El Salvador approves changes to let Bukele extend presidency indefinitely
Bukele, who dubbed himself 'the world's coolest dictator,' has in recent months pushed the Central American nation further into autocracy as he has aggressively consolidated power, including through a judicial ruling that allowed him to seek reelection in 2024.
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CBS News
8 minutes ago
- CBS News
Schools and counties begin to see payment delays as Pennsylvania's budget stalemate hits a month
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro's administration says billions of dollars in aid to Pennsylvania's schools and human services will be delayed, as he and the politically divided Legislature struggle to end what is now a monthlong budget stalemate. State-supported universities, libraries, early-childhood education programs and county health departments also will see delays in payments, Shapiro's administration said in letters sent Tuesday to providers. "I recognize this information is concerning, and it is equally concerning to both me and the governor," Budget Secretary Uri Monson said in the letters. "Our administration continues to work diligently to find agreement between the House and Senate and we will work to support you and your organization as you manage the current situation." Borrowing isn't widespread by counties and school districts to cover for late state payments, and some have reserves they can tap. But borrowing may grow if the stalemate drags well into August. Budget stalemates are also playing out in Michigan and North Carolina, where Democratic governors are sharing power with Republican legislators. Without the governor's signature on a new spending plan, the Pennsylvania state government lost some of its spending authority starting July 1. Pennsylvania school districts, which received more than $11 billion last year from the state for operations, will see delays on more than $2 billion in payments through August, Shapiro's administration said. District officials have said the poorest districts might have to borrow money if aid is delayed in August, and the Pennsylvania School Boards Association says the stalemate is causing districts to reconsider how they spend, such as leaving teaching positions unfilled or putting off purchases of student laptops. A school board's official, Andy Christ, said the state didn't reimburse districts for the cost of borrowing during past stalemates. Universities, such as Penn State and state-run system schools, will see delays on more than $200 million in aid, and counties will not get on-time payments of $390 million to child welfare agencies, the Shapiro administration said. The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania said its members are "growing more and more concerned about the consequences" of the stalemate, particularly on human services such as mental health counseling, child welfare, and drug and alcohol treatment. More than $100 million in payments to a range of other agencies, nonprofits and programs will also be delayed, according to the administration, and it said it cannot distribute money to early childhood education providers. For weeks, Shapiro and top Republican lawmakers have said they are engaged in closed-door discussions to try to find a compromise. The state House and Senate have not scheduled voting sessions for this week. The biggest issues for Republicans are curbing Shapiro's $51.5 billion spending proposal — driven by a massive increase in Medicaid costs — and their push to regulate and tax tens of thousands of slot-machine-like cash-paying "skill" games that are popping up everywhere. Top priorities for Shapiro and Democrats are boosting funding for public schools and public transit agencies. During a stalemate, the state is legally bound to make debt payments, cover Medicaid costs for millions of Pennsylvanians, issue unemployment compensation payments, keep prisons open and ensure state police are on patrol. All state employees under a governor's jurisdiction are typically expected to report to work and be paid as scheduled. Michigan's Democratic-controlled Senate and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives remain far apart on numerous proposals, including funding for schools and roads. The chambers' leaders have accused each other of refusing to negotiate. If lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer don't pass a budget by the Oct. 1 start of the state's fiscal year, they risk a government shutdown. In North Carolina, where Republicans control the Legislature, a budget deal likely isn't expected until late August at the earliest. Teacher and state employee salary raises, tax cuts and eliminating vacant government positions have been among the leading differences in competing spending plans. State government is in no danger of a shutdown, and the Legislature sent Democratic Gov. Josh Stein a stopgap spending plan on Wednesday. ___ Associated Press reporters Gary D. Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Isabella Volmert in Lansing, Michigan, contributed. Follow Marc Levy on X at:
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
El Salvador opens path for its president to stay in power indefinitely. Why critics aren't surprised
