ID governor joins letter to Trump supporting bill that cuts billions from Medicaid, food assistance
Idaho Gov. Brad Little is among 20 Republican governors who have sent a letter to President Donald Trump expressing support for his 'big, beautiful' tax and spending bill that's been held up as U.S. House Republicans continue to fight over it.
'As Republican Governors, we stand UNITED in strong support of your One, Big, Beautiful Bill,' the governors wrote in the letter dated Tuesday. 'This landmark piece of legislation embodies your powerful vision to bring about the next great American revival.'
They added that the bill 'truly delivers on the bold promises all Republicans made to the American people to restore the security, prosperity, and fiscal sanity for our nation.'
CBO analysis shows U.S. House GOP budget measure tilted toward upper-income taxpayers
The massive, 1,116-page bill package includes sweeping tax breaks and controversial cuts of more than $600 billion over the next decade from Medicaid, the government health program for low-income individuals and those with disabilities. However, negotiations continue over the bill and it's not yet clear whether it has the support it needs from the U.S. House Republicans' slim majority.
Earlier Tuesday, Republicans who have yet to rally behind the bill huddled in Speaker Mike Johnson's office to hash out agreements on Medicaid and other outstanding issues. Johnson said he hopes to pass the legislation this week, though he didn't appear to have the votes as of Tuesday afternoon.
Even as the bill remains snagged, Republican governors signaled to the president that he has their support, writing 'after four long years of tremendous hardship under President Joe Biden and (Vice President) Kamala Harris, the American people cannot wait any longer for Congress to enact the One, Big, Beautiful Bill.'
'The American people have witnessed the tireless work undertaken by you and your administration to reverse the disastrous consequences of President Biden's failed and often illegal policies,' the governors' letter says. 'You have demonstrated a commitment to using every ounce of Executive authority available to reinstitute fiscal sanity, fight the deep state, secure our borders, and achieve energy dominance.'
Little and other governors also called on Congress to act to 'fully and permanently implement' Trump's 'America First agenda.'
'Thankfully, your One, Big, Beautiful Bill would accomplish this,' their letter continues. 'It would provide you with the resources you need to permanently secure the border, remove barriers needed to truly unleash American energy production, protect Americans by making a once-in-a-lifetime investment in military technology that once seemed like science fiction, give working class families tax cuts worth thousands of dollars each, and ensure your administration has the tools needed to deport illegal alien murders (sic) and rapists.'
They concluded their letter saying they agree that Republicans must 'UNIFY around this unprecedented piece of conservative legislation.' They added that 'we cannot miss this chance to save taxpayers $1.6 trillion over the next 10 years.'
'We stand by your side and will support you in any way to ensure this necessary piece of legislation is enacted,' the governors wrote.
The 20 governors who signed the letter include:
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp
Idaho Gov. Brad Little
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong
South Carolina Gov. Henry Dargan McMaster
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon
Read the letter here:
FINAL-Joint-Governors-Letter-to-President-Trump-on-One-Big-Beautiful-Bill-May-2025-1
Utah News Dispatch, like the Idaho Capital Sun, is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Utah News Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor McKenzie Romero for questions: info@utahnewsdispatch.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
27 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Corp. for Public Broadcasting shuts down after federal funding cuts
The Corp. for Public Broadcasting said Friday it was shutting down, about one week after President Trump signed legislation stripping its funding. The group, which administers funds for PBS TV affiliates and NPR radio stations, said it would 'begin an orderly wind-down of its operations.' A majority of staff positions will be cut Sept. 30, when the group's fiscal year ends. 'A small transition team will remain through January 2026 to ensure a responsible and orderly closeout of operations,' the nonprofit said in a statement. 'This team will focus on compliance, final distributions, and resolution of long-term financial obligations, including ensuring continuity for music rights and royalties that remain essential to the public media system.' Since returning to office, Trump has made a priority of yanking federal funding for public broadcasters as part of a wider campaign against media outlets that he dislikes. The president derided PBS and NPR as government-funded 'left-wing propaganda.' Congress fell into line. It passed a measure in mid-July that clawed back $1.1 billion that previously had been allocated for public broadcasting for two years. Separately, lawmakers introduced a Senate appropriations bill for 2026 that excludes funding for the Corp. for Public Broadcasting for the first time in more than 50 years. Conservatives have long wanted to strip funding from public media because of its perceived liberal bias. The actions left the group without a steady source of operating money — and little hope that more would be on the way. 'Despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB, we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations,' Corp. for Public Broadcasting Chief Executive Patricia Harrison said in a statement. The organization dates back nearly 60 years and has helped nurture such notable programs as 'Sesame Street,' 'PBS NewsHour,' 'NOVA,' numerous Ken Burns documentaries and 'Antiques Roadshow.' Through its partnerships with local stations and producers, the nonprofit made a mission of supporting educational and cultural programming, local journalism and emergency communications. The move could cripple smaller public stations, including those in rural areas that struggle to mount high-dollar local membership campaigns. The Corp. for Public Broadcasting helps support more than 1,500 local public television and radio stations nationwide. PBS SoCal, which operates member stations KOCE and KCET in Orange and Los Angeles counties, respectively, was set to lose more than $4 million in federal funding, Andy Russell, president and chief executive of the stations, previously told The Times. NPR has two large affiliates serving Los Angeles: KCRW-FM (89.9) and LAist/KPCC-FM (89.3). LAist, based in Pasadena, will lose about 4% of its annual budget — $1.7 million. Alejandra Santamaria, the station's chief executive, told The Times last month that funding helped pay for 13 journalist positions in its newsroom. KCRW in Santa Monica had been expecting $1.3 million from the Corp. for Public Broadcasting. The stations have asked listeners to donate in order to compensate for the shortfall. 'Public media has been one of the most trusted institutions in American life, providing educational opportunity, emergency alerts, civil discourse, and cultural connection to every corner of the country,' Harrison said in the statement. 'We are deeply grateful to our partners across the system for their resilience, leadership, and unwavering dedication to serving the American people.'
Los Angeles Times
27 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Trump's EPA puts California in its crosshairs with its proposed car rules
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent proposal to repeal its own 2009 finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger public health marks a major U-turn for the nation's climate progress. While it's impact will be felt nationwide, the plan takes direct aim at California. In supporting documents released in the wake of Tuesday's proposal, the nation's top environmental agency outlined the justifications for its plan to rescind the so-called endangerment finding and roll back its longstanding regulations for planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from all motor vehicles, including cars and trucks. 'As a result of these proposed changes, engine and vehicle manufacturers would no longer have any future obligations for the measurement, control, and reporting of [greenhouse gas] emissions for any highway engine and vehicle,' the agency wrote in its rule summary. But the documents, including an 80-page notice of proposed rulemaking and 60-page draft regulatory impact analysis, also contain several nods to California policies, referencing the state by name 27 times — by far more than any other state. That's largely because for more than 50 years, California has been granted unique authority from the EPA to set stricter tailpipe emissions than those mandated by the federal government. This authority, obtained through waivers issued by the EPA, has been critical to the state's efforts to address its notorious smog and air quality issues, which are driven partly by transportation emissions and by California's unique topography that traps pollutants in its interior basins. The waivers were also the basis for California's nation-leading plan to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035 and transition to electric vehicles. The EPA's documents repeatedly state that California's waivers have officially been repealed. As of publication, however, the Trump administration's unprecedented effort to do so in June is still winding its way through the court system following a lawsuit from the state. Notably, the EPA's own analysis of the possible outcomes of its proposal indicate that without California's leadership — and without the tax credits created under President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act — national adoption of electric vehicles will decline. At the same time, gasoline prices will increase because of the higher demand from more gas-powered vehicles on the road. 'They don't seem to have put together that strong of a case,' said Chris Busch, director of transportation and a senior economist with Energy Innovation Policy & Technology, a nonpartisan think tank, who reviewed the analysis. 'What this shows is that the net impact is less favorable when you reduce the California [Advanced Clean Trucks rule], when you take away the California waivers and remove the IRA credits.' In a statement this week, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said repealing the endangerment finding would have economic benefits for the American people. 'If finalized, rescinding the Endangerment Finding and resulting regulations would end $1 trillion or more in hidden taxes on American businesses and families,' Zeldin said. According to the EPA, that $1-trillion savings would come from rescinding vehicle regulations built upon the endangerment finding. That includes the Biden administration's electric vehicles sales target, which the agency refers to as an 'EV mandate.' The EPA also said removing the endangerment finding would save Americans $54 billion in costs annually through the repeal of greenhouse gas standards. Busch said he could not readily see how the agency arrived at that figure based on the analysis provided. With California's rules repealed, 'you end up with fewer EVs, more gasoline cars, more demand for gas and higher gas prices,' he said. The EPA also argues that electric vehicles are sucking up energy that could be better used elsewhere — 'from factories to data-center servers to air-conditioning.' It uses California as an example of this perceived misappropriation of electricity, pointing to a 2022 memo from the California Independent System operator that urged people to reduce energy use, including EV charging, during a record-breaking heat wave. The EPA's announcement stunned many members of the environmental community who condemned it as a dangerous abdication of the agency's mission to protect human health and the environment. Among the agency's many claims are that no technology currently exists to reduce greenhouse gases enough to measurably affect global climate change concerns without risking greater harm to public health and welfare, such as increased vehicle prices. But major U.S. automakers such as GM and Ford have already committed to an electric future — as have international competitors such as China, which is investing heavily in electric vehicles. According to the California Energy Commission, about 22% of new vehicles sales in the state in the second quarter of this year were zero-emission vehicles. 