Latest news with #HouseofRepresentative
Epoch Times
26-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
It's Time to Have a Guns Versus Butter Debate
Commentary As Congress debates President Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' the members of both the House of Representative and the Senate should also have a long overdue 'guns versus butter' debate. At a time when the United States spends 80 percent of federal revenue ($4 trillion) on entitlement programs and the other 20 ($880 billion) percent on debt repayment, all while borrowing $2 trillion (30 percent of federal spending) to pay for defense and other government operations, it is time to have the conversation everyone is avoiding. With China, North Korea, and Russia attempting to topple the international order built by the United States, members of Congress must finally come clean on their profligate spending and its implications for the future security of this country. When President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20, 2025, he did so promising Americans he would President Trump is In 2010, then–Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen In short, Related Stories 5/19/2025 5/17/2025 There is a State and local governments spend an estimated 50 percent of their budgets on entitlement programs, which adds another $2 trillion to the entitlement behemoth that exists in this country. Many Americans may not know that the United States actually Some may argue that increasing taxes, particularly those on high income earners, is the solution to addressing annual deficits and the need to increase defense spending. Again, the consensus in the academic literature suggests that increasing income taxes, particularly on high income earners, With the top one percent of income earners already With the Welfare and entitlement spending are In the first fifty years of the Great Society, which created the modern welfare state, American taxpayers Some readers may have a negative reaction to an article that challenges the welfare state, but there is a simple truth that is inescapable, the United States cannot effectively counter China, North Korea, and Russia while entitlement spending is crowding out defense spending. This is a simple reality that the national security community does not seem to want to talk about. Instead, national security insiders advocate for the programs they value, all while knowing that the piggy bank is empty. This is largely the result of a desire to avoid having this very discussion. Now, however, as the United States faces its greatest threat since 1941 as three nuclear armed adversaries seek to topple the international system built by the United States. There is a reluctance to turn off the seemingly endless supply of free money that is so useful to members of Congress in buying votes. Even conservative stalwarts like Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), when discussing potential cuts to the single largest welfare program in the federal budget, Medicaid, Entitlement programs That would require the defense budget increase from $847 billion to about $1.5 trillion just to spend 5 percent of GDP on defense. Absent dramatic cuts to entitlement programs and a balancing of the budget, the United States will not field conventional and nuclear forces of sufficient size and capability to effectively deter or defeat Chinese, North Korean, and/or Russian aggression. Welfare and entitlement spending buys votes, but no nation ever grew its economy or increased its military strength because politicians redistributed the paychecks of workers. It is time for a guns versus butter debate. Without one, the United States may fade into the middling power China so desperately wants. Americans should never allow that to happen. From Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Louisiana won't switch from an elected insurance commissioner to an appointed one
From left, Reps. Jerome Zeringue, R-Houma, and Royce Duplessis, D-New Orleans, in the Louisiana House of Representative, Feb. 2, 2022. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator) Legislation to convert Louisiana's insurance commissioner from an elected office into an appointed one stalled on the state Senate floor Tuesday when the author of the proposal realized it was likely to fail. Senate Bill 214 would have let the next governor, subject to Senate approval, appoint the state's next insurance commissioner to a six-year term, with a limit of two terms. Under current law, the commissioner is chosen every four years through the same statewide election when voters select a governor. It is one of only two statewide elected offices that can be changed into an appointed position without a constitutional amendment though still requires two-thirds support from lawmakers. The other is the commissioner of agriculture. The proposal would have allowed current Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple to run for re-election before the move to an appointed office holder. Just a week ago, the bill cleared the Senate Committee on Insurance with unanimous support. On Tuesday, however, its author, Sen. Royce Duplessis, D-New Orleans, pulled the bill as opposition mounted from certain Republicans. In an interview, he said he started counting votes and decided it might be better to replace his bill with a resolution that would create a task force to study the issue. 'It was never a bill that I thought would have unanimous support,' Duplessis said. 