Latest news with #MichaelBaumgartner
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Amid rising anti-globalism, Baumgartner defends U.S. role in the world
May 28—Four months into a presidential administration that has sharply pivoted into a more aggressive stance with foreign nations, slashed foreign aid and proposed deep cuts to the State Department, Rep. Michael Baumgartner met in Spokane Wednesday with former ambassador Ryan Crocker and retired Vice Admiral Mike LeFever to argue America should not retreat from the world stage — though largely without any pointed criticism of the White House. "America today faces a more complex set of national security challenges, I think, at any time since World War II," Baumgartner said. "There's almost no issue that happens anywhere in the world that doesn't have impacts everywhere else, so, truly, we are all connected." The freshman GOP congressman expressed concern that Americans, including those in Eastern Washington, have become increasingly detached from world affairs, such as the war in Yemen, simmering tensions between Israel and Turkey, counterterrorism operations in Syria, the likelihood of increased refugee emigration in the future and more. The invite-only panel, hosted by the international affairs-focused organization U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, drew a relatively small crowd of business, military, religious, university and political representatives. In info sheets laid out on each guest's seat, the coalition laid out Washington's dependence on international trade — $61.2 billion in exports in 2023 supporting more than 930,000 jobs — and made arguments in support of international aid that appeared tailored to try to appeal to a White House that has gutted USAID, placing nearly all of its staff on leave and terminating 85% of that agency's outstanding grant awards and 80% of its global health awards. "MYTH: All U.S. foreign assistance goes to 'woke' or progressive programs focusing on cultural issues that many partner countries don't want anyway," one pamphlet read. "FACT: The vast majority of U.S. international assistance programs strongly align with Secretary (Marco) Rubio's imperative to make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous." The coalition argues that foreign aid and civilian initiatives can buoy the country's global position alongside its military operations, encapsulated in a banner outside Wednesday's event, in which former Secretary of Defense James Mattis was quoted as saying that cutting the State Department's budget meant the military needed to buy more ammunition. LeFever strongly agreed, saying that U.S. relief efforts in Pakistan following the devastating 2005 Kashmir earthquake had boosted America's approval rating in that country to its highest ever. Crocker noted he still saw the positive impact of that operation in America's standing in that region 20 years later. Baumgartner agreed that foreign aid could be strategically beneficial to the U.S. and argued that Rubio and the White House fundamentally felt the same, but echoed the sentiment that "identity politics" in USAID's programming had burdened the office's budget and caused domestic sentiment to sour on foreign aid. "I mean, I certainly am not in favor of some of the transgender operas in Peru and this sort of thing that the previous administration has done," Baumgartner said, echoing and somewhat garbling a claim made in February by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. A $25,000 grant awarded in 2021 under the Biden administration was for a university to produce an opera that would "raise awareness and increase... transgender representation," though it was in Colombia and not issued by USAID, but by a different office in the State Department. That same office also issued a $32,000 grant to a Peruvian organization to fund a comic book that featured "an LGBTQ+ hero to address social and mental health issues." In 2024, USAID's budget was $21.7 billion. Overall, foreign spending totaled nearly $72 billion, according to the Pew Research Center. As the coalition emphasized in one of its packets, the U.S. international affairs budget accounts for roughly 1% of the federal budget. Baumgartner did praise certain USAID programs, including the 2003 "President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief," or PEPFAR, which the congressman called "the best thing America has done, from an altruistic standpoint, in the last 20 years." "And my early indications from Secretary Rubio or in the administration is that — obviously there's a lot of high-profile political stuff going on, but they fundamentally understand the need to fund assistance as well," Baumgartner said. The Trump administration's February stop-work order initially froze funding for PEPFAR programs, though the State Department did issue a limited waiver specifically for PEPFAR, allowing certain treatment programs to continue but not others, such as HIV prevention and ones for orphans and vulnerable children, according to a May report from health policy organization KFF, formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation. Hundreds of other HIV-related USAID grants were terminated. In one of the few critical comments of the event, Crocker argued