Latest news with #HarrietHageman
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Barrasso: 'Medicaid reforms are unlikely to negatively impact' Wyoming
CHEYENNE — Wyoming's congressional delegation is focused on keeping the Medicaid program free of fraud, waste and abuse, but none offered a direct answer as to whether they support the proposed $880 billion cut in program spending. The Wyoming Tribune Eagle asked Wyoming Republican U.S. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis and U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman for their stance on Medicaid cuts that are currently being considered in Congress. Last week, health care officials warned of the detrimental impacts an $880 billion cut to Medicaid would have on Wyoming hospitals, nursing homes and residents. According to experts interviewed by the WTE, several nursing homes would likely shut down, hospitals would potentially face cuts to services and staff layoffs, and tens of thousands of Wyomingites would be at risk of losing their health insurance or become uninsured. In January, Barrasso brought up Wyoming's rural health care challenges to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is now U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Barrasso said six Wyoming hospitals are at risk of closing, two could close in the next two years, and 10 have had to cut available services. 'We have 33 hospitals in Wyoming. Twenty-six are located in various locations often hard to get to, or weather impacts them,' Barrasso said. 'This is a concern of rural hospitals in both Republican and Democrat states. It's bipartisan. It is critical that the financial, workforce challenges that we are facing are addressed.' However, neither he nor Lummis gave the WTE a clear answer as to whether they support a major cut to the federal health care program. Barrasso recently said there are no definite conclusions on what will be cut from Medicaid, according to an article published by the American Health Association this week. The Senate majority whip told the WTE in an emailed statement 'the currently proposed Medicaid reforms are unlikely to negatively impact our state,' since Wyoming is a 'good steward of taxpayer dollars.' 'Wyoming's policies are already aligned with a majority of the Trump administration's proposal,' Barrasso said in the statement. 'This includes work requirements for all able-bodied adults enrolled in Medicaid.' He said Congress needs to ensure the accessibility and reliability of high-quality care for Medicaid recipients. 'That's why I've introduced legislation to eliminate fraud in Medicaid services while saving American taxpayers billions of dollars.' Barrasso introduced the Safeguarding Medicaid Act, with Lummis and a few other Republican U.S. senators signed on as co-sponsors. The bill aims to address fraud and abuse in Medicaid by 'requiring the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to develop an asset verification program for all applicants and recipients in all states and territories,' according to a news release from his office. Lummis said in an emailed statement to the WTE that Republican congressional lawmakers want to strengthen the Medicaid program by adding measures that ensure transparency and accountability. 'I believe we should protect this program while ensuring its long-term sustainability through responsible financial management,' Lummis said. 'My priority is establishing regular independent audits to root out waste and fraud, guaranteeing taxpayer dollars are used responsibly and that Medicaid fulfills its core mission of delivering health care to our most vulnerable citizens.' Barrasso also mentioned Republican lawmakers' proposal to repeal a Biden administration rule that required a minimum staffing level at all nursing homes across the country. This rule would have 'cost nursing homes approximately $6.8 billion per year,' according to a 2023 analysis conducted by a professional services firm (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP). A federal judge in Texas struck down the controversial Biden administration mandate in April, CNN reported. 'There are not enough registered nurses in Wyoming, or in the country, to be able to comply with this one-size-fits-all rule,' Barrasso said in his statement. 'Repealing this rule will help keep the doors open for nursing homes across Wyoming to care for seniors.' Hageman's office did not respond to the WTE's multiple requests for comment by press time.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fate of public land dispute remains unclear as politicians cheer dismissal of ranchers' charges
South Dakota ranchers Heather and Charles Maude participate in a press conference on April 30, 2025, in Washington, D.C., with their children behind them and their lawyer, Brett Tolman, at right. Visible or partially visible in the background are, from left, U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyoming; U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden. (Screenshot from USDA livestream) State and federal officeholders celebrated Wednesday in Washington, D.C., after prosecutors dropped criminal charges against a South Dakota ranch couple accused of using public land without permission or payment. Meanwhile, basic questions went unanswered. Will the couple continue to use the land? Will they have to start paying a fee? Or is it their land? State Rep. Liz May, R-Kyle, was not in D.C., but was given a shoutout by the ranch couple for her advocacy on their behalf. May isn't ready to cheer yet. 