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Fox News
2 days ago
- Business
- Fox News
GOP rails against 'blatantly false' Dem claims about Medicaid reform in Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
House Republicans are celebrating Medicaid reform in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which the House GOP says eliminates waste, fraud and abuse to deliver for Americans who need coverage most. Meanwhile, Democrats have railed against possible Medicaid cuts since President Donald Trump was elected in November. Now that his "big, beautiful bill" has passed in the House of Representatives, Democrats are defining Medicaid cuts as a driving issue ahead of competitive midterm elections in 2026. Republicans say there is more to the story. "The One, Big Beautiful Bill puts Americans first. We're securing the border. We're protecting benefits for the most vulnerable. We are investing in American manufacturing. We're investing in our own energy production," Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. "The Democrats have been focusing on this specific line of attack that 13.7 million Americans are going to lose their health care, and that's just blatantly false." The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan analysis for the U.S. Congress, estimates that 8.6 million people in the United States will lose health insurance by 2034 through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's Medicaid reform. "Five million of those people are receiving a tax credit under the Affordable Care Act that was passed by the Democrats with a sunset date that was implemented by the Democrats. We're simply allowing the sunset date to expire as the Democrats originally intended," Houchin said. CBO estimates that 13.7 million Americans will lose coverage by 2034, which also includes the 5 million Americans who were already set to lose coverage. A number of Democrats have already deployed the figure in campaign messages rejecting Trump's "big, beautiful bill" passing in the House. "I don't trust the CBO score, nor should the American people, because it's been proven again and again to be wildly off," added Houchin, who served on three major committees leading budget markup, including the House Rules, Budget and Energy and Commerce committees. The American Accountability Foundation, a conservative government research nonprofit, found that of the 32 staff members on CBO's Health Analysis Division, 26 of them have "clearly" verified liberal partisan biases, as a Democrat donor, registered Democrat or a Democratic primary voter, as Fox News Digital reported this month. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act does not cut Medicaid for the most vulnerable, according to Houchin. Instead, she says targeting waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicaid program cuts benefits to illegal immigrants, those ineligible to receive benefits who are currently receiving benefits, duplicate enrollees in one or more states and those who are able-bodied but are choosing not to work. "If you have to think about the four things that we're doing in Medicaid to strengthen it, we're removing anybody that is illegal, ineligible or duplicate, and we're ensuring that able-bodied adults, on the expansion population, have a very modest work requirement, in exchange for receiving benefits. Those things are overwhelmingly supported by the American people, yet the Democrats continue to lie about what this bill is actually doing," Houchin said. Republicans say they are cleaning up the program to ensure working families and the most vulnerable Americans can rely on the program for generations to come. "What we're trying to do is protect precious Medicaid dollars for those who need it most," Houchin said. "That's what we're doing. No one in the traditional Medicaid population needs to worry. And even if you're in the able-body expansion population, there are many opportunities to comply to participate in Medicaid." However, Democrats have already designated Medicaid cuts as a defining issue in 2026. "House Republicans' giant tax scam will kick millions of people off their health insurance," Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spokesperson Viet Shelton told Fox News Digital. "It is fact. Independent analysts say it. Health care professionals say it. Hell, even Republican senators say so. Their saying anything to the contrary is just them trying to protect their already in danger majority." After weeks of negotiating through budget reconciliation, House Republicans finally reached a consensus and passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last week. The bill passed just 215 to 214, and all Democrats voted against it. Republicans' slim majority managed to deliver a legislative win for Trump. However, the "big, beautiful" fight is far from over as the Senate is tasked with drafting their own version of the bill. Senate Republicans have indicated they do not support the bill in its current form. "I don't want to see rural hospitals close their doors because funding got cut. I also don't like the idea of a hidden tax on the working poor. That's why I'm a NO on this House bill in its current form," Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said. The sweeping, multitrillion-dollar legislation advances Trump's agenda on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt. The bill includes Trump's key campaign promises, including no tax on tips and overtime, and it seeks to permanently extend his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. "By passing the largest cut to Medicaid in history, Republicans are ripping away health care from millions of Americans and levying a de facto hidden tax on working-class families," DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene said in a statement after the bill passed. "Now that vulnerable Republicans are on the record voting for it, this betrayal of the American people will cost them their jobs in the midterms and Republicans the House Majority come 2026." While Democrats target vulnerable Republicans for supporting Medicaid reform in Trump's "big, beautiful bill," Republicans are taking aim at Democrats for voting against the bill's tax cuts. "House Democrats voted for the largest tax increase in generations while giving taxpayer-funded freebies to illegal immigrants. The NRCC will make sure voters don't forget how they betrayed working families," National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement to Fox News Digital. As House members return to their home states and communicate with constituents during the congressional recess, the NRCC is encouraging House Republicans to go on the offense on Medicaid reform. "We're encouraging all of our caucus, our conference members to continue to communicate with the local and national media to reiterate what we know to be true about this One Big Beautiful Bill," Houchin said. "It puts Americans first and will ensure that these programs will be around for the next generation, because we're not wasting any tax dollars, any precious benefits on people who are illegal, ineligible, enrolled in multiple states or are able-bodied and could be working. These programs were designed for our most vulnerable Americans, and the One Big Beautiful Bill protects benefits for those people."
