Latest news with #SenateAppropriationsCommittee
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrats wrestle over chance to kill the ban on transgender care in Trump's ‘Big, Beautiful Bill'
Despite being in the minority, Democrats have a chance to remove a provision from President Donald Trump's 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' that would prevent Medicaid dollars from being used to cover gender-affirming care.' The question is, will they? The issue emerges more than eight months after a 2024 election from which Democrats are still digging out and also working out their messaging about how to defend the rights of transgender people without being painted as too radical by Republicans. In the presidential race, Trump and his associated super PACS hit Kamala Harris in ads for supporting taxpayer-funded gender transition surgeries for inmates, ending the ad by saying 'Kamala is for They/Them. President Trump is for you.' Republicans also hit Democrats in down-ballot races specifically on the subject of allowing transgender athletes to compete in women's sports. That might be why when The Independent asked some top Democratic senators about whether they would try to strike the language from Republicans' bill, even some of the most liberal voices said they did not know . 'I don't know,' Sen. Chris Murphy told The Independent last week when asked if it could the strict criteria the Senate Parliamentarian would subject the bill to. Sen. Patty Murray, the vice chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, simply told The Independent, 'I haven't seen the language.' Murray later clarified on Bluesky that she opposed the ban in Medicaid. 'I had not seen the language but let me be clear: I support stripping out as much from the bill as Democrats can, including this ban.' But even liberal Democrats like Sen. Elizabeth Warren dodged the question. 'I haven't seen it, ' she told The Independent last week when asked if she would raise a point of order on it. When asked if she was worried about it, she repeated, 'I haven't seen it.' The avoidance shows how Democrats are in the position of being on the defensive on an issue where Republicans think they can win against Democrats, while at the same time defending a vulnerable population the party has long said it would support. Some Democrats have said they would support efforts to challenge the language. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, who is the first openly gay person elected to the Senate, told The Independent earlier this month that she assumed Democrats would but that she had not seen the details of the legislation 'What I would say substantively is that, this is, again, talking about taking away people's health care, and taking parents' ability to decide what kind of health care their children need,' she said. The Republican bill in the House that passed through the House Energy & Commerce Committee banned Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance dollars from being used to provide gender-affirming care for minors. In a last-minute addition before the bill went to a vote on the floor, an amendment struck the term 'for minors' from the legislation, meaning it would put in place a blanket ban on gender-affirming care for all transgender people. The legislation would also prohibit coverage of gender transition care as an 'essential health benefit' offered by health care exchanges created in the 2010 Affordable Care Act signed by former president Barack Obama. The Senate Finance Committee released the health care part of its version that is almost identical to the House version except it does not include the 'essential health benefit' provision. 'I obviously think these issues are private and personal,' Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Finance Committee which is in charge of health care, told The Independent. Republicans, who have only 53 seats in the Senate, plan to pass the bill through the process of budget reconciliation. That would allow them to pass the bill with a simple majority and avoid a filibuster as long as the legislation relates to the budget and federal spending. As part of the process, the legislation goes through the 'Byrd Bath,' named for late Senator Robert Byrd, where the Senate Parliamentarian determines whether parts of the legislation relate directly to the budget or are 'merely incidental.' Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas, who sponsored the amendment, told The Independent that he believes it will comply with the rules because it saves taxpayer dollars. But if the the Senate parliamentarian rules that part of the legislation does not comply with reconciliation rules, the majority party can still bring the amendment on the floor, but the minority party can raise a point of order. If Republicans want to waive the point of order, it would require three-fifths of the Senate, or 60 votes, vote to waive it. Sen Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, said that he thought Democrats would likely challenge it. 'Well, we're certainly taking a look at all of the pieces of policy that don't belong in this type of bill,' he told The Independent. 'You don't put policy in there. That sure sounds like policy to me.' It also comes after when Republicans regularly criticized Democrats in campaign advertisements about allowing transgender athletes in women's sports. Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, who recently told The Dispatch that he opposes allowing transgender athletes in some women's sports, told The Independent he thought that Democrats would challenge the Medicaid ban. 'I think it's outside the boundaries of reconciliation,' Gallego told The Independent. Mady Castigan, independent journalist and advocate who has published updates on the bill and urged people to call their lawmakers about it, has been pushing for people to make calls to lawmakers to oppose the bill. 'I really doubt there's a ton of people calling and asking their senators to vote for this specific provision,' she said. 'But I guarantee you, there's a ton more calling in to oppose it, and whenever something like that happens, you know, it definitely swings the political calculations.' But as of right now, much of the future of the legislation is unclear because Senate Republicans have yet to release the tax and health care aspects of their bill. 'I would assume so, but I haven't seen the details of it,' Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota, who is retiring, told The Independent about whether Democrats would challenge the ban. But other Democrats avoided the question. 'There's a whole list of stuff that's being scrubbed there. Both in the privilege scrub now and in the later point of order challenges, and I can't say any more than that,' Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island told The Independent. This would not be the first time that Democrats and supporters of transgender rights pushed back on anti-transgender legislation. Earlier this year, Senate Democrats blocked legislation that would have banned transgender athletes from women's sports.
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Susan Collins Gets Warning from Maine Voters—Poll
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Republican Senator Susan Collins received a warning about the popularity of President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" in Maine as she considers whether to support the legislation—and as she gears up for a potential reelection race in the Democratic-leaning state. Newsweek reached out to Collins' office for comment via email. Why It Matters Collins' seat has proven elusive for Democrats in recent elections. Although Maine consistently leans Democratic on the presidential level, Collins, with a more moderate voting record than other Republicans, has managed to win over independents and moderate Democrats in recent elections. But Democrats are hoping to flip the seat next year, particularly if the national environment favors the party. Historically, the party in the White House loses seats in the midterms. Collins is viewed as one of the Democrats' top targets, as former Vice President Kamala Harris carried the state by about seven points last November. What to Know A University of New Hampshire (UNH) poll found that Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" is unpopular among Mainers, only 30 percent of whom support its passage. Fifty-eight percent, on the other hand, say they do not want to see it become law. The bill includes several provisions that would allow Trump and Republicans to significantly overhaul tax and social policies. Among Maine independents—a crucial voting bloc for Collins—72 percent do not want to see it become law, while 21 percent support the bill. Trump is also increasingly unpopular in the Pine Tree State, according to the poll. Sixty percent of respondents disapproved of him, while 40 percent approved of his job performance. In April, he was viewed positively by 42 percent of Mainers, according to UNH. Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, speaks during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on June 11, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, speaks during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on June 11, 2025 in Washington, poll surveyed 846 Maine residents from June 19 to June 23, 2025, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. The bill puts Collins in a "difficult political position," Ronald Schmidt, professor of political science at the University of Southern Maine, told Newsweek. "She has built a base of voters that includes many Independents and some conservative Democrats in the basis of an image of policy independence insofar as the practical needs of Mainers go, and lockstep voting with the president, especially as it regards the needs of seniors, could undermine that image," he said. On the other hand, there are some conservatives—particularly in the more right-leaning Second Congressional district—who could "hold a grudge" against Collins if she bucked Trump on the bill, he said. They aren't likely to vote for a Democrat in the midterms, but could stay home. Collins is a "formidable politician" who has "weathered many storms," Maine Democratic strategist and Bernstein Shur Group managing director David Farmer told Newsweek. However, she has to "walk a fine line between not alienating Republicans and attracting enough support from non-affiliated voters," he said. "My suspicion is that leadership will free her to vote 'no' unless they absolutely need her vote," Farmer said. "That's something we've seen several times before. While some Republicans have been willing to criticize Sen. Collins' votes and positions, they have always come home to her on Election Day. Independents