U.S. Supreme Court to decide fate of medication abortion access nationwide
Jennifer Shutt, Alabama Reflector WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court announced Wednesday it will hear oral arguments and decide whether broad access to the abortion pill can remain legal across the United States. The justices’ decision to hear the case this term will put abortion access and the politics that comes with it back in front of the nation’s highest court just before voters head to the polls for the 2024 presidential election. The drug at the center of the case, mifepristone, is used in more than half of pregnancy terminations within the United States as part of a two-pharmaceutical regimen that includes misoprostol as the second medication. Both are also used in miscarriage treatment. Patients’ ability to access mifepristone cannot change until the Supreme Court issues its ruling, under an order the court put out earlier this year. The nine members of the court will be answering three questions in their ruling, including whether changes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration made to prescribing and dosage in 2016 and 2021 were “arbitrary and capricious.” Those changes that expanded access included shipping the abortion pill to patients through the mail. The Supreme Court will also decide if the federal district court judge who ruled earlier this year to overturn the FDA’s original 2000 approval of the pharmaceutical “properly granted preliminary relief.” Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a written statement the Supreme Court “has never invalidated a long-standing FDA approval like they are being asked to do here.” “The stakes are enormous in post-Roe America,” Northup said. “Even those living in states with strong protections for abortion rights could have their ability to access mifepristone severely restricted if the Court rules against the FDA.” Northup said the ability for health care providers to prescribe the medication through telehealth and for patients to get it delivered to their homes became “critical” after the court ended the constitutional right to an abortion last year. “Abortion pills have been used safely in the U.S. for more than 20 years, and they are more important than ever in this post-Roe landscape,” Northup said. “That is precisely why the anti-abortion movement is attacking them.” Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Erin Hawley said in a written statement the anti-abortion organization urged the Supreme Court to determine “that the FDA acted unlawfully in removing common-sense safeguards for women and authorizing dangerous mail-order abortions.” “Like any federal agency, the FDA must rationally explain its decisions,” Hawley said. “Yet its removal of common-sense safeguards — like a doctor’s visit before women are prescribed chemical abortion drugs — does not reflect scientific judgment but rather a politically driven decision to push a dangerous drug regimen.” Constitutional right to abortion overturned The nine Supreme Court justices who will hear the case and ultimately render a ruling are the same justices who overturned the constitutional right to abortion in a June 2022 ruling. In the majority opinion in that case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the conservative justices wrote that “the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.” Following that decision, states throughout the country began to implement laws of their choosing, with some setting significant restrictions on when abortion is legal and other states moving to expand access. Several states have prohibited legal access to the abortion pill mifepristone, despite it being an FDA-approved pharmaceutical. In mid-November 2022, Alliance Defending Freedom filed a lawsuit challenging the original approval of the abortion pill in 2000 as well as the changes to when and how the drug could be used that were made in 2016 and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Pediatricians, and the Christian Medical & Dental Associations, as well as four doctors from California, Indiana, Michigan, and Texas. U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas Judge Matthew Joseph Kacsmaryk ruled in April 2023 that mifepristone should be removed from the market entirely, though he wrote that he did “not second-guess FDA’s decision-making lightly.” “But here, FDA acquiesced on its legitimate safety concerns — in violation of its statutory duty — based on plainly unsound reasoning and studies that did not support its conclusions,” Kacsmaryk wrote. The Biden administration requested the ruling be placed on hold until it could appeal the case, which was ultimately granted by the Supreme Court. That stay from the justices ensured mifepristone remains legal until they issue a ruling. 5th Circuit ruling The case went before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, Louisiana, which heard arguments in May 2023. The three-judge panel ruled in August 2023 that it believed the abortion pill should stay available nationwide, but that dosage and use should revert to what was in place before the FDA began implementing changes in 2016. That ruling was immediately placed on hold pending an appeal to the Supreme Court. Had the justices decided not to hear the appeal, that ruling would have taken effect. Going back to what was in place before 2016 would prevent mifepristone from being prescribed during a telehealth appointment or sent through the mail. Only doctors would be able to prescribe mifepristone, removing the option for other healthcare providers with the ability to prescribe medication from being able to do so with that particular drug. Prescriptions could only be written for up to seven weeks gestation, less than the 10-week threshold currently used by prescribers. Patients would need to attend three in-person doctor’s office appointments in order to receive a medication abortion. The dosage and timing of mifepristone as well as the second drug, misoprostol, would both revert to what was used more than seven years ago. DOJ appeal Following the 5th Circuit’s ruling, the U.S. Justice Department appealed its ruling to the Supreme Court, arguing the two lower courts made “serious legal errors.” “The loss of access to