CNN
3 days ago
- Business
- CNN
Live updates: Trump news on Harvard, student visas, GOP policy bill and tariffs
Update: Date: 1 hr ago Title: Johnson says House GOP "eager and ready" to enact DOGE cuts Content: Speaker Mike Johnson signaled today that House Republicans were 'eager and ready' to formalize the White House's so-called DOGE cuts as soon as President Donald Trump's team makes the official request to Congress. 'The House is eager and ready to act on DOGE's findings so we can deliver even more cuts to big government that President Trump wants and the American people demand,' Johnson posted on X. Johnson's comments come hours after a video circulated of Elon Musk, the billionaire who led the Department of Government Efficiency, directly criticizing the White House and House Republicans for its pricey domestic megabill. 'I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,' Musk told 'CBS Sunday Morning.' The precise timing of the White House's proposed claw back of federal dollars is not yet clear. House Republicans expect to receive the White House's formal request 'very soon,' according to one GOP lawmaker familiar with the discussions. It is expected to target programs like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a small chunk of the federal budget that provides some public funding for NPR and PBS. It is also expected to formalize DOGE cuts to foreign aid programs — an issue that has been dicey with GOP leaders in Congress who oversee the State Department. Update: Date: 53 min ago Title: Trump suggests controversial Qatari plane is in the process of being retrofitted Content: President Donald Trump appeared to indicate that a luxury Boeing 747 airplane the administration accepted from Qatar is in the process of being retrofitted by the US military. Asked when the plane would become a new Air Force One, Trump said efforts to transform it were already underway. 'Well, it's here already. It's in the country. It's being refitted for military standard,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Trump started touting the plane while heralding deals he made while on his trip to the Middle East earlier this month. 'By the way – got a beautiful, big, magnificent, free airplane for the United States Air Force. Okay? Very proud of that, too,' the president said. He continued, 'They tried to say, 'Oh, it's Trump's airplane.' Oh, yeah, sure, it's too big. It's, frankly, it's too big, much too big.' Trump has repeatedly cast the plane as a possible replacement for Air Force One, sparking controversy over ethical and security concerns, as well as legal questions about the details of the transaction. Last week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth accepted the plane from Qatar, and a Defense Department spokesperson said it would be fitted with 'proper security measures and functional-mission requirements.' Pressed Wednesday on how much it would cost to prepare the plane for presidential transport, Trump replied: 'Oh, I don't know, whatever it is, a lot – hell of a lot less than building a new one. We're waiting too long from Boeing. Boeing has got to get its act together.' Update: Date: 1 hr 1 min ago Title: Vance casts Trump admin as savior of crypto, calling on Bitcoin conference to vote in 2026 Content: Vice President JD Vance leaned into the politics of Bitcoin during remarks at a conference in Las Vegas, casting the Trump administration as a 'champion' and 'ally' of the cryptocurrency industry. 'I'm here today to say loud and clear with President Trump, crypto finally has a champion and an ally in the White House,' the vice president said. Vance also used his remarks to implore cryptocurrency supporters to show up for the 2026 midterm elections, making an ask to the crowd to 'carry' their momentum 'forward.' 'The first piece of advice, the first thing that I'd ask you, is to take the momentum of your political involvement in 2024 and carry it forward to 2026 and beyond,' he said. The vice president railed against the Biden administration's regulations of Bitcoin, saying the Trump White House would end the 'weaponization of federal regulations.' The crypto industry, created as a rejection of traditional finance, has long complained about being unfairly 'debanked' as part of a coordinated federal effort. Banking regulators have disputed that narrative. Banks are required to ensure their clients comply with a maze of rules, and those lenders have to assess risk on a case-by-case basis. Crypto, in particular, raises red flags for traditional lenders because transactions are anonymous, making it especially useful for illicit transactions. Vance also championed the firing of a Biden-era chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Gary Gensler, who was openly hostile toward crypto. In one of his first speeches as chair, he described crypto as an asset class that is 'rife with fraud, scams, and abuse in certain applications.' His stern stance toward digital assets made him a frequent rhetorical punching bag for the crypto industry. 'Maybe the most important thing that we did for this community, we reject regulators and we fired Gary Gensler, and we're gonna fire everybody like him,' Vance said. Update: Date: 48 min ago Title: Trump on pardoning the men convicted of plotting to kidnap Michigan governor: "I'm going to look at it" Content: When President Donald Trump was asked on Wednesday if he had plans to pardon the men convicted of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020, he responded: 'I'm going to look at it.' 'It's been brought to my attention. I did watch the trial. It looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job. I'll be honest with you, it looked to me like some people said some stupid things,' Trump said in the Oval Office. He continued, 'You know, they were drinking, and I think they said stupid things, but I'll take a look at that. And a lot of people are asking me that question from both sides. Actually, a lot of people think they got railroaded. A lot of people think they got railroaded.' Six men were originally charged with participating in the kidnapping plot. Two pleaded guilty, and two more were found guilty by a jury. Trump had previously criticized Whitmer in 2020 for not thanking him after authorities announced they foiled a plot to kidnap her, while falsely claiming she called him a 'White Supremacist.' 'My Justice Department and Federal Law Enforcement announced today that they foiled a dangerous plot against the Governor of Michigan. Rather than say thank you, she calls me a White Supremacist,' Trump said in a social media post at the time. The two have had a seemingly more amicable relationship in Trump's second administration; the president publicly complimented her during a recent trip to Michigan. Update: Date: 1 hr 27 min ago Title: Trump says he cautioned Netanyahu against disrupting "very close" US-led Iran nuclear talks Content: President Donald Trump said that he urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to disrupt US-led nuclear talks with Iran, telling reporters Wednesday that he cautioned his counterpart that such a move would be 'inappropriate.' Asked about reports that he warned Netanyahu against disrupting the talks during a phone call last week, Trump said, 'Well, I'd like to be honest. Yes I did.' He added: 'It's not a warning – I said I don't think it's appropriate.' Trump said that his team is having 'very good discussions' with Iran, which have taken place over the last several weeks led by special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and moderated by Oman. 'I said, I don't think it's appropriate right now, because if we can settle it with a very strong document, very strong with inspections. … I told him this would be inappropriate to do right now because we're very close to a solution,' he said. Trump indicated that any agreement with Iran would be 'very strong,' saying, 'I want it very strong where we can go in with inspectors. We can take whatever we want, we can blow up whatever we want, but nobody getting killed. We can blow up a lab, but nobody's going to be in the lab, as opposed to everybody being in the lab and blowing it up.' Trump offered a caveat that the situation 'could change at any moment – could change with a phone call.' But, he added of Iran, 'Right now, I think they want to make a deal. And if we can make a deal, I'd save a lot of lives.' Update: Date: 1 min ago Title: Trump suggests Harvard should have 15% cap on foreign students Content: President Donald Trump doubled down on his attacks against Harvard University, saying Wednesday that the Ivy League school should have a cap on the percentage of foreign students. 'I think they should have a cap of maybe around 15%, not 31%. We have people want to go to Harvard and other schools, they can't get in because we have foreign students there,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Harvard has said in court documents that full-time international students make up about a quarter of its student body. Harvard has broadly refused many government demands, including that it hand over foreign students' entire conduct records and allow audits to confirm it has expanded 'viewpoint diversity.' The Trump administration last week canceled Harvard's ability to enroll foreign students, a move that a federal judge put on hold. And The Trump administration on Tuesday directed federal agencies to cancel all remaining contracts with the university. 'Harvard has to show us their lists,' Trump said Wednesday. 'They have foreign students, about 31% of their students are foreign-based, almost 31%. We want to know where those students come… Are they troublemakers? What countries do they come (from)?' Trump suggested, without evidence, that some of the international students included in Harvard's records will be 'very radical people.' 