Latest news with #JasmineCrockett
CBS News
6 hours ago
- Business
- CBS News
Representatives Jasmine Crockett, Brandon Gill react to President Trump's "big, beautiful bill"
When it comes to their political views, U.S. Representatives Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, and Brandon Gill, R-Flower Mound, could not be more different. They both sounded off on what President Trump calls the "big, beautiful bill". The bill narrowly passed in the U.S. House and includes tax and spending cuts, border security funding, and energy policy provisions. It extends and makes permanent the tax cuts passed during the first Trump administration. The bill adds two of the President's campaign promises: no tax on tips and no tax on overtime pay. The President also campaigned for no tax on Social Security. While that's not in the bill, seniors will receive an additional $4,000 on top of the standard deduction. Rep. Crockett joined all Democrats to oppose the legislation. "It's a disaster for the American people. This is a disaster for anyone who is not from the top 1%. They decided that they would throw a few crumbs in there to make people believe that they were doing something great for them. The kind of idea of no tax on tips and things like that, it's more so a game," Crockett told CBS News Texas during an interview for Eye On Politics. Rep. Gill was among the majority of Republicans who voted in favor of the measure. "A permanent extension of the 2017 tax cuts is the biggest tax cut for working-class families in American history. That is a huge conservative win. It's going to put more money back in the pockets of working-class families. This is something that I think we'll see broad support for now," Gill told CBS News Texas an interview. The legislation also reduces the growth of Medicaid, the healthcare program for low-income individuals, by $880 billion over a decade. The Congressional Budget Office estimates 8.6 million people will lose Medicaid coverage. Gill said this has to be done. "We are reforming Medicaid to make sure that it is sustainable and viable for the core Medicaid population. In other words, what we're doing is protecting Medicaid. We've got just shy of five million, about 4.8 million Americans who are working age and able-bodied, who are on Medicaid but are not working or seeking work," Gill said. "That's a problem. Most Americans agree with us. There are 1.4 million illegal aliens that are on Medicaid right now. We're taking them off." Crockett disagreed. "I say that they are really good at spinning it. What they have decided is that they need to somehow figure out how they are going to rein in some of the spending. They just didn't want to make it seem like it was that bad," she said. Crockett also criticized the $330 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. "The number of people who are going to go hungry," Crockett said. "Unfortunately, we have a hunger issue in this country. It just doesn't seem right, because it isn't right. This is literally a reverse Robin Hood." Crockett dismissed criticism from Republicans who have said Democrats all voted against the tax cuts. "I say it's a lie, and it's a game. We know that this was just about taking care of the billionaires. It's a billionaire tax scam," said Crockett. Gill said the bill represents the difference between the Democratic and Republican parties. "As we're looking at the economy and how we measure success, Democrats measure success by the number of people that they can get on welfare rolls on the public dole. Republicans measure success by the number of people that we can lift out of poverty, that we can lift off of the welfare rolls," said Gill. The U.S. Senate is now reviewing the bill and will likely make changes. Watch Eye On Politics at 7:30 a.m. Sunday morning on CBS News Texas, on air and streaming on the CBS News app. Follow Jack on X: @cbs11jack
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Crockett Rejoices Over Musk's DOGE Departure: ‘Hallelujah!'
Rep. Jasmine Crockett could barely contain her joy at Elon Musk's departure from the government. President Donald Trump and Musk marked the end of the Tesla CEO's work at the Department of Government Efficiency on Friday. 'Hallelujah is what I've got to say. Is it Sunday? Let us all give thanks to the good lord above,' Crockett said during an appearance on MSNBC's The Weekend. While the progressive Texas representative rejoiced at Musk's DOGE departure, Crockett impressed upon viewers the trail of destruction she says Musk has left in his wake. 'He is gone, but the 'musk' is still going to linger in the air,' she quipped. 'There are so many people that have been impacted by these ridiculous and not thought-out cuts. It's not just the federal workers; it's those constituents of ours, our citizens, that are being impacted the hardest by these cuts.' DOGE has claimed it slashed $175 billion in federal spending—far short of Musk's stated $1 trillion goal. News organizations and government watchdogs have called even the lower number into question. The purge across the federal government has nevertheless taken its toll, with an estimated two million jobs cut. Much of the United States Agency for International Development has also been dismantled. Critics have also accused Musk of wielding his position on Trump's team to secure lucrative contracts for his companies. In April, the Department of Defence granted SpaceX a deal worth $6 billion in addition to its estimated $16 billion in existing contracts with the Pentagon, with the rocketmaker also emerging as a frontrunner for constructing Trump's estimated $174 billion Golden Dome defense shield. Other detractors have also suggested Musk has used his influence at the White House to stave off investigations into his business dealings that were launched under former President Joe Biden. Since Trump took office for the second time earlier in January, the Department of Defense has dropped a pre-existing lawsuit against SpaceX over alleged employment discrimination, with the National Labor Relations Board dropping a similar suit against the company only last month. '[They] basically let this guy run wild, and honestly, I feel like all of the cuts to federal employees there was nothing more than a distraction for the things he really wanted to do, which is to make sure that there was no oversight of his companies,' Crockett said on Saturday. Musk's departure from the White House came amid a bombshell report from The New York Times alleging the tech billionaire consumed large amounts of ketamine, among other drugs, on such a regular basis as to have caused him issues with his bladder–a common side effect of chronic use. Musk lashed out at the newspaper, accusing the news organization of peddling fake news about his alleged drug use. Trump said on Friday that, even after departing DOGE, Musk will continue to advise the White House in a more informal capacity.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘The musk will linger in the air': Rep. Crockett on Elon Musk's departure leading DOGE
Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas joins The Weekend to discuss Elon Musk's departure heading DOGE after his chaotic tenure, and the damage from Musk's government slashing efforts that cannot be undone.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Major Trump foe says Republicans keep approaching her with shocking message
Chances are, if you've heard of U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, it's because the Texas Democrat has emerged as one of President Donald Trump's most high-profile inquisitors on Capitol Hill. So much so, in fact, that Crockett, 44, who's in the running for a top House committee post, has gotten death threats for her comments. Trump, in turn, has taken to referring to Crockett, an attorney who handled pro bono cases for Black Lives Matter defendants, as 'low IQ' — one of his favorite insults. Even with all that heat, Crockett said she keeps getting a surprising message from Republicans. 'I think that (Trump) is listening to the polling,' Crockett said while appearing on 'The Jim Acosta Show' this week. 'Republicans poll all the time. And I have no idea what all is happening in their polling,' she told Acosta. 'But I can tell you in real life that I've had a number of Republicans approach me as they see me out, and they say, 'Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I really like you. Like, we come from completely different parties, but I believe that you are fighting for the people. I believe that you are trying to do what's best for all of us. I may disagree with, like, how you feel like we get there, but I agree with your fight.' And she said she believes that is what frightens Trump and his MAGA followers when it comes to her. 'I think that's what's scary for them is the idea that it's not just, say, Black folk that are listening to me, right?' she said. 'Or it's not just, like, super liberal folk. It's this idea that, you know, people who even aren't Democrats would actually listen to what I have to say.' RFK Jr. slammed raw milk shots with podcast host in the White House 'Turning a blind eye to genocide': Mass. Rep. Neal's visit to Ireland protested 'Incredibly ironic': Trump antisemitism effort may force out Harvard's Israeli Jews 'We're not sanctuary cities': WMass mayors push back at feds over DHS target list New poll shows who Dems want in 2028 — and it's not Kamala Harris Read the original article on MassLive.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Garcia Joins Generational Fight Among House Democrats
Representative Robert Garcia of California told his colleagues on Thursday that he was running to become the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, intensifying a generational battle over a critical post at a time when younger members are agitating for more power. Mr. Garcia, 47, is not the only young lawmaker seeking the position, a prominent role that has been vacant since Representative Gerald E. Connolly of Virginia died last week at the age of 75. Mr. Connolly stepped back from it last month as his cancer progressed. Representative Jasmine Crockett of Texas, 44, who is the No. 2 Democrat on the committee, said on MSNBC earlier this week that she planned to seek the top post. She and Mr. Garcia will vie for the job against two more senior members: Representatives Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts, 70, who had assumed Mr. Connolly's duties since he stepped aside; and Kweisi Mfume of Maryland, 76, who told colleagues in text messages in May that he wanted the position. Democrats plan to hold an internal election for the position on June 24. The contest is unfolding as the party reappraises its identity following painful electoral losses in November, including whether it is time for its older members to relinquish power to a younger generation. A book released this month has revived conversations over whether Democrats were too quick to shut down skepticism about former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s age and mental acuity as he ran for re-election. David Hogg, 25, a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, faced an internal firestorm after he announced he'd support an effort to oust older incumbents in favor of younger progressives. The ranking Democrat on the Oversight Committee is one of the party's most visible opponents to Republicans and the Trump administration. The position has seen remarkable turnover; Mr. Connolly was the fourth person to hold it in six years, none of them younger than 60 years old. That is in keeping with Democrats' traditional approach to awarding powerful posts in Congress, where such decisions for decades were made almost entirely by seniority. Mr. Connolly's selection for the job last year appeared to be a rebuke to younger progressives who had argued the party needed fresh voices to lead their ranks on the panel during the second Trump administration. The Virginia Democrat, who was elected to the House in 2008, defeated Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, the millennial media phenom who is one of the most visible and popular members of her party. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, 35, subsequently left the Oversight Committee and said earlier this month that she would not pursue the post again, in part because of Democrats' emphasis on seniority. In the letter that Mr. Garcia sent to members formally announcing his bid, the second-term lawmaker tried to position himself as a bridge between more experienced members and the younger generation. Focusing on his time as mayor of Long Beach, Calif., he said that he 'showed that government can be both progressive and effective,' according to a copy of the letter obtained by The New York Times. Mr. Mfume, in text messages he sent to colleagues in May that were viewed by The Times, highlighted his '15 years of service in the House' — experience that he said would help 'aggressively push back against Trump's daily encroachment on congressional powers.'
