Latest news with #reconciliationBill
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Congressman McClintock, restore staff and services at Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is one of California's most valuable public assets economically, ecologically, and culturally. Recent executive decisions have led to significant staff layoffs and service reductions, disrupting park operations and putting local communities at risk. These cuts impact more than just tourism. They affect jobs, small businesses, and regional stability, particularly in areas that rely on visitor traffic and park accessibility. In light of this, the lack of timely, proactive engagement from Congressman Tom McClintock is concerning. Strong leadership is critical when national resources and local economies are both on the line. It is the duty of elected officials to safeguard public lands and ensure they remain supported, accessible, and well-maintained for future generations. Constituents and concerned Californians should contact Rep. McClintock at (202) 225-2511 to demand swift, concrete action to restore staffing and services at Yosemite. Lauren Gonzalez-Perez, Lynwood Clovis residents need to question the actions lately taken by the Clovis City Council because of the main issues its members seem to fight for, like LGBTQ books at the Clovis Library, sanctuary and immigration laws, teenage trans athletes and other issues. Many Clovis resident seem to not know what is transpiring or not care. We see this when it is time to vote. I think the cty of Clovis has more pressing problems, like housing, school lunches, utility prices, Marjorie Center, overcrowding and the list goes on. What should the role of the City Council be? What concerns most Clovis residents? Are our streets safe for children walking or riding their bikes to school every day? There is no doubt Clovis a is one of the most desirable cities in California, but I think residents need to decide what kind of city they want and are the most important issues facing it today. Steven Trevino Jr., Clovis I'm not so old that I have forgotten the halcyon days when public officials, appointed and elected, at every level of government took their bribes behind closed doors in smoke-filled rooms. Now, it is perfectly acceptable to solicit and receive bribes in the open, in front of everyone. And no one seems to care. What a country. Jim Doyle, Fresno Did you know there are hundreds of clean energy projects slated to happen in the Central Valley from IRA investments? But if the Senate passes the reconciliation Bill without the clean energy tax credits, we stand to lose thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in the Valley alone. The investments spurred by clean energy tax credits will go a long way toward improving our air, controlling electricity rates and stabilizing our climate chaos. Cuts will hurt many of us if they become law. A rollback of tax credits for home upgrades like rooftop solar would also be a blow to all of us who've been using these tools to cut energy bills. Incentives have made it easier for homeowners to install solar panels, save money, and even help stabilize America's power grid. But those benefits — and the local businesses that depend on them — are in jeopardy if Congress moves forward with these cuts. Throughout the country, Republican-led districts are especially benefiting from investments in manufacturing, solar, wind, hydrogen fuel and battery storage projects. But there is pressure to vote along party lines. Call or email your senators. Ask them to work harder across the aisle to help constituents. Andrea Farber De Zubiria. Fresno Now I have to say I'm confused: Fresno Unified Superintendent Misty Her used artificial intelligence to make up some accusations against others. Is this a new skill FUSD will be teaching our children — how to use the plagiarism-generation machine to create fake documentation of crimes that never happened? How can we expect this woman to lead our children in their education when she cannot even follow the most basic instructions for writing in FUSD, which are 'Cite Your Sources' and 'Don't Plagiarize'? Why would we want to send our children to schools where the administration are purposefully and maliciously being defiant against the teachers they love and trust to teach them? Washington, D.C. may be a circus right now, it doesn't mean we have to follow suit. Shape up, FUSD — the parents and future teachers are watching you. Kathleen Osle Eugene. Fresno The longer and warmer days bring more traveling. Freedom comes with following laws. When I was 16 in 1992, I was hit by a drunken driver. Medical care and therapy in the Bay Area and Central Valley made up half of my teenage life. After three decades, I communicate with a deep tone, read lips, cannot drive and I walk unsteadily. Look at the results of the Independence Day weekend maximum enforcement period for 2023 and 2024: CHP made 1,224 DUI arrests in 2023 and 1,336 DUI arrests in 2024. Drivers, please make DUI arrests come down this year. Anyone's independence can be ruined if you drive drunk. Many holidays are coming. Memories of a crash, injuries or even death caused from drunken driving will haunt your future. Foods and drinks are part of the fun. Taking Highway 33 to head home from a festivity? Planning to drink? Go ahead, but don't forget to have a sober person drive you if you become drunk. This certainly shows your pride for freedom and people will admire your safety. Freedom and safety go hand in hand. Lori Martin, Tracy
Fox News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Dems call budget bill ‘bureaucratic water torture' as GOP ‘glad to have the ball in our court'