'They're taking people from areas of the world that are very radicalized, and we don't want them making trouble in our country,' Trump said. CNN's Alayna Treene and Andy Rose contributed reporting to this post. Update: Date: 59 min ago Title: Trump shrugs off Musk's criticism of his "big, beautiful bill" Content: President Donald Trump on Wednesday brushed off comments from Elon Musk that the 'big, beautiful bill' passed by the House did not contain enough cuts, saying he expected more changes to the legislation as it goes through the Senate. 'We have to get a lot of votes. We can't be cutting,' Trump said when asked to respond to statements Musk made in a CBS interview. 'We need to get a lot of support, and we have a lot of support.' The president also said he's not happy with certain parts of the bill, and there will be negotiations on it. 'We will be negotiating that bill, and I'm not happy about certain aspects of it, but I'm thrilled by other aspects of it. That's the way they go, it's very big. It's the big, beautiful bill. But the beautiful is because of all of the things we have, the biggest thing being, I would say, the level of tax cutting that we're going to be doing,' Trump said. Musk, who led the Department of Government Efficiency before stepping back, made the critical comments about the bill in an interview with CBS that aired Tuesday night. 'I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,' Musk said. Update: Date: 43 min ago Title: Trump downplays frustration with Netanyahu as Witkoff prepares new proposal to end Israel-Hamas conflict Content: President Donald Trump downplayed any frustration with Israel's handling of its war with Hamas as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu readies a new offensive in Gaza. 'No, we're dealing with the whole situation in Gaza. We're getting food to the people of Gaza. It's been a very nasty situation, very nasty fight. October 7 was a very nasty day, the worst that I think I've ever seen. It was a horrible day, and people aren't going to forget that either. So we'll see how that all works out,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the growing humanitarian crisis and Israel's plans. Wednesday marks 600 days of Israel's war against Hamas following the deadly October 7, 2023, attacks. And Israel's military operations show no signs of abating despite rising international condemnation. Steve Witkoff, the president's special envoy for the Middle East who has been a key negotiator, expressed some optimism as he previewed plans to send both sides a 'new term sheet' aimed at resolving the conflict, as a peace deal has remained elusive. 'I think that we are on the precipice of sending out a new term sheet that hopefully will be delivered later on today. The president is going to review it, and I have some very good feelings about getting to a long-term resolution,' Witkoff said. Update: Date: 1 hr 37 min ago Title: Trump says he'll give it two weeks to determine if Putin is serious about Ukraine peace Content: President Donald Trump said he'll know in a fortnight whether his Russian counterpart is 'tapping us along,' vowing a change in course if he determines Vladimir Putin is not serious about achieving peace in Ukraine. But Trump declined to specify what actions he might consider to punish Russia, insisting instead his new harsh language toward Moscow should speak for itself. And he voiced concern that potential new sanctions on Russia could jeopardize a deal. 'The words speak pretty loud,' he said. 'We're not happy about that situation.' Trump in recent days has grown increasingly frustrated at the state of the conflict, which he once vowed to end within 24 hours of taking office. On Wednesday, he laid out a near-term timeline for determining how to proceed. 'I'll let you know in about two weeks,' Trump said when questioned in the Oval Office whether Putin wants to end the war. 'We're going to find out whether or not he's tapping us along or not, and if he is, we'll respond a little bit differently,' Trump went on. Trump's two-week timeline has been a recurring feature of his presidency when he is asked about pending decisions. He frequently uses the timeframe when questioned about actions he could take. Trump said Wednesday he still believes Russia 'seem to want to do something,' but suggested uncertainty in how serious the country is about ending the war. And he appeared cautious about slapping new sanctions on Moscow amid ongoing talks. 'I think I'm close to getting a deal, I don't want to screw it up by doing that,' he said. Update: Date: 1 hr 41 min ago Title: Jeanine Pirro ceremonially sworn in as acting US attorney in Oval Office Content: Attorney General Pam Bondi swore in Judge Jeanine Pirro as acting US attorney for Washington, DC, from the Oval Office today. The swearing in was preceded by remarks from President Donald Trump about Pirro. Bondi previously swore in Pirro while Trump was in the Middle East. After the ceremony, Pirro brought up the shooting that killed two Israeli embassy staffers last week outside a museum in Washington, DC. Pirro outlined how she intends to approach the job, saying that 'we need to send a message that justice will be honored in the District of Columbia.' 'Just last week, here in our nation's capital, two people on the brink of beginning their life had hopes and dreams that were never realized, because a cold-blooded murderer made a decision to shoot them down on the streets on a cold, rainy night in our nation's capital,' Pirro said. 'My voice and should be heard loud and clear: no more. No more tolerance of hatred. No more mercy for criminals. Violence will be addressed directly with the appropriate punishment,' she added. Pirro is a longtime Trump ally who was a regular presence at Mar-a-Lago even before he ran for president the first time. This post has been updated with additional remarks from Pirro. Update: Date: 2 hr 7 min ago Title: Outgoing Capitol Police chief says plaque honoring January 6 officers may be too "divisive" to solve Content: A plaque honoring officers who defended the US Capitol during the January 6, 2021 attack has become a 'very politically divisive issue,' the chief of the US Capitol told CNN's Wolf Blitzer in an interview Wednesday. When asked about the plaque – which was approved in 2022 and has not yet been hung by Republican leaders in the House – Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said he thought the issue was so divisive 'that I don't imagine there's any discussions even going on.' Manger, who took up the role in the wake of the January 6 attack, will retire this week after nearly 50 years in law enforcement. 'I will tell you that my cops, many of them, were here on January 6,' Manger said Wednesday. 'They don't need anybody to tell them what happened or what it was, because they were here and they experienced it. They know the truth. They know what happened on January 6, and they know how bravely they responded.' Update: Date: 2 hr 46 min ago Title: US will restrict visas over alleged censorship of Americans, Rubio says Content: The United States will restrict US visas from those who are responsible for alleged censorship of Americans, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced today. 'We will not tolerate encroachments upon American sovereignty, especially when such encroachments undermine the exercise of our fundamental right to free speech,' Rubio said in a statement. The policy comes as the Trump administration has been actively revoking visas from foreign nationals in the US who were involved in protests against the war in Gaza. They also detained a Tufts University student for writing an op-ed critical of the conflict. A federal judge ordered her immediate release earlier this month the case raised concerns about her First Amendment and due process rights. In his statement, Rubio said 'it is unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants on U.S. citizens or U.S. residents for social media posts on American platforms while physically present on U.S. soil.' 'It is similarly unacceptable for foreign officials to demand that American tech platforms adopt global content moderation policies or engage in censorship activity that reaches beyond their authority and into the United States,' he added. It is unclear how the policy will be applied and who will decide what amounts to 'censorship.' CNN has reached out to the State Department for further information. Update: Date: 2 hr 13 min ago Title: Musk says Trump's sweeping tax bill "undermines" DOGE mission Content: Elon Musk raised concerns about President Donald Trump's sweeping tax and spending cuts package, saying in a video released Tuesday that he believes it would raise the US budget deficit and undercut efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency. 'I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,' the tech billionaire and Trump donor told 'CBS Sunday Morning.' 'I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don't know if it can be both.' Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' includes trillions of dollars in tax cuts and a big boost to the US military and to national security spending – largely paid for by overhauls to federal health and nutrition programs and cuts to energy programs. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill would pile another $3.8 trillion to the deficit. It narrowly passed the House last week, and now heads to the Senate, where it will likely face many changes. Musk's comments come amid a media tour ahead of a SpaceX test flight Tuesday evening. Musk is stepping away from full-time government work to focus on his companies, including SpaceX and Tesla, which have struggled in part as a result of Musk's alliance with the Trump administration. He noted the move in an interview with Ars Technica on Tuesday, hours before SpaceX's Starship test flight. 'I think I probably did spend a bit too much time on politics, it's less than people would think, because the media is going to over-represent any political stuff, because political bones of contention get a lot of traction in the media,' he said when asked whether he feels his focus on politics over the past year has 'harmed' SpaceX. 