Schumer renames Trump megabill the ‘Well, We're All Going to Die Act'
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) gave a new name to the 'big, beautiful bill' on Wednesday, calling it the 'Well, We're All Going to Die Act.'
Schumer appeared at a press conference alongside Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and stood next to a sign that read 'Well, We're All Going to Die Act,' a reference to previous comments from Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa.)
'The more you look at the bill, at the House bill, the worse it gets,' Schumer said during the press conference.
The New York Democrat added later that 'this bill is just tax breaks for the ultra wealthy, paid for by gutting health care for up to 16 million Americans.'
During a recent town hall in Butler, Iowa, Ernst defended spending reforms included in the 'big, beautiful bill' passed by the House, including those that would stop people from getting federal benefits if they've entered the country illegally.
A person in the crowd attempted to talk over the senator, interrupting her while she was answering questions about changes to Medicaid and SNAP and shouting that people are 'going to die' as a result.
'Well, we're all going to die,' Ernst responded, drawing jeers.
Ernst later doubled down on her comments on social media, saying in a Saturday Instagram post that she 'made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that, yes, we are all going to perish from this Earth.'
The Hill has reached out to Ernst's office for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
20 minutes ago
- New York Times
Hawley Breaks With Republicans to Oppose a Major Crypto Bill
While the clash between Elon Musk and President Trump captivated Washington on Thursday, another drama was playing out behind closed doors over a bill to regulate the $250 billion market for stablecoins, which could transform America's relationship with the dollar, upend the credit card industry, and benefit both Musk and Trump. The bill, the GENIUS Act, is poised to pass the Senate within days. But a prominent Republican, Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, said that he will vote against the bill in its current form, warning that it would hand too much control of America's financial system to tech giants. 'It's a huge giveaway to Big Tech,' Hawley said in an interview. Mr. Hawley, who previously voted against the bill for procedural purposes, is concerned that the legislation would allow tech giants to create digital currencies that compete with the dollar. And he fears that such companies would then be motivated to collect even more data on users' finances. 'It allows these tech companies to issue stablecoins without any kind of controls,' he said. 'I don't see why we would do that.' Similar worries scuttled an effort by Meta to get into stablecoins. In 2019, Jay Powell of the Fed, among others, raised 'serious concerns' about Meta's cryptocurrency initiative, called Libra and then Diem. It abandoned the project in 2022. The GENIUS Act has exposed divisions in both parties. Democrats like Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts oppose the bill, warning it would make it easier for Trump, whose family announced its own USD1 stablecoin in March, to engage in corrupt practices. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Legislative recap for Thursday, June 5
The dome of the Maine State House in Augusta. Sept. 5, 2023. (Photo by Jim Neuger/ Maine Morning Star) With a citizen-led campaign to impose voter ID requirements heading to the ballots, lawmakers discussed the issue at length Thursday before rejecting a legislative proposal mirroring the ballot initiative. Several Republican members of the Maine House of Representatives said if returning clothes and buying cigarettes requires photo identification, so should voting. They alleged rampant voter fraud by noncitizens, which Maine's Secretary of State has said is not the case. Democrats pushed back, saying Maine already has a robust system to prevent fraud, and that requiring voter ID would disadvantage students, seniors and people with disabilities. With a 72-69 vote, the bill, LD 38, was rejected. 'There is a fundamental difference between having to show an ID to buy alcohol or tobacco products or returning an unwanted item to a store,' said Rep. Kelly Noonan Murphy (D-Scarborough).'None of those things are sacred rights granted to us in the Constitution. And therefore, imposing barriers on that right … is un-American.' With papers shuffling between chambers this week, Maine Morning Star has compiled a slightly more pared down roundup again for Thursday, focusing on the biggest items of debates as well as legislation and issues that we've followed all session. Here's an overview of what happened Thursday. Both chambers have now passed an amended version of LD 1726, which seeks to improve planning for the future of the energy grid. The House supported it with a 75-69 vote, and the Senate followed suit passing the bill 19-13 Thursday afternoon. After LD 1928 squeaked through the House with a 72-70 vote, the Senate passed it 17-15. This bill would ban single-use plastic containers — such as mini shampoo bottles — at lodging establishments starting in 2030. Although Rep. Michael Soboleski (R-Phillips) said the well-intentioned legislation overlooks sanitation concerns and poses challenges for businesses, others praised it for its potential to chip away at plastic use in the state. 