Latest news with #SenateHELPCommittee
Politico
28-07-2025
- Business
- Politico
Dueling JCT scores on ESOP legislation
With help from Lawrence Ukenye QUICK FIX SCORE SETTLING: A bill to make it more attractive for businesses to offer employee stock ownership plans, or ESOPs, would cost well over $100 billion over the next decade according to Congress' nonpartisan bean counters. An estimate from the Joint Committee on Taxation obtained by POLITICO found that S. 1727 would run $155.6 billion over 10 years, as employers and workers take advantage of the bill's 'unique' tax treatment compared to more traditional pay and investment vehicles by diverting money toward ESOPs. 'Compared to wages, this form of compensation would be less expensive: there is no limitation on deductions, and there is no application of employment taxes to employer contributions to retirement plans,' the JCT's analysis, which notes that tax collectors would likely recoup some of these costs in the long term. The estimate, dated July 24, was conducted at the request of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the top Democrat on the Senate HELP Committee. A parallel estimate JCT prepared for HELP Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.) shows that total would shrink to just $7.4 billion over that 10-year period if KSOPs — a set-up that blends aspects of ESOPs and 401(k)s — are excluded from the legislation. Cassidy sponsors the legislation, along with a companion measure S. 1728, which is part of a batch of bills the Senate HELP Committee is scheduled to take up on Wednesday. A HELP spokesperson said that the KSOP tweak is one of several changes that will ultimately bring the legislation's price tag far below the version of the bill that the JCT relied upon. 'The JCT score in question is from an analysis of the incomplete framework of the bill and does not include key elements like exclusion of KSOPS, contribution limits and others that will almost completely reduce this score and will be a part of the legislation considered during the markup,' Ty Bofferding said in a statement. 'This also ignores the fact that the economic benefits of any retirement legislation would be realized after the limited 10-year scoring window. Portraying this JCT report as representative of the legislation set to be marked up this week is maliciously misleading.' A spokesperson for Sanders declined to comment beyond the JCT report. Business groups and ESOP proponents argue the Labor Department and federal law has been stacked against these plans for decades and see a window of opportunity with Republicans in full control of Congress and the White House. Cassidy has fashioned himself as a champion of ESOPs as a way for employees to build equity in the companies they work for. ESOP detractors say guardrails are necessary to ensure that workers are not taken advantage of and left with worthless or overpriced stock. GOOD MORNING. It's Monday, July 28. Welcome back to Morning Shift, your go-to tipsheet on labor and employment-related immigration. Send feedback, tips and exclusives to nniedzwiadek@ lukenye@ rdugyala@ and gmott@ Follow us on X at @NickNiedz and @Lawrence_Ukenye. And Signal @nickniedz.94. Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You'll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day's biggest stories. LEGAL BATTLES STRIKE TWO: A second federal judge has ruled against the Labor Department in its attempt to suspend operations at Job Corps centers across the country. U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, a Trump appointee in D.C., ruled Friday that DOL's plan violated the Administrative Procedure Act and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act in a case filed by several Job Corps enrollees. 'At bottom, DOL's position is entirely circular: So long as the agency uses the term 'pause' and never makes a final decision to 'formally close' a center, it is authorized to shutter any Job Corps center indefinitely,' Friedrich wrote. Friedrich's preliminary injunction follows a similar ruling by a district court judge in Manhattan that was narrowed last week to comply with the Supreme Court's CASA decision limiting the courts' ability to block government policies nationwide. Friedrich's injunction is notable because it sidesteps the Supreme Court's restriction by tying it to the APA, an argument that Judge Andrew Carter Jr. rejected Wednesday in the other case. A DOL spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on the ruling. Unions HONEY, NOT VINEGAR: The head of the North America's Building Trades Unions is hoping to stanch setbacks in construction projects his members are working on by appealing to the president's image as builder-in-chief. 'We're talking about red states that are really being hammered by some of these decisions,' NABTU President Sean McGarvey told POLITICO. 