'We still don't know if they can even use the land,' May said. 'Is the case truly over?' CONTACT US In June, a federal grand jury in South Dakota indicted Charles and Heather Maude, of rural Caputa in the western part of the state. The charge was theft of government property. The couple faced possible prison time and fines. The indictment said the Maudes 'did knowingly steal, purloin, and convert to their own use' national grasslands managed by the U.S. Forest Service, which is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The land in question, according to the indictment, consisted of 25 acres for cultivation and 25 acres for grazing cattle. The Maudes have said the prosecution was an overreaction to a property line dispute on land that their family has used for decades. A federal prosecutor filed for a dismissal of the charges Monday without explanation, and a judge granted the dismissal, following pleas from Republican politicians and officeholders to President Trump's administration. Some of those officeholders gathered with the Maudes on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., for a press conference that was livestreamed on the internet. Speakers included former South Dakota Governor and current U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and several South Dakota politicians: U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson and Gov. Larry Rhoden. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyoming, also spoke. South Dakota Searchlight reached out to the South Dakota lawmakers' offices afterward. They did not know the future status of the federal land in question, or the status of the Maudes' right to use it. Some of the speakers alleged that the prosecution of the Maudes was politically motivated. The U.S. Department of Agriculture made that claim in a news release Monday, calling the case 'a senseless politically motivated prosecution waged by the Biden administration.' The U.S. Attorney's Office for South Dakota, which brought the charges, did not respond when asked by South Dakota Searchlight. The U.S. attorney for South Dakota, Alison Ramsdell, was appointed during the Biden administration. Rollins announced Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched a new complaint portal for farmers and ranchers 'who have fallen victim to unfair and politically motivated lawfare originating under the Biden administration' to request an investigation. Rounds highlighted a bill he's working on that would establish a mediation process for land boundary disputes between private landowners and the U.S. Forest Service. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Residents claim Hageman intentionally excluded town hall attendees, congresswoman denies it
CHEYENNE – Several Laramie County residents have reached out to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle in recent days, saying they never received information from U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman's office on how to tune into her tele-town hall last Friday evening. To listen to the town hall, residents were told they needed to complete an online form stating their name and address. On that form, they were given an option to submit a question for the representative to answer during the hourlong call. Around 15 minutes before the town hall was scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Hageman's office sent out an email containing the phone number to dial into the call and a passcode to enter the call. However, some who say they successfully filled out the form also say they never received this email. One of those who reached out to the WTE about this is Carol Mathia. 'I am conjecturing that Hageman chose which constituents she wanted to listen in and decided we were not ones she wanted,' Mathia told the WTE in an email. Lynn Carlson reached out to the WTE, saying the same thing. She said that she wrote a respectful question about the First Amendment with no bad language, but did not receive an email to attend the town hall. 'I never received the link, so I was not able to attend the Town Hall. How can we do better when we are excluded?' Carlson told the WTE in an email. A staff member in Hageman's office said all those who signed up and are county residents received an email. 'All Laramie County residents who signed up using the online form received outreach to join the tele town hall. Over 1,000 joined the call,' Hageman's office said in an email response to an inquiry from the WTE. In addition, some residents who said they didn't attempt to register for the town hall reported receiving a robocall from Hageman's office at 6:37 p.m., inviting them to connect with the tele-town hall, which was already in progress. During the call, Hageman fielded 16 questions reportedly submitted by those who filled out the form, and those listening to the call had the opportunity to dial 3 to submit their own question during the call. It is unclear how many of the questions were submitted online versus during the call. Regardless, listeners did not have the opportunity to speak directly to Hageman during the town hall, as a member of her staff read the questions to her, and she took a few minutes to respond to each question uninterrupted. In a news release sent out March 25, Hageman cited safety as the primary reason for stepping away from the in-person events she had been hosting throughout her time in office. This came after she said a woman followed her after an event in Wheatland, and she said there was a swatting incident at her Cheyenne residence. Swatting is falsely reporting an emergency to public safety by a person for the intent of getting a 'SWAT team' response to a location where no emergency exists, according to Platte County Sheriff David Russell confirmed that a woman in her 60s or 70s followed Hageman after the Wheatland town hall, but was removed and not arrested. Cheyenne Police Department Chief Mark Francisco told the WTE he cannot find any reports of a swatting incident occurring at Hageman's residence, which is inside city limits. Cheyenne resident Tom Dixon criticized Hageman's move to tele-town halls in a letter to the editor submitted to the WTE last week by email. 