'A conservative estimate is that this bill could eliminate as many as 73 million single-use plastic bottles per year from Maine's waste stream as we struggle to recycle our way out of the catastrophe of microplastics, that is meaningful action,' said Rep. Vicki Doudera (D-Camden). Although the proposed net energy billing reform that could save ratepayers more than $65 million has yet to hit the floors, the Senate and House passed an amended version of LD 839, which would create a fund to offset transmission and distribution costs associated with the policy that would otherwise be passed onto ratepayers. Additionally, lawmakers backed a bill requiring internet providers to treat all broadband internet traffic equally, a concept commonly referred to as 'net neutrality.' LD 536 passed the House 79-66, while the Senate gave its approval Thursday. With a 74-67 House vote, both chambers supported LD 246, which asks courts to consider a sentence other than imprisonment for primary caregivers. Rep. Adam Lee (D-Auburn) said the bill is needed because 'the research is clear, children with incarcerated parents are more likely to face mental health challenges, exhibit behavioral problems, experience social isolation and suffer from economic hardship. These children are also more likely to perform poorly in school and have higher absentee rates.' With a 73-69 vote, the House also passed LD 1859, a bill that would offer regional hubs for childcare, which can serve as access points in communities, tailored to the needs of those families. The Senate approved it Wednesday. Both chambers have now rejected LD 1476, which sought to impose a new lodging fee to help fund homeless shelters in the state. A heavily amended version of LD 1787 passed in the Senate after the House gave approval Wednesday. The bill initially sought to allow candidates for district attorney, sheriff and county commissioner to participate in the Maine Clean Election Act, but the version now being considered was amended to increase the contribution limits for gubernatorial seed money donations. (Read more about other proposals related to changing Maine's clean elections here.) Legislation (LD 1900) to grant authority to certain Wabanaki Nations to develop tribal power districts and recognize the authority for child support enforcement passed the House 75-67 on Wednesday and Senate 20-12. There was also bipartisan support for LD 1886, which would extend the current penalties applied when a motor vehicle violation results in death to violations that result in serious bodily harm. Lawmakers killed a proposal (LD 1461) to prohibit school boards from adopting a mask mandate unless directed by a health agency. So far, the Legislature has only supported modest refinements to the state's paid family and medical leave. That approach continued Thursday, when two more bills looking to amend the program were rejected. LD 1169, which would allow employers to get a refund for any premiums paid into the state's plan if they are approved to use a private substitute plan, was voted down 73-68 by the House and 18-14 by the Senate. Both chambers also rejected LD 1400, which looked to exempt certain public school employees from the program. And the Senate cast a final enactment vote for LD 588, which would give agricultural employees the right to engage in certain concerted activity, which includes talking about wages, working conditions and other employment matters with other employees or the employer. (Read more about that here.) After the Senate narrowly voted it down, the House passed LD 1535, which would require the Public Utilities Commission to gather a group of municipal, police and fire officials to discuss the high electricity usage related to illegal cannabis grows in the state. During discussions Wednesday, Sen. Craig Hickman (D-Kennebec) said the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee is carrying over legislation into the next session that could provide a more comprehensive approach, including this sort of study. The Senate insisted on its original vote Thursday night. Leaving it in limbo, the House did not again take up LD 810, the bill seeking to modify the law born out of a 2021 referendum question requiring the Maine Legislature to approve any new high-impact transmission lines. It fell shy of passage in the House with lawmakers voting 72-75 before ultimately killing the bill under the hammer. However, the Senate passed the bill 18-16 Wednesday. During an evening session, the Senate rejected LD 1036, which would prohibit landlords from refusing to rent to tenants solely because they rely on programs such as General Assistance or housing vouchers. Since the House passed the proposal 72-70 