are the much bigger concern for her re-election prospects." Collins thus far has not confirmed how she'll vote on the bill, but has raised concerns about parts of it, particularly about whether it would cut Medicaid. She said in remarks reported by Portland-based news station WMTW in May that she was "still looking at it because it kept changing up until literally the very minute it passed." "I am looking very carefully at the Medicaid provision, and in particular, I've been very concerned about the impact on children, on people with disabilities, on seniors who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, and for low-income families. The House bill tries to thread the needle. I'm not certain that they succeeded, but I'm still looking at the specifics," she said. Congressional Republicans have set a July 4 deadline for the bill's passage, but it has faced roadblocks as lawmakers disagree on key provisions. What People Are Saying Farmer told Newsweek: "The race is a national target, and there will be a tremendous amount of money spent in the state by both sides. Sen. Collins is one of the toughest politicians in the country and will be difficult to beat. But the anti-Trump climate in Maine is strong, and she will have to fight against that headwind. The race is competitive and will get more so as voters are exposed to the chaos of the Trump administration, the policy impacts on Maine and the unwillingness of Congressional Republicans to address his abuses." Collins told reporters in May: "We don't have to pass the same bill that the House passed, and I don't think we should." What Happens Next Collins had not made a formal announcement about her reelection but told CNN in May it is her "inclination to run" and that she is "preparing to do so." On the Democratic side, two candidates have declared their intent to run. David Costello, who ran in 2024 and held several different positions in Maryland, including acting secretary of the state's Department of the Environment, is running again. Jordan Wood, who served as chief of staff to former Representative Katie Porter, a California Democrat, is also running. Governor Janet Mills has also not ruled out running, and some Democrats view her as a stronger candidate than those already in the race with deep ties to the state and having already won statewide.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Democrat challenges Pam Bondi on controversial ICE tactic
Pam Bondi claimed she did not know ICE agents were wearing masks to conceal their faces during raids while she was being grilled on Capitol Hill. Trump's Attorney General was put on the spot by Democrat Michigan Senator Gary Peters during a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee. 'Given the number of DOJ employees currently conducting immigration enforcement activities in support of DHS, how are you going to ensure that the safety of the public and the officers, if they continue to not follow required protocol to identify themselves as law enforcement?' Peters (pictured) pressed Bondi. 'Senator Peters, that's the first time that issue has come to me,' Bondi responded back, before pivoting to defend the actions of law enforcement officers. 'I can assure you that if they're covering their faces now, it's to protect themselves, but they also want to protect all citizens, and that's that's something we can work together on,' Bondi added. The Daily Mail reported back in February that photos, names and personal details of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were being posted on fliers in a bid to dox federal agents carrying out mass deportation raids. The notices resembling Wanted Posters appeared in Los Angeles and showed the agents' faces, ages, their phone numbers and what part of city they're in as part of a growing plot to interfere in immigration raids. O'Connell defended the public release of names of federal immigration officers involved in mass migrant round ups, claiming that the real concern isn't their safety, but that masked agents are 'whisking people' away. Names of agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were posted to online by the City of Nashville, as part of a public records request that mandates information about immigration be posted online to a city website. Back in March, Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish student who is currently studying at Tufts University in Massachusetts, was swarmed by a group of agents near her off-campus home. Footage of her being taken in showed a group of six people approaching her from angles, all of whom are masked and wearing gold identification badges. 'We're the police,' members of the group are heard saying in the video. A man is heard on camera saying, 'Why are you hiding your faces?'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
White House's DOGE spending cuts request runs into criticism, questions from some Senate Republicans