'I want to give the president the benefit of the doubt. … If he had the time to see the net effects of this, I think the president would call a time out and bring in his team and say: 'Whoa let's take a look at what we're doing here. I'm a builder — I know what it takes to build projects and this is not good.'' NABTU has been tracking a host of actions taken by agencies in recent months to scuttle or impede projects that it says are worth billions of dollars and thousands of jobs, such as the Grain Belt Express transmission line that recently saw a conditional loan guarantee cancelled by the Energy Department. McGarvey said that there's no guarantee that other projects will sprout up to replace those job opportunities. 'There's so many people involved in a project, both on the public side and the private side, that once you shut the machine down, it takes a long time to get the machine running again,' he said. Though the strategy may be a stretch, given Trump's deep-seated opposition to things like wind energy and the allure of big-name companies promising to invest in U.S. manufacturing, NABTU has proven to be one of the few unions to demonstrate traction with the White House. To wit, the Office of Management and Budget last month instructed agencies to adhere to a Biden-era policy requiring project labor agreements on most federally funded construction projects after the Defense Department and General Services Administration attempted to circumvent the policy. NABTU won a court victory in May and lobbied the Trump administration to reverse course. Related: 'Boom fades for US clean energy as Trump guts subsidies,' from Reuters. AROUND THE AGENCIES NEW ADDITIONS: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission last week added three senior personnel to work with acting Chair Andrea Lucas' leadership team. Sharon Rose is joining the EEOC as chief operating officer after previously serving as senior counsel at DOL's Office of the Solicitor. Shannon Royce will serve as Lucas' chief of staff and previously worked at the Department of Health and Human Services. Amanda Smith was appointed to serve as director of communications and legislative affairs; she previously served as a senior adviser at the Republican National recently, she co-led government affairs communications at Lockheed Martin. PLAYING NICE: DOL last week rolled out an expansion of self-audit programs across its workforce protection arms, which can help employers correct problems and head-off the possibility of government investigations. As part of the initiative, the Wage and Hour Division is reviving a payroll audit program launched in 2018 that was scuttled early in President Joe Biden's tenure, while the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is expanding Voluntary Protection Programs. DOL's mining regulator and veterans employment office are also offering new resources. In the Workplace SIGN OF THE TIMES: A steel plant in J.D. Vance's hometown is shutting down an experiment in clean energy and doubling down on coal, Scott Waldman reports for POLITICO's E&E News. The Biden administration's plan to transform the clean energy economy relied on hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies and incentives, which in turn would help generate additional private investment. The Trump administration has almost completely reversed that approach, undercutting both the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan infrastructure law — and pledging to increase the nation's reliance on coal and other fossil fuels. More workplace news: 'Working Grandmas Are Redefining Grandparenthood,' from The Wall Street Journal. In the States GOV'T EFFICIENCY, Pt. 1: New York is one of the slowest states to process workers' unemployment insurance claims and begin paying out benefits, New York Focus reports. 'New York paid 64 percent of eligible people within [21 days] in the first half of this year — far below the 87 percent benchmark that the federal government considers 'acceptable.'' The delays have also gotten worse in recent months, dipping as low as 55 percent on-time in May. The state Labor Department said it has fewer employees handling UI claims than before the pandemic. — Pt. 2: A flaw in a New York City youth jobs program's direct-deposit system allowed scammers to fraudulently draw millions from ATMs, The New York Times reports. More state news: 'In Las Vegas, Republicans take victory lap on 'no tax on tips' policy; Democrats decry its details,' from the Las Vegas Sun. WHAT WE'RE READING — 'Intel to Lay Off 15% of Workers, Cancel Billions in Projects in Bid for Rebound,' from The Wall Street Journal. — 'AI intensifies battle for talent, housing and investments in San Francisco,' from The Washington Post. — 'ICE Took Half Their Work Force. What Do They Do Now?' from The New York Times. THAT'S YOUR SHIFT!