that the White House's efforts to use Biden-era programs to justify gutting USAID was an example of the "extreme polarization that we're seeing in American politics." "The USAID, like any executive agency, is the tool of the executive," Crocker said. "That's what it exists to do, to carry out the policies of the president of the United States as resourced by Congress." "What we've now gotten ourselves into, I think, and as we look at the wholesale destruction of USAID, I think it is unfortunately the poster child for polarization," Crocker continued. "Those programs were not the creation of USAID, they were the creation of the previous administration. And I greatly fear at this juncture we are doing ourselves great institutional damage by effectively eliminating USAID, and fasten your seatbelts at the State Department; that's happening next." Baumgartner did caution against the "lure of isolationism," which he argued both parties faced. "I think everyone in this room understands that there's some ongoing political challenges for both parties on this lure of isolationism, that if we just come home, we can save money and we won't have to get trapped and everything will be fine," Baumgartner said. "And I think it's just an illegitimate viewpoint and a misunderstanding of the world." The U.S. needs more foreign alliances, not fewer, Baumgartner said — and one way to do that, he argued, is cutting red tape that slows down the sale of military equipment to foreign countries. "We sell equipment to other countries, we bind them to us," he said. "We can work with them, and we help our local economy, and people really want American military equipment." But Baumgartner lamented that "like many things in the U.S. government," the process to sell weapons overseas had become too "bureaucratic and problematic to actually implement," adding that he was working in Congress to make that process speedier.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Baumgartner, Newhouse help House pass Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' after GOP state lawmakers warn of Medicaid cuts
May 23—WASHINGTON — Two Republicans from central and Eastern Washington voted on Thursday to pass President Donald Trump's signature bill to cut taxes and boost spending on immigration enforcement, after their fellow GOP lawmakers who represent the same areas in Olympia warned against the legislation's cuts to Medicaid. Reps. Michael Baumgartner of Spokane and Dan Newhouse of Sunnyside helped narrowly pass what Trump has dubbed "One Big, Beautiful Bill" — now the legislation's official name — by a vote of 215-214. Two of their GOP colleagues voted no, another slept through the vote after the House pulled an all-nighter to rush the bill through before its Memorial Day recess, and one Republican voted "present," lamenting that the bill doesn't do enough to reduce the federal budget deficit. The package would make permanent the sweeping tax cuts Republicans passed during the first Trump administration in 2017, which are set to expire at the end of the year, and it includes additional short-term tax cuts that would further reduce government revenue. "This bill delivers the largest tax cut in American history, saving the average American $5,000 a year and cutting taxes by 15% for working families," Baumgartner said in a statement. "In Eastern Washington, it protects 467,500 taxpayers from a looming 25% tax hike and increases funding for much needed technology to bolster border security. It's not a silver bullet for D.C.'s $7 trillion spending problem, but it's a strong start, and a major win for Eastern Washington." According to an analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, the average taxpayer in Baumgartner's 5th congressional district would see their taxes increase in 2026 by nearly $2,400 and in Newhouse's 4th congressional district by more than $2,000 if Congress doesn't act by year's end. Those tax hikes would be higher in districts west of the Cascades. If Republicans succeed in passing a bill by Dec. 31, they will keep tax rates largely flat, with some additional tax cuts for tips, overtime wages and other provisions Trump promised during his campaign. GOP leaders have made contradictory claims that making the 2017 tax law permanent represents a historic tax cut and effectively costs nothing, because extending the existing tax cuts would keep government revenue on its current trajectory. To pay for the additional tax cuts and spending, the bill would cut spending on Medicaid by imposing new restrictions intended to prevent unauthorized immigrants and young, able-bodied Americans from receiving the government-funded health insurance. The Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan agency that provides information to lawmakers, estimates that the legislation would result in at least 8.6 million people losing their health insurance. When the Affordable Care Act was passed fifteen years ago states were allowed to expand Medicaid coverage up to individuals at 138% of the federal poverty line. About 90% of that cost is covered by the federal government. Under the new bill, states would not receive that 90% back of what they spend. Instead, the federal government would provide states with a lump sum based on their