Latest news with #JenniferShutt
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
With billions on the line, New NM federal funding legislative subcommittee meets for the first time
New Mexico ranks first among U.S. states for its share of federal dollars, with billions at risk pending Congress' budget decisions (Photos by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom and Danielle Prokop/Source NM) Members of the recently created Federal Funding Stabilization Subcommittee met for the first time Wednesday for briefings on how federal funding is funneled into New Mexico and how current and future cuts might impact the state The subcommittee formed in response to the loss of funds and threats of cuts from the Trump administration to programs that affect state residents, including Medicaid, federal nutrition programs and programs run by the various state agencies. Lawmakers started with an overall look at where federal funding is allocated throughout the state. New Mexico Department of Finance Secretary Wayne Propst explained to the committee that according to a Federal Funds Information for States report released last week, New Mexico is the top state receiving federal funds. The report is based on data from fiscal year 2023. 'The study confirmed that New Mexico is number one in terms of federal funding coming into the state,' Propst said. 'For every $1 in taxes that we send to the federal government, we receive approximately $3.21 back in New Mexico. That includes those direct payments, but it also includes the funding for our military bases, our national labs and other items.' He said the state's overall budget for Fiscal Year 2026 is $33.16 billion, with 43.5%, $14.44 billion, funded by federal money. The Health Care Authority receives the most federal money — more than $11 million, which makes up about 74% of its annual budget this fiscal year. Propst also noted that if Congress ends up passing the budget bill — which made its way out of the U.S. House of Representatives last week and will now be considered by the Senate — New Mexico will see impacts to Medicaid; a $290 billion reduction in funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; and a reduction in the federal oil and gas royalty rate from 16.67% to 12.5%. NM reps say GOP bill will gut Medicaid and also reduce oil money that could help state save it Eric Chenier, principal analyst for the Legislative Finance Committee, further broke down federal funding by state agencies, including the Early Childhood Education and Care Department, Higher Education Department, Department of Transportation and Department of Health. Chenier noted that as of May, the University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University and New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology reported losing $36 million, $27.2 million and $2.5 million in federal grant revenue respectively. Legislative Education Finance Committee Director John Sena delved into how federal funds are used for public education in New Mexico. He explained that the state is aware of several areas that have lost federal funding, including $12.3 million for Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, which was awarded to the state during the COVID-19 pandemic; $5.1 million for the Teacher Quality Partnership Program, which funded residency programs and mentoring for 68 people; and $5 million for school-based mental health services, which supported programs in Silver City and the Central Region Educational Cooperative and puts 18 positions at risk. AG Torrez joins lawsuit over federal education funds Sen. Bill Soules (D-Las Cruces), co-chair of the subcommittee, added that he wants to see flexibility from the group as more changes are announced from the Trump administration. 'There are going to be things that come up that we haven't thought about. For instance, we're getting into fire season and lots of the fire response often comes from the federal government. That's somewhat more in question now. Is the state going to be responsible to uphold all of those? That could be a major budget area,' Soules said. 'There also, I think, are areas where already we're seeing some of our small businesses, because of tariffs, are closing down, pulling back, have lower amounts and stuff, which means that's less revenue coming in on the state level as those businesses close or have to lay off workers or things of that sort.' The next subcommittee meeting is scheduled for July 1 and 2 in Santa Fe. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State, federal budget bills will help worsen a destructive national trend
(Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) It's a trend that's been advancing at a breakneck clip for years now, but according to a new report from the global nonprofit OxFam, the vast and immoral inequality that dominates the U.S. economy has reached truly stunning levels. As the report notes, over the past year, the richest ten Americans increased their wealth by 365 billion dollars. It would take ten average U.S. workers a staggering 726,000 years to make that much money. But wait, it's about to get worse. Under Republican budget bills advancing in Congress and the North Carolina legislature, new and regressive tax cuts along with big reductions in services will assure that the gap between the super-rich and everyone else grows even wider. It's a situation so corrupt and toxic that it's quickly undermining the fabric of a country founded on the premise of equal opportunity. The bottom line: Elected leaders must confront and reverse these trends right away lest our once great nation soon becomes unrecognizable. For NC Newsline, I'm Rob Schofield.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pa. congressional Republicans unanimous in support of Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill'
