Senate have complained that the legislation does not do enough to cut federal spending. With the parliamentarian's ruling, Republicans will have to find another way to slash a huge sum of money that their members also feel comfortable voting for.
The ruling was just one piece of a broader review the parliamentarian is conducting of the Republican-written legislation. She was expected to work through the weekend evaluating the measure and instructing Republicans to strip out any provision she deems out of order. Should they fail to do so, Democrats could challenge the bill on the floor, forcing Republicans to muster 60 votes to advance it, which would effectively kill it since Democrats are solidly opposed.
The parliamentarian also will determine whether Republicans can keep a provision that would block states from regulating artificial intelligence for a decade, and whether they can use a budget trick that would make extending the 2017 tax cuts appear to be free.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Copyright 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
"America, You Are In Grave Danger": The Internet Is VERY Worried About Donald Trump's Disturbing Latest Move
The American public has grown increasingly concerned about President Donald Trump's moves toward authoritarianism and autocracy as he positions himself as being above the law and frequently mentions not leaving office at the end of his Constitutionally-granted second and final term. During a press conference on Monday morning, Trump announced a sweeping plan by his administration to increase its control over law enforcement in the United States capital city of Washington, DC. Washington, DC, is the capital city and the federal district of the US, but is not an incorporated state or part of one. Jurisdiction over DC belongs to Congress. He started the press conference with a comment on how crowded the room is, saying they need a ballroom instead. Attorney General Pam Bondi grinned along. Trump launches into the topic of the press conference. "And we're here for a very serious purpose. Very serious purpose. Something is out of control, but we're gonna put it in control very quickly, like we did on the southern border," he said. "I'm announcing a historic action to rescue our nation's capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor. And worse." Related: "This is Liberation Day in DC, and we're gonna take our capital back," Trump said. "We're taking it back." He announced his plan: "Under the authorities vested in me as the president of the United States, I'm officially invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act — you know what that is — and placing the DC Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control." "In addition, I'm deploying the National Guard to help reestablish law, order, and public safety in Washington, DC and they're gonna be allowed to do their job properly," Trump continued. He then directly addressed the journalists in the room about the supposed crime hotbed of DC, saying, "You people are victims of it, too." President Trump then said that "The murder rate in Washington today is higher than that of Bogota, Colombia, Mexico City, some of the places that you hear about as being the worst places on Earth," as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth nodded along. "The number of car thefts has doubled over the past five years, and the number of carjackings has more than tripled," Trump said. "Murders in 2023 reached the highest rate probably ever." "Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs, and homeless people. And we're not gonna let it happen anymore. We're not gonna take it," Trump told the crowd. He then repeated that the problem would be treated like the southern border, which he said "nobody comes to" anymore. For clarity, the Justice Department reported early this year that violent crime in Washington, DC, is down 35% from 2023. According to the DC Metropolitan Police Department, the very agency that Trump is seeking to federalize, violent crime is currently down 26% year-over-year. "We are not experiencing a spike in crime," DC mayor Muriel Bowser told MSNBC on Sunday. "In fact, we're watching our crime numbers go down." Related: Richard Stengel, author and former government official under President Barack Obama, said that, "Throughout history, autocrats use a false pretext to impose government control over local law enforcement as a prelude to a more national takeover." People quickly hopped on Reddit's r/politics to discuss the CNBC article about Trump's announcement (you can watch the full press conference here). This is what some of the over 3,000 commenters had to say: 1."Federalizing the DC Police under fake numbers... Literally watching fascism unfold before our eyes, people. It's past time to get pissed." —thedrizztman 2."I thought he said he couldn't deploy the National Guard on January 6? So now we know he could have, but didn't because it was his people." —swiftfoot_hiker 3."This is the big red flashing sign of fascism for anyone still wondering." —ImperatorUniversum1 Related: 4."Every word out of this MF'er's mouth is a LIE. EVERY WORD. Taking over DC is to keep protestors out because this administration's next actions will be brutal." —mhouse2001 