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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
McConnell: Medicaid cuts likely to remain in Senate but not easy to pass
Sen. Mitch McConnell thinks the cuts to Medicaid spending in the wide-ranging budget bill backed by President Donald Trump will remain. He said to a crowd gathered at a Kentucky Chamber of Commerce event Friday that he supports those entitlement cuts, which reduce 10-year spending on Medicaid by about $723 billion and are estimated to cut about 12% of the government-funded insurance program spend in Kentucky. 'I'm hoping we come out pretty close to where the House did on Medicaid,' McConnell said. Those cuts are one part of so-called 'Big, Beautiful Bill' backed by Trump that was narrowly passed by the U.S. House in May. The bill also extends tax cuts which primarily benefit the wealthy and cuts spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, among other things. McConnell also made sure to mention how politically difficult it might be for those cuts to Medicaid and other entitlement programs that were present in the U.S. House-approved bill to make it through the Senate. He emphasized that the last major change to entitlements in the U.S. was passed just before his 40-year career in the Senate began. 'Ronald Reagan and (late speaker of the House) Tip O'Neill agreed to raise the age of Social Security from 65 to 67. Since then, there's been nothing significant done to any entitlement, and the reason for it, obviously, is they are all immensely popular and no matter which side has controlled the government, nothing has happened,' McConnell said. He also mentioned how he was tasked during the administration of former President George W. Bush with finding Democrats who might support entitlement reform. He recalled the response of one Democrat predicting political doom if they went down that path. 'He said, 'Well, you guys have got the White House, you've got the House, you've got the Senate. Go right ahead,'' McConnell recalled. 'You know what he meant: We'll see you in the next election.' McConnell did not say whether or not he thought the provisions making changes to entitlements aimed at benefiting low-income Americans would make it through the Senate, though the cuts are a key part of financing the tax cut extension. He did make it clear that he supported the general direction of the cuts, though, citing conversations he's had with Kentucky health care providers, many of whom rely on Medicaid. 'We've checked with healthcare providers and state government, and they're comfortable with the way that issue is dealt with in the House bill and (by Kentucky) Congressman (Brett) Guthrie, who was directly involved in it. I'm interested in how those who could potentially be affected by and feel about it, and they seem to be okay,' McConnell said. The proposed changes to Medicaid that would lead to the cuts include mandating that adults getting Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act expansion meet certain work requirements and repealing a Biden-era rule simplifying the eligibility and renewal process, among other changes. One part of the big bill that McConnell felt confident would make it through: the extension of the tax cuts. McConnell said he's 'almost certain' those cuts to the individual income tax rate will remain. 'I think what unifies Republicans the most is the desire to have the lowest tax rate possible, and I think that part of the bill is likely to be very similar in both the House version and what we actually end up passing in the Senate,' McConnell said. Everything else is up in the air, he indicated. 'There are a lot of other things that I'm not going to get into because we don't know now what the final verdict is, but I do think this bill will pass in some form. I think you'll like most of it,' McConnell said. McConnell was not entirely supportive of the president's agenda in other areas. As he's expressed previously, Kentucky's senior senator disapproved of actions Trump has taken on tariffs, noting that the commonwealth would be uniquely affected. 'We ought to be doing more trade agreements, rather than attacking our friends with tariffs,' he said. 'Hopefully the president will give up on this path and remember that free trade is very, very important.' Another hobby horse of McConnell's has been aid to Ukraine, which has totaled more than $180 billion over the course of the country's defense against invasion from Russia, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. He warned against the plans of the United States' ostensible enemies like China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. 'What they want to do is displace American leadership with Chinese leadership or a combination or Russia or China,' McConnell said. 'We need to be leading our allies around the world with free trade.' The longtime politician and political junkie also had some thoughts to share about a Kentucky congressional seat that will be left open as a downstream effect of his choice not to seek reelection in 2026. McConnell told reporters after the event that he believed the Central Kentucky-based 6th Congressional District, which is currently held by Rep. Andy Barr who is now running for Senate, would stay red. That prediction comes in spite of Lexington, which makes up about 44% of the district, leaning more to the left in recent election cycles. 'Well, there's a blue spot in the middle of the sixth district, but it looks like most of it is pretty red, and I think whoever comes out of the primary has got a very good chance of winning,' McConnell said.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Griffith likes budget bill, wants 3-judge panel to oversee injunctions