on Wednesday, the lower chamber will need to take it up again. Sen. Chip Curry (D-Waldo) said this is an important issue, but asked the Senate to reject the measure simply because the Judiciary Committee is carrying a similar bill into the next session to allow more time to work on it. Although the House rejected LD 1236 earlier in the day on Thursday, the Senate voted 22-10 in favor of its passage after a failed 16-16 vote to reject the bill and impassioned floor speeches about the importance of addressing the presence of fentanyl in the state. The amended version of the bill seeks to create a Class A crime for aggravated trafficking of fentanyl when it results in an overdose. While no one refuted that fentanyl poses a crisis, Curry said the state can't incarcerate its way out of it. Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart said he supports a multipronged approach to solving the substance use crisis including access to treatment and other supports, but argued that this bill could bolster that. The Senate advanced two bills that aim to support mobile home park residents in purchasing their parks. (Read more about that here.) Maine is one step closer to joining its New England peers who all have so-called food waste bans on the books now that the Senate has approved a slightly amended version of LD 1065. The bill would prohibit significant generators of food waste, which could include schools, hospitals, food producers and others, from disposing of food waste if they are close to a facility that could compost or otherwise dispose of the waste. The House passed a bill (LD 1078) expanding access to needle exchange programs in a 74-65 vote. The bill would allow certified programs to operate additional locations within the same county. (Read more about our syringe service program coverage here). SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
24 minutes ago
Pope meets with child protection advisory board as survivors call for zero tolerance of abuse
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Leo XIV met with members of the Vatican's child protection advisory commission on Thursday for the first time amid questions about his past handling of clergy sex abuse cases and demands from survivors that he enact a true policy of zero tolerance for abuse across the Catholic Church. The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which is made up of religious and lay experts in fighting abuse as well as survivors, called the hourlong audience a 'significant moment of reflection, dialogue, and renewal of the church's unwavering commitment to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable people.' The group said it updated history's first American pope on its activities, including an initiative to help church communities in poorer parts of the world prevent abuse and care for victims. The Vatican did not provide the text of Leo's remarks or make the audio of the audience available to reporters. Pope Francis created the commission early on in his pontificate to advise the church on best practices and placed a trusted official, Boston's then-archbishop, Cardinal Sean O'Malley, in charge. But as the abuse scandal spread globally during Francis' 12-year pontificate, the commission lost its influence its crowning recommendation — the creation of a tribunal to judge bishops who covered up for predator priests — went nowhere. After many years of reform and new members, it has become a place where victims can go to be heard and bishops can get advice on crafting guidelines to fight abuse. O'Malley turned 80 last year and retired as archbishop of Boston, but he remains president of the commission and headed the delegation meeting with Leo in the Apostolic Palace. It has often fallen to O'Malley to speak out on egregious cases that have arrived at the Vatican, including one that remains on Leo's desk: The fate of the ex-Jesuit artist, the Rev. Marko Rupnik, who has been accused by two dozen women of sexual, psychological and spiritual abuse over decades. After coming under criticism that a fellow Jesuit had apparently received preferential treatment, Francis in 2023 ordered the Vatican to waive the statute of limitations on the case and prosecute him canonically. But as recently as March, the Vatican still hadn't found judges to open the trial. Meanwhile, the victims are still waiting for justice and Rupnik continues to minister, with his supporters defending him and denouncing a 'media lynching' campaign against him. Leo, the Chicago-born former Cardinal Robert Prevost, has been credited by victims of helping to dismantle an abusive Catholic movement in Peru, where he served as bishop for many years. But other survivors have asked him to account for other cases while he was a superior in the Augustinian religious order, bishop in Peru and head of the Vatican's bishops' office. The main U.S. survivor group, SNAP, has also called for Leo to adopt the U.S. policy calling for any priest who has been credibly accused of abuse to be permanently removed from ministry. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
