Latest news with #MalcolmKenyatta
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
State House members reintroduce Pennsylvania Fairness Act
(WHTM) — Two Pennsylvania lawmakers have reintroduced the Pennsylvania Fairness Act, which would prohibit discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community in the workplace and housing. House Bill 300, introduced by State Representatives Jessica Benham (D-Allegheny) and Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Philadelphia), aims to amend the PA Human Relations Act to include 'sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression' to the list of prohibited types of discrimination, according to PA House Democrats. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Roughly half of the states in the U.S. already have similar bills. The Pennsylvania Fairness Act has been brought up in the Commonwealth for decades and even cleared the House for the first time last year. Rep. Kenyatta is a member of the LGBTQ+ community and also considers himself religious. He says the bill found bipartisan support last year because religious organizations are exempt. Still, the state Senate has refused to consider the bill every time it's been introduced. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Pa. Democrats call on GOP to oppose Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' as state budget season starts
State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Philadelphia) decried the "Big, Beautiful Bill" during a press conference outside Pennsylvania Capitol. (Capital-Star photo by Vincent DiFonzo) Pennsylvania Democrats stood on the Capitol steps in Harrisburg Monday and called on Republicans to oppose cuts to entitlement programs that are working their way through Congress. 'They don't want to talk about this massive negative impact it's going to have on the quality of life of so many Pennsylvanians,' Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny), said. 'It's not too late for them to join us, to be part of the discussion that says 'no.'' The proposed federal spending cuts are part of what Republicans call their 'Big, Beautiful Bill,' a budget reconciliation package that includes much of President Donald Trump's agenda. The bill has already passed the and can pass the U.S. Senate with a simple majority vote, which Republicans can muster without Democratic support. The bill would renew Trump's 2017 tax cuts that are set to expire and increase funding for immigration enforcement. To offset the costs, it includes dramatic spending cuts, especially to entitlement programs. Though the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found it could add $3.8 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years. Democrats in Harrisburg say the bill's spending cuts will have dramatic impacts in Pennsylvania. They've warned it could result in hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians losing Medicaid coverage, and tens of thousands losing access to food assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The state, they say, does not have the funds to make up for that. Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia), the minority chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said there is little room to make up for potential federal cuts with state funding. 'Knowing the state budget the way I know it, we know that we have no capacity to backfill any of those cuts,' he told the Capital-Star. According to the left-leaning think tank Pennsylvania Policy Center, the bill includes roughly $600 billion in cuts to Medicaid spending over 10 years, and would institute new work requirements for people covered through the program. They say the result could mean more than half a million Pennsylvanians would lose health care. Currently, around 23% of Pennsylvanians, or around 3 million people, are covered by Medicaid, according to the state Department of Human Services. Rep. Arvind Venkat, (D-Allegheny), who is also an emergency physician,said before the Affordable Care Act expanded Medicaid, 20% of his patients didn't have health insurance. 'They would come into the emergency department too late for me to treat them, and that is a real thing,' he said. The reason some gave him was the fear of medical debt that they'd accumulate because they were uninsured. He worries that will happen again if more people lose insurance 'We need to call out the cynicism from our Republican colleagues in Congress. On the one hand they're saying they don't want to take coverage from anybody,' Venkat said. 'But then they're happy to brag that they're going to save $1.7 trillion in decreased federal funding. And the only way that happens is if people lose insurance or stop seeking healthcare when they need it.' The bill's Republican defenders say that the cuts are the result of eliminating fraud and waste, and will ultimately reduce spending to help bring a ballooning budget back in line. Republican Sen. Dave McCormick did not respond to questions from the Capital-Star, but addressed the bill at a televised debate with Democratic Sen. John Fetterman Monday morning. He said entitlement spending has been on the rise, and attributed that to an uptick of claims by people for whom benefits were never intended. 'Those are working-age men without dependents, and those are illegal immigrants in a number of cases,' McCormick said. 'So what I'm arguing for is that we need to cut out the use of those programs … by people for whom they weren't designed.' The reconciliation bill would also cut SNAP spending by nearly $300 billion, according to the Pennsylvania Policy Center, by reducing the federal government's share of spending. It would also expand work requirements. As it stands, parents raising dependent children under 18 are not required to meet them, but the bill would lower the age of qualifying dependents to 7. People 55 and older are also not required to meet work requirements, but the bill would change that to 65 and up. Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Secretary Val Arkoosh has warned that 140,000 Pennsylvanians could lose access to the food assistance program with the changes to work requirements. According to the Department's most recent data, in 2023, around 2 million Pennsylvanians received SNAP benefits every month. 'This bill would be the largest cut ever to food assistance in U.S. history,' Costa said. He added that the bill could mean cuts to the Farmers Market Nutrition Program, which pays farmers to provide fresh food for seniors and people who receive Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutritional assistance programs. Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Philadelphia), the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, called on Republicans to join his party in opposition. 'I think we have an opportunity to stop this, but the problem is it's only Democrats out here,' he said. Spokespeople for Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-Indiana) and Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland) did not respond to questions from the Capital-Star. As it stands, the U.S. Senate is likely to make changes to the bill before returning it to the House. A number of Senate Republicans have raised concerns over how much the bill could add to the deficit. Populist Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) raised concerns about cuts to Medicaid, which he called 'morally wrong and political suicide.' Gov. Josh Shapiro also warned of a steep impact if the House version of the bill is passed. He said that it could impact not just patients, but hospitals that rely on Medicaid funds. 'We've got 25 rural hospitals that right now are operating on a deficit that likely would have to shutter if these Medicaid cuts go in effect,' Shapiro said at a press conference Monday morning in Harrisburg. 'It is certainly my hope that our federal representatives wouldn't vote for something that takes something away from Pennsylvania students or Pennsylvania seniors and everybody in between,' he added.