The U.S. Capitol is pictured on Feb. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) All ten Pennsylvania Republicans voted in support of the massive tax and spending bill that passed the U.S. House early Thursday morning, touting the tax relief, border security and support for working families they said it would provide. Democrats, including seven in the state's delegation, unanimously opposed it. They decried the budget's cuts to Medicaid and food assistance, deficit spending and tax cuts for the ultra wealthy, which Rep. Summer Lee (D-12th District) described as dangerous, 'undemocratic and unjust.' 'I voted no. There's nothing beautiful about a bill that forces families to choose between taking their kids to the doctor or feeding them,' Lee said. 'We will continue organizing, pushing, and holding every policymaker accountable until the needs of working people are prioritized over profits.' But one moderate Pennsylvania Republican said he would keep working to improve the bill. 'As this process proceeds, I will be working closely with the Senate to make constructive changes to this bill, specifically in the energy, workforce, and health portions of the bill so we can strengthen SNAP and Medicaid solvency for the long-term and ensure access for the most vulnerable that truly need assistance,' Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-1st District) said. 'This will be a red-line for me before supporting final passage.' His office did not respond to the Capital-Star's request for additional details. The budget reconciliation, dubbed the 'Big, Beautiful Bill' by Republican leaders, passed by a vote of 215-214, with two Republicans, Ohio's Warren Davidson and Kentucky's Thomas Massie, opposed. It will now go to the Senate, where Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said House Republicans will work with their Senate counterparts toward a goal of winning approval in the upper chamber and getting the bill to President Donald Trump's desk by July 4. The 1,116-page omnibus combines 11 bills that GOP lawmakers voted out of committee this spring. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro said the budget, as it stands, would have a 'very real impact' on Pennsylvanians. 'This morning, every single Republican member of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation voted to cut healthcare and food assistance from hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians and speed up the closure of dozens of rural hospitals across our Commonwealth – all while increasing our national deficit by $2.3 trillion,' Shapiro said in a statement. Other Democrats, including Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-4th District), said the deficit would balloon even higher. 'Today, House Republicans passed a bill that sacrifices critical programs for millions of everyday Americans to pay for another tax cut for the rich — blowing up the deficit by an estimated $5 trillion in service of the President's cruel, corrupt purposes,' Dean said in a statement. Cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program would shift $1 billion in food assistance costs to the state, putting benefits for 140,000 people in question. More than 300,000 Pennsylvanians could lose Medicaid benefits, rolling back efforts to reduce the number of uninsured people and increasing the cost of health care for everyone, Shapiro's statement said. And the cuts to Medicaid could hurt 25 rural hospitals across the state that are already financially struggling and rely on the medical assistance program, increasing the likelihood they could close. 'Any lawmaker in D.C. who thinks the commonwealth can backfill this massive hole they've created is wrong – and these cuts will have real life consequences for Pennsylvanians. As this heads to the Senate for a vote, I hope common sense and a concern for the people of Pennsylvania will prevail,' Shapiro said. Republican members of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation highlighted the bill's provisions to advance the Trump administration's priorities. 'After years of wide-open borders, uncontrolled inflation, and government spending run amok, this budget finally addresses the needs of our community and our country,' Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-7th District) said. H.R. 1 would provide $69 billion to complete border barriers, hire more Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, expand deportation capacity and stop drug and human trafficking at the U.S.-Mexico border. Although it includes deep cuts to Medicaid spending, reducing the program by $625 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office, Republicans including Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-8th District) said the bill would protect the program and ensure tax dollars are used prudently. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE 'During this process, I fought to protect social safety net programs from the waste, fraud, and abuse that have threatened their long-term solvency. By ensuring states are not using Medicaid dollars on illegal aliens, conducting more frequent eligibility checks, and requiring work for able-bodied recipients … we are securing Medicaid for those who truly need it,' Bresnahan said in a statement. He noted the Medicaid work requirements exempt children and seniors, pregnant women, students, disabled veterans and those with medical conditions including mental health and substance use disorders. Rep. Dan Meuser (R-9th District) touted the bill's benefits for businesses and working families that would help improve the nation's economy. 'Passing this bill will increase production so supply better meets demand, thereby reducing inflation. And with lower inflation comes lower interest rates, which leads to greater investment and more American production,' he said in a statement. The legislation would eliminate tax on tips and overtime – among Trump's populist campaign promises – expand the child tax credit from $2,000, and establish savings accounts for newborns. It would also extend provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to benefit manufacturers and small businesses by allowing them to write off research and development costs and bonuses and expanding the small business deduction to 23%, Meuser's office said.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
250k Tennesseans could lose TennCare, private insurance under Congressional spending bill
U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) Proposed cuts in federal healthcare spending on Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act could force more than 250,000 Tennesseans to join the ranks of the uninsured, an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation found. Healthcare advocates are closely following House debate over a legislative package that would make significant changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces. The reconciliation bill would cut Medicaid spending nationwide by at least $716 billion, representing the single largest cut in the program's history, a separate analysis by the Congressional Budget Office found. The bill would achieve those cuts in a variety of ways, including by introducing stricter enrollment and work requirements for the low-income and disabled Tennesseans who rely on TennCare, Tennessee's Medicaid program. The bill would also eliminate so-called premium tax credits that have helped individuals purchase their own health insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Together, the two provisions could cost between 190,000 – 310,000 Tennesseans access to TennCare or private insurance through the healthcare marketplace, according to Kaiser Family Foundation. Much, however, remains in flux about the final language of the omnibus federal spending bill as it heads to a vote on the House floor. The bill includes a significant increase in spending on immigration enforcement and an extension of tax cuts created during President Donald Trump's first administration. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
D.C. Dispatch: Iowa's U.S. representatives support bills that cut Medicaid and SNAP
The U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) Some health care workers and other Iowans opposed to proposed cuts to Medicaid and SNAP being discussed by U.S. House Republicans criticized Iowa's federal delegation as they work on the committees tasked with moving those proposals forward. U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks is a member of the House Energy and Commerce committee, the body that voted 30-24 Wednesday along party lines to approve the bill making billions in cuts to federal spending that could include work requirements and other restrictions on Medicaid. According to analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the changes in the bill would cut $625 billion in federal spending over the next 10 years. Physicians in the Committee to Protect Health Care urged House members from their districts, including Miller-Meeks, to oppose the House GOP's budget bill and criticized them for supporting the measure. Dr. Brian Lindsay, an internal medicine physician from Cedar Rapids, said in a statement that Miller-Meeks, who is also a physician, 'must be familiar with the tragic stories doctors witness every day when people aren't able to access or afford health care.' 'As physicians, we challenge politicians like Congresswoman Miller-Meeks to explain how taking away her own constituents' health care makes their lives better or our community stronger,' Lindsay said in a statement. 'When people can't see a doctor or afford to get the treatment they need, people suffer, some go bankrupt because of huge medical bills and unfortunately, some people die. Every Iowan must stand up and speak out against this reckless Republican plan to take away people's ability to get medical care so politicians can give huge handouts to billionaires.' Eric Kusiak, a nurse manager in Iowa's 1st congressional district, said the cuts could put rural Iowa hospitals at risk of closing in a statement with Fairness for Iowa, a liberal coalition that supports unseating Miller-Meeks and U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, Iowa Republicans in potentially vulnerable seats heading into the 2026 election. 