Latest News from Emarat News
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Louisiana House committee passes budget that closes $200 million shortfall without raising taxes
BATON ROUGE — The House Appropriations Committee advanced a $49.4 billion state budget Monday that funds $2,000 teacher stipends for next year, closes a nearly $200 million shortfall and balances the books without raising taxes. To bridge the budget gap, lawmakers pieced together a solution using a mix of cuts, delayed spending and the discovery of unspent or underutilized funds tucked away in various agencies. This included clawing back excess appropriations, redirecting one-time revenues and freezing certain state expenditures. Some of the savings came from blocking state vehicle purchases and combing Medicaid rolls to remove people who have moved out of state. The committee's approach not only avoided tax hikes but also safeguarded critical areas like education and healthcare. The effort won praise from both sides of the aisle, with Republicans applauding the fiscal discipline and Democrats recognizing the protection of key public services and the funding of teacher stipends. At the heart of the plan is House Bill 1, the state's main operating budget authored by Appropriations Chairman Jack McFarland, R-Winnfield. The bill, originally submitted by Gov. Jeff Landry as a standstill plan, was overhauled to address the shortfall and fund the $2,000 stipends for teachers and $1,000 for school support staff, including charter school employees, The stipends that were in jeopardy after Louisiana voters rejected a constitutional amendment in March that would have secured a permanent funding source for the stipends. 'In tough times, families tighten their belts,' McFarland said in a news release. "We made sure the state government did the same — responsibly, and without asking more from taxpayers.' Protecting teacher raises: Louisiana legislative panel funds teacher pay raises in surprise move Income tax plan advances Louisiana House passes bill that could further cut income tax, with constitutional amendment TOPS funding TOPS tweaks trouble cofounder Taylor: 'Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water' The final package included a series of cost-saving measures. Lawmakers blocked $91 million in vehicle and equipment purchases for state agencies, cut $26.3 million in Medicaid spending by removing ineligible recipients and saved $20 million through a statewide hiring freeze ordered by Landry. They also used state reserves to pay down $148 million in retirement debt for the State Police system, generating $25.5 million in interest savings, and eliminated 'high-dosage' tutoring programs, freeing up an additional $30 million. 'We balanced the budget, protected taxpayers, and made government more accountable. And we're just getting started,' said House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice. 'These cuts lay the groundwork for long-term reform and financial stability.' The committee also kept intact Landry's request for $94 million in funding for the new Louisiana GATOR program, an education savings account initiative that allows families to use public funds for private school tuition and other non-public education expenses. The program is a key part of Landry's school choice agenda and is expected to launch in phases. It is controversial among some education advocates and rural lawmakers, who say it could eventually drain money from public schools. McFarland acknowledged the teacher stipends are being funded with one-time dollars and that a long-term solution remains elusive. 'Until then, this is what we had to do, but I don't want to have to do it again,' McFarland said. Democrats praised the bipartisan work needed to achieve this bill. "I want to thank the chairman and administration and everyone who has worked on getting these amendments done, particularly for teacher stipends,' Rep. Denise Marcelle, D-Baton Rouge, said. 'Thank you for looking under tables and around the corners.' Rep. Jason Hughes, D-New Orleans, the vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, noted that early childhood education funding remains untouched and pointed to new investments in public safety. Gov. Landry's hiring freeze is expected to save $20 million annually and is seen as a way to preserve healthcare and education spending without deeper cuts. 'The public should know this budget represents no cuts in services,' Hughes said. 'We found surpluses elsewhere. But this is just one step in a very lengthy process.' The budget increases spending by $7 million for domestic violence shelters under the Department of Children and Family Services. The budget also reduces dedications from the State General Fund and officially ends remote work for state employees. If HB1 passes the House as expected, it will move to the Senate Finance Committee for further deliberation. The committee also advanced other key budget bills. House Bill 460 allocates $148.8 million in surplus funds to pay down State Police retirement debt, saving $25.5 million in interest compared to the original plan to spread the money across four systems. House Bill 461 sends 25% of the 2023–2024 surplus to the Budget Stabilization Fund and authorizes emergency spending. House Bill 463 funds ancillary agencies without tapping the State General Fund, while House Bill 647 finances the judiciary. Additional allocations in the budget include $7 million for domestic violence shelters under the Department of Children and Family Services. The budget also reduces dedications from the State General Fund and officially ends remote work for state employees. This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Louisiana House Appropriations Committee passes budget, closes shortfall
Vox
4 minutes ago
- Health
- Vox
Trump officials plan to destroy a critical government program they probably know nothing about