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — El Salvador's Legislative Assembly pushed through a constitutional reform overnight eliminating presidential term limits, fueling concerns on Friday that it paves the way for President Nayib Bukele to indefinitely stay in power. Watchdogs and critics of the self-described 'world's coolest dictator' said they've seen this coming for years, watching Bukele's administration slowly chip away at democratic institutions, attack opponents and consolidate power in the president's hands. Bukele, who regularly posts streams of tongue-in-cheek remarks on social media, remained notably silent Friday. His government didn't respond to multiple requests for comment. 'It's not surprising. But that doesn't mean it's not severe," said Claudia Ortiz, one of the country's few remaining opposition lawmakers. 'The implication of this is more concentration of power, more risk of abuse of the rights of Salvadorans ... and the complete dismantling of all democratic checks and balances.' Here's what happened overnight in El Salvador On Thursday night, Bukele's New Ideas party and its allies approved changes to El Salvador's constitution, which were jammed through Congress by the party's supermajority. The changes will: The vote passed with 57 in favor and three opposed. Damian Merlo, a U.S. lobbyist and consultant hired by Bukele's administration, defended the changes, noting that many European countries don't have term limits, and said the move only gives Bukele the option of reelection, not an automatic extension of his mandate. "It's up to the people to decide who the leader will be," Merlo said. 'It's been made very clear by the electorate they are very happy with the president and his political party — and this move represents the will of the people of El Salvador.' Why watchdogs aren't surprised Ortiz, the opposition congresswoman, called the defense 'absurd,' and said that Merlo was citing countries — Germany and France — with democratic systems of government answering to the countries' parliaments. In El Salvador, power is now entirely concentrated in the hands of Bukele, she said. Bukele, 44, was first elected president in 2019 after founding the New Ideas party, casting aside the country's traditional parties thoroughly discredited by corruption and lack of results. Bukele's highly controlled messaging of beating back the country's gangs and rooting out corruption have gained traction in El Salvador, especially as homicide rates have sharply dropped. But critics say many of the moves he has justified as tackling corruption and violence have actually whittled away at the country's democracy. Over the years, his attacks on opponents and critics have gradually escalated. In recent months, things have come to a head as Bukele has grown emboldened by his new alliance with U.S. President Donald Trump. A number of high profile arrests and a slew of other actions have forced more than 100 members of civil society — lawyers, activists and journalists — to flee their country as political exiles in the span of months. A look back at some of the actions he's taken Intensifying his crackdown in 2025 This year, watchdogs have warned that Bukele has ramped up his crackdown on dissent, emboldened by his new alliance with Trump. What critics are saying The recent constitutional reform has fueled a new wave of criticism by civil society in the Central American nation, with leaders saying that Bukele's government has finally done away with one of its last democratic norms. Roxana Cardona, a lawyer and spokeswoman for the Movement of Social Justice and Citizen Control, said 'a democratic state has been transformed into an autocracy.' Cardona was among those to provide legal representation for Venezuelans detained in El Salvador and other Salvadoran youth accused of being gang members. 'Today, democracy has died. A technocracy has been born. Today, we live in a dictatorship,' she said. Others, like human rights lawyer Jayme Magaña, said the idea of alternating power, crucial in a country that still has decades of civil war and dictatorships of the past simmering in its recent memory, has been broken. Magaña said she worried for the future. 'The more changes are made to the system of government, the more we see the state's repression of the Salvadoran population intensifying,' she said. ___ Janetsky reported from Mexico City. Megan Janetsky And Marcos Alemán, The Associated Press
The Hill
4 hours ago
- The Hill
Florida GOP, DeSantis may follow Texas's lead
Florida Republicans are increasingly pushing to redraw the state's congressional lines following a similar move by the Texas GOP. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Wednesday he is 'very seriously' looking at asking the state Legislature to redraw the state's congressional map, arguing the 2020 census is flawed. Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-Fla.) came out in favor of redistricting in a post on social platform X, writing that 'Texas can do it, the Free State of Florida can do it 10X better.' Florida Republicans say they were already headed in this direction following a state Supreme Court decision that upheld a congressional map supported by DeSantis and state Republicans. But the plan is gaining even more traction in the wake of Texas Republicans' unveiling of a new congressional map. 'It's picking up steam,' Florida GOP Chair Evan Power told The Hill. 