Forbes
13-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Married Student Loan Borrowers' Payments May Jump Under New GOP Plan
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 11: U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) speaks to reporters following the weekly ... More Republican Senate policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on March 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. Cassidy was joined by Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) (L) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD). Cassidy, as Chair of the Senate HELP Committee, released draft legislation on June 10 that would make substantial changes to the federal student loan system. (Photo by) Senate Republicans released draft reconciliation legislation this week that builds on efforts by their House counterparts to reshape the federal student loan system. The Senate version of the bill is identical in many ways to the House legislation, which passed the chamber last month on a largely party-line vote. But there's a critical difference between the two versions. If the Senate version of the bill ultimately becomes law, it could cause monthly student loan payments to dramatically increase for many households, particularly for married borrowers. The changes center on income-driven repayment. IDR plans are a type of federal student loan repayment plan that offers borrowers affordable payments based on a formula applied to their income. The bill would make significant changes to the IDR system by fully repealing three plans – ICR, PAYE, and the SAVE plan. The legislation would preserve the IBR plan in a modified form for current borrowers. But borrowers who take out new loans going forward would only be able to access a new IDR option created by the bill called the Repayment Assistance Plan, or RAP. While the details of RAP are largely the same between the House and Senate, the Senate version of the bill appears to treat married couples differently than the House version does. Between that, and the more expensive repayment formula associated with IBR as compared to the other IDR options, many married borrowers may experience significant increases in their monthly payments if the bill passes. Here's a breakdown. For all current income-driven repayment plans – ICR, IBR, PAYE, and SAVE – payments are calculated based on the combined income of married borrowers only if they file their taxes as married-filing-jointly. Borrowers who file their taxes as married-filing-separately would have their income-driven payments based on their individual income. Filing separately can cause some households to pay more in overall taxes, so it doesn't make sense for everyone. But for many married borrowers, filing as married-filing-separately is the only way to get an affordable monthly student loan payment, even if it means higher taxes. Under the House version of the reconciliation bill that narrowly passed that chamber in May, this treatment of married borrowers would be extended to the new RAP plan. 'The term 'adjusted gross income', when used with respect to a borrower, means the adjusted gross income (as such term is defined in section 62 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) of the borrower (and the borrower's spouse, as applicable) for the most recent taxable year, except that, in the case of a married borrower who files a separate Federal income tax return, the term does not include the adjusted gross income of the borrower's spouse,' reads the text of the House bill. But while the Senate version of the bill released this week is similar to the House version in almost every way, there's a notable difference in the bill's definition of Adjusted Gross Income for the RAP plan in the Senate bill. 'The term 'adjusted gross income', when used with respect to a borrower, means the adjusted gross income (as such term is defined in section 62 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) of the borrower (and the borrower's spouse, as applicable) for the most recent taxable year,' reads the bill. The Senate's language completely omits the exception for separate federal tax returns outlined in the House version. This could have dramatic ramifications for married borrowers. A borrower who has an Adjusted Gross Income of $50,000 who files taxes separately from their spouse would have a monthly RAP payment of around $208 per month. But if their spouse earns the same amount of income, so that their combined Adjusted Gross Income is $100,000 regardless of their marital tax filing filing status, the monthly RAP payment would jump to more than $830 per month – a four-fold increase. The RAP plan would be the only income-driven repayment option for borrowers who take out federal student loans after July 1, 2026, under the terms of both the House and Senate bills. Borrowers already in repayment on their student loans prior to that date could maintain access to a modified version of Income-Based Repayment, or IBR. But they would lose access to more affordable options like the PAYE and SAVE plans. Borrowers who are enrolled in these plans would be moved into IBR, unless they opt to switch to RAP (but if they do that, they would be locked into RAP, with no option to change plans again in the future). Both the House and Senate bills would appear to preserve the marital tax treatment of borrowers under IBR, meaning married borrowers enrolled in IBR should continue to be able to file separate federal tax returns to exclude a spouse's income from being factored into the monthly student loan payment calculation. But moving into IBR from PAYE or SAVE could also significantly increase a borrower's monthly student loan payment, even if they can continue filing taxes separately. 