bluefield – U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., admits there is no such thing as a perfect bill. But he believes there is much to like in the so-called 'Big, Beautiful Bill' recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. Griffith, who represents Virginia's Ninth Congressional District in the House, spoke on a wide range of issues during a visit to the Daily Telegraph, including the budget bill and the growing debate over whether district court judges have the power to block much of President Donald Trump's agenda. In recent months, district court judges have issued injunctions blocking many of Trump's executive orders. Those injunctions will eventually make their way to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to Griffith. But until then Griffith said legislation already passed by the Republican-controlled House — and awaiting action in the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate — would address the issue of judicial overreach. That bill would establish a three-judge panel that would consider any nationwide injunction. 'We passed it out of the House a month and a half ago,' Griffith said of the proposed legislation. 'It's sitting in the body of the Senate. It's hard to predict what the Senate will do. They may or may not move it forward.' Using Southwest Virginia as an example, Griffith said a district court judge in the Western District of Virginia shouldn't be able to issue a nationwide injunction blocking the actions of the President of the United States. Griffith said the district court should be making local decisions that impact Bluefield, Va., Richlands and Roanoke Va. — three cities that are located in the Western District — but should not be empowered to issue a nationwide injunction blocking a presidential order. Under the proposed legislation, Griffith said a component of the U.S. Supreme Court would select three judges at random that would consider any cases involving a nationwide injunction of a presidential order. 'I think it gets you a better decision,' Griffith said of a three-judge panel. 'You should have more than one judge making that decision.' As it stands now, Griffith said those who are seeking nationwide injunctions also are seeking out district court judges that they think may be more favorable to their viewpoint. By having a component of the Supreme Court to select three judges at random, it helps to ensure there will be no inherent biases in any decisions that are rendered, according to Griffith. Griffith also talked about the federal budget bill recently passed by the U.S. House, and its chances of remaining intact in the U.S. Senate. 'The bill is not perfect,' Griffith said. 'There is things in the bill I don't like, particularly the SALT tax increase.' The debate over the SALT tax surrounds the cap on federal deductions for state and local taxes. The House passed a bill increasing the cap to $40,000. But some conservatives argue the move is essentially a federal subsidy for blue states at the expense of red states. Griffith said the citizens of Southwest Virginia don't support providing a tax break to California or New York. 'In the Senate, there are not senators who represent SALT states,' Griffith said. 'So will the Senate pull SALT out? I think they will pass something similar to what we passed, or nothing at all.' Parts of the budget bill that Griffith said he likes includes taking the tax off tips and taking the tax off hourly wage overtime. The bill also includes a provision to help with the development of coal, natural gas and nuclear facilities. Griffith described it as a 'revolving loan fund' that would provide protection to those developers if a future Democrat-led administration is elected and orders those coal, natural gas and nuclear facilities to be closed. Griffith said Democrats also continue to misrepresent the work requirement for abled-bodied adults in Medicaid and those cuts that are proposed for Medicaid over a 10-year period in the budget bill. According to Griffith, the traditional Medicaid population consists of individuals with disabilities, pregnant mothers, children and seniors. He said the work requirements in the reconciliation budget bill do not apply to this traditional Medicaid population. The work requirement in Medicaid expansion would only apply to able-bodied people aged 19-64 who do not have a young child, a disabled person or an elderly relative in need of care living in the home, according to Griffith. Griffith said the bill requires these able-bodied adults on Medicaid expansion to be engaged in their community for 80 hours a month. With 4.33 weeks in a month, that means an average of 18.47 hours a week. Griffith said those requirements promote community engagement, adding that community engagement can be community service, pursuing educational programs, participating in a rehabilitation program or a job. By working to improve their communities and their own lives, Griffith said some of these individuals will be lifted out of poverty, depression and isolation. 