Democratic governors to Joe Biden: Migrant crisis is ‘untenable,’ border ‘too open’
By Greg Bishop | The Center Square Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is telling President Joe Biden the number of migrants arriving to Chicago from the southern U.S. border is accelerating. The situation is overwhelming, untenable and uncoordinated, he added. In a letter Pritzker sent the White House Monday, the governor said “the humanitarian crisis is overwhelming our ability to provide aid to the refugee population.” More than 15,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago in the past 13 months. With the letter, Pritzker joined a growing list of Democrats calling on the White House to do more. “Unfortunately, the welcome and aid Illinois has been providing to these asylum seekers has not been matched with support by the federal government,” the letter first reported by Capitol Fax said. “Most critically, the federal government’s lack of intervention and coordination at the border has created an untenable situation for Illinois.” Illinois taxpayers have covered more than $330 million on services for the migrants, a number Pritzker said is growing each day. “That’s a massive amount of money for a state still overcoming the health and economic effects of COVID-19,” Pritzker said. “Add to that the over $100 million the city of Chicago contributed.” Pritzker told Biden the situation is “untenable” and “requires your immediate help beyond the coming work authorizations for some of the asylum seekers.” The Biden administration should have one person provide oversight of the nation’s efforts at the border, Pritzker said, noting there are too many different federal department contacts who are not coordinated with each other. “A single office with an identified leader must be assigned to work for the cities and states across the silos of government to manage the challenges we all face,” Pritzker said. “It is time for the federal government to take a much more active role in managing the transport and destination of the transport of asylum seekers.” Pritzker said it is untenable to allow “just one state to lay the burden upon a certain few states run by Democrats …” While Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has been critical of Biden’s handling of the border by overseeing transportation of migrants crossing the southern U.S. border to Chicago, New York City, Washington D.C., and elsewhere, Democratic Mayor of El Paso Oscar Leeser has also been involved. In Arizona Monday, Gov. Katie Hobbs also expressed frustration with the flood of illegal border crossers and told The Center Square that the busing policy of some migrants from Arizona to other areas of the country is still in effect. “Yeah. As we’re seeing increases in folks coming in the NGO network at their capacity, we’re continuing to provide support, and that includes busing,” she said. In New York, a senior advisor to New York City Mayor Eric Adams urged Biden to “close the border.” “The federal government needs to do its job,” Adams’ advisor Ingrid Lewis-Martin told PIX 11. “We need the federal government, the Congress members, the Senate, and the president to do its job: Close the borders.” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told CBS Sunday that the border “is too open right now.” “People coming from all over the world are finding their way through, simply saying they need asylum, and the majority of them seem to be ending up in the streets of New York, and that is a real problem for New York City,” she said. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed border security concerns. “You have a president that has delivered record funding, record funding to make sure that we have additional … border patrol federal employees at the border,” Jean-Pierre said. “We’ve made clear that attempting to cross the border unlawfully will result in prompt removal, a five-year ban on reentry, and potential criminal prosecution.” Among other recommendations Pritzker offered Biden include waiving fees for temporary protected status applications, increasing the logistical coordination and data collection, provide financial support to state, local government and non-government organizations for housing, food and social services, and approve Illinois’ requests for Medicaid waivers, housing vouchers, and federal coordination and support. “Today, Illinois stands mostly unsupported against this enormous strain on our state resources,” Pritzker said. “Mr. President, I urge you … and the rest of your administration to take swift action.” Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Tommy Tuberville slams Biden administration for U.S. credit rating downgrade, saying it is due to ‘zero fiscal discipline’