The Independent
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
DNC set to vote in weeks on removing David Hogg after young progressive announces plans to fund challengers
The Democratic National Committee has set a June date for the vote on removing two party vice chairs, including David Hogg, after he said he was set on challenging incumbent Democrats. The DNC will vote via electronic ballot between June 9 and June 11 on whether they will conduct new elections for the two vice chair roles. This comes after a DNC committee granted a procedural complaint regarding the initial election, which wasn't connected to the controversy surrounding Hogg, Politico noted. If a majority backs the measure, Hogg and Pennsylvania State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta would lose their positions, and new elections would be held. Votes for a new male vice chair would follow between June 12 and June 14, and for a vice chair of any gender between June 15 and June 17. Hogg pushed back against re-doing the election during Thursday's meeting of the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee. He said it 'sends a horrible message to the public about our inability to run elections.' 'If we're to redo this election, it truly just sends a horrible message that we really do not want out there at this moment,' he added, according to Politico. 'That's why I believe that it should not go forward.' The vote to possibly oust Hogg comes in the middle of a struggle between the party and the gun-safety advocate. Hogg announced last month that the group he co-founded, Leaders We Deserve, will take aim at 'ineffective' Democratic incumbents, spending $20 million. The chair of the DNC, Ken Martin, put forward a suggestion in response that the bylaws be changed to mandate that all DNC officers be neutral in primary elections. The DNC is set to vote on that measure in August. However, the struggle regarding the initial election could push out Hogg sooner rather than later. In February, a complaint claimed that the DNC failed to adhere to its own rules regarding gender equity when Kenyatta and Hogg were elected. Hogg has stated that it's 'impossible to ignore the broader context of my work to reform the party which loomed large over this vote.' He has also said that the DNC 'pledged to remove me, and this vote has provided an avenue to fast-track that effort.' If the election goes ahead, Kenyatta has called for a virtual candidate forum. In a thread on X, Kenyatta also lambasted the media's coverage of the fight by viewing Hogg as the 'main character.' 'This story is complex and I'm frustrated — but it's not about @davidhogg111. Even though he clearly wants it to be,' said Kenyatta. This comes after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy backed Hogg during an appearance on Fox News earlier this month. 'This is exactly what the Democrats do and why they continue to lose,' the former speaker said. 'They don't believe in allowing Democrats to pick who should lead them.' 'He's right, and he's young, he's smart, and he's going to be around, and this is only going to elevate him; and the whole thing he's saying is if you're old and not working to win a majority, you ought to leave!' McCarthy added.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DNC sets June vote over redoing election on David Hogg's vice chair role
The Democratic National Committee took another step Thursday toward removing a pair of vice chairs — including David Hogg, who ignited controversy in the party with his pledge to challenge 'asleep at the wheel' Democrats. DNC members will now vote via electronic ballot from June 9 to June 11 on whether to hold a redo of the election for the two vice chair positions, after a DNC panel granted a procedural complaint about the original contest that was unrelated to the broader firestorm surrounding Hogg. If a majority of DNC members approve it, both Hogg and Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta would lose their vice chair positions and kick off a new election for the roles. DNC members would vote for the new male vice chair from June 12 to June 14 and then vote for a second vice chair of any gender from June 15 to June 17. During the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting on Thursday, which set the election timeline, Hogg objected to re-doing the election, telling members it 'sends a horrible message to the public about our inability to run elections.' 'If we're to redo this election, it truly just sends a horrible message that we really do not want out there at this moment,' Hogg continued. 'That's why I believe that it should not go forward.' An election that could ultimately oust Hogg comes as the party feuds with the gun-safety activist. Last month, Hogg announced Leaders We Deserve, the group he co-founded, planned to target 'ineffective' Democratic incumbents with $20 million in spending. In response, DNC Chair Ken Martin proposed a change to the party's bylaws to mandate that DNC officers remain neutral in all primaries. The DNC is expected to vote on the measure at its August meeting. But the squabble over the initial election could force Hogg out sooner. A complaint filed in February alleged that the DNC bungled its own rules over gender equity of its officers when Hogg and Kenyatta were elected. Hogg has argued it's 'impossible to ignore the broader context of my work to reform the party which loomed large over this vote,' adding that the DNC has 'pledged to remove me, and this vote has provided an avenue to fast-track that effort.' Kenyatta, for his part, has called for a virtual candidate forum should the election move forward. In a thread posted to X, Kenyatta has also complained about how the media has covered the dust-up by focusing on Hogg as the 'main character.' 'This story is complex and I'm frustrated — but it's not about @davidhogg111. Even though he clearly wants it to be,' Keyatta posted.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democratic Official Reveals 3-Word Key To Beating Republicans
Democratic National Committee Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta said he thinks he has a winning message ahead of next year's midterm elections. 'Our mission, and then ultimately our message, can be summed up for me in three words,' he told MSNBC's Alex Witt on Sunday. 'Make life better.' Kenyatta said President Donald Trump has spent his first months in office 'making life worse and miserable' for ordinary Americans while enriching himself and his donors. Democrats, he said, can campaign on making life better for people across demographics, from seniors worried about Social Security cuts to working Americans in need of a raise. Kenyatta, who is also a state representative in Pennsylvania, said that means focusing on specific issues as well as standing up to Trump at the same time. 'If you're talking about how we make life better for folks, then you have to have a conversation at the same time that we can't fund tax breaks for billionaires and then cut the social safety net for the American worker,' he said. 'That puts you in a position where you're doing both.' Check out the full conversation below.