'This isn't partisan outrage. It's practical, widespread fear,' he wrote, referring to the shouting and booing that occurred at several of Hageman's recent in-person town halls, including a particularly raucous one in Laramie. 'Ranchers, scientists, postal workers, park employees, students and families are all feeling the effects of her choices in Washington. Hageman owes it to them to show up, face the consequences of her actions, and listen. And not just in a scripted webinar, but in person, on the ground, in the communities she was elected to serve. 'A real representative doesn't hide from the people. If Hageman wants to hold the reins of responsibility, she must stop running from the reaction.' One other resident reached out to the WTE by text message, claiming they had signed up for the tele-town hall but never received the phone number to call in to the event. The WTE has been unable to confirm whether these forms were filled out correctly without typos, or that the residents did not actually receive the email and it was redirected to a "spam" or "junk" folder. The Laramie County Democratic Party hosted an in-person town hall event Friday evening at Laramie County Community College – where Hageman was previously scheduled to hold her next in-person event that night – to assemble questions and comments and send a statement summarizing those to Hageman's office. At that event, several attendees expressed concern with having to give their personal information to listen to Wyoming's sole U.S. representative speak over the phone. When asked by the WTE, Hageman's office did not say there were any technical issues with the event and did not say whether tele-town halls will be any different going forward. At Hageman's online town hall on Friday, she said she hopes to resume in-person town halls this month "if we can get the temperature turned down a little bit and make sure that we can provide for the safety and security of people who attend." Other than the comments Hageman made in her announcement of the switch from in-person to tele-town halls, there have been no reports of violence between attendees at any of the events the congresswoman held in March.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
As Hageman pivots to tele-town hall, Dems host in-person event
CHEYENNE — When U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., decided earlier this week to pivot to tele-town halls from in-person events, she blamed the Democratic Party for making the events too unsafe to proceed. In response, the Wyoming Democratic Party and Laramie County Democratic Party put together their own overlapping in-person town hall. Around 80 people gathered at Laramie County Community College Friday evening, where Hageman's in-person town hall was previously set to be held, to share their concerns and make their voices heard. Laramie County Democrats Chairman Matthew Snyder said his goal for the event was to give constituents a place to be heard. 'Our interest, as a party, is having an opportunity to organize around these events, or lack thereof. In many ways, I see this as a watershed opportunity to be meaningful,' he said. His fear is that leaders not meeting face-to-face with their constituents as a national trend will lead to a disconnect between Washington, D.C., and the rest of the country. Instead of hosting an in-person town hall Friday evening at LCCC, Hageman hosted a tele-town hall meeting that allowed constituents to submit questions online or over the phone to staffers, dial in and listen. Hageman said more than 100 constituents tuned into the call, down from around 500 who attended a chaotic recent town hall in Laramie that made national news. Democrat town hall 2 Attendees listen to speakers at a town hall hosted by the Laramie County Democratic Party discussing the actions of Wyoming's U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman at Laramie County Community College on Friday. In order to get the number to dial in, attendees were required to list their full name, contact information and address in an online form. Some attending the Democratic Party event said sharing this personal information made them uncomfortable. Shortly after the event began, however, automated calls went out to Hageman's constituents, offering them the opportunity to listen in. Over the course of about an hour, Hageman answered 16 questions that had been previously submitted by those who listened to the live call. At the end of the event, she said she hopes to resume in-person town halls as soon as next month 'if we can get the temperature turned down a little bit and make sure that we can provide for the safety and security of people who attend.' The questions she fielded ranged from the impacts of reported cuts of up to 80,000 Veterans Affairs jobs to the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education on the state of Wyoming. She said that Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins is a friend of hers who cares deeply for U.S. veterans. She supported the cuts of the positions, saying that it weeds out waste, fraud and abuse. Hageman said the cuts focus specifically on the administration and bureaucracy, rather than the service providers of the VA. 