On Tuesday, the credit rating service Fitch downgraded the U.S.A.’s credit rating from AAA to AA+. U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) blamed President Joe Biden’s policies for the downgrade. “For the second time EVER, the United States’ credit rating has been downgraded. The first time was under Joe Biden’s watch as VP,” said Sen. Tuberville on Twitter. “This is what happens when you spend money you don’t have and exercise ZERO fiscal discipline.” Presently Fitch is the only major credit rating service to have downgraded the federal government’s credit rating. Fitch said on Tuesday that the downgrade reflects an “erosion of governance” in the U.S. relative to other top-tier economies over the last two decades. “The repeated debt-limit political standoffs and last-minute resolutions have eroded confidence in fiscal management,” Fitch said. Tuberville previously expressed to reporters his frustration that the federal government has not addressed the spending issue. “The American people are taxed to death,” Tuberville said. “We have got to figure out a pathway to reduce spending.” Fitch is predicting that the economy will go into recession by the end of the year. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre blamed Republicans. “President Biden has delivered the strongest recovery of any major economy in the world,” Jean-Pierre said. “And it’s clear that extremism by Republican officials—from cheerleading default to undermining governance and democracy, to seeking to extend deficit-busting tax giveaways for the wealthy and corporations—is a continued threat to our economy.” The federal government is spending $1.57 trillion a year more than it is taking in revenues. This means that the federal government has to then go onto the bond market to sell $1.57 trillion in treasuries to make up the deficit. The government sells a mix of treasury bills, payable in 12 months or less, treasury notes, payable in 1 to 5 years, and treasury bonds, payable in more than five years. The most popular of these are the 10-year and the 30-year treasury. Institutional investors and individuals buy these bonds and wait for them to mature. They, like stocks, can also be traded on the market, so they always have a value. Generally speaking, interest on treasuries is not taxable, though the minimum tax rate provision may apply to certain taxpayers. To sell trillions in treasuries, the federal government has to pay more and more in interest to lure investors. Money going into treasuries at higher interest rates means that banks, states, and local governments sell bonds to raise capital, and corporations that sell taxable bonds to raise capital have to offer more and more competitive interest rates to keep up. Many banks are now offering 5 percent interest on CDs to lure depositors. Money going into the bond market chasing guaranteed returns could, in theory, eventually lead to money not going into stocks. This has not happened because this year has generally been good for stock investors. The total U.S. debt has topped $32.7 trillion, and the cost of servicing the debt is $652 million a year and climbing. “We cannot live with $32 trillion in debt,” Tuberville said. “We need leadership in the White House to get this over.” Both Tuberville and Sen. Katie Britt voted against the recent bill that raises the debt ceiling by another $4 trillion. “It’s clear that if we don’t change our dire financial trajectory, it will make the American Dream unattainable for our children and our children’s children,” Britt said. “This issue is not only a question of our country’s economic security, but our moral obligations to future generations.” To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Fitch Ratings has downgraded U.S. credit rating
Fitch Ratings has downgraded the U.S. credit rating from AAA to AA+, the Wall Street Journal reported. This is the first downgrade of America’s creditworthiness by a major credit rating service in over a decade. Fitch said on Tuesday that the downgrade reflects an “erosion of governance” in the U.S. relative to other top-tier economies over the last two decades. “The repeated debt-limit political standoffs and last-minute resolutions have eroded confidence in fiscal management,” Fitch said. Fitch expects the general government deficit to rise to 6.3% of gross domestic product in 2023 from 3.7% last year. The predicted deficit growth reflects cyclically weaker federal revenues, new spending initiatives, and a higher interest burden. The firm expects the U.S. economy to slip into a recession later this year. Moody’s has not yet lowered the U.S.A.’s credit rating. The White House responded strongly to the decision by Fitch. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the Administration strongly disagrees with the decision by Fitch. “We strongly disagree with this decision,” Jean-Pierre said. “The ratings model used by Fitch declined under President [Donald]Trump and then improved under President [Joe] Biden, and it defies reality to downgrade the United States at a moment when President Biden has delivered the strongest recovery of any major economy in the world. And it’s clear that extremism by Republican officials—from cheerleading default to undermining governance and democracy, to seeking to extend deficit-busting tax giveaways for the wealthy and corporations—is a continued threat to our economy.” “The change by Fitch Ratings announced today is arbitrary and based on outdated data,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. “Fitch’s quantitative ratings model declined markedly between 2018 and 2020 – and yet Fitch is announcing its change now, despite the progress that we see in many of the indicators that Fitch relies on for its decision. Many of these measures, including those related to governance, have shown improvement over the course of this Administration, with the passage of bipartisan legislation to address the debt limit, invest in infrastructure, and make other investments in America’s competitiveness.” Congressman Barry Moore (R-AL02) retweeted a response from the House Freedom Caucus. “A rundown of Fitch’s downgrade of the United States credit rating: The Biden Administration played politics with a possible government default. The @HouseGOP did our job in April by passing Limit Save Grow, but Biden waited till the last minute to negotiate.” The U.S. is spending $1.57 trillion a year more than it is taking in revenues. The total debt has topped $32.7 trillion, and the Administration has refused to present a framework for a balanced budget within five years even though the nation is at full employment, and the U.S. is not currently at war. The cost of servicing the debt is $652 million a year and climbing. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Joe Biden looks to provide relief from extreme heat as record temperatures persist