population per capita, regardless of the state's actual Medicaid costs. This change could significantly shift the cost of Medicaid expansion to the states, incentivizing them to roll back the Obamacare expansion or cut spending elsewhere to cover the costs. That Medicaid expansion reimbursement would also be cut an additional 10% to states that provide Medicaid coverage to undocumented immigrants. As of last year, undocumented immigrants in Washington are eligible for Medicaid if their income is under 138% of the federal poverty line. The expansion is fully funded by the state, but the new bill would still cut Medicaid reimbursement across the board if Washington state does not remove Medicaid eligibility for undocumented immigrants. In a letter to Washington's entire congressional delegation on Wednesday, 23 Republican state lawmakers asked their federal counterparts to protect Medicaid for the state's residents. Like Idaho and many other states, Washington expanded Medicaid to cover more people after Congress passed the Affordable Care Act of 2010. "If federal funding for the expansion population is cut or federal financing is reduced, Washington will have to use significant state funds to fill the gap," the GOP lawmakers wrote. "Without federal funding, we will be forced to make further cuts to health care, endangering local health care organizations and eliminating coverage for many constituents." Noting that a quarter of Washingtonians are enrolled in the state's Medicaid plan, Apple Health, the state legislators said they support the goal of rooting out "waste, fraud and abuse" but warned that Washington "will be among the states hardest hit by Medicaid losses," partly because the federal government contributes a relatively small portion of the state's Medicaid budget. "We urge you to protect Medicaid," they wrote. "We can't afford to lose local health care resources, and our rural communities will not be able to ride out the economic shockwaves that are sure to follow if this program is significantly cut. Simply put, we cannot lose another rural hospital or clinic, nor another long-term care facility. We depend on a stable health care system, and we're counting on your leadership to ensure Medicaid's survival." Letter co-signer Leonard Christian said he signed the letter to protect the rural hospitals in his rural state Senate district in Eastern Washington. "Our hospitals are already suffering with the biggest tax increase ever in state history, and so the hospitals are already in pretty bad shape," said the Republican. "If we cut Medicaid as well, the reality is many of our rural hospitals would close pretty quickly. They're hanging on by a thread." While Christian wants to see a smaller federal government, he believes Congress should look elsewhere. "When it comes to lives and having hospitals be available for folks, there's other things we need to be looking at cutting before this," he said. Christian also criticized state Democratic leaders who have made undocumented immigrants eligible for Medicaid — saying the policy has put strain on an already fragile health care system. "We're just continually piling more people on a system that's already in trouble. The state's been irresponsible in this for many years," he said. The more than 1,000-page House bill contains a wide range of GOP priorities, headlined by a major spending boost for border security and immigration enforcement. It includes $46.5 billion for construction of barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border, $45 billion for immigrant detention facilities and $4 billion to hire more Customs and Border Patrol officers. It also increases spending on the military by $150 billion, including $25 billion to start building a new missile defense system Trump has dubbed the "Golden Dome," combining his admiration for Israel's Iron Dome system with his personal affinity for gold. And it would raise the nation's borrowing limit by $4 trillion, allowing the government to avoid defaulting on its debt, which now exceeds $36 trillion. To offset that additional spending and the new tax cuts, the legislation aims to cut costs by rolling back Biden-era energy policies and reducing spending on Medicaid and SNAP, the nutritional assistance commonly known as food stamps. Estimates published Tuesday by the Congressional Budget Office projected that the bill would increase the deficit by $3.8 trillion through 2034, and would cause a decrease in resources for the lowest-income 10% of Americans and an increase in resources for the highest-earning 10%. Facing opposition from Democrats and even some Republicans to cutting health care and food aid for low-income Americans while enacting tax cuts that would benefit the nation's highest earners, GOP leaders scaled back their initial plans for Medicaid. They landed on a set of restrictions intended to remove unauthorized immigrants and young, able-bodied Americans from the government-funded health insurance program. Democrats and other opponents of the Medicaid reforms say the new requirements are onerous and will result in more people losing their health insurance. In a call with reporters on Wednesday, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., spoke alongside CEOs of rural hospitals in Asotin