'But if you are able-bodied and sitting at home, you should be trying to get out there and educate yourself, help your community with community service or find a job for a small part of the week,' he said. At the end of the day, Griffith said Republicans had to compromise in order to get the 'Big, Beautiful Bill' passed. It's passage in the Republican-controlled House was by a slim margin of 215-214. Griffith also was asked about the auto-pen investigation by the House, and whether or not former President Joe Biden was fully aware of a number of pardons and executive orders that were signed by the so-called auto-pen. A number of individual who are not charged with any type of crime were pardoned by Biden anyhow in the waning days of his presidency. House Republicans are investigating a number of pardons and executive orders that were signed using the autopen. Griffith said the courts will have to take a 'serious look' at the issue, adding that the question will center around the former president's mental state when those pardons and executive orders were issued. If Biden was unable to act upon those executive orders and pardons on his on, Griffith said the responsibility of those decisions should have then fallen upon former Vice President Kamala Harris. Griffith also was asked about this November's gubernatorial election in Virginia, and a handful of polls that show Democrat Abigail Spanberger with a large lead over Republican Winsome Earle-Sears in the closely-watched governor's race. Incumbent Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin can't seek re-election. In Virginia, a candidate can only serve as governor for a single term. Griffith said the polls will tighten as it gets closer to Election Day. He said voter turnout in Southwest Virginia will be key to Republicans winning the governor's race — just as it was four years ago when voters across Southwest Virginia came out in large numbers to support Youngkin. That large voter turnout across Southwest Virginia tipped the scales in favor of Republicans, Griffith said. 'There is no question that Southwest Virginia put Youngkin over the top,' Griffith said. 'There is no question about it. It was a big turnout. We've got to have the same thing now. If the turnout happens in Southwest Virginia, Winsome Sears who I have known for 20 years can win.' Contact Charles Owens at cowens@
Indian Express
12 hours ago
- Business
- Indian Express
The 130-day politician: Good bye, Elon Musk, Disaster Girl
Is it at all possible that Elon Musk pumped nearly $300 million into Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign just so he could be immortalised as… a meme? Consider the evidence: The government department he persuaded his presidential pal to sign into existence on the very day of the latter's inauguration, and which he, Musk, wielded like a chainsaw in a forest, is called the Department of Government Efficiency — shortened to DOGE which, as anyone who has been alive for the last 15 years knows, is the name of one of the most meme-ified dogs of all time (a Shiba Inu named Kabosu, who died almost exactly a year ago. RIP). And speaking of chainsaws, what about the made-for-meme moment at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February this year, when Musk strode about on stage, wielding an actual chainsaw (a gift from another presidential bestie, Javier Milei of Argentina), screaming 'chainsaw for bureaucracy'? Or, when he declared, on that same stage, 'I am become meme'? Looking back, moments like these seem to be all that Musk has to show for his 130 days in government. For one, the billionaire had to walk back his claim that DOGE would save the government $2 trillion by cutting bloat; this was later brought down to $1 trillion, with the final figure, at the time of Musk's departure, being a significantly more modest $175 billion, as per the department's 'wall of receipts' (although most expert estimates peg the figure even lower). If anything, the administration is likely to face several (costly) legal challenges to the mass layoffs DOGE carried out in its cost-cutting efforts, and its many instances of overreach. Musk swaggered into national politics with the confidence of one who knows how to Get Things Done, boasting about how easy it was to cut government spending. The realities of governance and bureaucracy soon saw him change his tune: By the time of his departure, Musk was giving interviews about the 'uphill' nature of his job and having to deal with a lot of complaints: 'It's really difficult…it's sort of, how much pain is, you know, are the cabinet and is Congress willing to take.' At the same time, his personal reputation had begun to suffer, with the biggest hit being taken by his EV company, Tesla. Sales dropped by about 20 per cent, and profits plunged by more than 70 per cent during Musk's time in DOGE. Protests and boycotts by those unhappy over the billionaire's involvement in slashing government spending and mass layoffs also saw Tesla shares plummet in value, with unhappy shareholders pressuring Musk to step back. Trump's punitive tariffs against China — Tesla's biggest market — only made matters worse. Despite all this — the reputational damage, the hit to his net worth (estimated to have dropped by about 25 per cent), and the many, many clashes with key members of the administration over his brash working style (including through open criticism of Trump's tariffs and his 'Big, Beautiful Bill') — it is all but certain that Musk will bounce back. He still wields a hugely influential megaphone in the form of X, remains the world's richest man and appears to have retained, at least going by the farewell event at the Oval Office, the friendship of the world's most powerful man. In any case, there's something about being a billionaire (most likely all those billions) that makes a person resistant to the slings and arrows of fortune — unlike, say, the federal worker who is struggling to find a job because she, long with thousands of her colleague, was laid off in the DOGE cuts. Or, the millions of HIV-positive people in other parts of the world who risk full-blown AIDS due to lack of availability of antiretrovirals, because Musk and his DOGE staffers spent a weekend in February 'feeding' USAID — which, among many other things, was doing vital work to end the global HIV/AIDS epidemic — 'to the woodchipper'. Musk exits Washington, possibly humbled (but not likely), but with much of his power and influence intact. His companies are reported to have scored both domestic and international business deals during his time in the Trump administration, including deals to bring Starlink, his satellite internet company, to new markets like India, and multibillion dollar government contracts for SpaceX. That there have been allegations of corruption and conflict of interest — with several Democrats demanding an investigation — is unlikely to slow down either Musk or his companies. In the end, the meme that might most come to be identified with Musk's dalliance with government may not be from that chainsaw moment on the CPAC stage or when he wore a 'tech support' t-shirt to his first cabinet meeting. It would be the meme featuring a photo of a young girl smiling into a camera while a house burns behind her: Disaster Girl.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