With millions of Americans facing broiling heat across the Southwest, President Joe Biden on Thursday plans to announce new steps to improve weather forecasts and make drinking water more accessible, according to the White House. He’ll be joined by the leaders of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, described the heat wave as “a difficult time” and said Biden was treating climate change with “the urgency it requires.” Climate activists and some Democrats have pushed Biden to declare a climate “emergency,” but the White House has resisted. The mayors of Phoenix and San Antonio, two cities that have suffered from the heat waves, are expected to participate in the White House event virtually. Phoenix has seen at least 26 days in a row of temperatures exceeding 110 degrees. Maricopa County, where the city is located, reported recently that there were 18 heat-associated deaths between April 11 and July 15. Another 69 deaths remain under investigation. There were 425 heat-associated deaths in the county last year. San Antonio saw 15 straight days of 100-plus degrees. At least 13 deaths in Texas have been blamed on the extreme heat. Thursday’s announcement follows other steps that the administration has taken to adapt to increasing threats from extreme heat. Among those it is highlighting: The Department of Labor is developing a standard for how workplaces deal with heat. The proposed rule by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration would require employers to provide adequate water and rest breaks to outdoor workers, as well as medical services and training to address signs and symptoms of heat-related illness. OSHA is holding meetings this summer to hear comments on how the heat standard would affect small businesses. In order to keep low-income populations cool, the Department of Health and Human Services expanded its Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to provide more access to air conditioning and cooling centers such as libraries, senior centers, or other public buildings. The Environmental Protection Agency also has provided assistance to help communities develop cooling centers within schools. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been helping cities and towns map “heat islands” with dense buildings and fewer trees, and the Department of Agriculture issued guidance for creating more tree canopy coverage, which helps with cooling environments. In addition, the administration launched a website called heat.gov with interactive maps, weather forecasts and tips for keeping cool amid record-breaking heat. More than 100 members of Congress, led by Texas Democratic Reps. Greg Casar and Sylvia Garcia, and Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., have called on the administration to implement the new heat standard for outdoor workers as quickly as possible. “We know extreme weather events such as heat waves are becoming more frequent and more dangerous due to climate change. Urgent action is needed to prevent more deaths,″ the lawmakers wrote in a letter Monday. The United Farm Workers and other groups also called on OSHA to immediately issue a nationwide rule protecting outdoor workers after farm worker deaths this month in Florida and Arizona. “Farm workers need and deserve the access to shade, water, and paid breaks,’’ said UFW President Teresa Romero. “How many more workers will we let dangerous heat and callous employers kill before this nation acts?” Douglas Parker, assistant Labor secretary for occupational safety and health, called heat illness prevention a top priority. As OSHA works toward a final rule, the agency is enhancing enforcement efforts “to make sure employers and workers understand the dangers of heat illness and how to prevent it,’’ Parker said in a statement. Casar, 34, a freshman lawmaker from Austin, staged a “thirst strike” Tuesday outside the U.S. Capitol, forgoing water breaks for nearly nine hours, to protest a new Texas law that bans local governments from requiring water breaks and other safety measures for outdoor workers. Casar called the law “insane″ and accused Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of being “on the wrong side of history.’’ At least 42 workers died in Texas between 2011 and 2021 from environmental heat exposure, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Democrats are going to stand up for common sense and for working people,″ Casar said. Ladd Keith, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona who studies heat policy and governance, said the record-breaking heat much of the nation is experiencing “is very much in line with climate change projections.” While not surprising, “they’re certainly a continuation of a concerning trend of climate impacts that we’ve seen,” he said. Despite the recent headlines, rising temperatures have typically not received the same level of attention as other climate risks, such as flooding and wildfires. Keith said. “Heat has just not been a topic at the national level or local level that we’ve even considered addressing until the last couple of years,” he said. However, Keith said the administration has ramped up its focus because of searing weather events, such as the heat dome in the Pacific Northwest in 2021 that prompted record temperatures and dozens of deaths across the region. OSHA fined a Florida farm supervisor last month for exposing workers to excessive heat after a 28-year-old worker from Mexico died at a farm in Parkland, Florida. Investigators determined the worker’s death could have been prevented if a labor contractor had followed established safety practices regarding heat-related hazards. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Tommy Tuberville and colleagues concerned about government using corporations to censor Americans