and Klickitat counties who warned that cutting Medicaid funding could force some hospitals to close. "The House Republicans are now trying to cobble together what I believe is a serious attack on Medicaid," Cantwell said. "It undermines the program by shifting the burden to the states and making the entire healthcare system more expensive. When you think about it, if you cut Medicaid, and you cut people on Medicaid, they're not going to stop having health care needs. They're just going to go to a more expensive, unfunded setting to get that care." Republicans counter that their bill will preserve Medicaid for those who need it most while cutting costs. In a statement on Thursday, Newhouse said he had voted "to restore fiscal sanity in the federal government." "We have made real, common-sense reforms to strengthen the integrity of Medicaid, protecting the program for low-income families, seniors, and those with disabilities," he said. "By implementing work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents, and preventing those here illegally from accessing the program, we are protecting Medicaid for those who truly need it most." In a Thursday press conference Governor Bob Ferguson called the bill passed by Congress "cruel and harmful." "Our state will change in fundamental ways if this goes forward," the Democrat said. "As governor, obviously we're doing everything we can to persuade the Senate to walk back from the brink of an action that would have truly dire consequences for many thousands of Washingtonians." According to Ferguson, the bill would cost Washington state approximately $2 billion in federal funds in the next four years if it is passed. At least 200,000 out of 2 million Washington Medicaid recipients would lose their coverage by the end of next year, he said. Ferguson did not say how his office calculated this initial projection. "Hospitals will close in Washington state, in rural parts of our state, and in urban parts of our state. You can just take that to the bank. That's going to happen," he said. Harborview Medical Center CEO Sommer Kleweno Walley said the Seattle hospital could close parts of its operations if the bill were passed. Harborview, our Board of Trustees and our King County elected officials will have to have some incredibly difficult conversations about what parts of Harborview can stay open and what parts we have to rethink," she said at the Governor's press conference of the level 1 trauma center. The bill now goes to the Senate, where the GOP majority plans to make changes before sending it back to the House, using a procedure called budget reconciliation to sidestep the Senate's usual 60-vote supermajority requirement and overcome universal opposition from Democrats. If both chambers can pass the same version of the bill, it will go to Trump's desk to become law. Orion Donovan Smith's work is funded in part by members of the Spokane community via the Community Journalism and Civic Engagement Fund. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
NBC Sports
09-04-2025
- Politics
- NBC Sports
New bill in Congress would revolutionize college athletics — and end the NCAA
College sports are currently experiencing the chaos they deserve. After decades of corrupt exploitation of athletes under the guise of amateurism, effective enforcement of the antitrust laws has turned things upside down. Now, there's an effort in Congress to throw college sports a lifeline. Via Nick Schultz of a bill introduced to the U.S. House of Representative on Monday would scrap the NCAA for an American College Sports Association. Submitted by Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-WA), it's called the Restore College Sports Act. The ASCA would have a commissioner, appointed by the president. Terms would include sharing of NIL funds among student athletes, equal distribution of broadcast revenue, and the ability to transfer 'freely' from one school to another. Here's one facet that is destined to draw a strenuous objection from the coaching profession: A coach's maximum annual salary would be limited to '10 times the full cost of attendance at such institution.' Frankly, that provision makes it seem like not a serious piece of legislation. But the underlying problem remains very serious for college sports. They need a solution. They could get one from Congress. It would be far better to come up with their own answer than to leave it to the politicians. Here's the inescapable reality. The best — and perhaps only — effective answer involves unionizing the work force and securing the antitrust exemption that comes from a multi-employer bargaining unit. That would allow the NCAA to operate like the NFL, with a salary cap and other rules for balancing player compensation with competitive equity.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Baumgartner, in bipartisan letter, asks Trump to continue protections for Ukrainian refugees