The head of the White House budget office on Wednesday defended the Trump administration's push to enact sweeping cuts to federal funding, even as some Republican senators voiced concerns and raised questions about the breadth of them. In opening remarks in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said the package – known on Capitol Hill as 'rescissions' – awaiting a Senate vote was 'carefully crafted, with input from Congress, to cut funding the American people find wholly objectionable.' The package, which claws back about $9.4 billion in previously appropriated government spending, was approved by the House earlier this month. During the hearing, several Republican senators raised questions about the types of programs the Trump administration has proposed to slash or questioned how it is planning to go about implementing them. The White House sent the spending cuts request to Congress in early June as it seeks to formalize a slew of DOGE cuts to federal funding. The senators' concerns were primarily focused on proposed cuts to PEPFAR, an initiative aimed at combating HIV and AIDS enacted two decades ago by President George W. Bush's administration that has been credited with saving tens of millions of lives, and proposed cuts to public broadcasting that some senators suggested could impact how information is relayed to rural communities. GOP Sen. Susan Collins, the chair of the committee, said that PEPFAR 'remains a bipartisan priority of Congress.' The Maine senator added that cutting funding focused on preventing disease transmission 'would be extraordinarily ill-advised and short-sighted.' Vought denied funding for lifesaving programs would be affected by the package. He said it was critical that the American people 'understand that many foreign aid programs use benevolent-sounding titles to hide truly appalling activity that is not in line with American interests.' Additionally, both Collins and South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds also sought assurances from Vought that public broadcasting cuts would not affect rural public-interest stations that can include emergency communications and hyper-local public-interest programming. The cuts target the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a small chunk of the federal budget that provides some public funding for NPR and PBS. During the hearing, Sen. Mitch McConnell emphasized the importance of the US maintaining 'soft power' overseas. 'Reforming the way we invest in peace and stability is certainly worthwhile,' the Kentucky Republican said. 'And there's plenty of absolute nonsense masquerading as American aid that shouldn't receive another bit of taxpayer funding.' 'But the administration's attempt to root it out has been unnecessarily chaotic. In critical corners of the globe, instead of creating efficiencies, you've created vacuums for adversaries like China to fill,' McConnell continued. 'Responsible investments in soft power prevent conflict, preserve American influence, and save countless lives at the same time.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump budget director faces bipartisan heat in Senate on DOGE cuts
White House budget chief Russell Vought faced heat from both sides of the aisle Wednesday as he sought to make the case to senators to pass the administration's roughly $9 billion in proposed cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting funds. Vought testified before the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee to defend the special request from the administration, which was approved by the House just weeks ago. The testimony comes amid mounting scrutiny over the administration's sweeping operation to shrink and reshape the federal government. Just as Vought, head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), was set to testify on Wednesday, a group of protesters disrupted the meeting and appeared to shout, 'Vought lies, people die.' In his opening remarks, Vought touted the proposed cuts as a reflection of the administration's 'steadfast commitment to cutting wasteful federal spending antithetical to American interests.' He pointed to funding for items like 'LGBTQ advocacy in Uganda,' 'transgender people, sex workers and their clients in Nepal' and 'LGBTQ activism.' 'Most Americans would be shocked and appalled to learn that their tax dollars, money they thought was going to medical care, was actually going to far-left activism, population control and sex workers,' Vought said. 'To be clear, no lifesaving treatment will be impacted by this rescissions package.' But lawmakers on both sides have pushed back on the scope of the proposed cuts, arguing that examples like those shared by Vought and other Republicans to make the case for the rescissions package wouldn't be funded under the Trump administration. 'There's no way that President Trump's administration would allow such wasteful and questionable spending,' Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) told Vought. 'So, I am puzzled why you would be cutting funds that the president signed in March as part of the continuing resolution,' she continued, referring to funding legislation Trump signed in March to keep the government open through September. Vought responded that the funding being targeted is 'largely multiyear funding,' and that 'there is some expiring funds with regard to fiscal year '25, but the way that this was structured was to find the waste.' 'We are $37 trillion in national debt,' Vought said. 'Our view is to see, when we look at these programs, can we do it cheaper, as evidenced by what we find, and then to reflect that, with some savings to the taxpayer.' Collins also raised concerns about the administration's proposed cuts targeting the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and what they could mean for preventative efforts, as well as what 'the impact would be on the maternal and child health programs.' 