'It's not like I left the companies. It was just relative time allocation that probably was a little too high on the government side, and I've reduced that significantly in recent weeks. In an interview with "CBS Sunday Morning," Elon Musk raised concerns about President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful" bill, warning it could increase the US budget deficit and undermine the Department of Government Efficiency. The bill narrowly passed the House last week and now heads to the Senate, where major changes are expected. Musk also announced he's stepping back from full-time government work to focus on his companies. #elonmusk #donaldtrump #bigbeautifulbill #doge #cnn #news Update: Date: 3 hr 22 min ago Title: Trump will swear in Jeanine Pirro as acting US attorney today Content: The White House plans to officially swear in Jeanine Pirro today, after President Donald Trump named her interim US attorney for Washington, DC earlier this month. The swearing-in ceremony for Pirro, who has been acting as the top federal prosecutor in Washington, is scheduled to take place in the Oval Office at noon. Attorney General Pam Bondi swore in Pirro earlier this month, while Trump was on a trip in the Middle East. Prior to being named to the role, Pirro appeared on Fox News' 'The Five' program and previously on her own weekend evening show called 'Justice with Judge Jeanine.' She used her platform and her legal background to bellicosely defend Trump and deride his critics. Update: Date: 3 hr 19 min ago Title: Trump plans to privatize mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Content: President Donald Trump announced yesterday that he plans to release Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from government conservatorship — but he also said the two mortgage giants could still count on a government bailout in a crisis. Such a move would end 17 years of federal government control over the two companies, which play a central role in America's housing finance system by providing liquidity to the mortgage market. 'Our great Mortgage Agencies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, provide a vital service to our Nation by helping hardworking Americans reach the American Dream — Home Ownership,' Trump wrote on Truth Social yesterday. 'I am working on TAKING THESE AMAZING COMPANIES PUBLIC, but I want to be clear, the U.S. Government will keep its implicit GUARANTEES, and I will stay strong in my position on overseeing them as President.' 'These Agencies are now doing very well, and will help us to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!' he added. The announcement came less than a week after Trump said he was giving 'very serious consideration' to bringing Fannie and Freddie public. Fannie and Freddie essentially grease the wheels of America's home lending market by buying mortgages from lenders and repackaging them for investors. The government conservatorship of the two companies was initiated in 2008 after Fannie and Freddie played a role in America's housing market crash. The conservatorship was never meant to be permanent, but untangling them from the government could be tricky. Privatizing Fannie and Freddie could spook investors who buy up mortgage loans, leading them to demand a higher return for their investments and pushing up mortgage rates, experts warn. Update: Date: 3 hr 37 min ago Title: Vance visits Israeli Embassy to honor couple killed outside Capital Jewish Museum Content: Vice President JD Vance visited the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, yesterday to honor Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who were killed last week leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum. The Israeli ambassador to the US posted photos on X and thanked the vice president for visiting. 'Thank you @VP Vance for coming to the Embassy to honor our dear colleagues and friends, Sarah and Yaron. The care and compassion you and the Trump administration have shown in the wake of this murderous attack are testaments to the enduring friendship between our two countries and peoples, and our mutual battle against terrorism,' Ambassador Yechiel Leiter wrote. Vance is seen in one photo writing inside a book at the young couple's memorial table inside the embassy, where their picture is up on a posterboard next to a vase of flowers. The ambassador previously said Lischinsky, 30, and Milgrim, 26, who worked at the embassy, were about to be engaged. The Department of Justice is investigating the shooting as an act of terrorism and a hate crime. Update: Date: 3 hr 11 min ago Title: Chaos erupts on first day of US-backed aid distribution in Gaza after weeks of hunger Content: Thousands of Palestinians overran a newly established aid site in southern Gaza yesterday that is part of a controversial new Israeli- and US-approved aid distribution mechanism that began after months of blockade. Videos from the distribution site in Tel al-Sultan, run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), showed large crowds storming the facilities, tearing down some of the fencing and appearing to climb over barriers designed to control the flow of the crowd. Several residents trying to access the aid told CNN they were grateful for the food they received, but described walking long distances to reach the distribution center, hours-long lines and general confusion. A diplomatic official called the chaos at the site 'a surprise to no one.' The GHF acknowledged the pandemonium, saying 'the GHF team fell back to allow a small number of Gazans to take aid safely and dissipate. This was done in accordance with GHF protocol to avoid casualties.' A security source said American security contractors on the ground did not fire any shots and that operations would resume at the site on Wednesday. The Israel Defense Forces said their troops fired warning shots in the area outside the compound and that the situation was brought under control. They denied carrying out aerial fire toward the site. 'It's a big failure that we warned against,' said Amjad al-Shawa, director of Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network. Read more Update: Date: 3 hr 37 min ago Title: US State Department orders embassies to pause new student visa appointments Content: The US State Department has instructed US embassies and consulates around the world to pause new student visa appointments as it moves to expand 'social media screening and vetting' to all applicants for student visas, according to a diplomatic cable seen by CNN. It's the latest move from the Trump administration that could deter international students from studying at universities in the United States. The cable signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio comes as the Trump administration has revoked scores of student visas and has attempted to stop foreign students from studying at Harvard University — a move that has been halted by a judge for the time being. Read more
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
House GOP's SNAP proposal sparks concern from Senate Republicans
A House GOP-backed proposal that would cut billions in federal dollars from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation's largest food assistance program, is drawing concerns from Republicans in the upper chamber. The proposal, included in House Republicans' recently passed package to enact President Trump's tax priorities and spending cuts, would require states to cover a share of SNAP benefits costs, which are currently completely funded by the federal government. 'That's something that I heard some members voice concern about,' Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) said Thursday. 'So, we'll need to address that.' While Boozman said Senate Republicans aren't drawing a red line around the plan just yet, members 'want to look specifically at how those particular policies will affect their individual states.' 'Some of that we know, some of it we don't.' The House bill calls for the federal share of the cost of SNAP to go from 100 percent in the next two fiscal years to 95 percent starting fiscal 2028. It also includes language that would increase states' shares of the costs in fiscal 2028 depending on their payment error rates. If the error rate is 6 percent or higher, states would be subject to a sliding scale that could see their share of allotments rise to a range of between 15 percent and 25 percent. 'That's in the we'll see category. I'm not sure what's going to happen with that,' Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) told The Hill on Thursday when asked about the idea. 'We're going to talk to committee members who can talk to our caucus as a whole,' he said, but he noted that the House's cost-share pitch for states goes 'beyond' what some senators had been looking at for 'accountability' efforts. Republicans defending the proposal say the measure would hold states accountable for billions of dollars in erroneous payments to participants annually, providing an incentive for states to keep their payment error rates down. 'We've seen that when states actually focus on error rates, they can bring them down very quickly, and obviously that's what we want, but we don't want people who are not eligible for the program receiving payments,' Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) said. 'These error rates are far too high.' In fiscal 2023, data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed that the national payment error rate was 11.68 percent. The vast majority of states on the list have payment error rates, which factors in a state's overpayments and underpayments, above 6 percent. But Democrats have sharply criticized the proposal, which they argue could lead to states cutting benefits on their own. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the SNAP proposal would reduce direct spending by more than $128 billion from 2028 to 2034 — accounting for a chunk of the minimum $230 billion in savings the House Agriculture Committee was instructed to find as part of the lower chamber's first stab at crafting Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.' Other proposals in the bill would tighten eligibility requirements for the program, seek to block the federal government from being able to increase monthly benefits in the future, and increase states' share of costs to administer SNAP. Democrats are seizing on an analysis they requested from CBO on the potential effects of the plan, which estimated about 1.3 million people could see their benefits reduced or eliminated in an average month between 2025 and 2034 if lawmakers take the approach to require states to cover some benefit costs. While the CBO noted 'there would be a variety of state responses to the new requirement,' it said it expects 'that some states would maintain current benefits and eligibility and others would modify benefits or eligibility or possibly leave the program altogether because of the increased costs.' 'In CBO's view, state responses would vary; thus, CBO estimated state responses in the aggregate using a probabilistic approach to account for a range of possible outcomes,' it said in a letter Thursday. The CBO estimated that such reductions or eliminations in benefits would lead to a roughly $30 billion decrease in direct spending from 2028 to 2034. It also estimated 'subsidies provided through child nutrition programs would decrease for about 420,000 children in an average month, reducing direct spending by about $700 million over the 2028–2034 period.' The CBO noted that the analysis does 'not account for interactions among provisions,' explaining that the sum of effects to separately enact each measure would differ from the effects of enacting multiple proposed SNAP reforms at once due to the overlap in affected populations. In a statement on Thursday, Rep. Angie Craig (Minn.), top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, accused Republicans of waging an 'attack on working Americans that takes food away from families.' 'The Republicans' budget will make America hungrier, poorer and sicker. Parents struggling to afford groceries for their families and seniors living on fixed incomes will have their food taken away if this bill becomes law,' she said. SNAP work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents would also expand under the plan, which calls for increasing the age threshold at which such adults must continue to work to qualify from up to 54 to 64 years of age. While many of the proposals are supported by Republicans of various factions in both chambers, some voted for the plan this week with the expectation that the Senate would eventually make some changes. Rep. Don Bacon (D-Neb.), a key moderate, said he's open to states fronting a portion of SNAP benefit costs, but he wasn't entirely in favor of the 5 percent to 25 percent cost-sharing range for states. 'I really didn't like it, but I don't mind a small mark, because, really, they execute it, and if they're not executing them well, this gives them skin in the game,' Bacon told The Hill. But he added that 25 percent 'seems a little high.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fox News
23-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
SCOOP: House GOP memo highlights Republican wins in Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
FIRST ON FOX: An internal House GOP memo sent to Republican lawmakers and obtained by Fox News Digital highlights the party's key accomplishments included in President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill." House Republicans passed all 1,118 pages of Trump's "one big, beautiful bill" on Thursday morning, after working through hourslong committee meetings, last-minute huddles in the speaker's office and even a last-minute push from the president. Finally, late Wednesday night, House leadership found consensus among key factions of the Republican caucus. The late-night "manager's amendment" appeased lingering Republican holdouts, including fiscal hawks who wanted more reform on Medicaid and former President Joe Biden's green energy subsidies, and blue state Republicans seeking to raise the cap on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction. The bill is a sweeping multitrillion-dollar piece of legislation that advances Trump's agenda on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt. It aims to slash the federal government's spending trajectory by cutting roughly $1.5 trillion in government spending. The U.S. government is over $36 trillion in debt and has spent $1.05 trillion more than it has collected in the 2025 fiscal year, according to the Treasury Department. The bill raises the debt ceiling by $4 trillion. The internal House Republican memo shared with Fox News Digital summarizes Republicans' key legislative accomplishments. According to the memo, the bill reduces the deficit by $238 billion through the Agriculture Committee, securing $294 billion through Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit reform. It reinvests $56 billion in SNAP benefit savings into rural America. Republicans say the SNAP reform restores its integrity by requiring states to pay a larger share for its benefits and incentivizing more state efficiency. It requires congressional approval for states to increase enrollment eligibility and creates SNAP work requirements for able-bodied adults who do not have young dependents. The Armed Services Committee increased defense spending by nearly $143 billion with improvements to service members' quality of life, healthcare and family support. There are billions of dollars allocated to building the military's arsenal, advancing technology and infrastructure and expanding military readiness. The bill allocates $34 billion for shipbuilding, $5 billion for border security enforcement, $400 million for the Department of Defense and $25 billion for Trump's Golden Dome, which is a layered missile defense shield. It reduces the deficit by $349.1 billion through the Education and Workforce Committee, which made a series of reforms to streamline student loan payment options, support students and save taxpayer money. Specifically, the bill caps the total amount of federal student aid a student can receive annually to the median cost of the college, which is $50,000 for undergrad, $100,000 for graduate students and $150,000 for professional graduate programs. There is also a "lifetime limit" of $200,000. The Education and Workforce Committee consolidated student loans into two plans – a fixed mortgage-style plan or a repayment assistance plan. It also establishes a performance-based PROMISE grant program, prevents future attempts at the loan forgiveness program championed by the Biden administration and reforms Pell Grant programs. The Energy and Commerce Committee, which had a lengthy overnight budget markup last week, includes a series of Medicaid reforms, which Democrats have railed against as conservatives pushed for more cuts. The bill establishes work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents, requires state cost-sharing for adults above the poverty line, eliminates illegal immigrants from enrolling and reduces state funding for states who prioritize coverage for illegal immigrants. The Financial Services Committee in the "big, beautiful bill" includes reforms to save taxpayer money and reduce federal bureaucracy. Meanwhile, the Homeland Security Committee increases spending by a little over $79 billion to expand border security, and the Judiciary Committee increases spending by about $7 billion to stop illegal immigration. The Energy and Commerce Committee also delivered on one of Trump's key campaign promises to unleash American energy by supporting domestic energy production and eliminating Biden-era green energy projects, including eliminating electric vehicle mandates. The Natural Resources Committee reduces the deficit by $18 billion to deliver Trump's energy agenda. The bill reinstates quarterly onshore oil and gas lease sales, requires geothermal lease sales and mandates at least 30 lease sales in the newly-renamed Gulf of America over the next 15 years and six in the Cook Inlet in south-central Alaska. It returns oil and natural gas royalty rates to before Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, resumes leases on energy production in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, resumes coal leasing on federal lands, increases timber sales and long-term contracts on federal lands and walks back funds allocated by the Biden administration for climate change. The bill includes amendments by the Oversight Committee that will reduce the deficit by $12 billion by eliminating retirement annuity payments for new federal retirees that are eligible to retire before age 62, allows new federal employee hires the option to elect to serve "at will" in exchange for higher take-home pay, requires a comprehensive audit of employee dependents currently enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program plans. Finally, the Ways and Means Committee makes the 2017 tax cuts permanent, which prevents a 22% tax hike, and delivers Trump's campaign promises, including no taxes on tips, overtime pay or car loan interests. It also provides additional tax relief for seniors. The bill increases the university endowment tax and subjects the largest endowments to the corporate tax rate. As touted in the House GOP memo, the bill also prevents taxpayer benefits from going to illegal immigrants by requiring a Social Security number for individuals claiming tax credits and deductions, ends illegal immigrant eligibility for Obamacare premium tax credits and Medicare, and applies new remittance payment fees for illegal immigrants. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in the U.S. House of Representatives 215 to 214. All Democrats and just two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, voted against it. House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., voted "present." Now, the Senate is tasked with passing their own version of the bill before it lands on Trump's desk. Republican leadership is eyeing a July 4 deadline, but sparks are likely to fly in the Senate before Trump can claim a legislative victory.
