logo
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders initiates Community Assistance Grant Program

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders initiates Community Assistance Grant Program

Yahoo19-05-2025
Video: Gov. Sanders, Arkansas Office of Skills Development hand out over $20 million in grants
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced on Monday that her office was initiating a program to fill funding gaps in the state.
The announcement stated the $15 million program would provide Community Assistance Grants for projects that reduce poverty, promote self-sufficiency and revitalize communities. Sanders' office is working with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission to develop and administer the program.
Gov. Sanders vetoes two bills on last day of legislative session
The governor's office is seeking the Arkansas Legislative Council's approval of the program's required $15 million.
Officials said that under the program, community-based nonprofits and cities will be able to apply for up to $1.5 million grants per fiscal year to support quality of life. Food banks and foster care support were among the examples of programs the grants would support.
Applicants will be required to match grant awards with cash, in-kind labor, or in-kind land. Match amount determination is on a case-by-case basis during the application review process.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announces plan to remove sugary foods from SNAP
The application period will be from May 19 through July 31, and funding award announcements are expected in early Fall 2025.
'If we're going to help every corner of our state thrive, then the effort is going to come from the bottom up—not just from the top down,' the governor said. 'The goal of the Community Assistance Grant program is to fund programs that are making a real difference in Arkansans' lives.'
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs bill blocking PBM ownership of pharmacies into law
Additional information on the program is available at the Arkansas Economic Development Commission's website.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

'I Know It's A Radical Idea,' Says Bernie Sanders, 'But We Need A Government That Represents Working Families, Not Billionaires'
'I Know It's A Radical Idea,' Says Bernie Sanders, 'But We Need A Government That Represents Working Families, Not Billionaires'

Yahoo

time6 hours ago

  • Yahoo

'I Know It's A Radical Idea,' Says Bernie Sanders, 'But We Need A Government That Represents Working Families, Not Billionaires'

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is again sounding the alarm on what he sees as a system rigged for the ultra-wealthy and against working Americans. 'The system is just not working for the average American,' Sanders wrote in a recent post on X. 'Not wages, not health care, not housing, not educational opportunity, not retirement security.' He added: 'I know it's a radical idea, but we need a government that represents working families, not the billionaire class.' Don't Miss: The same firms that backed Uber, Venmo and eBay are investing in this pre-IPO company disrupting a $1.8T market — Named a TIME Best Invention and Backed by 5,000+ Users, Kara's Air-to-Water Pod Cuts Plastic and Costs — Calling Out Corporate Power In Red States During a recent CNN interview amid his 'Fighting Oligarchy' tour through Republican strongholds like West Virginia, Sanders said the Democratic Party has failed working-class people and needs to return to its roots. 'This used to be, decades ago, one of the strongest Democratic states in the country,' he said. 'Now it's a strong Republican state, because I think in many ways the Democratic Party has turned its back on what was its base.' He told CNN that economic issues cut across political lines and that many red states are filled with people who want affordable housing, better wages and guaranteed health care. 'They don't want to see tax breaks for billionaires. They don't want to see the rich get richer. They want health care as a human right. They want to raise the minimum wage to a living wage,' Sanders said. Trending: 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. You can He also didn't shy away from criticizing then-Vice President Kamala Harris' failed presidential campaign, saying she was too influenced by wealthy donors. 'She had too many billionaires telling her not to speak up for the working class of this country,' he said. A Broken System That Protects The Powerful Sanders in Jujne warned of a new class of 'uber capitalists' who believe they deserve to rule in a 'Flagrant' podcast. 'There is a new breed of uber capitalists out there who really believe... that they are superior human beings,' he said. He pointed to far-right rhetoric that openly dismisses democracy in favor of elite rule. Sanders said this mindset echoes old ideas of divine entitlement. 'Back in the 19th century... I am the king, God made my family king. Sorry you're starving to death, but that's the way life goes.'He criticized billionaires for hoarding wealth and only choosing to give it away when they are near death, calling it a system that has the resources to solve real problems but refuses to act. 'We are the richest country in the history of the world,' he said. 'And yet 60% of people live paycheck to paycheck.' 'Is it a radical idea that we join every other major country on Earth and guarantee health care for people?' Sanders asked on CNN. 'Is it a radical idea to say that we've got to raise the minimum wage to $17 an hour?' For Sanders, these aren't fringe ideas—they're common sense in much of the developed world. Read Next: Imagn Images Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article 'I Know It's A Radical Idea,' Says Bernie Sanders, 'But We Need A Government That Represents Working Families, Not Billionaires' originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

How Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Changed Benefits for Immigrants
How Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Changed Benefits for Immigrants

Newsweek

time8 hours ago

  • Newsweek

How Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Changed Benefits for Immigrants