'With these cuts, patients would get sicker, have fewer places to go, and have fewer healthcare workers to care for them,' Kusiak said. 'House Republicans and Miller-Meeks voted to take health care from millions of people including seniors, kids, and veterans to pay for more tax giveaways to the wealthy and corporations.' Miller-Meeks said in a post on social media Wednesday that Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden 'made the rules, then broke' Medicaid, and the House GOP plan will 'fix' the health coverage program. 'Medicaid is for the most vulnerable low-income families, pregnant women, kids, seniors and the disabled — not illegal immigrants or able-bodied men who choose not to work,' Miller-Meeks wrote. Nunn and U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa are on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, that was similarly tasked with finding spending cuts to make to federal programs including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Approved 29-25 Wednesday, the bill moved forward by the committee will shift some portions of SNAP funding to states for the first time. In a video posted on social media Wednesday, Nunn defended his support of the measure, saying voters have 'heard a lot of spin about what's happening with SNAP.' He pointed to the resolution he proposed earlier in May, the 'Defending Medicaid and SNAP Resolution,' as a step he has taken to ensure SNAP benefits are not cut for seniors, pregnant women, children and people with disabilities. 'Now, here's what I'm also going to do: I'm going to make sure these systems are successful now and into the future, fighting getting rid of the fraud, waste and abuse,' Nunn said. 'And that means making sure that able-bodied individuals are working at least part-time jobs, and states that have had massive error rates are held accountable so they can correct that for the future.' He said these changes will provide more money for the program in the future to allow 'vulnerable Iowans get the assistance they need' through SNAP in the future. However, Democrats and others involved in food assistance programs said the cuts will hurt Iowans who rely on SNAP to purchase food for their families. Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, who is running as a Democratic candidate in the 3rd District, said Thursday Nunn was 'screwing over farmers and families' with his support for the bill. 'I wanted to rest up a little bit this morning, but I can't, because I'm so angry,' Konfrst said, referring to the overnight debate leading to the end of the 2025 legislative session at the Iowa Capitol. 'Zach Nunn has the opportunity to do the right thing and do what's best for families, farmers, and veterans back here in Iowa. But instead, he did what he always does, which is fall in line with his party bosses and vote to devastate his own district. ' Feenstra, who also serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, said he supported the bill because it lowers taxes for Iowa families, farmers, workers and businesses 'while supporting investments in domestic manufacturing, business growth, Iowa agriculture, and U.S. energy production.' 'I'm also glad that provisions that I led are included like death tax relief, paid family and medical leave for employees of small businesses, affordable crop insurance policies for young and beginning farmers, investments in foreign animal disease prevention, and expansion of our export markets,' Feenstra said in a statement. 'Working with President Trump, we are delivering on our promise to the American people to cut taxes, grow our economy, secure our border, and unleash American energy production.' Feenstra announced he was launching an exploratory committee for a gubernatorial run Tuesday after filing paperwork for a run the day earlier. Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said Feenstra's decision to support the budget bill making cuts to SNAP is a sign that Iowans should not support him to become the state's next governor. 'Iowans need a governor that works for them,' Hart said in a statement. 'While many Iowans are struggling to afford groceries and Iowa is ranked 49th in the nation in economic growth and 48th in personal income, Randy Feenstra voted today to gut SNAP – which is a program that more than 260,000 Iowans rely on and generates economic activity that impacts our farmers, grocers, truck drivers and more. … Randy Feenstra also voted to approve tax cuts for billionaires and the nation's top 1 percent. Feenstra put requests from greedy billionaires over the needs of Iowans today and showed his priorities are not the same as the Iowa folks he seeks to govern.' While Iowa's federal delegation voted in support of these measures, the House budget committee voted 16-21 Friday to reject the spending package that includes the cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. Alongside Democrats, four Republicans, US. Reps. Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania, voted against the measure while calling for steeper budget cuts to be included. Though the measure has stalled, budget negotiations are continuing as House Republicans aim to approve a measure next week before the end of next week, when U.S. representatives are set to leave Washington, D.C. for a week-long recess.
