Latest news with #Bresnahan
Boston Globe
16-07-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Vance heads to Pennsylvania to launch the White House's first major push to sell Trump's big bill
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The battle for control of the messaging on the bill could be critical to how well the measure is ultimately received, as some of the most divisive parts of the law, including Medicaid and food assistance cuts, are timed to take effect only after the midterm elections. The bill was generally unpopular before its passage, polls showed, although some individual provisions are popular, like boosting the annual child tax credit and eliminating taxes on tips. Advertisement The trip by Vance to West Pittston marks the first big push from the White House to promote the new law. It's unclear how much Trump plans to do the same. Trump told NBC News last week that he would travel 'a little bit' to help champion the measure he dubbed the 'One Big Beautiful Bill.' Advertisement 'But honestly,' he said, 'It's been received so well I don't think I have to.' Vance's office declined to provide details on his trip to West Pittston or elaborate on plans for other public events around the U.S. to promote the bill. West Pittston, which sits in Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan's district in northeastern Pennsylvania, is a place where Trump's populist brand of politics has found a foothold. Trump's popularity with the white working class has accelerated the political shift in nearby areas, including around Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, turning reliably Democratic areas into contested turf and contributing to Trump's 2024 win in Pennsylvania. There, and in a swing district around Allentown just to the south, Republicans last year knocked off two Democratic U.S. House incumbents after years of trying. Debate over the budget-and-policy package is expected to shape the 2026 midterm battle for control of the House, which Democrats see as their best opportunity to block Trump's agenda in his final two years in the Oval Office. Democrats need a net gain of three House seats to break Republican control of Washington. As Republicans see it, they've now delivered broad tax cuts, funding to further boost border security and restraints on costly social safety net programs. Democrats see a law that rolls back health insurance access, threatens the solvency of rural hospitals and raises costs for middle-class Americans while cutting taxes mostly for the rich and slashing green energy subsidies. Bresnahan's seat is a top Democratic target. While Bresnahan hasn't drawn a challenger in the 2026 election, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro has aggressively gone after the state's Republican members of Congress who voted for the bill, including Bresnahan. Advertisement 'Shame on these members of Congress who spent the last few months saying, 'Oh, I'll never cut Medicaid,'' Shapiro said during an appearance earlier this month on WILK-FM radio in Wilkes-Barre. 'I mean, Rep. Bresnahan told you, your listeners, your newspapers, told me to my face, this was a red line in the sand for him, he wouldn't harm people on Medicaid, he wouldn't harm our rural hospitals. … He caved and voted for this bill.' Bresnahan has defended his vote by saying it strengthens Medicaid by cracking down on fraud, waste and abuse and requiring those who can work to do so. He also said it ensures hospitals in northeastern Pennsylvania will qualify for the funding they need to stay open. Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed to this report.
Newsweek
04-07-2025
- Health
- Newsweek
Republican Unloads Medicaid-Related Stock Before Voting For Trump Tax Bill
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. A Republican Congressman sold a Medicaid-related stock before voting for President Donald Trump's massive tax and spending package, which affects Medicaid. In May, Pennsylvania Representative Robert Bresnahan sold stocks in Centene Corporation, a healthcare company that works as an intermediary for government and private healthcare programs, while debates about the tax package, called the "One Big, Beautiful Bill," continued. The trade has recently been made publicly available. Newsweek contacted representatives for Bresnahan by email outside of business hours to comment on this story. Why It Matters The House of Representatives on Thursday passed the "One Big, Beautiful Bill" 218 votes to 214 after months of internal GOP divisions and last-minute negotiations. UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 15: Rep.-elect Robert Bresnahan, R-Pa., poses for a photo on the House steps after freshman members of Congress posed for their class photo on the House steps of the Capitol on... UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 15: Rep.