'Some people want the status quo … I just don't think I had the numbers. It would have been close.' While presenting the bill on the floor, Duplessis told colleagues there's good reason for certain state officials to be appointed rather than elected. He mentioned the secretaries of the health and environmental quality departments as important offices that should be insulated from the politics of elected office. 'I think that some roles are so specialized and technical that they shouldn't be politicized,' he said. Very few voters pay attention to the office of insurance commissioner, Duplessis said, pointing out that Temple ran for office unopposed. Republicans have generally been supportive of Temple, a former insurance executive who is opposed to Duplessis' bill and has lobbied for legislation with the backing of insurance companies. Democrats, on the other hand, have been critical of the commissioner's cozy relationship with the industry he's charged with regulating and believe Temple could do more to rein in high premiums. The one big exception to that partisan alignment is Gov. Jeff Landry, who has been publicly feuding with Temple over the causes of the insurance crisis in Louisiana. Even with his reelection bid still two years away, the governor has incentive to deflect any blame voters might lay at his feet for insurance costs even though the crisis began before he took office in 2024. Temple and the companies he regulates have long claimed personal injury lawsuits are driving the state's high insurance premiums. He has advocated for so-called 'tort reform' laws that give insurance companies certain protections or advantages in litigation. Tort reform efforts in previous years have failed to reduce insurance rates, though Temple and his supporters have said those measures were not strong enough. Gov. Landry's approach to lower insurance rates could cast his political fate Duplessis' bill had the backing of some conservative Republicans, such as Sen. Stewart Cathey of Monroe. Cathey added the amendment to require Senate confirmation of the governor's pick for commissioner. But as other Republicans lined up to speak against the bill, debate started to sour when Sen. Adam Bass of Bossier City accused Duplessis of trying to strip away voters' rights. 'What other voting rights are you interested in taking away from the citizens?' Bass asked Duplessis. Duplessis rejected the characterization and said he only wants to address the state's insurance crisis with novel proposals. He noted 39 other states have appointed, rather than elected, insurance commissioners. Among the 10 states with the lowest auto insurance rates in the country, nine of them have appointed commissioners, he added. 'I am someone who generally believes in the power of elections and the will of the people,' Duplessis said. 'But when something isn't working and the outcomes are consistently failing consumers and driving up costs, we have to be honest enough to say it's time to do something different.' Sen. Kirk Talbot, R-River Ridge, spoke against the bill, though he said he authored similar legislation years ago. He said he studied the issue and eventually concluded the elected system 'was the better way to go.' Talbot repeated a statistic that Temple often cites from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, which indicates there were more bodily injury claims from auto accidents in Louisiana with a population of roughly 4.5 million, than there were in the state of New York with a population of over 19 million in 2021, which is the most recent data available. 'That's what needs to be addressed, not this,' Talbot said. 'And that's what we are addressing with this vast package of tort reform bills that the commissioner has supported.' Still, that same source indicates the dollar value of the incurred losses of Louisiana's claims was less than half that of New York's and roughly equal to the losses in Arkansas where liability premiums were the lowest out of all the southern states. Other states with more injury claims than New York included North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and California. Louisiana's insurance commissioner was originally an appointed position when the post was created in 1957. Gov. Earl K. Long supported the launch of a state insurance department, separating its functions from the office of one of his political adversaries, Secretary of State Wade O. Martin. The very first appointed commissioner, Rufus Hayes, became the first elected one for his second term. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Int'l Business Times
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
House Dems Equate Trump's Cabinet Meeting to 'Hostage' Situation
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, responsible for supporting Democratic candidates in the House of Representative, compared President Donald Trump's "100 Days" cabinet meeting to a "hostage" situation. The DCCC made the analogy—"like watching a hostage video"—in reference to a video clip from the cabinet meeting in which Attorney General Pam Bondi offers effusive praise to Trump. "Your first 100 days has far exceeded that of any other presidency in this country. Ever. Ever," Bondi leaned forward as she spoke emphatically, eyes locked with Trump. "Never seen anything like it. Thank you." As cabinet members updated the group on their department's progress, most included opening remarks celebrating Trump's leadership. Red and blue "Gulf of America" hats served as party favors, laid out beside name placards around the table. Chief of Staff Susie Wiles congratulated everyone on an "unparalleled" first 100 days in office. Vice President JD Vance called "most" previous presidents "place holders" in comparison to Trump. Vance: you sit in the oval office and see portraits of presidents past and most of them have been place holders, people who allowed their staff to sign executive orders with an auto pen instead of men of action — Acyn (@Acyn) April 30, 2025 Seated beside the president, Secretary of State Marco Rubio lauded Trump's removal of "perverts, pedophiles and child rapists." Trump has made his intolerance for perceived opposition quite clear in his interactions with press, politicians, and even artists. An unquestioning allegiance to Trump's agenda was a guiding factor in his selection of cabinet nominees, and has proven an effective strategy as the president enacts a barrage of executive orders without a hint of the insider resistance he encountered during his first term. While the willing participation of Trump's cabinet members casts doubt over hostage situation parallels, this White House is distinguished by an expectation of fervent loyalty. Originally published on Latin Times Donald trump House of Representatives
Associated Press
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Alabama lawmakers advance local 'Laken Riley' bill that deputizes police to enforce immigration law
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers advanced legislation on Thursday that would allow local law enforcement to enforce immigration law, as conservative legislators push for increased alignment with the federal government's crackdown on immigration. The bill was dubbed 'Laken Riley Act,' named after the 22-year-old Augusta University student who was killed last year in Georgia by an undocumented immigrant. President Donald Trump signed a similar law into affect in January that requires the detention of unauthorized immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes. If signed into law, the Alabama version of the bill will allow local and state law enforcement agencies to enter into agreements with federal agencies to enforce the country's immigration laws. 'It's simply a common-sense grassroots approach to help enforce already existing laws that are on the books in our community,' said the bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Ernie Yarbrough. The bill drew swift rebuke from the House of Representative's Democratic minority. Rep. Chris England said the bill would make profiling inevitable because he said officers are more likely to detain nonwhite people who don't speak English. He added that the stakes are higher given the increasing frequency of detentions without a trial across the country. 'The constitution can't be situational, it can't be circumstantial, it cannot only be when it benefits me. You have to abide by the principles in it, even when you don't want to,' he said. Yarbrough denied that the bill would encourage racial profiling, and he pointed to amendments to the bill that would require officers to check immigration status instead of nationality when someone is arrested. 'The bottom line is that this bill isn't aimed at vilifying immigrants – it's about the safety of Alabamians,' Yarbrough said. Still, some Democratic legislators pushed back. They said that it would make communities less safe because it would discourage immigrants from reporting crimes in the community. Rep. Neil Rafferty said that the bill exploits Laken Riley's name and wouldn't have prevented her death. 'Turning local officers into de facto immigration agents damages their ability to stop crimes,' Rafferty said.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nancy Mace's ‘Predator' Claims Spark Legal Fight Over ‘Lies'
South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace was slammed for 'lies' in a defamation lawsuit filed by the man she called a 'predator,' setting up a potential legal fight over free speech privileges granted to Congress members. Mace accused Brian Musgrave and three other men of 'premeditated and calculated exploitation of women and girls' in an explosive 53-minute tirade on the House floor last month. She further claimed that she found more than 10,000 hidden camera videos and photos, and the men had participated in rape and sex trafficking. Musgrave rebuked those claims as 'baseless' and 'false allegations' in the suit filed Friday in a South Carolina federal court. He is seeking punitive damages in an amount that will 'impress upon [Mace] the seriousness of her conduct and to deter such similar conduct in the future.' Musgrave's suit is also looking to challenge the speech and debate Constitutional clause that protects official conduct by Congress members. The complaint argues that the clause 'does not transform the floor of Congress into a sanctuary for defamation, nor does it protect Congresswoman Mace's extra-Congressional defamatory statements surrounding her speech.' However, a source close to Mace's office has signaled that they intend to stand up her statements as protected by the clause, pointing to comments made by House of Representative's General Counsel Matthew Berry. Berry called it 'factually inaccurate' for Musgrave to assert that Mace's claims did not advance legislation and should not be protected. He added that federal attorneys will 'vigorously' defend her in court, reported Live 5. Musgrave told CNN that Mace's claims have had a 'catastrophic' effect on his life and livelihood. 'For the rest of my life, when someone googles 'Brian Musgrave' this is going to be the thing that comes up,' said Musgrave on Monday, with his wife beside him. 'I'm completely uncertain what tomorrow is going to be business-wise.'