'A typical family of four headed by a borrower with a bachelor's degree would be forced to pay an additional $2,808 per year should Congress enact this proposal, when compared to the SAVE plan,' said the Student Borrower Protection Center in a letter to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chair and Ranking Member on Wednesday. For SAVE plan borrowers in particular, who have been in forbearance for the last year due to ongoing legal challenges, 'Borrowers will experience an immediate and unprecedented payment shock as their monthly payments jump from $0 per month to $431 for a typical single student loan borrower with a college degree—an annual increase of more than $5,000' annually, said the group. The bill would make other changes to the federal student loan system that could also impact married borrowers. The legislation would effectively eliminate income-driven repayment altogether for Parent PLUS borrowers, with the exception of those who have already consolidated their Parent PLUS loans and enrolled in Income-Contingent Repayment. This could push many parent borrowers, who would effectively have no affordable repayment option, into default. The bill would also limit Parent PLUS borrowing and phase out the Graduate PLUS program, which could force families to rely more heavily on private student loans, which which are generally costlier and riskier than their federal counterparts. 'The Senate reconciliation bill's higher education provisions would cause widespread harm to American families by making college more expensive, making student debt much harder to repay, unleashing an avalanche of student loan defaults, and rolling back basic protections for students who are defrauded by their college—all to fund tax cuts for the wealthy," said Sameer Gadkaree, president of The Institute for College Access & Success, in a statement earlier this week. 'The proposed overhaul of the student loan repayment system would take the unprecedented step of eliminating existing protections for borrowers. It would implement an overly complex plan that departs from decades of precedent by forcing the lowest-income borrowers to make unaffordable payments and extending the repayment term to 30 years. Taken together, this will likely drive many more borrowers into default."
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Trump's surgeon general pick touted as 'fierce' MAHA advocate before confirmation hearing
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's pick for U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill, garnering support ahead of her upcoming confirmation hearing, with senators describing her as a "fierce" advocate for the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement. Sources familiar with her confirmation hearing prep told Fox News Digital that Nesheiwat has had many "productive meetings" on Capitol Hill regarding her nomination. Trump Picks Dr. Janette Nesheiwat As Nation's Next Surgeon General Nesheiwat recently met with the staff for the Senate HELP Committee, along with all the health policy GOP staffers. Sources said those staffers have expressed support for her nomination as medical director in the Public Health Service and surgeon general. Nesheiwat also met with Democrat Sen. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, along with Democrat Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. Sources told Fox News Digital that Blackburn is supportive of Nesheiwat. Details of Nesheiwat's meetings with Hickenlooper and Alsobrooks were not immediately clear. The sources said various topics were discussed during those meetings, including fighting chronic illness, diseases, opioids, the mission of MAHA, vaccines, good nutrition, educating Americans with science-backed data, combating healthcare provider shortages, mental health, food deserts and the government's role in tracking health crises and emerging health threats. Read On The Fox News App Sources said the conversations have been "positive, productive conversations." Nesheiwat has met, so far, with all the Republican senators on the Senate HELP Committee except for Sen. Josh Hawley. A source told Fox News Digital that Sen. Katie Brit of Alabama, who is not on the committee, wants to meet with Nesheiwat in early May. Nesheiwat, formerly a Fox News contributor, is double-board certified in family medicine and urgent care medicine. Nesheiwat, a daughter of Jordanian immigrants, led frontline medical teams during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, along with her past work managing public health responses during flu epidemics, the opioid crisis, the monkeypox outbreak and other major health challenges. She also was named the first female medical director for CityMD in Manhattan — one of America's