-elect Robert Bresnahan, R-Pa., poses for a photo on the House steps after freshman members of Congress posed for their class photo on the House steps of the Capitol on Friday, November 15, 2024. More Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP Images The legislation extends Trump's 2017 tax cuts, eliminates taxes on tips and overtime, and boosts funding for immigration enforcement and defense. The bill will also reduce Department of Health and Human Services budget by $880 billion over 10 years, which would include cuts to Medicaid alongside other measures such as implementing work requirements. The CBO estimates that the bill would result in 11.8 million people losing health insurance by 2034, with the majority of those people losing coverage from Medicaid. Meanwhile, members of Congress are allowed to buy and sell stocks, but the practice has attracted bipartisan criticism because of concerns it may facilitate insider trading, if lawmakers are privy to information about assets that could move markets. There are also concerns politicians with stock holdings can influence the assets they hold to inflate their share value. What To Know According to his financial disclosures, Bresnahan purchased between $1,001 and $15,000 in Centene Corporation on April 8. On May 15, he sold those stocks. This came a week before the legislation initially passed in the House. In July, it was reported that shares in the company fell almost 40 percent after the insurer predicted its 2025 revenues would be hit. The disclosures were first reported by data platform Quiver Quantitative, which claimed Bresnahan does not manage his own stock portfolio and plans to set up a blind trust. What People Are Saying Speaking to Newsweek, Veljko Fotak, a finance professor at the University at Buffalo in New York, said the trade "definitely is not appropriate." "It does suggest he thought the value of the shares would tank. His position allowed him to be a better judge of that probability than you or I. He did not have clear foresight—but he did have an unfair advantage, compared to other traders. "I will also say – the moral optics are made worse by the nature of the event. Profiting from inside information regarding the likelihood of legislation passing is ugly enough—when that inside information is about millions of individuals losing access to Medicare, the optics are somehow even worse.... This is Nero selling lumber while Rome is burning." On X, New Mexico Democrat Melanie Stansbury wrote: "This Congressman literally dumped stock in a Medicaid provider company right before this bill came to the Floor. Don't be fooled—these guys know exactly what they're doing." Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic Senator from Massachusetts, wrote: "Protecting his stock portfolio while ripping away health care from 17 million Americans This is Washington at its worst. We need to ban Congressional stock trading."
Int'l Business Times
03-07-2025
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
GOP Lawmaker Caught 'Selling' Stock in Healthcare Group That Accepts Medicaid as 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Passes House, Trade Insider Says
Rep. Robert Bresnahan (R-PA) reportedly dumped stock shares in a major healthcare provider for Medicaid recipients — stock that has now dropped nearly 44% as cuts to Medicaid in Republican's "Big, Beautiful Bill" are finalized by Congress. According to Quiver Quantitative, which tracks stock trading among insiders, including Congress, Bresnahan sold his shares in Centene Corporation on May 15, days before the House initially advanced President Donald Trump's so-called "Big, Beautiful Bill," which includes sweeping tax cuts and spending increases. Critics warn the legislation could strain Medicaid funding and other social safety net programs. Centene ($CNC) stock has since cratered, falling over 43% since Bresnahan's trade, while the broader S&P 500 (SPY) rose about 5% in the same period. The "Big, Beautiful Bill" passed the Senate last week and returned to the House after amendments were made. The massive tax and spending bill passed the House once again Thursday and now heads to Trump's desk. Bresnahan insists he does not personally manage his investments and says his financial advisor made the trade. He has pledged to place his assets into a blind trust but, according to Quiver Quantitative, has yet to do so. In early May, Bresnahan introduced a bill to ban congressional stock trading. He campaigned on restoring trust in government, but has come under scrutiny after disclosures revealed he reportedly made over $4 million in trades during his first months in office. Originally published on Latin Times
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cartwright says he's not running for Congress
