Latest news with #MarcyKaptur
E&E News
7 days ago
- Business
- E&E News
Trump budget plan would slash Great Lakes Authority
A small commission focused on economic development in the Great Lakes region would be eliminated under the Trump administration's budget proposal for fiscal 2026. The White House budget would 'permanently' cancel $5 million in funding for the Great Lakes Authority. The money was appropriated by Congress last year, but the regional organization has no federal leader and has yet to formally launch. The authority was created to address regional issues throughout the Great Lakes watershed and was modeled on the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Appalachian Regional Commission, according to Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), ranking member of the House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee. Advertisement It would have representatives from state government and focus on boosting jobs in manufacturing and clean energy, among other issues.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
While Republicans shred the First Amendment and rule of law, Democrats in Ohio and elsewhere dawdle
Stock photo from Getty Images. A year and a half before the midterm elections, Ohio Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur is being slammed in right-wing attack ads running on targeted streaming services in the state. The flatly misleading ads are part of a nationwide campaign produced by a dark money group (backed by Big Pharma and linked to a Republican super PAC) dedicated to electing Republicans to the U.S. House. American Action Network launched its $7 million advertising campaign across 30 congressional districts in the country with two separate ad versions. One aims to convince (fool?) voters in red districts that Republicans aren't coming for their health care and food stamps — when they are — and the other attempts to shift the focus from the hundreds of billions House Republicans just voted to cut from Medicaid to an item not yet on the GOP chopping block. U.S. House Republican cuts to Medicaid, food assistance would impact hundreds of thousands in Ohio The conservative nonprofit pivoted to Medicare to go after vulnerable House Democrats with identical attack ads airing through the first week of June. They all feature an older blond woman lambasting — fill in (Marcy Kaptur) the name — for threatening Medicare and for 'crippling the development of lifesaving drugs for cancer, Alzheimer's and other diseases.' The 9th District congresswoman is derided for 'playing politics with our Medicare and medicine.' The twisted narrative is obviously designed to deflect from the GOP tax cut agenda to benefit the rich at the expense of the poor and damage susceptible Democratic representatives ahead of next year's midterms. For the record, Kaptur voted against the GOP's continuing resolution in March that funded the government through September — which the ad framed as voting against Medicare. Like most Democrats, she did so because the stopgap spending bill did nothing to check the Trump administration's lawless withholding of congressionally appropriated funds. The Toledo Democrat also supported the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 that included measures to lower prescription drug costs opposed by Big Pharma — which the ad frames as disincentive to develop breakthrough drugs. Gross distortions aside, GOP-affiliated organizations are homing in on defeatable Democratic incumbents to attempt to grow the narrow Republican majority in the House in 2026. The fact that they're doing it so early in the election cycle speaks volumes about the perceived weakness of not only Kaptur but the Democratic Party writ large in Ohio and the country. Kaptur, who will be 79 next month, has represented Ohio's 9th congressional district in the northwestern quadrant of the state for 42 years. She is the longest-serving woman in the U.S. House and broadly respected for that commitment back home. But Kaptur barely hung onto her seat last November, winning by less than 1% against a young hardliner notable for pitching a tantrum as a crybaby state rep. To be fair, the congresswoman has been uniquely challenged by the gerrymandered contortions Ohio Statehouse Republicans forced her to accommodate, including the egregious 'Snake on the Lake' rendition that absurdly snaked the district between Toledo and Cleveland. But besides unconstitutional redistricting, Kaptur faces strong headwinds as a member of the Democratic gerontocracy that exceedingly frustrates rank and file Democrats for utterly failing to meet this moment of existential terror. Only one major political party in America remains faithful to the founding principles of the republic but it is on habitual disconnect. Meanwhile, freedom of speech, assembly, and due process are being shredded in real time by the felon-in-chief as Republicans on Capitol Hill do nothing. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Yet, with few exceptions, the opposition party isn't doing much either while the jaw-dropping corruption, intentional chaos, and abject cruelty of the Trump administration mocks the rule of law. There is no sense of urgency to course correct among play-by-the-books, protocol-loving Democrats in Congress. There is no sense that the same old losing strategies and recycled candidates that keep popping up — and relegating federal and state Democrats to legislative minorities — need to be ditched ASAP. A changing of the guard is imminent in the Ohio Democratic Party, but there is no sense that internal horse-trading will be guided by the growing army of angry and alarmed voters screaming for effective, fearless leadership now to fight every day/all day for government of, by, and for the people. A year from now will be too late. A revitalizing force of risk-takers with a solid bench is long overdue. In 2024, Ohio Democrats played it safe, unwisely distancing themselves from a Democratic presidential ticket packing venues that could have driven up voter turnout in traditionally Democratic urban counties. Instead, those metro areas recorded the state's biggest drops in turnout. Will the party rerun predictable candidates in 2026 for U.S. Senate or governor in Ohio to again play it safe and scramble to find warm bodies to run in other statewide races while legislative races go unchallenged? Probably. But maybe a gutsy Gen Zer or impatient millennial will rise up at this most critical juncture to preserve self-governance and confront tyranny head on with the energy and passion and resolve of past generations of Americans who carried the torch forward. Maybe Democrats still talking and acting like politicians afraid to make waves will finally wake up. Maybe the septuagenarian incumbent in Ohio's 9th will decide to go hard or go home. Reticence only invites dark money attack ads. A full year and a half before the midterms. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is College Worth It? Here's How Much Student Debt Boomer Homeowners Have