largest urgent care systems. Short Questions With Dana Perino For Dr. Janette Nesheiwat Upon nominating Nesheiwat to the position, Trump said she is a "fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventative medicine and public health." "I am proud to announce that Dr. Janette Nesheiwat will be the Nation's Doctor as the United States Surgeon General. Dr. Nesheiwat is a double board-certified Medical Doctor with an unwavering commitment to saving and treating thousands of American lives," he said. "She is committed to ensuring that Americans have access to affordable, quality healthcare, and believes in empowering individuals to take charge of their health to live longer, healthier lives." Trump praised Nesheiwat's work during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying she "worked on the front lines in New York City treating thousands of Americans and helped patients in the aftermath of President Donald Trump's Historic Operation Warp Speed that saved hundreds of millions of lives." He also praised her "expertise and leadership" after New Orleans' Hurricane Katrina and the Joplin tornadoes. The president said Nesheiwat "will play a pivotal role in MAKING AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN!" Meanwhile, after meeting with Nesheiwat, Senate HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy said Nesheiwat is "aware of the issues facing our nation and how they relate all the way down to counseling a patient in an exam room." "A very good meeting," he said. As for the MAHA movement led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Republicans say Nesheiwat represents the vision of the Trump administration. Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said Nesheiwat "understands the MAHA movement." "With the Trump admin, American health is no longer taking a back seat," Banks said. Additionally, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said that "Making America Healthy Again starts with having strong leadership" within Health and Human Services. "I know that @DoctorJanette, President Trump's nominee for Surgeon General, will be a fierce MAHA advocate and will work with @SecKennedy to increase transparency in our healthcare system," Tuberville said. Nesheiwat began her medical education at the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine. She completed her initial curriculum at the school's Saint Maarten campus. She then went on to complete her clinical rotations at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Metropolitan State Hospital, Guy's & St. Thomas Hospitals and Medway Maritime Hospital. Nesheiwat completed her family medicine residence at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Area Health Education Center, and was elected chief resident during her final year. In 2009, Nesheiwat achieved board certification in family medicine for the American Board of Family Medicine, and in 2020 achieved board certification in urgent care medicine with the American Board of Urgent Care Medicine. Nesheiwat's hearing is set for May 8 at 10:00 a.m., when senators on the Senate HELP Committee, will question her ahead of her confirmation article source: Trump's surgeon general pick touted as 'fierce' MAHA advocate before confirmation hearing
Fox News
02-05-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Trump's surgeon general pick touted as 'fierce' MAHA advocate before confirmation hearing
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's pick for U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill, garnering support ahead of her upcoming confirmation hearing, with senators describing her as a "fierce" advocate for the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement. Sources familiar with her confirmation hearing prep told Fox News Digital that Nesheiwat has had many "productive meetings" on Capitol Hill regarding her nomination. Nesheiwat recently met with the staff for the Senate HELP Committee, along with all the health policy GOP staffers. Sources said those staffers have expressed support for her nomination as medical director in the Public Health Service and surgeon general. Nesheiwat also met with Democrat Sen. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, along with Democrat Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. Sources told Fox News Digital that Blackburn is supportive of Nesheiwat. Details of Nesheiwat's meetings with Hickenlooper and Alsobrooks were not immediately clear. The sources said various topics were discussed during those meetings, including fighting chronic illness, diseases, opioids, the mission of MAHA, vaccines, good nutrition, educating Americans with science-backed data, combating healthcare provider shortages, mental health, food deserts and the government's role in tracking health crises and emerging health threats. Sources said the conversations have been "positive, productive conversations." Nesheiwat has met, so far, with all the Republican senators on the Senate HELP Committee except for Sen. Josh Hawley. A source told Fox News Digital that Sen. Katie Brit of Alabama, who is not on the committee, wants to meet with Nesheiwat in early May. Nesheiwat, formerly a Fox News contributor, is double-board certified in family medicine and urgent care