CNN
23-05-2025
- Business
- CNN
How the House GOP Passed Trump's ‘Big, Beautiful Bill' - CNN Political Briefing - Podcast on CNN Audio
David Chalian 00:00:01 Hey everyone, I'm David Chalian, CNN's Washington Bureau Chief and Political Director, and welcome to the CNN Political Briefing. Mike Johnson (clip) 00:00:09 We stand ready to continue our work together to deliver on the one big, beautiful bill, as President Trump named it himself. We're going to send that to his desk. We're gonna get it there by Independence Day on July 4th, and we are going to celebrate a new golden age in America. David Chalian 00:00:25 'House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered a major win for President Trump this week. Despite deep divisions and disagreements, the House GOP passed Trump's so-called "big, beautiful bill" early Thursday morning. It was passed, as expected, by a razor thin margin. The final vote? 215 to 214. The bill makes permanent the tax cuts passed during Trump's first presidency and cuts spending for Medicaid and food stamps. So how did this bill get across the finish line in the House? What got the GOP holdouts to agree to vote for it? And what can we expect to happen when this bill goes to the United States Senate? To help me answer all of these questions and more, I'm joined by CNN congressional correspondent Lauren Fox. She's been on Capitol Hill covering this marathon of a week of legislating, and I am thrilled she's joining us now. Lauren, thanks so much for being here. Really appreciate it. Lauren Fox 00:01:23 Thanks for having me. I appreciate it. David Chalian 00:01:25 So we're speaking on Thursday afternoon, and this morning around 7 a.m. Eastern time, the House accomplished what may be its most monumental task of the year, if not the whole Congress, this Congress, but Speaker Mike Johnson obviously scored an enormous victory by delivering this narrow majority on the President's agenda with the big, beautiful bill. I just want you to take me through, if you could, these last 72 hours or so and how the speaker achieved this victory. Lauren Fox 00:01:59 'Yeah, I don't think we can underestimate what a huge moment this is for Mike Johnson, in part because I think there were members in his own conference who didn't think that this was going to happen by the Memorial Day recess. I mean, I know senators were certainly voicing skepticism. And then just 24 hours before this bill actually passed, there was a group of House Freedom Caucus members in the Rayburn Room, basically arguing we could do this in a week or two weeks, but we're not going to be ready to do this in the next 24 hours. And then fast forward, they pass the bill, and Speaker Johnson is standing there with all his committee chairmen in the exact same room less than 24 hours later, declaring victory over this huge moment. And I don't even think you have to go back 72 hours. You can just go back 24 hours and look at what a massive shift started to occur. I think a couple of things were happening behind the scenes. I think Donald Trump's impact on this bill can't be underestimated. The fact that members don't want to disappoint him, the fact that the Freedom Caucus went over to the White House late yesterday, and the president made clear, according to reporting from our colleague Jeff Zeleny, that this was a priority, that he was not going to be afraid to call them out if they didn't go ahead and support it. And I think that that did weigh on these members, because their base is the MAGA base. And then I think the fact that Mike Johnson is such a different speaker than we've seen. You know, in some ways we forget that he's still semi-new at this job. He's still kind of new at corralling such a diverse conference. But I was talking to Richard Hudson, who is the chairman of the NRCC, the campaign arm for the House of Republicans, and I was asking him to sort of take me behind the scenes, like, what's Johnson like in these meetings? And he said, he's so incredibly patient, comparing him to Job, obviously, a character from the Bible. And he was saying, you know, it's kind of remarkable. He just never loses his cool. And he's said, I have been part of negotiations with McCarthy, with Boehner, with Paul Ryan. And it is so different than any other speaker I've seen. And I just, I say that because he is really calm, and he doesn't seem to hit a point where he's going to cross a line with a member, irritate them to the point that they're gonna vote no just to spite him, and I do think that that cannot be underestimated in Washington. David Chalian 00:04:23 'Now maybe I'm being naive, and you could tell me so, that's fine, but I kind of bought into Speaker Johnson's message from the get-go, which is that failure was not an option. I mean, this is, this really was the singular piece of legislative work that Trump was looking for in this term. And it is at the very definition of being a Republican. I mean, the tax cuts, this is the stuff that drives them, the border. So this is stuff that they, their raison d'être. You know, so that to me, combined with the reality that if indeed they weren't able to get this done, that that would be such a massive blow politically out of the gate here for Trump in his second term. So all of that it just seemed like they were going to get to yes. Am I being naive? Was this really in danger of falling apart? Lauren Fox 00:05:20 I always thought they were gonna get to yes. I don't know if I thought they were gonna to get to yes this week. I think I'm still a little bit surprised by that reality, but you're not wrong that you couldn't get to the end of the year and let Donald Trump's 2017 tax bill completely expire. That just really wasn't going to be palatable. David Chalian 00:05:39 When taxes would go up on Americans, like 68% of Americans, I think would see a tax increase if that happened. Lauren Fox 00:05:44 'Exactly. And like, yes, there are so many pieces of the tax bill that go to higher income Americans, but there are also things that everyday middle-class Americans depend on when you're talking about the standard deduction and other items in that tax bill, that they really were going to potentially face backlash from their constituents. Not to forget about the fact that the debt limit, increasing the debt limit, is also a part of this bill. And that deadline is coming up likely at the end of the summer. Obviously, that number can shift, and the date can shift, but that's also really... David Chalian 00:06:17 It also may shift whether it stays in the bill or not, perhaps. Lauren Fox 00:06:20 That is true. That is true, because the House is just one part of this. David Chalian 00:06:23 Now that it is through the House and you look ahead to the Senate, again, I will say my sort of bias is success is far more likely than failure in the Senate, that something's going to get to the president's desk here for him to sign. But I don't want to prejudge it. I'm not suggesting there's not going to be a ton of hurdles, a lot of legislative drama and back and forth. But can you give us a sense of A, what are the biggest pitfalls now as you move towards the Senate in this process and B, how closely aligned was Thune with Johnson through this process so that the Senate process was actually also underway right now with these House negotiations? Lauren Fox 00:07:02 There are some big differences between what House Republicans are looking at and what Senate Republicans are looking at. But if you talk to Johnson, he really does want to make this at least appear like he and John Thune, the majority leader in the Senate, are working hand in glove. And he actually brought up a really interesting anecdote last night that there was a member on the fence who wanted assurances from the Senate. And he basically got John Thune on the phone to give those assurancess before this person was willing to move forward. Now he wouldn't say who that