is an environmental correspondent at Vox, covering biodiversity loss and climate change. Before joining Vox, he was a senior energy reporter at Business Insider. Benji previously worked as a wildlife researcher. President Donald Trump stands on the South Lawn of the White House on May 22. Samuel Corum/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images Nearly two decades ago, scientists made an alarming discovery in upstate New York: Bats, the world's only flying mammal, were becoming infected with a new, deadly fungal disease that, in some cases, could wipe out an entire colony in a matter of months. Since then, the disease — later called white-nose syndrome — has spread across much of the country, utterly decimating North American bats that hibernate in caves and killing over 90 percent of three bat species. According to some scientists, WNS has caused 'the most precipitous wildlife decline in the past century in North America.' These declines have clear consequences for human populations — for you, even if you don't like bats or visit caves. Bats eat insect pests, such as moths and beetles. And as they decline, farmers need to spray more pesticides. Scientists have linked the loss of bats in the US to an increase in insecticide use on farmland and, remarkably, to a rise in infant deaths. Insecticide chemicals are known to harm the health of newborns. Related The astonishing link between bats and the deaths of human babies The only reason we know any of this is because of a somewhat obscure government program in the US Geological Survey (USGS), an agency nested within the Interior Department. That program, known as the Ecosystems Mission Area, is the biological research division of Interior. Among other functions, it monitors environmental contaminants, the spread of invasive species, and the health of the nation's wildlife, including bees, birds, and bats. White-nose syndrome, a fungal disease, has caused massive declines in a handful of bat species, including the tricolored bat, shown here in flight. J. Scott Altenbach/Bat Conservation International The Ecosystems Mission Area, which has around 1,200 employees, produces the premier science revealing how animals and ecosystems that Americans rely on are changing and what we can do to keep them intact — or risk our own health and economy. This program is now at an imminent risk of disappearing. Send us a confidential tip Are you a current or former federal employee with knowledge about the Trump administration's attacks on wildlife protections? Reach out to Vox environmental correspondent Benji Jones on Signal at benji.90 or at or at benjijones@ The Trump administration has asked Congress to slash USGS funding by $564 million in its preliminary 2026 budget request. And while the proposal doesn't specify cuts to Ecosystems Mission Area, an email obtained by Vox indicates that his administration had proposed eliminating funding for the program. (The email was originally reported by Science.) Such cuts are also in line with Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation's conservative policy roadmap, which calls for the government to 'abolish' Interior's Biological Research Division, an outdated name for the Ecosystems Mission Area. USGS has requested that the White House maintain at least some funding for the program, according to a current senior Interior Department employee with knowledge of the Ecosystems Mission Area. Whether or not Trump officials heed that request will be made clear when the White House releases a more detailed budget proposal in the coming days. The employee spoke to Vox on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk with the press. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is also reportedly trying to fire government employees in the Ecosystems Mission Area, though a federal judge has so far blocked those efforts. Eliminating biological research is not good. In fact, it's very bad. For a decade now, EMA's North American Bat Monitoring Program, or NABat, has been gathering and analyzing data on bats and the threats they face. NABat produces research using data from hundreds of partner organizations showing not only how white-nose syndrome is spreading — which scientists are using to develop and deploy vaccines — but also how bats are affected by wind turbines, another known threat. Energy companies can and do use this research to develop safer technologies and avoid delays caused by wildlife regulations, such as the Endangered Species Act. The irony, another Interior Department employee told me, is that NABat makes wildlife management more efficient. It also helps reveal where declines are occurring before they become severe, potentially helping avoid the need to grant certain species federal protection — something the Trump administration would seem to want. The employee, who's familiar with Interior's bat-monitoring efforts, spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation by the Trump administration. A northern long-eared bat with white-nose syndrome. Steve Taylor/University of Illinois A dead bat infected with white-nose syndrome under UV light. USGS 'If they want to create efficiencies in the government, they should ask us,' yet another Interior employee told Vox. 'The damage that can be done by one administration takes decades to rebuild.' In response to a request for comment, an Interior Department spokesperson told Vox that 'USGS remains committed to its congressional mandate as the science arm of the Department of the Interior.' The White House did not respond to a request for comment. In a Senate appropriations hearing last week, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum refused to commit to maintaining funding for EMA. 'There's no question that they don't know what EMA does,' said the senior Interior employee. Ultimately, it's not clear why the administration has targeted Interior's biological research. EMA does, however, do climate science, such as studying how plants and animals are responding to rising temperatures. That's apparently a no-go for the Trump administration. It also gathers information that sometimes indicates that certain species need federal protections, which come with regulations (also a no-go for President Donald Trump's agenda). What's especially frustrating for environmental advocates is that NABat, now 10 years old, is starting to hit its stride. 'We should be celebrating the 10-year anniversary of this very successful program that started from scratch and built this robust, vibrant community of people all collecting data,' said Winifred Frick, the chief scientist at Bat Conservation International, an environmental group. 'We have 10 years of momentum, and so to cut it off now sort of wastes all that investment. That feels like a tremendous loss.' Meanwhile, the cost of maintaining the program is less than 1 percent of Interior's overall budget. The government's wildlife monitoring programs are 'jewels of the country,' said Hollis Woodard, an associate professor of entomology at University of California Riverside who works with USGS on bee monitoring. 'These birds and bats perform services for us that are important for our day-to-day lives. Literally everything I value, including food, comes down to keeping an eye on these populations. The idea that we're just going to wipe them out is just terrifying.'