medicine. Nesheiwat, a daughter of Jordanian immigrants, led frontline medical teams during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, along with her past work managing public health responses during flu epidemics, the opioid crisis, the monkeypox outbreak and other major health challenges. She also was named the first female medical director for CityMD in Manhattan — one of America's largest urgent care systems. Upon nominating Nesheiwat to the position, Trump said she is a "fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventative medicine and public health." "I am proud to announce that Dr. Janette Nesheiwat will be the Nation's Doctor as the United States Surgeon General. Dr. Nesheiwat is a double board-certified Medical Doctor with an unwavering commitment to saving and treating thousands of American lives," he said. "She is committed to ensuring that Americans have access to affordable, quality healthcare, and believes in empowering individuals to take charge of their health to live longer, healthier lives." Trump praised Nesheiwat's work during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying she "worked on the front lines in New York City treating thousands of Americans and helped patients in the aftermath of President Donald Trump's Historic Operation Warp Speed that saved hundreds of millions of lives." He also praised her "expertise and leadership" after New Orleans' Hurricane Katrina and the Joplin tornadoes. The president said Nesheiwat "will play a pivotal role in MAKING AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN!" Meanwhile, after meeting with Nesheiwat, Senate HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy said Nesheiwat is "aware of the issues facing our nation and how they relate all the way down to counseling a patient in an exam room." "A very good meeting," he said. As for the MAHA movement led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Republicans say Nesheiwat represents the vision of the Trump administration. Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said Nesheiwat "understands the MAHA movement." "With the Trump admin, American health is no longer taking a back seat," Banks said. Additionally, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said that "Making America Healthy Again starts with having strong leadership" within Health and Human Services. "I know that @DoctorJanette, President Trump's nominee for Surgeon General, will be a fierce MAHA advocate and will work with @SecKennedy to increase transparency in our healthcare system," Tuberville said. Nesheiwat began her medical education at the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine. She completed her initial curriculum at the school's Saint Maarten campus. She then went on to complete her clinical rotations at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Metropolitan State Hospital, Guy's & St. Thomas Hospitals and Medway Maritime Hospital. Nesheiwat completed her family medicine residence at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Area Health Education Center, and was elected chief resident during her final year. In 2009, Nesheiwat achieved board certification in family medicine for the American Board of Family Medicine, and in 2020 achieved board certification in urgent care medicine with the American Board of Urgent Care Medicine. Nesheiwat's hearing is set for May 8 at 10:00 a.m., when senators on the Senate HELP Committee, will question her ahead of her confirmation vote.
Politico
17-03-2025
- Business
- Politico
Sanders puts Musk in focus amid DOGE cuts
QUICK FIX WHO'S REALLY RUNNING DOL?: Since losing his post atop the Senate HELP Committee, Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — the panel's current ranking member — has unsurprisingly been frosty toward President Donald Trump's nominees to lead the Labor Department. However, amid the so-called Department of Government Efficiency's effort to purge federal employees, Sanders has taken a more uninterested tone in the nominees themselves by dismissing the president's picks and asserting that Elon Musk will ultimately be the one to shape their agencies. 'The next secretary of Labor, the next secretary of Education, the next secretary of [Housing and Urban Development], next secretary of the Treasury is Elon Musk and let us understand that reality and play go along with the charades,' Sanders said before lawmakers voted to confirm Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. Sanders also left Deputy Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling's nomination hearing early and has made sure to highlight Musk at nearly every hearing he's attended. When asked about how he's approached the nominee process for Trump's picks, he told Shift last week that he only left one hearing early, but his move to shift the focus to Musk is one of the many strategies Democrats are attempting in standing up to Trump's effort to remake the federal government. As Democrats have resorted to pointing fingers and searching for a coherent message since Trump's victory last fall, Sanders has hit the road to hold rallies with strong attendance where he's focused on pocketbook issues while calling attention to the risks of taking a chainsaw to federal agencies. With several additional labor and employment nominees set to appear for the committee in the coming months, Sanders is likely to continue highlighting Musk's role in the federal government, especially as new polling shows that his work leading DOGE is deeply unpopular with the American public. GOOD MORNING. It's Monday, March 17. Welcome back to Morning Shift, your go-to tipsheet on labor and employment-related immigration. Send feedback, tips and exclusives to nniedzwiadek@ lukenye@ rdugyala@ and gmott@ Follow us on X at @NickNiedz and @Lawrence_Ukenye. Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You'll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day's biggest stories. AROUND THE AGENCIES NOT SO EAGER: Federal employees reinstated by a pair of district court rulings last week aren't rushing to reclaim their jobs and are already filling out applications for other roles after losing faith in their previous employers. 'The government hates us,' Oleka Chmura, 28, an employee who previously worked at Yellowstone National Park, told The Washington Post. 'I was originally putting up with it because I believed in the park's mission, but I can't go back to the anxiety of, 'Am I fired or am I not?'' Some employees were excited to return to work but discovered that their agencies weren't part of lawsuits in California and Maryland that led federal judges to order the Trump administration to call fired feds back to work. More agency news: 'UFL players file complaint with NLRB over CBA talks,' from ESPN. Even more: "Federal Budget Ax Threatens Contractors, but Could Also Be an Opportunity,' from The New York Times. On The Hill FUNDING FALLOUT: Democrats continued their recriminations into the weekend after Senate leaders chose to support a stopgap funding bill that the party seemingly broadly opposed, with many directing their ire at Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Some lawmakers did come to his defense, including Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who notably voted against the bill. 'Leader Schumer has a very difficult job. I don't envy the job that he has,' Murphy said Sunday on NBC's 'Meet the Press,' adding: 'I still support Senator Schumer as leader.' Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who appeared on ABC's 'This Week,' threw cold water on the anger directed against his colleagues who backed the continuing resolution, arguing that entering a government shutdown would've empowered the Office of Personnel Management to pursue deeper cuts to the federal workforce. Schumer backlash continues: ''Uniting anger': Democrats fume over Schumer's handling of funding fight,' from our Holly Otterbein, Lisa Kashinsky, Jordain Carney, Elena Schneider and Brakkton Booker. Unions NOT ON THEIR WATCH: Nurses unions are pushing back against hospitals for adding AI tools that monitor patients' vital signs and develop action plans for care as they grapple with staff shortages, The Associated Press reports. 'Hospitals have been waiting for the moment when they have something that appears to have enough legitimacy to replace nurses,' said Michelle Mahon of National Nurses United. 'The entire ecosystem is designed to automate, de-skill and ultimately replace caregivers.' The union has organized more than a dozen protests urging hospitals to let their staff dictate how the technology is used, and guardrails against discipline for personnel who choose not to follow medical advice from AI. In the Workplace DISTRICT DOWNTURN: The D.C. economy could enter a recession as early as this year due to the widespread job losses from the Trump administration's effort to trim the federal workforce, CNN reports. Oxford Economics estimates the region could lose nearly $5 billion in wages from cuts to federal jobs, which will likely ripple through the region's consumer-facing businesses, including hospitality and retail. Not just D.C.: 'DOGE Upheaval Arrives in Cities Far From Washington,' from The Wall Street Journal. TESLA TUMBLES: AkademikerPension, a Danish pension fund, is dropping its Tesla shares over the company's worker rights record and Elon Musk's support for far-right political candidates, Bloomberg reports. The move comes after the company's stocks tumbled in recent weeks, prompting Trump to hold an event at the White House featuring the EVs to show support for Musk. The company's stocks briefly began to rebound last week. Conservatives began to rally around the car brand last week, while the left escalated their attacks against Musk, including Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), who announced last week that he was getting rid of his Tesla and called the vehicle 'a rolling billboard' for Musk. More workplace news: 'Davos organiser promises revamp after probe into workplace discrimination,' from the Financial Times. WHAT WE'RE READING — 'How Trump's 'No Tax on Tips' Could Backfire for the Working Class,' from Bloomberg. — 'To Investigate Labor Abuse, We Began With a Question: Who Profits?,' from The New York Times. — 'CEOs Face More Accountability When a Board Member Has Military Experience,' from The Wall Street Journal. — 'Other states are preparing for the House NIL settlement. But can Florida schools compete?,' from our Andrew Atterbury. THAT'S YOUR SHIFT!