Apr. 7—WASHINGTON — Rep. Michael Baumgartner on Monday asked President Donald Trump to preserve protections for the estimated 240,000 Ukrainians who have fled the Russian invasion of their country to live in the United States. The Spokane Republican led a bipartisan group of House lawmakers who signed a letter to the president after the Department of Homeland Security on Friday mistakenly sent emails to Ukrainian refugees, telling them that a status called humanitarian parole had been revoked and they had to depart the United States immediately, warning that if they didn't, "the government will find you." The White House said in a statement to CBS News that the message was sent in error and that the parole program hasn't been terminated. Many of those Ukrainians — including about 2,900 who live in Spokane County, according to Baumgartner's office — have already been bracing for such an order as the Trump administration has signaled that it will end temporary protections for refugees. "Our Ukrainian friends have a legitimate basis for refuge and have followed the legal processes to seek protection in the United States," Baumgartner and 15 other lawmakers wrote. "Many of them have found employment, pay taxes, have their children enrolled in school, and are positively contributing to their new communities. Revoking their protections and sending them back to a war-torn country before peace is secured would be devastating for both them and their families." Washington state is home to a large Slavic community, including many Ukrainians who moved to the United States before and after Russia invaded parts of Ukraine in 2014 and launched a full-scale invasion eight years later. About 30,000 Ukrainians have arrived in the Evergreen State since the start of the war in 2022, according to Baumgartner's office. "Continuing protections for Ukrainians currently residing in the United States is not only a matter of humanitarian responsibility but also a reflection of our commitment to supporting those who have fled violence and destruction," Baumgartner said in a statement. "Revoking these protections while the war remains unresolved would be devastating, both for individuals who have sought refuge and for the broader moral obligations we have as a nation." The other lawmakers who signed the letter are Democrats Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Betty McCollum of Minnesota, Gerry Connolly of Virginia, Scott Peters of California, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Brad Schneider and Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, Tom Suozzi and Dan Goldman of New York, Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania and Sarah McBride of Delaware; and Republicans Doug LaMalfa and Young Kim of California, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mike Lawler of New York. Orion Donovan Smith's work is funded in part by members of the Spokane community via the Community Journalism and Civic Engagement Fund. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Baumgartner and House Judiciary Committee investigating Washington AG, state's sanctuary policies
Mar. 31—Rep. Michael Baumgartner and other members of a House oversight committee sent a letter to Washington Attorney General Nick Brown claiming the state's "sanctuary law" is preventing local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration officials. It's the latest example of confusion and discord as a state government's laws conflict with the second Trump administration's sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration, diversity initiatives and protections for transgender students. The letter obtained by The Spokesman-Review is signed by the Eastern Washington Republican congressman, U.S. House Judiciary Committee chairman Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Rep. Tom McClintock of California, who is chair of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement. The judiciary committee requests the state attorney general's office provide all documents and communications relating to state and local law enforcement agencies' interactions with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection since January 2023. It also asks for the number of ICE detainers Washington law enforcement "declined to honor" during that time and the amount of "taxpayer funding" used to pursue legal action against the Adams County Sheriff's Department. Brown announced on March 10 that his office had sued the Adams County Sheriff's Office, alleging the agency of illegally cooperating with federal immigration enforcement in violation of state law. The letter asks for the information as soon as possible, but no later than April 14. "Federal law explicitly prohibits any restriction on communication between state or local entities and federal immigration authorities relating to an individual's immigration status," the letter states. "The state of Washington not only actively thwarts federal immigration enforcement, but it also targets local law enforcement officials for complying with federal law." Mike Faulk, deputy communications director for the attorney general, said the office is reviewing the letter. Officially called the Keep Washington Working Act, the state sanctuary law forbids local law enforcement from using local resources to help federal officials enforce immigration law. At a town hall in Spokane two weeks ago, Baumgartner hinted that he would try to change that but did not elaborate. In an interview with The Spokesman-Review last week, he said he was concerned about the attorney general's office going after Adams County and