'We need to have some changes at the VA,' Hageman said. 'We need to go in. We need to be not just tinkering around the edges, we need to go into these agencies, pull up the hood, pull out the engines, start looking at all of the different things that go on in these agencies, find out what works, find out what doesn't work, and focus on the services that we need to provide to our men and women in service, as well as the veterans.' Hageman also defended the dismantling of the federal Department of Education, saying that education was better off in Wyoming when she grew up and graduated from Lingle-Fort Laramie High School in 1981. She said she is confident Wyoming will be the best state in education going forward with the federal government out of it. Attendees at the Democratic event identified these as two of the top priorities they would have liked to ask Hageman about if she had been at LCCC Friday evening. 'Right now, it's very scary to me for my grandchildren,' one attendee, who asked not to be identified, said as she began to tear up. 'Right now, I don't (have hope), but I'm hoping that will change.' Her husband, who said he is a veteran, said he is concerned with how cuts to the VA may negatively impact veterans. Perhaps the top concern of those who gathered at LCCC Friday evening was Social Security. One of the three panelists at the event, Ted Hanlon, said he is currently receiving Social Security payments, and he wants to keep it that way. 'I know about Social Security; that's my money, that's not their money,' he said. 'And then somebody tells me they're going to take it away from me. And then they won't even listen to me when I want to talk about it?' President Trump has said he will not cut Social Security, which has more than 70 million recipients. However, he does plan to cut jobs in the agency. Last month, the Social Security Administration announced plans to cut about 7,000 employees, or about 12% of its workforce. Hageman addressed Social Security on her call. She said that Congress cannot touch Social Security by law, but she knows that there is an enormous amount of fraud within the program. She said cutting federal spending in certain areas will help strengthen programs like Social Security. 'Someone who has 17 Social Security numbers that he is receiving Social Security on every single one of those, that's fraud. We need to wipe that out,' she said. 'There are a whole variety of things, but I do believe that the President has made clear over and over and over again, we are not going to touch the benefits for Social Security Administration or Medicare, but we're going to have to strengthen those programs if they're going to exist a decade from now.' Also during the call, Hageman said she supports bipartisan legislation to have at least one United States Post Office Processing and Distribution Center in every state, she has been fighting a mandate on electronic identification eartags for cattle crossing state lines, and she supports most executive orders becoming law. 'We are in the process of, right now, writing the laws and introducing the laws to actually carry out those executive orders that should be written into law,' she said. 'And not all of them should be, but some of them should be ... and they may need some tweaks. We may need to do things a little bit differently than what's going on with the President. But again, the executive orders are directed at the executive branch. They happen to impact us now because the executive branch has become so powerful. That's the problem. That's what I'm trying to take care of.' At the time of publication, President Trump had signed 103 executive orders since he took office Jan. 20. In former President Joe Biden's four years in office, he signed 162 executive orders. Snyder concluded by asking his attendees, 'What's next?' He said he is not hopeless about the future, but he is not optimistic that Hageman will deviate from the party line set by President Trump or listen to her Democratic constituents as the sole U.S. representative for the state of Wyoming. 'This is happening all over the country, where duly elected representatives are not showing up, and that's part of the job. That's a lot of the job, showing up and being responsible and accountable and knowing your constituents in a meaningful way, and addressing issues if they may have them,' he said. 'Not everything is rosy in our country right now, putting it mildly, and there is discontent all over the country, and for representatives, including Representative Hageman, not to answer for those things ... that's problematic.'
CNN
20-03-2025
- Politics
- CNN
GOP lawmaker faces boos from frustrated crowd at town hall in Wyoming
Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman faced a hostile crowd at a town hall in Laramie, Wyoming, The Republican lawmaker was repeatedly interrupted by the agitated crowd while answering questions on the Trump administration, DOGE cuts, deportations and more.