'These are not only the right thing to do for humanitarian reasons, but they're incredible instruments of soft power,' she said, before asking Vought if the administration looks to cut the 'lifesaving multivitamins for pregnant mothers and the food supplement that's used for malnourished children.' Vought said that there'd be $10 billion left for PEPFAR if the rescissions package were to pass but questioned the scope of preventative care, while pointing to funds for items recruiting 'gender and inclusive development experts' and another '$45 million to International Planned Parenthood Federation.' Collins countered that 'those kinds of wasteful expenditures are not going to occur in this administration.' 'That's my whole point,' she said, while also pointing to worries among 'the private foundations that are contributing to the undertaking of this program that they're going to expire because they can't get the federal funding to distribute them.' The Trump administration is calling on the GOP-led Congress to approve $8.3 billion in cuts to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and foreign aid, and more than $1 billion in cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides some funding to NPR and PBS. Democrats have come out in strong opposition to the plan, raising the alarm over how the process could make it harder for both sides to strike a bipartisan funding deal for fiscal 2026. 'What we are here today talking about is one party rescinding funding provided with 60 votes with just a simple majority,' Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said. 'And if that becomes the new normal for how this body operates, that is going to make appropriations bills extremely hard to negotiate.' The hearing also got tense at one point when Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) grilled Vought over the dismantling of USAID. 'This resulted in the sudden collapse of malnutrition programs, malaria programs, AIDS and HIV programs,' he said, while asking Vought how he felt 'being responsible for hundreds of thousands of children dying because of your sudden interruption in these key programs.' Vought said in response that he rejected 'that assertion' and that 'every administration has the ability to do a programmatic review when they come into office.' While Republicans in both chambers have expressed support for targeting funds that go to NPR and PBS, both outlets they've accused of harboring political bias, there are GOP members in both chambers who have voiced concerns about the potential impact cuts would have on local stations and rural radio. 'We have Native American radio stations in South Dakota. They get their funding through NPR,' Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said during the hearing. 'Ninety-some percent of what they use.' 'These are the folks that put out the emergency notifications. They talk about community events and so forth, but they're in very, very rural areas where there simply isn't any economy to support buying advertising on these stations,' Rounds said. 'They will not continue to exist if we don't find a way to take care of their needs.' Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) said she is 'very concerned also about the emergency alerts that come to many places in Nebraska, only through that rural radio.' 'We're a state of vastness, very sparsely populated areas that don't receive cell service,' she added. 'It's difficult even with landlines in many areas of my state.' Vought committed to working with the senators to address the matter while also noting the proposed rescissions request focuses on advanced appropriations and not current funding. But some Republicans have still raised concerns about what the cuts would mean for local stations in the next fiscal year. Under the rescissions process kicked off by the White House, Republicans could claw back funds previously approved by Congress without Democratic support — and they likely would need to in order to secure passage. Zero Democrats also voted in favor of the package of cuts when it was considered in the House earlier this month. Despite some concerns shared by the GOP side regarding the package, many Republicans have expressed support for it. While Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who heads the subcommittee that crafts annual State Department funding, said he will 'continue to support PEPFAR' during the hearing, he also said he will vote for the rescissions package 'You know, I'm going to vote for it just as a statement that PEPFAR is important, but it's not beyond scrutiny, that the way you run the government has consequences,' he said. After the hearing, reporters asked Collins for the next steps for the package. 'It is likely to go directly to the floor,' she said when asked about whether the committee will vote on changes to the package. Some members are expecting tweaks will be made to the plan in the coming weeks. 'I want to see fundamental changes in the package, and I'm already working on a substitute,' she also said. It's been decades since Congress has approved such a request to yank back funds previously greenlighted by lawmakers. Trump tried to use the same process to rescind funds in his first term but was unsuccessful, despite Republicans controlling the House, Senate and White House at the time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