MOOSIC — Former Democratic Congressman Matt Cartwright won't run to regain the seat in the House of Representatives he lost last year to Republican Rob Bresnahan, the Luzerne County businessman now representing the 8th Congressional District in the GOP-controlled House. 'I've decided it's time to give it a rest,' Cartwright said Thursday after months of weighing whether to run again. 'I've worked 80-hour weeks for the last 12 years. It's time to give somebody else a chance to do this job.' Cartwright, who rose in Democratic leadership over his six terms in Congress, announced his decision not to run at a press conference held in the shadow of a new emergency services building under construction in Moosic — a facility he helped secure $3 million in federal funds to support. It's a decision that makes easier the path for other potential Democratic candidates who may seek to challenge Bresnahan in 2026, when Democrats hope voters discontented with Republican President Donald Trump and his GOP allies emerge as a blue wave that sweeps their party back into the House majority. Former Democratic Congressman Matt Cartwright announces he won't run to regain the seat in the House of Representatives he lost last year to Republican Rob Bresnahan. The former representative of the 8th Congressional District, accompanied by his wife Marion, made the announcement at Greenwood Hose Company on Thursday. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO) Bresnahan narrowly defeated Cartwright in November, earning 195,663 votes to the incumbent Democrat's 189,411 in the district that includes all of Lackawanna, Wayne and Pike counties and parts of Luzerne and Monroe counties. It was one of the most tightly contested and closely watched races in the country. As of late April, the independent and nonpartisan Cook Political Report's 2026 House race ratings listed Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District as leaning Republican. Races that lean one way or another are considered competitive, but where one party, in this case the GOP, has an advantage. CPR had listed the 2024 Cartwright/Bresnahan race as one of 25 House toss-ups across the country, the most competitive races where either party had a good chance of winning. Who might ultimately run against Bresnahan next year remains unclear, and Cartwright did not endorse any potential candidates Thursday. But after noting his gratitude to the people of Northeast Pennsylvania for allowing him to represent them for 12 years and apologizing to anyone disappointed by his decision not to run, Cartwright said 'it's time to hand over the reins to new blood.' He also said he'll have more to say about that as time goes on. 'We're going to see how the process shakes itself out,' Cartwright said. 'One of the wonderful things about serving in this position is you get to know all of the politicians with a heartbeat in Northeastern Pennsylvania and I did, and I have to say we have a deep, deep bench on my side of the aisle. We have … what they call an embarrassment of riches. There are a lot of people who could step right into my shoes, and I'm sure you'll be hearing from them fairly shortly.' Sources told The Times-Tribune that Democratic state Rep. Bridget Kosierowski of Waverly Twp., Democratic Pittston Mayor Michael Lombardo and Democratic state Sen. Marty Flynn of Dunmore are considering potential runs. Democratic Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan said Thursday he won't run. Democratic Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti, who's seeking reelection this year, said 'I'm running for mayor of Scranton.' Efforts to reach Lombardo and Flynn were not immediately successful; Kosierowski responded to the newspaper's inquiry in a statement. 'As both a nurse and a state representative, I share the deep frustration so many in PA-08 are feeling about what's happening at the federal level,' she said. 'Congressman Cartwright has been a strong advocate for this region, and I'm grateful for his service. Right now, I'm focused on continuing to deliver for the people I represent, and as things evolve, I'll keep listening and considering where I can make the greatest impact.' Former Democratic Congressman Matt Cartwright announces he won't run to regain the seat in the House of Representatives he lost last year to Republican Rob Bresnahan. The former representative of the 8th Congressional District, accompanied by his wife Marion, made the announcement at Greenwood Hose Company on Thursday. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO) Cartwright spent some of Thursday's press conference reflecting on his impact, including as one of a dozen subcommittee chairs, colloquially called 'Cardinals,' of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. 'And that helped me bring a lot of tax dollars, our tax dollars, back home to work in our local economy — about $100 million on my own signature in the last four years,' he said, noting the federal funding for the Moosic emergency services building as an example. 'In our congressional office we placed a premium on working for economic development.' Cartwright also said 16 bills he wrote became law during his time in Congress, including bills that help veterans and military spouses. He mentioned the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, describing it as a legislative effort 'to remove a blot on our national integrity that came about from our government's poisoning hundreds of thousands of U.S. Marines, their families and the employees at Camp Lejeune with carcinogens in their drinking water.' He also expressed pride in his work as a chief elected advocate of restoring passenger rail service between Scranton and New York City, describing the Amtrak project as 'all systems go.' As proposed, the project would see Amtrak passenger trains run between Scranton and Manhattan's Penn Station with stops in Mount Pocono and East Stroudsburg, and Blairstown, Dover, Morristown, Montclair and Newark, N.J. An Amtrak study released in March 2023 found that restoring such a service would generate $84 million in new economic activity annually, creating jobs on both sides of the Pennsylvania/New Jersey border. Lackawanna County commissioners appointed Cartwright in January to a term on the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority board, where he continues to advocate for the project. He also credited and thanked Bresnahan on Thursday for endorsing the Amtrak initiative. 