National Post
4 minutes ago
- Business
- National Post
Homeownership, or Travels: Canadian Generations Are Shaping Different Life Milestones and Financial Goals
Article content From homeownership and career success to personal growth and exploration, Canadians are telling us what it means to achieve success in today's world, with many identifying travels as a top necessity for an accomplished life, before more traditional routes. Article content Article content MONTREAL — With economic uncertainty reshaping financial priorities, Canadians are increasingly finding themselves at a crossroads when having to prioritize big spending decisions. In a recent survey fielded in March 2025 by Arlington Research and polling 1,500 adults living in Canada who had flown at least once in the past two years, FlightHub took a deep dive into Canadians' sentiments surrounding travel and how it compares to other life milestones, such as homeownership and career, to see if the needle was moving as to what was seen as a luxury – or a necessary – activity. Article content Canadians (also) define success through experiences – and travel is key Article content The white picket-fence dream does not seem to be a one-size-fits all dream: in a close tie with the traditional focus on homeownership, travel is now seen as a significant milestone. According to the survey, 60 per cent of respondents view travel as an important life achievement, slightly surpassing homeownership (58%), earning a high income (44%), having children (41%) and career advancement (38%). Article content While 54 per cent of respondents own a home, 30 per cent are saving to buy one and 14 per cent have no plans for homeownership. However, 61 per cent of respondents agree that if real estate were more affordable, they would prioritize homeownership over travel. Article content 'Canadians' view of success now also integrates different experience-based milestones. While other work or home-related goals are still strong symbols of achievement, the survey highlights that many are finding success in life's experiences, particularly in travel,' says Henri Chelhot, CEO of FlightHub. 'Travel is no longer just about leisure – it's a powerful tool for personal growth, exploration and creating memories.' Article content How do both those experiential and material success milestones materialize when it comes to financial planning and budget choices? The survey found that Canadians prioritize saving for retirement first (70%), followed by buying at home (66%), paying off their debts (62%), travelling (58%), and buying a car (32%). Article content However, when asked about budget management to respond to economic uncertainty and inflation, it appears Canadians are quite protective of their travel money, which came in fourth position of expenses Canadians say they would cut to make ends meet (41% ranked it as one of the top 3 choices, and only 18% as their top budget cut). Before cutting down on travel spends, respondents indicated that would first reduce restaurants (62%), entertainment (58%) and gift-giving (46%). In fact, travel comes in as the last experience-based expense people would trade-off for food on the table, or other utilities (clothing, 33%, transportation, 10%, groceries, 8%, utilities, 6%). Article content Additionally, 62 per cent of respondents indicated they would gladly reallocate funds from material purchases such as clothing, electronics, or furniture to fund a trip. Article content The survey also underscores the growing importance of travel in Canadians' lifestyles. For 32 per cent of respondents, travel is seen as a necessity – an essential part of their routine and something they could not live without. Another 46 per cent describe travel as a luxury, while 22 per cent identify it as a 'nice-to-have' but not crucial. Article content In fact, 67 per cent of respondents overall consider travel an investment in personal growth – a figure that rises significantly among those who view travel as essential (88%). Article content The survey also highlights clear generational differences in attitudes towards travel. Millennials, Gen X and Boomers were more likely to view travel as a necessity and a factor of success and personal growth, therefore prioritizing it over material goods. These groups also have a higher annual average income and are more likely to own a home. On the other hand, Gen Z, with an income under $100,000, still paying off debt, renting and saving to buy a home, are more likely to see travel as a luxury, but also more largely agreeing they would prioritize real estate over travel if it was more affordable. They tend to balance or prioritize material purchases. Article content 'Through generational realities and financial means, it is interesting to notice a strong appetite for investing in experiences despite economic uncertainties,' concluded Chelhot. 