5."Martial law in motion. MF didn't even bother to stage a Reichstag fire." —alloutofchewingum 6."Here we fucking go. And sweet Jesus, it's only August of year one..." —KingMario05 7."This is the death of the republic we're watching. Temporary takeovers have a very long history of becoming permanent. We're so fucked." —Violent_Mud_Butt 8."So, he could have done this to put down the insurrection at the Capitol?" —aeppelcyning 9."This is a pretext for something. His excuse is the homeless — what I really think he's preparing for are protests or maybe even riots. Maybe connected to the upcoming 'peace talks' with Russia, or the Epstein scandal." —rainghost 10."So that's it. No more freedom or rule of law in the US. And all the flag-waving Trump supporters don't care. Not a peep from them." —Large-Phase9732 11."So I assume DC residents won't be able to vote ever again." —V_T_H Related: 12."Full fucking stop. Yes, this is a distraction attempt from Epstein, among other things, but this is a pilot program for doing this in other major cities around America. This is the next step in a full fascist takeover of this country. But hey, eggs are... I mean, gas is... I mean, Kamala's laugh." —spqr2001 13."We are going to find out if the military is going to uphold their oath to defend us from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Trump is the biggest domestic terrorist I've seen in this country in my lifetime." —Ol_Turd_Fergy 14."That's it folks. Democracy in the US is now over. What a shameful country." —boringfantasy 15."Authoritarianism it is then, I guess." —Jonny_Segment 16."Correct me if I'm wrong, but I could have sworn that Trump had no authority to do this. I mean, that's what he said for January 6. He said that the Speaker of the House needs to make this call. Could he have been lying?" —dydski 17."Is this about homeless people? What is this about? Those National Guard are gonna be real sad when they realize a ton of the homeless individuals they are arresting are vets." —Resident_Standard437 finally, "America, you are in grave danger. An authoritarian is seizing power over the police, based on a made-up emergency. This is a precursor to stealing the elections. It's the only thing left between them and ruling forever. They are stealing our democracy and do not plan to give it back. And all of you are silent. The republic is dying, rapidly and right before our eyes, and nothing is being done to stop it." —kevendo So, what do you think? Let us know in the comments. Also in In the News: Also in In the News: Also in In the News:
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump rebukes Goldman's Solomon and bank's economics research on tariff impact
(Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday consumers are not paying the costs of tariffs, countering a recent Goldman Sachs' research division estimate that they had absorbed 22% of the costs through June. "It has been shown that for the most part, consumers aren't even paying these tariffs, it is mostly companies and governments, many of them foreign picking up the tabs," Trump wrote in a post on social media platform Truth Social. "But David Solomon and Goldman Sachs refuse to give credit where credit is due." Trump did not specifically mention which Goldman report he was referring to. The Wall Street investment bank declined to comment on the matter. U.S. consumers had absorbed 22% of tariff costs through June and their share will rise to 67% if the recent tariffs follow the same pattern as the earliest ones, Goldman Sachs Economics Research said in a note published on August 10. "This implies that U.S. businesses have absorbed more than half of the tariff costs so far but that their share will fall to less than 10%," analysts led by Jan Hatzius said. Hatzius did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Since February 1, when Trump kicked off trade wars by slapping levies on imports from Mexico, Canada and China, at least 333 companies worldwide have reacted to the tariffs in some manner, as of August 12, according to a Reuters tracker. Tariffs are taxes levied on imported goods to typically protect domestic industries or influence trade policies. Its financial impact can be distributed among manufacturers, retailers and consumers, depending on market conditions and supply-chain dynamics. Economists continue to study how much of the tariff cost is ultimately passed on to consumers through higher prices. Meanwhile, Trump has also been vocal about his complaints concerning corporate policies and operations since he took office in January. He met Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan on Monday, days after seeking his resignation. Sign in to access your portfolio
Los Angeles Times
21 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Get a manicure. Sing Monty Python. Be happy. You'll drive the Trumpists crazy