that the judiciary committee would take a look at the issue. "First, we need to find out exactly what they're doing," Baumgartner said. He said he supports withholding some federal funding for sanctuary states. "If it's not civil rights or immigration, I'm a states' rights guy; I want to have as much freedom, but on this thing, I think there will be some financial implications that we're trying to navigate." Baumgartner did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. David Yost, a spokesman for ICE, declined to comment. The Adams County lawsuit, which was filed in Spokane County Superior Court, alleges the sheriff's office held people in custody based on their immigration status, gave immigration officials confidential information and helped federal immigration officials question those in custody, each of which the lawsuit alleges "expressly violates state law." The lawsuit alleges that between May 2019 and January 2022, the Sheriff's Office shared nonpublic information with federal immigration officials at least 212 times, which included sending a "new in custody" list to federal officials "on a near-weekly basis." That violates the state's 2019 keep Washington Working Act, the suit said. That law says state and local law enforcement agencies may not provide nonpublicly available personal information about an individual, including individuals in custody, to federal immigration authorities in a noncriminal matter, "except as required by state or federal law." According to Brown, Adams County was engaged in "good faith settlement negotiations" with the attorney general's office in late 2024, prior to the inauguration of President Donald Trump. In February, the Adams County Sheriff's Office retained attorneys from America First Legal, which was founded by Stephen Miller, a senior aide to Trump. In a Feb. 20 letter, a lawyer representing Adams County wrote in a letter to the attorney general's office the county "simply desires to follow federal immigration law and to cooperate with the lawful requests of federal officials." Following the lawsuit, America First Legal Senior Counsel James Rogers said it was "outrageous" that Washington had worked to subvert federal immigration law. Matt Adams, legal director for the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, Monday called the committee's investigation "political gamesmanship." He said the state and federal laws clearly do not conflict. The state law does not prohibit local law enforcement from sharing information on immigration status or citizenship, it just says it is not local law enforcement's job to spend resources investigating federal immigration violations, just as it is not their job to investigate federal tax filings. The 10th Amendment prevents the federal government from commandeering state resources. In fact, Adams said, not only is it against state law, it is also against federal law for local officials to enforce federal law, because that is beyond their authority. "State officials violate the federal law when they hold on to people or arrest people for immigration," Adams said. Detainers, or federal requests for local law enforcement to continue to detain people in custody for up to 48 hours beyond the time they would have been released so federal immigration enforcement can take over custody, are just requests without any legal authority, Adams said. The Northwest Immigrant Rights Project has a separate lawsuit against the Adams County Sheriff's Office, claiming deputies unlawfully detained their client in 2023 based solely at the request of federal immigration officials to enforce civil immigration law. Spokane City Council passed a nonbinding resolution signaling the city's support of the Keep Washington Working Act at a packed meeting in February. Councilman Paul Dillon, who voted in favor of the resolution, said sanctuary policies help ensure people call law enforcement when they need assistance, including in domestic violence cases, and the constant threat of immigration enforcement makes people afraid to call 911 and report crimes. Dillon called the judiciary committee's action a mostly performative measure that continues "to bully cities and counties and states that have taken proactive, legally protected policy positions that do protect the rights of immigrant communities from unnecessary contact with ICE and border control, which is exactly what the Keep Washington Working Act does." Councilman Michael Cathcart, who voted against the city's resolution, said he anticipated some kind of federal action and that Spokane's resolution made it more likely by highlighting the issue. "This isn't necessarily in particular going to come down on Spokane, but this is something we expected to come," Cathcart said. "Some federal dollars are certainly at risk as a result of it, and that's the choice that's been made at the state and local levels." Cathcart said that aspects of the state law conflict with federal law and could be highlighted by the committee's review. Reporters Emry Dinman and Orion Donovan Smith contributed to this article. James Hanlon's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is funded in part by Report for America and by members of the Spokane community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