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. Debate has raged in recent months over the access immigrants get to federal benefits and how they pay into the system, with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act making some major changes to that access for some in recent weeks. With different immigrant types, from naturalized citizens to temporary visa holders, receiving different levels of access to health care, education, and financial aid, it has often been difficult to get a clear picture of the situation. On Friday, USAFacts published a breakdown of a range of common benefits, from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to Section 8 housing, as well as the duties immigrants are expected to pay into, with the aim of making the topic clearer. "When I first started this, I naively thought that this would be a little bit simpler, that there would be hard and fast rules that all government programs follow the same process of who is eligible and who is not," Amber Thomas, a senior data visualization engineer at USAFacts, told Newsweek. "It turns out it's really varied, sometimes between programs and sometimes based on immigration status. "So I've included seven different immigration statuses here. These are not all of the immigration statuses that the government recognizes. There are many, many more. But these are the ones that we decided you're most likely to hear about." What Benefits Do Immigrants Get? Under President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and other legislation introduced to Congress in recent months, some eligibility is being revoked from certain immigrant groups. "The One Big Beautiful Bill obviously covers a lot of different legislation, and within it, there was a section that recategorized who is eligible based on immigrant status for a handful of programs, and that was specifically Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program), SNAP, and marketplace subsidies," Thomas said. Some of the most notable changes are coming for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients, who had a few months of access to some Medicare programs before that was undone by recent bills. Similar changes have been made for refugees and asylees in the United States. For those interested in participating in the Head Start school readiness program, eligibility is now limited to naturalized citizens, green card holders, refugees, and asylees. Applicants with pending asylum cases, DACA, or non-tourist visas are excluded. A nurse administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a man at a clinic targeting immigrant community members in Los Angeles on March 25, 2021. A nurse administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a man at a clinic targeting immigrant community members in Los Angeles on March 25, have argued that these changes were necessary in order to prevent illegal immigrants from fraudulently using federal government benefits, but immigrant advocates have warned that thousands of people will be left without access to vital health care and other services. "Republicans in Congress have succeeded in our mission to enact President Trump's America First agenda," House Republicans said in a joint statement on July 3. "And importantly, we did it in record time, so that the effects of this nation-shaping legislation can be felt by the American people as soon as possible." While the OBBBA did make some major changes to benefits eligibility for immigrants, other restrictions also remain in effect for new green card holders, with a five-year wait time for access to Social Security, Medicaid, CHIP, SNAP, and TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) benefits. How Can Immigrants Participate in Society? During the 2024 presidential election campaign, and in recent months during the passage of Trump's budget bill, concerns were raised about the duties immigrants were able to participate in and the programs they were paying into. USAFacts also unpacked some of these, clearly explaining that naturalized citizens take part in all five listed above. All immigrants pay taxes in some way, while no other category has the ability to vote in federal elections. There are also varying levels of permissions to work legally and serve in the U.S. military. One area of tension with the OBBBA has been around health care. With all immigrants paying taxes, but not all being able to access Medicare, advocates have repeatedly argued that this is unfair. "We shouldn't be kicking millions of people off Medicaid and denying lifesaving care to fund the Trump administration's extreme deportation machine," Deirdre Schifeling, chief political and advocacy officer with the ACLU, said in a press release in June. "The American people did not vote for this. We will make sure that constituents remember the catastrophic harm this bill does and hold lawmakers accountable." Some of the policies are yet to take effect, with health access revoked in stages: in October 2026 and then in January 2027. Those using SNAP will likely see the changes take effect when they next try to verify their status.

Judge blocks Arkansas Ten Commandments law in 4 NWA school districts
Judge blocks Arkansas Ten Commandments law in 4 NWA school districts

Axios

time21 hours ago

  • Axios

Judge blocks Arkansas Ten Commandments law in 4 NWA school districts

Editor's note: The headline, URL and content of this story were corrected to reflect that the judge temporarily blocked the law from taking effect in four districts (not in the entire state). A federal judge Aug. 4 temporarily blocked in four school districts an Arkansas law that now requires public school classrooms to prominently display the Ten Commandments. Why it matters: Some supporters of the change see the Ten Commandments as a historical document that helped shape U.S. law, but the plaintiffs in Bentonville, Fayetteville, Springdale and Siloam Springs argue that displaying the document in public schools infringes on their constitutional right to freedom of religion. State of play: Arkansas Act 573, passed by the state Legislature this year and signed into law by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, requires that every "public institution of higher education and elementary and secondary school library and classroom in the state" prominently display a copy of the "historical representation of the Ten Commandments." The posters areto be at least 16 inches by 20 inches and in a legible typeface. All copies are to be donated or purchased through private funds, but if a donated copy doesn't meet the requirements, the school can replace it using public funds. The big picture: In his ruling, U.S. Western District of Arkansas Judge Timothy Brooks cited similar laws in nearby Louisiana and Texas. The Louisiana law has been declared unconstitutional, and the Texas law is being challenged, though a ruling hasn't yet been declared. Oklahoma's state superintendent issued guidelines last year that every classroom have a copy of the Bible and the Ten Commandments and that teachers should include the documents in the curriculum. The guidance is being challenged. At least 15 other states had proposed some form of the law as of February. What they're saying: "Forty-five years ago, the Supreme Court struck down a Ten Commandments law nearly identical to the one the Arkansas General Assembly passed earlier this year. That precedent remains binding on this Court and renders Arkansas Act 573 plainly unconstitutional," Brooks wrote in the ruling. "Why would Arkansas pass an obviously unconstitutional law? Most likely because the State is part of a coordinated strategy among several states to inject Christian religious doctrine into public-school classrooms." The other side: "In Arkansas, we do in fact believe that murder is wrong and stealing is bad. It is entirely appropriate to display the Ten Commandments — the basis of all Western law and morality — as a reminder to students, state employees, and every Arkansan who enters a government building," Sanders said in a statement emailed to Axios. Several state lawmakers sponsoring the bill did not immediately respond to Axios' inquiries.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store