'Travel being prioritized over daily and more easily accessible entertainment spendings, such as restaurants, points to the financial commitment to mobility and adventure as a fuel for personal growth in other ways than the more traditional routes. As Canadians want to explore outside their homes, the survey is also a good reminder to work collectively within the industry to provide accessible and affordable travel options for all budgets, and notably younger generations.' Article content About the Survey Article content The survey, conducted by Arlington research team, was in field from March 12-17, 2025, and engaged a sample of 1,500 Canadians who have flown for business or leisure in the past two years. For comparison purposes only, a survey of this size would have a margin of error of +/- 3% at a confidence level of 95%. Article content FlightHub™, a Momentum Ventures subsidiary, is a leading North American online travel agency (OTA) based in Montreal, Canada. FlightHub proudly serves millions every year, enabling more people to visit new places and explore new cultures. FlightHub's goal is to offer travellers the most affordable flights, optimal itineraries, and exceptional customer service. The leading online travel agency (OTA) believes that broadening travel possibilities and connecting people across borders increases human consciousness, reduces fear, and inspires positive change. Founded in 2012, FlightHub has facilitated more than 30 million connections. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
Indian Express
5 minutes ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Gauri Lankesh murder: witness makes U turn on association with accused at arms training camps
A prosecution witness in the Gauri Lankesh murder trial who had given detailed statements to a magistrate about his participation in multiple arms training camps conducted by a right-wing Hindutva syndicate implicated in the crime turned hostile on Wednesday. The 37-year-old prosecution witness, who is involved in grassroot politics in Karnataka's Belagavi region, was declared hostile by the state special public prosecutor after he denied all the statements he had made in September 2018 under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The witness, who had identified several people arrested for the September 5, 2017, murder of the journalist as participants in the training camps, also rejected the test identification parade he had participated in at the Bengaluru prison in November 2018 and claimed that he had identified the accused persons under police duress, prosecution sources said. During a cross-examination in the court after being declared hostile by the prosecution, the witness denied the charge that he was deviating from his earlier statements due to pressure from the accused–most of whom were granted bail last year. A chargesheet filed by a Special Investigation Team of the Karnataka police, which investigated the shooting of the 55-year-old journalist outside her home in Bengaluru, has statements by several accused people and witnesses regarding training camps where coaching was also provided in the use of arms and explosives. The SIT has arrested 17 people linked to various fringe Hindutva groups for the murder of Gauri Lankesh, which was allegedly coordinated by people formerly associated with the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, a Sanatan Sanstha affiliate, and who created a crime syndicate to target critics of Hindutva politics. The SIT filed a chargesheet in the case on November 23, 2018. Statements about the training camps recorded in the chargesheet have been given by as many as three people arrested in the case and four witnesses who were part of the camps. The witness who was declared hostile on Wednesday stated before a magistrate in 2018 about being approached by two persons—including Amol Kale, 38, a former HJS convenor and alleged chief coordinator of the right-wing crime syndicate–for participation in the training camps and recruitment of like-minded youths in Belagavi. When summoned to the witness box in the trial, the 37-year-old witness denied knowing Kale and others who were part of the syndicate's activities from 2011 to 2017. He denied receiving instructions to identify critics of Hindutva and being trained in the use of guns and explosives at multiple locations–including at two camps held in Maharashtra's Jalna and near Dharmasthala in Karnataka in 2015. The witness also denied recruiting and taking three people from Belagavi for a training camp in Jalna around January 2015, where a Belagavi man accused in the August 30, 2015, murder of the Kannada scholar Prof M M Kalburgi in Dharwad was also allegedly a participant. The witness had also mentioned the presence of as many as four external trainers at some of the camps who were experts in the use of explosives and subversion tactics. The external trainers were only identified as Bade Mahatmaji, Chote Mahatmaji or Bade Babaji and Bhai Sab and their real identities were not revealed, he stated in 2018. 