Latest news with #RepublicanStudyCommittee
The Hill
19-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Conservatives mourn death of Heritage Foundation founder
The death of Ed Feulner, the co-founder of the Heritage Foundation, has sparked an outpouring of support from Republican lawmakers and leaders. Feulner helped start the Heritage Foundation in 1973 and served as its president for nearly 40 years. 'In the passing of Dr. Ed Feulner, the conservative movement has lost one of its true giants, and I have lost a mentor and cherished friend,' former Vice President Mike Pence wrote on the social media platform X. 'Ed simply understood that free markets, strong families and a robust national defense allow America to lead the world not just with strength, but by example.' The foundation is most recently known for leading Project 2025, the blueprint that has widely influenced the Trump administration's consolidation of power and aggressive pursuit of right-wing policies. Feulner also helped found the Republican Study Committee, the party's conservative caucus. 'Ed Feulner was one of the architects who built the conservative movement in this country,' Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), the House majority leader and a former chair of the RSC, wrote on social media. Established during the Nixon administration, the Heritage Foundation played a prominent role in the policies of former President Reagan, who called it a 'vital force.' The think tank's current alumni in government include White House budget chief Russ Vought and border czar Tom Homan. In mourning Feulner, Republicans referred to him as an influential force who laid the groundwork in Washington for conservatism: a 'giant of the conservative movement' by Sen. Mike Lee (Utah), a 'lion for conservative causes' by Rep. Andy Biggs (Ariz.). 'His longtime leadership of @Heritage not only made it the intellectual engine of the Reagan Revolution, but forged a visionary philosophy that continues to shape our nation's public policy,' Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) wrote. 'The America we have — and the America we can secure in the future — is attributable to Ed in more ways than most people know,' Kevin Roberts, the current president of the Heritage Foundation, wrote on social media. 'ONWARD, sir—count on it—ALWAYS,' he added, ending with an American flag.
CBS News
26-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
White House pushes "big, beautiful bill" as GOP faces roadblocks in Senate
Washington — The White House is making a push on the centerpiece legislation of President Trump's second term, hosting "One, Big, Beautiful Event" on Thursday to highlight the bill amid intraparty disagreements and roadblocks in the Senate as lawmakers near a Fourth of July deadline. After the House narrowly approved the legislation that addresses the president's tax, defense, border and energy priorities last month, Senate GOP leaders are working to pass the bill in the upper chamber. The bill would then be sent back to the House to approve the changes before it can reach Mr. Trump's desk for his signature. But the self-imposed July 4 deadline looms large over the effort, with key disagreements remaining. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt met with House Republicans on the conservative Republican Study Committee on Wednesday and told reporters that the administration is working to "make sure everyone understands this bill needs to be back on the president's desk by July 4." "The White House and the president have been consistently engaged in this process since the very beginning, both on the House side and on the Senate side," Leavitt said, adding that Mr. Trump "is always willing to make calls, and we're going to get this bill done." But as the deadline approaches, Republicans in Congress have squabbled over key provisions in the legislation, like Medicaid restrictions used to pay for the bill's new spending. Senate Republicans have proposed steeper cuts to Medicaid funding in part by lowering provider taxes — which states use to help fund their share of Medicaid costs — from 6% to 3.5% by 2031. The House sought to lower federal costs by freezing states' provider taxes at current rates and prohibiting them from establishing new provider taxes. The Senate's move has sparked pushback, and threatened to complicate the delicate balance reached in the House. Then on Thursday morning, Senate Democrats on the Budget Committee announced that the provider tax plan was among a handful of key provisions that the Senate's rulekeeper had determined would violate what's known as the Byrd Rule, which requires that the legislation only include provisions that have a direct impact on federal spending. Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune speaks alongside Sen. John Barrasso and Sen. Mike Crapo outside of the West Wing of the White House on June 4, 2025, in Washington, parliamentarian's rulings The Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, has been examining the legislation to determine whether any provisions violate the upper chamber's rules. Provisions that do are subject to a 60-vote threshold, rather than the simple majority required under the reconciliation process. Senate Democrats said the parliamentarian also weighed in on a measure cutting federal funds to states that use Medicaid infrastructure to provide health care coverage to undocumented immigrants, along with banning Medicaid from covering gender transition services. The announcement on the rulings came days after the parliamentarian determined that Republicans can't include language that would make it harder to challenge the government's actions in court, along with a section barring immigrants who are not citizens or lawful permanent residents from receiving food assistance benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The parliamentarian also rejected a proposal that would have sold off millions of acres of public lands. She struck provisions regarding the sale of electric vehicles used by the United States Postal Service and several immigration-related measures, including limiting certain funding for "sanctuary cities" and allowing states to conduct border security and immigration enforcement. Senate Republicans are working to tweak some of the measures to comply with the parliamentarian's rulings, and her deliberations on other parts of the legislation are ongoing. GOP Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana called the parliamentarian's decision on the provider tax a "setback," outlining that Senate Republicans will decide whether to rewrite the details of the provision to comply with the Byrd Rule — or move forward without the provider tax. Meanwhile, the move sparked pushback among some congressional Republicans. Rep. Greg Steube, a Florida Republican, said Vice President JD Vance, the president of the Senate, should overrule the parliamentarian. And GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama said she should be fired. Sen. Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, told reporters Thursday that the parliamentarian's ruling was "pretty frustrating." But he added that he's "optimistic that we can come up with ways to make sure we fulfill the Trump agenda and also have fiscal sanity." And Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, said he expected the conference would try to retool the provision, while noting that although he doesn't agree with the ruling, he has "no intention of overruling her." Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters when asked about the possibility of overruling the parliamentarian earlier this month that "we're not going there." But Thune faced difficulties even ahead of the rulekeeper's decisions as he worked to keep his conference together on the massive legislation. On Wednesday, the South Dakota Republican told reporters that "we're working with all of our members to try to get people comfortable with the bill." With a 53-seat majority, Senate GOP leaders can afford to lose just three Republicans on the bill, with all Democrats expected to oppose. Thune outlined earlier in the week that "when push comes to shove, you're looking at whether or not you're going to allow the perfect to become the enemy of the good." "You have to recognize that this is a process whereby everybody doesn't get everything they want," Thune said. "But I think we've produced a bill working with the House, working with the White House, that will get the requisite number of Republican senators to vote for it so that we can pass it." , and contributed to this report.
Fox News
10-06-2025
- Business
- Fox News
GOP unveils new weapon to help slash billions in government waste as Republicans rally behind Trump's plan
Congressional Republicans are racing to harness the momentum left behind by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and the leaders of a new House GOP initiative are hoping they have the solution. "You tell people the word 'rescission,' in my district, I'm sure that polls pretty low, but they know waste, they know fraud, and they know abuse," Rep. Riley Moore, told Fox News Digital. "This is why this process needs to be not only explained to our own members, but also to the population out here that might not know what the heck a rescission is, but know that they want the wasteful spending to end." Moore is leading the Republican Study Committee's (RSC) new task force, aimed at getting both fellow House Republicans and members of the American public on board with the GOP on a mechanism for spending cuts known as rescissions. Rescissions proposals are requests from the White House for cuts to funding already approved by Congress in the current fiscal year. Once submitted to Capitol Hill, lawmakers have 45 days to pass the proposal, or it is considered rejected. The House is voting on the first of what Republican leaders hope are several such proposals this week – President Donald Trump sent Congress a request to cut $9.4 billion in funding to PBS, NPR, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The $9.4 billion figure is part of a larger $180 billion sum of waste that Musk said his DOGE efforts had uncovered. RSC Chair August Pfluger, R-Texas, said Moore "is able to educate our members, work with the White House, liaise directly with [the Office of Management and Budget], talk to leadership, voice the conservative concerns…and to dispel myth and speak truth." Pfluger's 189-member RSC serves as a de facto conservative think tank of sorts for the House GOP. It's a natural extension of the group's work to focus on how to message government spending cuts, particularly while Democrats are accusing the GOP of trying to rip away critical programs. Pfluger and Moore signaled the task force's most immediate goal will be easing concerns of moderate Republicans who may be wary of the $9.4 billion spending cut plan. With just a razor-thin majority, House GOP leaders can afford no more than three defections to pass legislation along party lines. "If members do have problems, the conservative conscience of our conference, RSC, can help them understand why it's important to vote on it. And that's what Riley is going to do," Pfluger said. Both suggested they would like to see future rescissions packages, but would not go into detail about what could be cut. Moore noted he was on the Appropriations Committee, the keepers of the House's purse strings, and that there were ongoing conversations between members of that panel and the White House about identifying future rollbacks. And both Pfluger and Moore said they were undaunted by Musk's somewhat dramatic departure from the federal government – insisting the public was still behind the idea of DOGE, even without the Tesla billionaire at the forefront. "I don't think the mainstream media is covering that aspect of it, because they want to talk about this breakup between the president and Elon Musk, but the president said as recently as today that he still believes in what he did," Pfluger said. Moore added, "Media cycles moved extraordinarily fast. I think obviously there was a lot of excitement when it was first announced. But I can tell you when I'm doing Lincoln Day dinners and going around the counties in West Virginia, they're still acutely focused on this. I hear from folks all the time…it is very much the average American still wants to see this happen." "I think they're, you know, they're just waiting for us to do the right thing," Moore said.