'Despite Trump's full-on attack, Californians are choosing the clean simplicity of ZEVs,' read a statement from CEC Commissioner Nancy Skinner. 'Make no mistake: California is not backing down from its ZEV goals. We will continue to heavily invest in accessible and reliable ZEV infrastructure, making the ZEV driving experience better each day.' Busch said California has several tools at its disposal to defend itself and preserve its clean vehicle progress. In the heavy-duty space, the California Air Resources Board already has the Clean Truck Partnership — an agreement with nearly all truck manufacturers in the state to meet advanced emissions reduction targets. The state's heavy vehicle incentive program also provides funding opportunities for fleet owners to replace older heavy-duty diesel vehicles with zero-emission ones. There are also legislative possibilities, such as Assembly Bill 914, which would give CARB more authority to regulate indirect sources of pollution such as warehouses. One way those warehouses could meet those rules would be by increasing their electric truck fleets, Busch said. CARB also employs a clean-mile standard for transportation companies such as Uber and Lyft, which will see them gradually increase their zero-emission miles, and a similar tactic could be employed for the freight sector, he said. 'States have a lot of options still,' Busch said. 'There is a lot of momentum.' In a statement this week, CARB chair Liane Randolph described the EPA's proposals as 'the latest moves from this feckless federal government that choose polluter fantasyland over proven science.' 'Meanwhile, back on Earth, the planet continues to suffer from the consequences of unchecked carbon pollution as heatwaves, floods and wildfires threaten increasingly uninsurable communities everywhere,' Randolph said. 'Unlike this negligent administration, California won't turn our backs on what is happening right before our eyes. We choose reality, science and innovation — and we know we are not the only ones.'
USA Today
27 minutes ago
- USA Today
Smithsonian explains why a Trump reference was removed from impeachment exhibit
The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., has removed references to President Donald Trump in a display about impeachments, despite Trump being the first and only president in American history to be impeached twice. But the museum says the move is temporary. The Washington Post first reported the change on Thursday, July 31. On Friday, Aug. 1, the Smithsonian clarified the museum's removal. Here's what we know. Smithsonian: Display restored to 2008 appearance The "impeachment" display is housed within the larger, permanent gallery called "The American Presidency," which opened in 2000, according to an emailed statement from the Smithsonian. It features information and artifacts about Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon, according to the display's companion website. Nixon resigned before he could be formally impeached. In September 2021, a "temporary label on content concerning the impeachments of Donald J. Trump" was added, according to the Smithsonian's statement. "It was intended to be a short-term measure to address current events at the time, however, the label remained in place until July 2025." The display has since been returned to how it appeared nearly 20 years ago, according to the Smithsonian statement and the Washington Post's report, which also noted that the exhibit now says, "only three presidents have seriously faced removal," omitting Trump. 'In reviewing our legacy content recently, it became clear that the 'Limits of Presidential Power' section in 'The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden' exhibition needed to be addressed," the museum's statement said. "Because the other topics in this section had not been updated since 2008, the decision was made to restore the 'Impeachment' case back to its 2008 appearance." Website highlights other impeached presidents The companion website for the display does not include a dedicated section for the Trump impeachments but notes in an introductory sentence, "The House of Representatives impeached Andrew Johnson in 1868, William J. Clinton in 1998, and Donald Trump in 2019 and again in 2021. In all four cases the Senate voted to acquit." It includes sections about Johnson's impeachment, including tickets and newspaper clips from the time; Nixon's Senate hearing and resignation, including testimony papers and photos from the proceedings; and Clinton's trial, with tickets and Senate question cards. 'All impeachments' coming in the future "A future and updated exhibit will include all impeachments," the Smithsonian statement said, noting that updating and renewing permanent galleries"requires a significant amount of time and funding." The Smithsonian declined to answer further questions about the change and the timeline for an updated exhibit. The controversy around the Smithsonian's change to the display comes after the White House in May pushed for the removal of art director Kim Sajet from her role as director of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, citing her "strong support" of "DEI." In March, Trump also signed an executive order demanding the removal of "anti-American ideology" from the Smithsonian and other cultural institutions.