'The members of this crime syndicate were continuously provided with various kinds of training in the making and usage of weapons and explosives at many places. Local members of the syndicate took up the responsibility of organising these training camps at the different locations,' the SIT stated in its chargesheet. Among those accused in the Gauri Lankesh murder and other cases who allegedly attended the training camps are Amit Degwekar, Virendra Tawade, Sharad Kalaskar, Shrikant Pangarkar, Vasudev Suryavanshi, Ganesh Miskin, Amit Baddi, Bharat Kurne, Sachin Andhure, and Praveen Chatur. Sharad Kalaskar was convicted last year in the murder of the Maharashtra rationalist Narendra Dabholkar in Pune in 2013. He provided details of the training camps he attended to the CBI, which investigated the Dabholkar murder case. The witness who turned hostile this week is the third prosecution witness to turn hostile among the 183 prosecution witnesses presented in court till May 28 in the trial that began on July 4, 2022. Over 400 witnesses have been identified in the case. In August 2023, a prosecution witness from Udupi who was also identified among the people recruited by the right-wing Hindutva syndicate for extremist activities denied attending meetings and a training camp of the group. The prosecution witness had earlier given a statement to a magistrate about going to Pune for arms training at the instance of Praveen Kumar alias Sujit Kumar, an arrested recruiter for the right-wing extremist outfit linked to the murders of Gauri Lankesh and three others. Last year, a prosecution witness linked to the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti who is alleged to have loaned his Splendor motorcycle to an accused person, H L Suresh, to facilitate the recce of the home of the journalist in Bengaluru turned hostile. The witness denied association with the HJS and ownership of the bike that was still registered in his mother's name. Gauri Lankesh was killed after four bullets were fired at her outside her home by a man now identified by the SIT as Parashuram Waghmore, a former activist of the right-wing Sri Rama Sena outfit. A forensic analysis of the four empty cartridges and the four bullets fired to kill Lankesh showed that the markings on the bullets and cartridges were the same as markings found on bullets and cartridges recovered from the site of the killing of Kannada scholar and researcher M M Kalburgi in the northern Karnataka town of Dharwad on August 30, 2015. Findings from the comparison of ballistic evidence from the Lankesh and Kalburgi cases also revealed that the 7.65 mm country-made gun used in the two murders in Karnataka had also been used in the shooting of the Leftist thinker Govind Pansare, 81, in Maharashtra's Kolhapur on February 16, 2015. The ballistic evidence also indicated that one of the two guns used in the Pansare murder was used to kill the rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, 69, in Pune on August 20, 2013. The Karnataka SIT has named 17 people from right-wing Hindutva fringe outfits for the conspiracy and murder of Gauri Lankesh. The accused have been charged for murder and involvement in an organised crime activity under the Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act (KCOCA) 2000. 'The members of this organisation targeted persons whom they identified to be inimical to their belief and ideology. The members strictly followed the guidelines and principles mentioned in 'Kshatra Dharma Sadhana', a book published by Sanatan Sanstha,' the SIT said after it filed a 9,235-page chargesheet on November 23, 2018.
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Medicaid cuts in Republican bill emerge as an early flash point for the 2026 elections
WASHINGTON — Early battle lines are forming over a centerpiece of the sprawling domestic policy bill that House Republicans narrowly passed, with Medicaid spending cuts emerging as a flash point that could define the 2026 midterm elections. Democrats are fine-tuning their message as they blast the legislation, which now heads to the GOP-led Senate, as a tax cut for the wealthy that would be funded by cutting health care, after Republicans broadly promised they wouldn't cut Medicaid. A recent memo from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee vows to make the GOP's 'tax scam' and Medicaid cuts 'the defining contrast of the 2026 election cycle' in its efforts to win the House majority next year. The DCCC is advising Democratic candidates to criticize the Republican bill as a Trojan horse designed to throw millions off of Medicaid — not address waste — with new red tape, said a separate source with knowledge of the private conversations. And Republicans are trying to frame the fight on their terms. The National Republican Congressional Committee is advising members to tout the bill as 'strengthening Medicaid' by limiting the program to those who need it — 'not fraudsters, able-bodied adults who refuse to work, or illegal immigrants.' Underneath the clash is a wonky debate about what, exactly, constitutes a Medicaid 'cut.' Republicans insist they aren't directly cutting benefits for low-income and disabled people, so their bill shouldn't be defined as a cut. Democrats and outside critics say it would strip away coverage for millions of people, including those who need the program the most, who would fall through the cracks if they can't meet the new bureaucratic requirements to keep proving their eligibility. The bulk of the cost savings would come from strict new rules to maintain eligibility for Medicaid, which would require adult recipients to prove they're working or engaging in 'community service' for at least 80 hours per month, with limited exceptions that include pregnant women. That rule would kick in at the end of 2026. Other new rules would involve verifying addresses, proving lawful immigration status and screening eligibility more frequently, once every six months, instead of once a year. The bill would impose about $700 billion in cuts to Medicaid