person was, but I thought that that was... David Chalian 00:07:34 You anticipated my next question. Lauren Fox 00:07:36 I know, I could tell. But I thought that it was a really illustrative moment because it sort of shows Johnson does not want this to feel like it's House versus Senate. That is just not a position that he wants them to be in. And he went to the Republican Senate lunch the other day to sort of make the case. Okay, guys, remember, you're gonna get to choose what happens with this bill over here. This is your chamber, but this is a carefully negotiated bill between my conservatives and my swing district Republicans, and we are gonna have to be very careful and closely coordinated before we make any substantial changes. David Chalian 00:08:13 Which is, of course, why Johnson wanted and ultimately won the battle for the big one, beautiful bill, that it all had to be in together. That's the only way he felt he was gonna be able to piece together and knit together that winning coalition here. And by the way, when I say winning, I mean 215 to 214. I think the vote outcome proves Johnson's point that he needed this whole thing to be one thing. To have that kind of success. Remind us, how many votes could he lose in this process? Lauren Fox 00:08:48 He could lose no more than three Republican votes. David Chalian 00:08:49 And he lost two, right? Lauren Fox 00:08:51 And he had one voting present. And then he had 1 representative who he said at his press conference fell asleep and therefore did not make it in time for the vote. And that was sort of this very funny moment. He kind of called out Representative Garbarino about, you know, being not present for the vote, and he was like, that was going to be a yes vote for sure. But it just shows you sort of the tension he's under. He was kind of joking, like, you know, he's a good friend, but I really could and strangle him in that moment. David Chalian 00:09:18 And Garbarino was one of the ones fighting on SALT, on the state and local tax deduction, from New York. Although of those New York members, his district out on Long Island, I think it's like an R plus six district. I think Trump won it by 13 points or so. So this was not necessarily a truly vulnerable or not one of most vulnerable Republicans, and yet he fell asleep on the job and didn't even cast the vote. Lauren Fox 00:09:39 Yes, exactly. David Chalian 00:09:41 So what does the new timeline look like? You mentioned the debt ceiling piece of this. You know, if Johnson promised this would be done in his chamber by Memorial Day, is Thune promising this is done by July 4th recess? Lauren Fox 00:09:52 Well, don't worry. The Speaker of the House is already promising that this is going to be done by the July 4th recess. And, you know, senators love to be told by the House of Representatives what exactly their timeline looks like. It's really incredible, though, in part because I was talking to Josh Hawley today. He's a Republican who has expressed some concerns about the direction of the house bill at various times, especially on when it comes to Medicaid changes. And he was saying, I think the House needs to accept we're to change the bill, and then they need to just basically eat it. They need to not worry about what our changes are. They need to just pass it. We can't just be going back and forth, back and forth. And it's sort of this amazing moment where, you know, there just always is inherent tension between the House and the Senate. It doesn't even matter if you're part of the president's same party. David Chalian 00:10:40 We're gonna take a quick break. We're going to have a lot more with Lauren Fox. Now that we've discussed how the bill got passed, we'll take a look at what's inside of it. Stay with us. So let's delve in, Lauren, to the specifics here, because not only is it important for people to understand what is actually in this House bill that just passed, but to me, it's also important to understand how are Republicans now going to go out and sell? It's one thing to pass a bill, but now they gotta sell this bill to the American people and have them understand what's in it and try and make it as popular as possible for their own electoral future with the midterms next year. So let's start with maybe one of the more challenging aspects of that, which is on Medicaid. This is the, you know, state and federal program for poor people, lower income people, for their health care. They are reliant upon it. Just so people are clear, like, Medicaid is not something that just like blue states utilize or Democratic voters utilize. There are a lot of the president's supporters who are reliant upon Medicaid, and these Republican members just slashed a huge amount out of the Medicaid budget. Lauren Fox 00:11:58 'Yeah, I mean, there's really several pieces of the changes that came forward as part of Medicaid. And while some of the most aggressive changes that they had initially been floating didn't make it into the bill, there are some really big changes. One of those is new work requirements for Americans who are able-bodied between the ages of 19 and 64. And that certainly could have an impact on who's eligible for this program. There's also a really weedy piece of this, which changes how states can move forward with provider taxes. That's really important, though, for rural hospitals. And a lot of Republican states rely on rural hospitals for health care for their constituents. And if you start to roll back how much a state can tax on the provider tax of things, you really do start to get into a situation where states have to make up the difference. And all of a sudden, the burden goes onto the states to make decisions about how are they going to continue providing the service? Are they gonna cut other parts of their budget on education? Are they going rollback benefits? Are they are going to have tighter restrictions around who's eligible for the program? So some of that we don't know the answer to right now, but that's why Democrats are arguing that this bill is so bad for people who are already on Medicaid, and it's why Republicans are arguing this isn't a cut because they perhaps won't necessarily have to be the ones to make those hard decisions. David Chalian 00:13:28 'So we heard the president up on Capitol Hill a couple days ago as he was talking to the whole conference to try and get this over the finish line. He just kept repeating, as Donald Trump does as a message man, waste, fraud, and abuse. Waste, fraud and abuse only. Waste, fraud and abuse only, waste, fraud and abuse. That's all that's being touched in Medicaid. I won't let them touch anything else in Medicaid. Do we know the answer to that? Do we yet know is this purely the savings that in here on Medicaid, is there a way for us to sort of fact-check that right now as true or false if this is only waste, fraud and abuse and not one benefit will be altered for an American? Lauren Fox 00:14:01 Well, Democrats would argue absolutely it's false. I think Republicans would argue absolutely it's true. And I think the reality is it remains to be seen exactly how this breaks down. And I do think that Republicans are in this really interesting position where, you know, they included a provision that basically says that eligibility checks are going to be every six months instead of every year. Well, perhaps that does cut down on waste, fraud, and abuse because someone who's enrolled in the program, gets a job, no longer qualifies. You know, you're gonna know that sooner than you would at the year mark, but there are other huge questions about how exactly this breaks down for people and how this breaks for states that we just don't know the answer to right now. And I think that that is a huge question mark. David Chalian 00:14:46 And of course, as you were talking about, what the burden may ultimately be on the states, you know, a lot of states have to have