GOP Senator Bashes Constituents Who Say Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Cuts Will Kill People: 'Well, We're All Going to Die'
Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, bashed constituents who said Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill" would kill people "Well, we're all going to die," Ernst responded The bill narrowly passed in the House of Representatives on May 22 in a 215-214 voteSen. Joni Ernst is defending the controversial "Big, Beautiful Bill." While speaking at a town hall, the Iowa Republican condemned critics of the "Big, Beautiful Bill" that passed in the House of Representatives on May 22. The bill, should it be signed into law, would introduce significant cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by implementing more requirements on possible beneficiaries. An attendee in the crowd interrupted Ernst, per The Hill, yelling that people are "going to die" as a result of the reforms. "Well, we're all going to die," Ernst replied. Angry jeers erupted from the crowd in response, to which she replied, 'For heaven's sakes. For heaven's sakes, folks.' Ernst then tried to regain control of the town hall and offered her explanation of the bill's benefits. 'What you don't want to do is listen to me when I say that we are going to focus on those that are most vulnerable,' she said. 'Those that meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid, we will protect. We will protect them. Medicaid is extremely important here in the state of Iowa.' She continued, 'Those that are not eligible, those that are working and have opportunity for benefits elsewhere, then they should receive those benefits elsewhere and leave those dollars for those that are eligible for Medicaid." Ernst added that undocumented residents "will be coming off" Medicaid — a sentiment partially drowned out by protests from the crowd, per The Hill. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The "Big, Beautiful Bill," which narrowly passed in the House in a party-line 215-214 vote, revives President Donald Trump's tax cuts from 2017; prioritizes funding for deportation and border efforts; diminishes green energy tax incentives; increases the national deficit by $3.8 trillion; and, as discussed at the town hall, puts stricter limits on who can claim benefits from Medicaid and SNAP. The bill has proved controversial already. Equipped with multiple facets to bolster government spending, the "Big, Beautiful Bill" appeared to be a part of a rift between Trump and Elon Musk, who spearheaded the Department of Government Efficiency's cost-cutting initiatives. On May 28, Musk said he was "disappointed to see the massive spending bill ... [which] undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing." The bill next has to pass in the Senate before Trump can sign it into law. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
What do SC leaders think about Trump's ‘Big, Beautiful Bill'?
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – There was plenty of drama behind-the-scenes in Washington D.C. surrounding President Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill,' including a 'no' vote from one of South Carolina's Republican Representatives. President Trump said his 'Big, Beautiful Bill' includes G.O.P. priorities, such as tax cuts and extra border security. 'We're not doing any cutting of anything meaningful. The only thing we're cutting is waste, fraud, and abuse with Medicaid,' said Trump. As expected, democratic Representative Jim Clyburn voted against the bill. Representative Ralph Norman, along with a few other G.O.P. holdouts, initially voted against the bill, saying it didn't go far enough to cut Medicaid benefits for undocumented immigrants. 'You know, to be honest with you, I never thought I would have to fight for getting illegals off the government payroll,' Norman said. After conversations with Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump, Norman said they worked out a deal. 'It was a great bill, but we just didn't cut like I thought we should have, and I held out for the last minute,' Norman said. 'When we got pretty much what I thought we needed, we voted for it. ' Senator Lindsey Graham said people should be responsible with their own vote, but Republicans shouldn't vote 'no.' 'We need to get behind President Trump,' Graham said. 'This is our best chance in 40 years to control spending in Washington, and we need to be working with Trump, not against him.' Graham added that he expects the bill to change in the Senate. 'I intend to change the bill, but I'll do it working with President Trump,' Graham said. 'He has enough enemies in the in the nation and throughout the world. The Republican Party needs to help this man because he's doing things that other presidents couldn't do. ' Governor Henry McMaster also supports the 'Big Beautiful Bill.' The Bill was passed in the House, and is now in the hands of the Senate. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