relative to current law, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, and rescind health coverage for about 8.6 million people. (The estimate was based on the work requirement's beginning in 2029, before it was moved up in the revised bill, meaning the uninsured number could be larger.) Still, Republicans are seeking to steer the debate toward the work requirements, which surveys say voters generally support for able-bodied adults, and selling the bill as an attempt to return Medicaid to those who need it the most. Asked to respond to the GOP argument on the bill's work requirements, DCCC spokesperson Viet Shelton said in an email: 'House Republicans got caught lying about their vote to rip health care away from millions of people and are now scrambling to change the subject. Their tax scam bill was specifically designed to be the largest cut to Medicaid in history and Republicans are now stuck in a doomloop debating how many and how quickly people will get kicked off their health insurance — not if.' The politics of the escalating fight could prompt Senate Republicans to make changes to the bill. Some have already expressed discomfort with the changes proposed for Medicaid, though they broadly favor work requirements and don't count them as 'cuts.' President Donald Trump has similarly said he doesn't want to cut Medicaid, yet he championed the House legislation. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee released a digital ad last week describing the GOP Medicaid policies as 'devastating.' A recent national survey by KFF, a nonpartisan health research group, highlights the nuances of the issue. Overall, the poll found that 62% of U.S. adults support new legislation 'requiring nearly all adults to work or be looking for work in order to get health insurance through Medicaid' — including 6 in 10 independents. But the KFF poll found the support to be soft. It plummets to 32% when respondents hear the argument that most Medicaid recipients are already working or are unable to work. When respondents hear the argument that such new rules would raise administrative costs without significantly affecting the share of Medicaid recipients who are working, support drops to 40%. There are other headwinds for Republicans. Overall, the KFF poll found that Medicaid funding cuts are unpopular: 82% of respondents said they wanted Medicaid spending to increase or stay about the same, while just 17% said they want it to decrease. Even among Republican respondents, just 33% said Medicaid spending should be reduced. The survey found that 3 in 4 U.S. adults said the legislation was about reducing government spending, while just one-fourth of them said it was about improving how Medicaid works. Still, the GOP focus has tripped up at least one Democratic candidate. Manny Rutinel, who is eying the seat of freshman Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., declined three times in an interview on NBC affiliate KUSA of Denver to say whether he favors work requirements for able-bodied adults. 'It was painful to watch,' said a national Democratic strategist, who spoke candidly on condition of anonymity. The strategist said the onus is on Democrats to elevate the voices of regular people in their districts who would be harmed by the new rules and to make the case that 'people who need Medicaid are going to lose it because of what Republicans are doing.' As top Democrats echo their successful message from the 2018 election cycle, whereas Republicans tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act and enacted the Trump tax cuts, some in the party warn that the dynamics are different this time. The Republican 'message today is about requiring able-bodied Americans to work, preventing fraud and ensuring noncitizens are not covered,' said Ashley Schapitl, a former Democratic Senate communications aide. 'While Medicaid cuts poll horribly, these individual policies poll well. Democrats can still win the argument, but members need a sharp message and discipline around the issues of work requirements and immigration, not to feel complacent around rerunning the exact 2017 playbook.' House Majority Forward, a political group focused on electing Democrats, launched a six-figure ad campaign Wednesday in 26 Republican-held districts, accusing those lawmakers of voting to raise prices for ordinary people through Medicaid cuts. An ad running in Pennsylvania's 8th District says freshman GOP Rep. Rob Bresnahan 'just cast the deciding vote to raise the cost of your groceries and cut your health care including Medicaid — to pay for tax cuts for the ultra-rich.' A similar script is used against other incumbents, all of whom were pivotal in the 215-214 vote to pass the legislation last week and send it to the Senate. Republicans, notably, are focusing a new ad campaign of their own on touting the bill's tax cuts, not its spending cuts. The NRCC announced new ads Friday targeting 25 Democratic incumbents in competitive districts, saying they voted 'for the largest U.S. tax hike in generations' by opposing the bill that extends the expiring 2017 Trump tax cuts. The ad obliquely refers to citizenship verification for benefits, saying that under the status quo, 'illegals get freebies, you get the bill.' The ad doesn't mention Medicaid. This article was originally published on