'On the other hand some of his votes leave a lot to be desired and I don't want to go further into it today,' Cartwright said of his Republican successor. In a statement Thursday, the National Republican Congressional Committee said Bresnahan has accomplished more for Pennsylvania in five months than Cartwright did in more than a decade. 'Rep. Bresnahan is delivering, and Cartwright is sending a message to Democrats that this race is over before it starts,' the statement from NRCC spokeswoman Maureen O'Toole said. Cartwright's remarks Thursday included something of a soliloquy on politics where he suggested voters not simply vote for the change candidate, 'because half the time the change they offer is not for the better.' He also warned against voting for 'extremist candidates' offering simple solutions to complicated problems or for candidates 'who scapegoat the least of our brothers and sisters,' adding that 'targeting their lives is not going to fix yours.' 'Do your own research from reputable sources and vote for candidates that have concrete plans that will actually help you and the people you care about,' he said. 'Vote for leaders who will fight for things that really matter in your lives, like people's health care; like for police and first responders; like for fair pharmaceutical prices; for veterans' care; for seniors' benefits; for workers' rights; for civil rights; for voting rights, civil justice, clean air, clean water, tax fairness and sensible economic policies and for public education.' 'These are the things that I fought for for 12 years down in Washington, D.C.,' he said. 'I was proud to do it and I'm proud to say I went down swinging for these things.' Cartwright didn't rule out a potential run in future cycles after 2026. 'The door is open,' he said.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bresnahan holds veterans press conference at Tobyhanna VFW
Jun. 2—TOBYHANNA — U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan Jr., on Monday said "at the heart of everything we do" is the belief that government should work better for the people it serves. "And that starts with our veterans," said Bresnahan, R-Dallas Township. "Those who have risked their lives for our country shouldn't be forced to deal with government red tape just to access the benefits they rightfully earned while wearing our nation's uniform. I am proud to recognize the more than 40,000 veterans in Northeastern Pennsylvania — this legislation is dedicated to them, and I will continue to work every day on behalf of them and our community." Bresnahan held a press conference with local veterans and members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 3448 to recognize veterans and bring awareness to his recently passed legislation, H.R. 1286 — the Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act. Bresnahan was joined by more than a dozen local veterans, including VFW Post 3448 Commander Greg Schultz; second-generation veteran Tony Andriola; and VFW Post 3448 Senior Vice Commander Jackie Boucher, who all gave brief remarks. Monroe County Commissioners Chairman John Christy and Vice Chairman David Parker were also in attendance. Bresnahan said he introduced the Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act to simplify the forms process to make VA standard forms more user-friendly. Bresnahan said he introduced the bill on Feb. 13, and it passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Veteran's Affairs on May 6. Bresnahan said he spoke on the House Floor May 19 about the legislation before its passage out of the U.S. House by a vote of 386-1. Bresnahan said the Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims Act would require VA to contract with a nonpartisan, federally funded research entity to conduct a study on, and provide recommendations for, revising VA forms to be more understandable for veterans and their survivors. Following this study, the VA Secretary would be required to report findings to Congress and implement recommendations. At the press conference, Bresnahan also previewed the launch of a new initiative to expand constituent services across Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District with the introduction of a mobile office — known as the BresnaVan. Additional details on the BresnaVan and its operations will be announced later this week. "Our mission is to make government more accessible, responsive, and present in every corner of the district," Bresnahan said. "The BresnaVan will allow us to reach communities where we don't have permanent offices and make sure every constituent has access to the support and services they deserve." Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