Time of India
04-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
GOP Plan to Raise Retirement Age to 69 Will Cost 257 Million Americans $420K in Benefits for Just 1-Year Fix
The Republican Study Committee wants to raise the full retirement age to 69 by the year 2033. This would affect people who are currently between 30 and 55 years old the most. The Congressional Budget Office says this change would cause people to lose $420,000 in lifetime Social Security benefits. That means people would lose about $3,500 every year during retirement, which usually lasts around 30 years. This is a 13% cut per year, and will impact 257 million Americans, as per reports. The new plan would start in 2026 and end by 2033, in just 8 years. But in 1983, the retirement age went from 65 to 67 very slowly, over 35 years. People in hard jobs like construction, healthcare, and service work will suffer more because they have shorter life spans, they rely heavily on Social Security, and they can't work into their late 60s due to physical demands, as per the World Day report. Experts say many older workers won't be able to keep working, so they'll try to get disability benefits instead. That could overload the Social Security disability system, causing a new crisis. The plan doesn't think about different jobs and how hard they are on people's bodies. Even with all these cuts, the CBO says the plan would only delay Social Security's money problems by 1 year, from 2034 to 2035. That means this plan won't fix Social Security long-term, and more changes would still be needed. Other countries like Sweden and Denmark tie retirement age to life expectancy, so it adjusts automatically and slowly. The U.S. could remove the $160,200 income cap on payroll taxes. That would make wealthy people pay Social Security tax on all their income, not just up to that limit. These ideas would raise money without cutting benefits for regular people, as per reports. Live Events People should recalculate their retirement savings assuming Social Security benefits will be lower. Financial planners suggest increasing your 401 (k) savings by 2-3% to make up for the cuts. Also think about saving money through Roth IRAs, Health Savings Accounts, and other investments, not just depending on Social Security, as stated in the report by World Day. This whole situation shows a big problem, most Americans depend on Social Security as their main retirement income. Because of the aging population and math, the government must either cut benefits, raise taxes, or both. Politicians might compromise later with a mix of ideas, but you shouldn't wait, it's up to individuals to prepare now. FAQs Q1. What is the GOP's new retirement plan? They want people to retire at age 69 starting in 2033. This means many workers may get less money from Social Security. Q2. How much money could people lose from the GOP's new plan? People aged 30-55 today may lose up to $420,000 in lifetime Social Security payments, says the CBO. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
Fox News
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
New House GOP resolution eviscerates Comey over '86 47' Instagram post
FIRST ON FOX: House GOP allies of President Donald Trump are moving to use the power of Congress to punish former FBI Director James Comey for his now-deleted "86 47" Instagram post. Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, chairman of the 189-member-strong Republican Study Committee (RSC), is introducing a resolution alongside Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., to condemn Comey for "incitement of violence against President Donald J. Trump." Pfluger and Lee's three-page resolution calls the post "disturbing" and "urges the relevant authorities to take every relevant action to ensure that Mr. Comey is never again permitted to serve as an employee of the federal government." It also asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to not only investigate the matter, but also make the findings of its investigation known to both the relevant House committee and the American public. Comey posted a photo of seashells forming the numbers "86 47" on the beach on Thursday. It ignited a social media firestorm, with Trump allies and other Republicans immediately accusing the former FBI director of calling for Trump to be killed. Comey later deleted the post and followed it with a statement that he opposed all violence. "I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence," Comey said. "It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down." Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told the Associated Press that Comey is now under investigation by the Trump administration. Pfluger and Lee's resolution noted that Comey had made the post while Trump was on a diplomatic visit to the Middle East, which they argue ran the risk of "jeopardizing the President's security and invigorating our nation's enemies abroad." They also pointed out that there had been two known attempts on Trump's life last year during the 2024 election – including the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally, where the president was shot in the ear. Lee, notably, was on the House task force investigating the Butler rally shooting. "Having failed in his attempts to take down President Trump as one of the main architects of the Russia collusion hoax, Comey has now resorted to the unthinkable: calling for violence against our Commander-in-Chief," the RSC chairman told Fox News Digital. "That someone who once held one of our nation's most sacred positions of law enforcement would incite such dangerous rhetoric is not just alarming—it's disqualifying and un-American. This resolution demands the accountability and transparency the American people deserve, ensuring Comey never again holds a position of public trust." Fox News Digital made multiple attempts to reach Comey and his representatives but did not hear back by press time.