'We were probably heading there with the court decision, but Texas made it top news.' Florida has seen an uptick in population growth following the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. The state has also become solidly Republican over the past decade, with Republicans growing their representation in Congress and once-Democratic strongholds like Miami-Dade and Osceola counties flipping from blue to red. A number of Democratic-held congressional seats could be impacted if redistricting were to take place, including those held in south Florida by Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Jared Moskowitz and Lois Frankel. Rep. Kathy Castor (D) in the Tampa area and Rep. Darren Soto (D) outside of Orlando have also been floated as possible targets. Florida Republicans already hold a 20 to 8 advantage over Democrats in the congressional delegation. Republicans were boosted last month when the state's Supreme Court ruled to uphold a congressional map that blocked a challenge to the elimination of a majority-Black congressional district in the north of the state that previously was represented by former Rep. Al Lawson (D). The area that comprised the former congressional district is now divided among three Republican lawmakers. But DeSantis is not stopping there. The governor has argued that Florida got a 'raw deal' in the 2020 census when the state only gained one congressional seat. The governor said last month he had relayed his concerns to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick after he was sworn in earlier this year and that the Trump administration could be pursuing redoing the census. Additionally, the governor said he believes Florida's Fair District amendments, which a majority of voters approved of in 2010, could conflict with the U.S. Constitution. The amendments say that districts cannot be drawn in a way that hinders minorities voting for their choice of elected representatives. 'There's a lot of people who believe that the Fair District Amendments is unconstitutional, because what it does is, it mandates having race predominate,' DeSantis said this week. 'Whereas, neutrality should really be the constitutional standard.' Patronis also said in his X post that he believes the Fair District Amendments are unconstitutional 'because it violates freedom of speech AND elections are a states rights issue.' 'Time to add more conservatives to Congress, so we can better deliver on President Trump's agenda, finally win the war against woke, cut government waste, and create an economy that moves our country into a new age of prosperity,' Patronis said. Republicans argue that DeSantis and the state's Republicans could be setting an example for other red states to follow. 'DeSantis here sees an opportunity to be a trailblazer for the Republican Party in this sense in that he could be setting up a pilot program that Texas and some of the other states can actually follow,' a Florida Republican strategist said. 'Let's not disillusion ourselves, if he pulls this off, he will be a fan favorite of one person who sits at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,' the strategist added, referring to Trump. So far, Republicans in the Florida state Legislature have remained publicly quiet about the prospect of pursuing redistricting. This year's state legislative session was extended from 60 days to 105 days and saw tensions emerge between DeSantis and members of his own party. State Rep. Alex Andrade, a vocal Republican critic of DeSantis, said he has not spoken to his colleagues about redistricting. The state lawmaker noted he would support the effort only if the census was redone. 'I get the partisan argument,' Andrade told The Hill. 'I understand we could make hay right now and benefit Republicans but at some point do I care more about my party or the Constitution?' 'If the census were redone, I'd jump all over it,' he said. Florida Democrats warn that a move by DeSantis and the state's Republicans would set a negative precedent. 'It would mean that the governor and the state legislative branch would completely capitulate under Donald Trump,' state House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell (D) said. 'It's not supposed to be that the president gets to act like a king and say 'do this on my behalf.'' In a Facebook video posted by Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Soto accused Republicans of wanting to cheat in the election. 'They want to pick their voters rather than voters picking their representatives,' he said. 'You'll see us do whatever we can in the courts to make sure that the Fair Districts Amendments are enforced.' Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Madison Andrus dismissed the effort from Florida Republicans as 'a bold-faced attempt to save their flailing midterm performance by rigging the game.' The effort comes as the nationwide redistricting war heats up and both parties seek to gain seats ahead of next year's midterm elections. In addition to Republicans in Texas and potentially Florida taking a look at redistricting, Democrats in states like California and New Jersey are also exploring their options. 'There's an opportunity and if it better reflects the makeup of a state whether that's Texas or Florida, or to Gavin Newsom's point even California, then you should do it,' a national Republican strategist said. 'These redistricting efforts, if they comply with the law and meet all of the various federal thresholds to get mapped through, if you do that and do it quickly, you're going to increase the likelihood that the president and Republicans in Washington and going to be able to keep pushing things forward,' the strategist continued.
