Eastern States Exposition leaders receive Patriot Award for military support
A representative from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) visited the Eastern States Exposition last Friday to present Cassidy and Ramirez with the award. The Patriot Award is bestowed upon employers who support military employees by offering flexible schedules and time off based on deployment.
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Ramirez and Cassidy were nominated by ESE's Sergeant of Safety and Security, Christopher Thompson. Thompson has served in the military for over 28 years, with experience in both the Navy and Air Force.
'I want to thank you for putting my name in for nomination,' Cassidy said. 'Eastern States Exposition does not conscientiously think about these things. We do it by nature. In my office, I have a trophy that was once presented to our founder, Joshua Loring Brooks, in 1919, because of what he did to support the war efforts during the First World War. So, the history of Eastern States Exposition is not lost on me now.'
During the reception, Cassidy signed a statement of support to affirm his continued commitment to actively serving military and veterans, which will be displayed in the Brooks Building on the ESE grounds.
The Eastern States Exposition offers Military Appreciation Day on the first day of The Big E every year, granting free admission to all active-duty and retired military personnel and their dependents. Resources are provided throughout the fair for counseling, benefits, medical treatment, and other essentials. This year, Military Appreciation Day will be on September 12.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
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The Hill
4 days ago
- The Hill
5 takeaways from the latest campaign finance reports
The latest campaign filings released this week are beginning to illustrate the contours of several highly watched Senate races while also raising questions about whether some members of Congress might seek retirement. Candidates were required to file their federal campaign reports from the second quarter of this year, which spans between April and June, by Tuesday. Political groups and parties who report semi-annually have until the end of the month to report their sums. Here are 5 takeaways from the latest fundraising quarter: Cornyn, Cassidy stay competitive despite GOP primary challengers Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who are both facing primary challengers from their right, have been able to stay competitive in fundraising despite questions around how at risk they are of losing their primaries next year. While Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) technically raised more from his principal campaign than Cornyn — Paxton raked in $2.9 million, while Cornyn's campaign raked in roughly $803,000, Cornyn enjoys an overhaul of close to $4 million between his principal campaign committee and joint fundraising committee. Overall, only $2.7 million from Cornyn's political operation can go him, given some of the money raised from his joint fundraising committee exceeds what can be doled out to a campaign, according to The Texas Tribune. Cornyn's allies are also ramping up their fundraising efforts, too. Texans for a Conservative Majority, a pro-Cornyn super PAC, raked in close to $11 million in the second quarter, according to Politico. Meanwhile, the pro-Paxton group Lone Star Liberty PAC hauled in $1.85 million, according to the Tribune. 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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) raked in $5.8 million. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), a rising star within the party, reported $2.1 million last quarter and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) reported close to $2.5 million. Both Khanna and Ocasio-Cortez have been floated as potential 2028 runners on the Democratic side. Other 2028 challengers like Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), more of a mainstream Democrat, have also reported high sums. Booker's campaign reported $9.6 million raised, including $1.5 million in transfers. Vulnerable House Republicans post strong numbers While Republicans are bracing for an unfavorable political environment as they contend with historical midterm headwinds, vulnerable House GOP incumbents are still posting high dollars compared to vulnerable House Democrats. Only one House Democrat from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's (DCCC) 'Frontline' members group cracked more than $1 million in fundraising, according the National Journal's compilation of fundraising figures between DCCC 'Frontline' members and House Republicans' 'Patriots': Rep. Eugene Vidman (D-Va.) brought in $1.6 million. Meanwhile, eight National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) 'Patriot' members raised over $1 million. Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.), who represents a 'lean Republican' seat in California, raised $2 million. The fundraising will be key for Republicans who contending with likely losing seats next year.


American Press
5 days ago
- American Press
Cassidy campaign says challenger inflated campaign donations
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Newsweek
11-07-2025
- Newsweek
Social Security Update: Republican Senator Outlines Proposed Changes
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Senator Bill Cassidy on Friday proposed significant changes to Social Security to prevent the agency's impending insolvency. In an interview on CNBC's Squawk Box, he said the Social Security fund is currently invested in Treasury bonds, which are low yielding in nature. His new proposal would change that and establish a new fund to ensure that the Social Security Administration doesn't reach its insolvency date. "We are losing money on those treasuries right now," said Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican. 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Since many retirees depend on Social Security payments for the bulk of their everyday necessities, this could have dire consequences for seniors, pushing many to delay retirement or not be able to retire. What To Know During his interview Friday on CNBC, Cassidy stressed the importance of ensuring that the Social Security fund still has enough money for full benefits and said his solution would work no matter the state of the larger economy. "We modeled this through the Great Financial Crisis, and the Great Financial Crisis, of course it dips down, but within a year, it's back up to where it was," Cassidy said. "The power of our economy is so if it only offsets 60 percent of our unfunded accrued liability, that's a lot better than we're doing now." The comments came as Cassidy and Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia introduced bipartisan proposal aiming to address the looming insolvency of Social Security this week. Their plan, announced in a recent op-ed for The Washington Post, would establish a new fund parallel to the existing Social Security Trust Fund, investing in a diversified portfolio including stocks and bonds to achieve higher returns and supplement traditional funding methods. The proposal would require an initial federal investment of $1.5 trillion and allow the fund a 75-year period to mature before it begins to directly support Social Security payouts. Its goal is to prevent benefit cuts or tax increases for future retirees by creating an additional stream of income to shore up the program's finances. The urgency behind such reforms has grown in light of recent trustee reports showing the Social Security Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund could be depleted by 2034. If no legislative changes are made, beneficiaries could see payments reduced to roughly 77 percent to 81 percent of current rates starting in 2033 or 2034. The fund has been drying out primarily because of demographic shifts such as lower fertility rates, slower wage growth and increased benefits following policy changes in recent years. Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Funds are projected to remain solvent until at least 2099, but retirees are at risk of having their promised Social Security payments diminished. Cassidy and Kaine's new investment approach is intended to mirror successful strategies in existing state and private pension funds, as well as in countries overseas. Current law restricts the Social Security Trust Fund to investing in low-yield Treasury bonds, limiting growth potential. By comparison, major equity indexes such as the S&P 500 have generated substantially higher returns over comparable timeframes. Newsweek reached out to Cassidy and Kaine for comment via email. What People Are Saying Senators Bill Cassidy and Tim Kaine, in their op-ed for The Washington Post: "There is a nationwide appetite to implement a bipartisan, commonsense plan like ours." Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: "Senator Cassidy's proposal is not the first of its kind, but it is thinking that Congress desperately needs to head off the coming shortfall in Social Security expected to hit over the next decade. The concept is pretty simple: taking the fund used for Social Security and investing it in a diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, and other investments, similar to a 401k. Over time, the fund would grow and be able to provide for recipients without extensive tax increases." Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek: "In theory, it makes sense. But theory needs to be backed by modeling—especially worst-case scenarios. We should compare the potential downside of investing in equities with the worst-case outcome under the current system, where the trust fund is invested in Treasuries. "Right now, Treasuries are yielding more than they have in years, meaning the risk-free rate of return has increased. So, any shift to riskier assets like equities would need to deliver even higher returns to justify the added risk." What Happens Next While Cassidy and Kaine's proposal has not been officially submitted for congressional approval, they said waiting to act could lead to "difficult and preventable consequences." Beene said past proposals of this nature have faced criticism over the concern that investments don't always necessarily go up. "You're playing with the primary source of retirement income for millions of Americans," Beene said. "It's hard to envision this perfectly working or passing unless a case is made that investments would be secure and steady enough to not trigger significant losses to the fund."