Print Close By Charles Creitz Published May 23, 2025 Senate reaction to the House's passage of its "big, beautiful bill" was sharply divided, with Democrats warning of long-term harm to the working class and Republicans arguing it would help that very group. "Republicans' reconciliation bill dismantles the American Dream and strips health care, food assistance, and more away from millions of hardworking Americans," Senate Minority Whip Richard Durbin, D-Ill., fumed in a Thursday statement. "Republicans are taking a chainsaw to critical services that American families depend on and using them as a piggy bank for tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy." Durbin, who is retiring after a four-decade career in office, quipped that billionaires "win" and American families "lose – all thanks to President Donald Trump." REPUBLICANS READY LATE-NIGHT SESSION ON TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL' AFTER GOP MUTINY The number-two Democrat urged four unnamed Senate Republicans to break with their party and have the "good sense to join Democrats" to stop the bill from reaching the White House. Two Republicans unlikely to heed that call were Sens. Roger Marshall of Kansas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who both offered a "well done" verbal back-pat to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. Marshall said the Senate must deliver the bill to Trump for America's betterment, as Graham cited the border security provisions in the legislation and welcomed the bill to his side of the Capitol. Back in Durbin's camp, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., took to the Senate floor to condemn the "dead of night" vote and claimed Republicans hoped "nobody would notice" their "rotten to the core" bill. Schumer was up late Wednesday, unsuccessfully forcing about a half-dozen motions-to-recess or adjourn as the Republicans held the Senate open to begin the process of undoing California's emissions waivers granted by former President Joe Biden. DEMS WARN HOUSE REPUBLICANS WILL PAY PRICE AT BALLOT BOX FOR PASSING TRUMP'S 'BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL' Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., pointed Fox News Digital to recent comments on the bill, in which he said its goal is truly to "make life better for people so they can afford to pay their mortgage, they can afford to put gas in the car, and afford for their groceries." "That's why we're doing this. This is part of our comprehensive economic plan," Thune said. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., echoed the "cloak of darkness" sentiment to Fox News Digital, saying the bill will "terminate health care for nearly 14 million Americans" and is "not what the people of Wisconsin signed up for." "You can bet I'm going to fight it," Baldwin said. Meanwhile, Sen. Ronald Wyden – the Oregon Democrat and ranking member of the Finance Committee – called the bill a "full-scale assault on Americans' health and safety." "This bill means kids will go hungry, seniors will face greater abuse and neglect in nursing homes, people with disabilities will lose care at home, and millions of working Americans will be subjected to humiliation and bureaucratic water torture just to get health care," Wyden said. "Millions will lose their health insurance, and many more will find it harder to get health care, leading to untold suffering and quiet deaths," Wyden added. Maryland Democrat Angela Alsobrooks told Fox News Digital on Thursday that the Big Beautiful Bill Act will account for the largest food stamp cuts in history. "[It's] beautiful for whom? Certainly not the millions of Americans who rely on SNAP to feed their children and on Medicaid to get their health care," Alsobrooks said, adding the GOP seems "obsessed" with seeing the "poor getting poorer and the rich getting richer." Alsobrooks said the majority of her fellow Old Line State residents agree with her sentiments. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., echoed Alsobrooks' concerns about SNAP and Medicaid. "It's a terrible bill and every senator should reject it," Welch said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP When reached for comment, fellow Vermonter Bernie Sanders directed Fox News Digital to a 20-minute floor speech the democratic socialist made a few days ago. "At a time when the richest people have never had it so good, they see Republican leadership working overtime to make the billionaire class even richer," Sanders said. "At a time when a majority of Americans are struggling to put food on the table and pay for health care, they see Republican leadership making life even more difficult for average Americans." Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., said conversely she is grateful to Trump and Johnson for their "diligent work." Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said that the Senate will carefully consider the House's final product and work to craft final legislation that meets the chamber's rules and prevents the "biggest tax hike in American history," if the Trump Tax Cuts were to expire. New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim released a video message to constituents about the passage on Thursday, calling it one of the most dangerous bills in history. "I want you to pay attention," he told Jerseyans, citing "disastrous things" in the legislation. Thune and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, are expected to make changes to the bill, but they hope to keep them minimal to preserve the "delicate balance" struck by the House, Thune said. The upper chamber hopes to have the final product to Trump by Independence Day. Print Close URL