As the psychiatrist Dr. Melfi says to Tony in the pilot episode of 'The Sopranos,' 'Hope comes in many forms.' I was reminded of this the other day when I found my finger glued to the hand of another woman. I had set out that morning to celebrate all the indications that the political plates of the Earth had shifted — millions of people at the No Kings marches, all the court cases that the White House keeps losing and Trump's Epstein nightmare. I wanted to immerse myself in the headway. Something's happening here. Those in charge want us to give up until the next election, but of course we are not going to, because we have children and nieces and nephews. The dark forces must be childless. They are not concerned about squeezing the life out of the Constitution, the rising oceans and the re-emergence of diseases long eradicated, because they are so bottomlessly stupid and greedy. And they are unaware of what happens when the autocracy overreaches. Every time. Think pitchforks. Tick-tock. This gives me a little hope. Hope comes in many forms: When I hear the songs of the civil rights movement at our marches, a soft gong sounds. The poet Jack Gilbert wrote, 'We must admit that there will be music despite everything.' Ever since I heard the author Caroline Myss say that when darkness and evil go nuclear, love and hope must go nuclear too, I started getting occasional manicures with glittery polish, to remind me. There was a nail salon in the first strip mall I passed. I went in. It seemed crowded, and I turned to leave. But the nearest manicurist said, 'Pick a color.' I said, 'No, no, you seem busy.' 'Pick a color!' she demanded, so I leapt to the polish station and picked a sparkly pale pink. An old woman came lumbering out from the back room toward me with a bowl of water. I dutifully fished out $25 from my purse, five of it tip, and put the fingers of one hand into the bowl of warm water. When one hand free, I scrolled through the links on my phone — the usual stuff, the government taking away health insurance from the poor and protecting American jobs by causing mass starvation around the world. The salon had grown incredibly hot. What hasn't? I smiled remembering Sen. Jim Inhofe tossing that snowball around on the Senate floor as proof that there is no global warming. God, the absurdity. Absurdity! A light bulb went on over my head in that salon. That's what we're missing. I realized that this was one solution to the cruel mess and the endless, depressing analysis. Yes, we will take to the streets at every opportunity, care for the poor and pick up litter. But we also, desperately, need to begin laughing again. And who does absurdity better than Monty Python? Monty Python says what we already know, that yes, it is all hopelessly stupid, cruel and unfair, but their making it silly delivers joy and buoyancy. We can grip our heads, fight back and laugh at it and them. And nothing agitates narcissists more than people laughing. Think of how confused our most prominent bullies get when people laugh at them. Bullies rule by fear. Humor is fearless, a bubbly form of hope. Remember the 'Upper Class Twit of the Year' award? And 'Self-Defense Against Fruit'? Aren't people in flag-draped lines voting to lose their health insurance and their basic rights reminiscent of folks queuing for crucifixion in 'Life of Brian'? The cheery, 'Line up on the left, one cross each'? Laughter and those jaunty songs break up the armor that we think protects us. When we're softened and jiggled, we're open to a shift from tight and clenched to the recognition of shared humanity, and underneath that a glimmer of shared possibility. When we don't see anything on the menu that we like, we can at least remember — as Monty Python taught us — that the Spam, egg, sausage and Spam sandwich has not got nearly as much Spam in it. I smiled, hearing the Spam song, right before my manicurist cut the skin at the base of the nail. I yelped. We both looked down at a drop of blood that was growing. She wrapped my finger in a Kleenex and pulled out a tiny tube I assumed was a styptic, and rubbed it over the cut. Then she pinched my finger between hers to stem the bleeding. After a minute, she tried to let go, which was the point at which I realized that this tube was super glue and that my finger was glued to her hand. She couldn't pry her fingers off. She started swabbing us with nail polish remover — not ideal for an open cut. I mewed like a kitten. It took a painful, burning minute to get us unglued. The bleeding was slowing down, and she stroked my hand while looking into my eyes kindly. Kindness is the antivenom. So we proceeded. I assumed that, the way things are going, I would die one day later this week of a fungal infection that went septic, but at least I would have beautiful nails, and Monty Python. I left her a second $5 tip. Hope comes in many forms: If you want to have hopeful feelings, do hopeful things. She touched her heart when she saw. Maybe I don't always remember my doctor's name, or how to spell the fuchsias that my husband grows, but I remember every word of 'The Lumberjack Song,' and of 'Every Sperm Is Sacred.' I hope we don't go crazy with the craziness around us. I can't remember a more terrifying time. I hope that we can keep centered, keep sharing what we have, help each other keep our spirits up, sing, register voters and rally, and maybe these are all we've got these days, but deep in my heart, I do believe that led with infinite dignity by the Ministry of Silly Walks, they will see us through. Anne Lamott, an author of fiction and nonfiction, lives in Marin County, Calif. Her latest book is 'Somehow: Thoughts on Love.' X: @annelamott