According to the 2024 National Association of Realtors Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report, 9% of younger boomer homeowners have student loan debt with a median amount of $34,400. One-third of them still carry $75,000 or more in student loans, the highest percentage among all age groups. Read Next: Try This: On the other hand, only 4% of older boomer homeowners have student loan debt, with most having between $25,000 and $49,999. Less than 1% of older boomer homeowners still have $75,000 or more in debt from education. A significant number of people report that student loan debt is an obstacle to homeownership. Some, including boomers, have delayed buying a home as a result of debt acquired to attend college or grad school. According to the same survey, 6% of people between the ages of 59 and 68 felt that saving for a down payment or a home was difficult due to outstanding student loan debt. The Education Data Initiative found that this trend was true across most age groups. When surveyed, 72% of people with student debt who are not homeowners responded that they believed their debt would delay the purchase of a home. Furthermore, homeownership among recent college graduates has declined 1.8% for every $1,000 of student loan debt since 2005. Be Aware: While student loan debt undoubtedly can play a role in a person's financial security, affecting things like their debt-to-income ratio, most people would agree that a college degree is still worth the expense. The National Center for Education Statistics noted that the median earnings of an individual who completed a bachelor's degree was nearly 60% higher than someone who solely completed high school. Over time, higher wages can help to pay off the debt incurred during undergraduate school and lead to a more favorable long-term financial outlook. Hopeful homeowners may have a brighter future than previous generations when it comes to student loan debt. For years, pressure has been mounting for state and federal agencies to take action to either reduce student loan debt in general or to provide a more realistic path for graduates to become homeowners. In 2022, Representative Marcy Kaptur introduced a bill to assist creditworthy borrowers with federal student loan debt to purchase foreclosed homes owned by the government or other agencies. The Transforming Student Debt to Home Equity Act of 2022 proposed developing a program to allow some of the 44 million Americans carrying student loan debt to purchase one of the 15 million homes sitting vacant in neighborhoods throughout the country. The bill was not the only action to help reduce or eliminate the heavy burden of student loans for college students. Several states passed legislation to waive enrollment fees at community colleges, with some discussing extending the programs, such as the California Promise Program Grant, to four-year degrees. More From GOBankingRates 5 Luxury Cars That Will Have Massive Price Drops in Spring 2025 8 Items To Stock Up on Now in Case of Tariff-Induced Product Shortages 5 Types of Vehicles Retirees Should Stay Away From Buying These 10 Used Cars Will Last Longer Than an Average New Vehicle Sources National Association of Realtors, '2024 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report.' Education Data Initiative, 'Student Loan Debt & Homeownership.' The National Center for Education Statistics, 'Annual Earnings by Educational Attainment.' 'Transforming Student Debt to Home Equity Act of 2022.' California Community Colleges, 'California Promise Program Grant.' This article originally appeared on Is College Worth It? Here's How Much Student Debt Boomer Homeowners Have Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
"There's a lot of misinformation out there": Right-wing ads claim that Republicans love Medicaid
As Republicans hone the details of their plan to strip $880 billion in federal funding from Medicaid and similar programs, the GOP and its allies are launching a concerted effort aimed at obscuring those efforts. In the past few days, GOP-affiliated organizations have launched two new ad campaigns with the goal of convincing voters that Republicans aren't doing the very thing that they're currently doing: trying to cut Medicaid. On Tuesday, the American Action Network, a conservative issue advocacy group that helps promote Republicans, launched a $7 million ad campaign across 30 congressional districts claiming that reporting on the GOP efforts to defund Medicaid was 'misinformation.' 'There's a lot of misinformation out there trying to scare seniors. Trust me, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans is fighting to protect us. She's supporting President Trump's common-sense reforms to root out waste, fraud and abuse, fixing the Biden pill penalty while preserving our benefits,' one TV ad in Virginia's 2nd Congressional District said. Another ad by the group attempts to shift the focus from Medicaid to Medicare, a program that is not currently on the chopping block. Medicaid is a joint state and federal health insurance program for low-income households, whereas Medicare is mostly reserved for those age 65 and older. The ad attacks Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, for voting against a GOP continuing resolution that funded the government through September, which most Democrats opposed because it did nothing to check the Trump administration's impoundment of congressionally-authorized spending. The ad, however, frames this as voting against Medicare. 'I can't survive without Medicare yet when the time came to protect and fund Medicare, Congresswoman Kaptur voted no. A bipartisan vote and Marcy Kaptur chose to play politics instead of standing up for us,' the narrator states. The American Action Network's ads are running across 30 congressional districts, including competitive ones like those represented by Reps. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., and Jared Golden, D-Maine, as well as districts represented by GOP leadership, including Rep. James Comer, R-Ky. Another conservative group, Plymouth Union Public Advocacy, came in with a $650,000 ad campaign on Wednesday. One ad, set to run across eight states with Republican senators, claims that 'President Trump is stepping into the ring, fighting to preserve Medicaid for those who need it most.' The rest of the ad advocates for premium tax credits, a provision of the Affordable Care Act, that enables the federal government to partially subsidize the cost of private health insurance. Plymouth Union Public Advocacy is a Trump-promoting nonprofit run by the former political director of the Republican Governors Association and other GOP operatives. Because of its non-profit status, it is not required to make the same financial disclosures and other political organizations. The ad campaign is set to run in South Dakota, West Virginia, Louisiana, Maine, Idaho, Utah, Alaska and North Carolina, all states with Republican senators. 'Preserve Medicaid and make premium tax credits work for more families,' the narrator states. In conjunction with the ad blitz, Republicans have taken to town halls claiming that they won't cut Medicaid benefits. Some, like Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., have even said on the floor of the House that the GOP budget will 'increase Medicaid expenditures by at least 25% over the next 10 years.' Dean Baker, an economist and co-founder at the Center for Economic Policy Research, told Salon that such promises don't add up. "The House passed a budget reconciliation bill that called on the Energy and Commerce Committee to cut $880 billion over the next decade from the programs it oversees. If they exclude Medicaid, the other programs' baseline spending would not be $880 billion over the decade," Baker said. "That means that if they would hit this target, they would need to cut Medicaid even if they zeroed out everything else in the programs they oversee." The deluge of messaging comes as the GOP is zeroing in on how specifically they are planning to cut Medicaid and other programs. The American Prospect reported this week that Republicans are circulating a menu of options, including work requirements and a plan to increase out-of-pocket expenses for recipients working at or above the federal poverty line. Meanwhile, Politico reported that self-described moderate Republicans are warming up to the idea of implementing work requirements and making eligibility checks more frequent, though these provisions wouldn't come close to fulfilling the $880 billion in cuts that Republicans asked the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the committee that oversees Medicaid, to find.
Fox News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Air Force veteran jumps into key House race to unseat 22-term vulnerable Dem: 'Time to pass the torch'
FIRST ON FOX: Longtime Dem. Rep. Marcy Kaptur is facing a new Republican challenger in Ohio's 9th Congressional District in the form of Air Force veteran Alea Nadeem, who spoke exclusively to Fox News Digital about her campaign. "This country saved me, I owe my life to this country," Nadeem, a northwest Ohio native, told Fox News Digital, recounting her harrowing life story of being kidnapped by her father and taken to Iraq, where she lived under the rule of Saddam Hussein before the U.S. government worked to bring her back. Nadeem joined the Air Force in response to the events of 9/11 and never planned on leaving the nonpartisan military world for politics until she spent time on Capitol Hill in recent years and realized that life for people in her district was not improving. "I got to see firsthand all the things that were happening, and I've got to tell you, my hometown where I grew up was not better off," Nadeem explained. "I was seeing the policies that people were voting on, and especially the current person, Marcy Kaptur, who's been here for almost 43 years. I didn't think they were voting in a way that actually helped the way I grew up, blue-collar families." Kaptur, who narrowly won re-election in 2024 by less than 1 percentage point, is widely considered one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the House as her district will be home to one of the most highly watched as Republicans attempt to hold a thin majority in the chamber. Cook Political Report ranks the race as a "Democrat toss up" in a state that Trump carried by over 10 points. Kaptur faced criticism during last year's campaign for introducing only 5 bills that became law in 41 years. Nadeem told Fox News Digital that even people she talks to who "love" Kaptur agree that 22 terms in Congress is too much. "It's time to pass the torch," Nadeem said. "One of the things that they've all said to me is they were really scared to pass a torch the last two times. They didn't feel like they had a candidate who could really step into her shoes. And so I've heard, I call it kitchen table talk. They haven't found somebody worthy to pass the torch to, but they also fully understand it's time. Everyone has been like, it's enough. We get it 43 years. So I think they're looking for the next guardian to be able to do that. Someone they can trust. And I'm really hoping to be to step into that." Nadeem spoke to Fox News Digital about the issues she plans to focus on during the campaign, including jobs and manufacturing at the top of the list. "This is near and dear to my heart," Nadeem said, adding that making sure "we're not hollowing out the Northwest and these blue-collar jobs" is her "number one priority." Nadeem said that bringing fiscal responsibility to Washington, D.C. will be another priority. "I looked at 1983, when Marcy Kaptur was in office, I think the debt was around, that the United States debt was around like 1.6 trillion and now it's 36 trillion," Nadeem said. "So you can just see like under democratic leadership, we have not done better. So we need to get our fiscal house in order because I know people in Northwest Ohio really rely on social security and Medicare. And I call those earned benefits. And if we can't balance our checkbook, we can pay for those things. And so I do think people deserve that."