balanced budgets, unlike the federal government. That financial relationship could make or break a state budget in the way that it doesn't federally. Lauren Fox 00:14:59 And absolutely, I mean, think of a state like California. So another provision in this bill deals with the fact that your state Medicaid program cannot allow people who are undocumented to be accessing your state health care program, or you start to lose a federal contribution for your Medicaid expansion population. Well, in a state like California, where they do allow undocumented immigrants to access the state's, not the federal, but the state's Medicaid program. All of a sudden you get into a position where the governor has to start to make some tough decisions if he's going to continue with that program or not, because all of a sudden you're losing 10% of your federal match for Medicaid expansion. David Chalian 00:15:40 So let's talk about the tax cuts. A full extension of the 2017 tax cuts that Donald Trump put into law, is that what's inside this bill? And then what is the price tag associated with that? And what is that doing? It seems like the bond markets are concerned about what it's doing, but what is that doing to our deficit and our debt? Lauren Fox 00:16:01 'The estimate right now, and we should be careful with this because the Congressional Budget Office scored the bill in its form right before the manager's amendment, so right before those last-minute changes, but the estimate was essentially that the tax portion of this could contribute $3.8 trillion to the federal deficit. And, you know, that is a significant number, and it's a problem for even some conservatives, right? I mean, you've heard that from Tim Burchett, who told Manu yesterday, yeah, that's a big problem. And he ultimately still voted for the bill. You also have heard that from other senators, like Senator Ron Johnson, who has said there need to be more severe cuts in this bill in order to make up for that, but Republicans are also sort of banking on the fact that, as they have in the past, that cutting taxes will help the economy and therefore, this is a good bet. David Chalian 00:16:52 Can I ask on that last line, do you have a sense from talking to Republicans that they think this bill is already instantly popular with the American public or that they have a sales job to do? Because it seems to me, Democrats are convinced it's a political winner for them. And I haven't heard quite that level of confidence in terms of the public consumption of this bill from Republicans just yet. Lauren Fox 00:17:21 I just think that the two parties are going to focus on the different aspects of the bill. I think Democrats are going be talking a lot about health care. That is a winning issue for them in their minds. That has been successful in the past. I think Republicans are going focusing on the tax piece of things. My biggest question on that though is if nothing changes for you, you know, there are some small changes in this, there's some increases in the child tax credit for a period of time. But if nothing's really changing for you, and it doesn't revert back to before the 2017 tax bill, do you count that as a victory or do you not count that a victory as a voter? And I don't know the answer to that. David Chalian 00:17:59 I think it's a fantastic question, and I think it gets at the critical difference from the first major legislative push of Trump 1.0, which was the repeal of Obamacare, and that failed, right? And why I think we're in a different moment here, perhaps. Remember, Republicans got that through the House also, under Speaker Ryan, and then it was John McCain's thumbs down moment in the Senate, right, that caused that not to go. That was going to take something away from Americans that they were already starting to feel better about or at least comfortable with, right? This is why I'm not sure we're gonna see a John McCain thumbs down moment, obviously not from John McCain anymore, the late senator from Arizona, but why I think that kind of political history won't repeat itself in the Senate, and again, back to my initial prediction that they're going to get something to the president's desk, because this is not necessarily going to be something that people, that everyone, broadly, in the public, feels changed their life, which means to me, Lauren, that there's going to be more incentive, given that this is the very core of the Republican ideology, for Republicans to get on board with this. They're not having to fear ripping something away. Now, Democrats will say, no, they're taking away this Medicaid coverage. I understand that, but that everyone is going to feel. I just think that's a little different part of the calculus here. Lauren Fox 00:19:29 'Yeah, I think that's the challenge really for both parties, right? Is that it moves the needle but doesn't move the needle in a way that's so significant. In some ways, it's similar to like an Inflation Reduction Act kind of moment for people, where I'm not sure that every American understood the impact that that bill really had on their day-to-day lives. And so it'll be interesting to see how it gets messaged. I mean, obviously we have had an opportunity, a little bit of a preview from, you know, a 20-hour rules committee meeting to an overnight debate on the House floor of how Democrats are going to go after this. They're passionate, they're obviously well-spoken about the issue of what it means to take healthcare away from Americans. Can they sell that? I think that's a question. David Chalian 00:20:11 Yeah, take healthcare away from Americans for tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans is really how they are framing it. There's no doubt we have seen right here the very beginnings of one of the big 2026 midterm battles with the passage of this bill. Because now, as you say, it is a race on both sides to define what it will mean for Americans. Lauren Fox 00:20:31 Can I just take a minute to say there was another very small, interesting moment this week in the Senate when Jacky Rosen went to the floor and asked for a unanimous consent agreement to pass no tax on tips, which is like the one part of this Republican bill that, you know, Democrats can't argue is just for wealthy people. And I thought that it was such an interesting moment because the Republicans didn't object in the Senate. They let her pass it. I don't think it goes anywhere in the House. But it just was this moment of trying to neutralize the one argument that sort of Republicans are really glomming onto over and over again, which is look at this example of a provision that's obviously helping people who are waitresses and cab drivers and are working really hard for their dollars. David Chalian 00:21:14 That's why we saw both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris support that policy provision, specifically in battleground Nevada last year in the presidential race. Lauren Fox, your work has been tremendous this week. Thank you so much for helping all of CNN's audiences get through this very complicated process. And your work has just begun because now you have to go cover it in the Senate. Lauren Fox 00:21:35 Joy. David Chalian 00:21:35 Thank you, so much. Lauren Fox 00:21:39 Thanks. David Chalian 00:21:39 That's it for this week's edition of the CNN Political Briefing. Remember, you can reach out to us with your questions about Trump's new administration. Our contact information is in the show notes. CNN Political Briefing is a production of CNN Audio. This episode was produced by Emily Williams. Our senior producer is Dan Bloom. Dan Dzula is our technical director and Steve Lickteig is the executive producer of CNN Audio. Support from Alex Manassari, Robert Mathers, Jon Dianora, Leni Steinhardt, Jamus Andrest, Nichole Pesaru, and Lisa Namerow. We'll be back with a new episode next Friday. Thanks so much for listening.