U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) joined Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) and Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) in introducing the Free Speech Protection Act to prohibit federal employees and contractors from using their positions to censor and otherwise attack speech protected by the First Amendment. The bill will impose severe penalties for individuals violating this rule. “Our government should actively protect our First Amendment rights, not promote censorship,” Tuberville said on Twitter. “I am proud to join @SenRandPaul in the Free Speech Protection Act.” Sen. Paul is the Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. “Americans are free people and we do not take infringements upon our liberties lightly. The time has come for resistance and to reclaim our God-given right to free expression,” said Dr. Paul. “Under my Free Speech Protection Act the government will no longer be able to cloak itself in secrecy to undermine the First Amendment rights of Americans.” Rep. Jordan is the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. “Censorship is a major threat to freedom today,” said Chairman Jim Jordan. “It is clear that Big Government must be more transparent and that bureaucrats must be held accountable for censorship. The Free Speech Protection Act accomplishes that and gives individuals remedies for censorship to protect vital First Amendment freedoms.” The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming), and Mike Braun (R-Indiana). In addition to protecting Americans’ First Amendment rights, the bill would mandate frequent publicly accessible reports from the heads of executive branch agencies detailing the communications between an executive branch agency and a content provider, as well as prevent agencies from employing any FOIA exemption to prevent disclosure of prohibited communications. The legislation also ensures that federal grant money is not received by any entity that seeks to label media organizations as sources of misinformation or disinformation. The legislation has been endorsed by the Heritage Foundation. “Recent revelations have exposed the lengths to which the Biden administration continues to take to censor the online speech of Americans who speak out against the Left’s agenda,” said Acting Director of Heritage Action Ryan Walker. “When federal employees make content moderation requests, the administration is effectively using the coercive power of the federal government to turn Big Tech companies into enforcement arms of their censorship policies. While the courts may eventually rule that this type of behavior is unconstitutional, Congress should codify these prohibitions into federal law by passing legislation like Senator Paul’s to ensure the long-term protection of Americans’ right to free speech online.” U.S. District Court Judge Terry Doughty ruled that the federal government was using its relationships with private corporations, including Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook, to censor Americans who hold views that the government does not like. Judge Doughty also issued a sweeping preliminary injunction barring numerous federal officials and agencies — including Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and all employees of the Justice Department and FBI — from having any contact with social media firms for the purpose of discouraging or removing First Amendment-protected speech. The Biden Administration is appealing the ruling. Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, and HELP Committees. Tuberville was elected in 2020 after a successful forty-year career as an educator, coach, and sports broadcaster. A native of Arkansas, Tuberville was the head football coach at Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas Tech, and Cincinnati. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com
Debt ceiling talks grind on, but Republicans say there’s a ‘lack of urgency’ from White House
Debt ceiling negotiators for President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy traded more budget-cutting ideas at the Capitol Tuesday, but Republicans warned of a “lack of urgency” at the White House to resolve the standoff in time to avert a potentially chaotic federal default. With barely a week to go before a deadline as soon as June 1, the Democratic president and the Republican speaker were staring down a financial crisis. Failure to strike a deal would be unprecedented, and certain to throw U.S. financial markets into turmoil, inflicting economic pain at home and abroad. Markets lowered Tuesday with no deal in sight. “We’re not there yet,” McCarthy said at the Capitol, reiterating he won’t bring any bill forward “that doesn’t spend less than we spent this year.” Behind closed doors, McCarthy urged his slim House Republican majority to “just stick together” despite their own factions as he negotiates the strongest deal possible for conservatives, said lawmakers exiting the private session. He told reporters the teams are eyeing “creative” ways of rolling back spending that all sides can accept. “I believe we can still get there — and get there before June 1,” McCarthy, R-Calif., said at midday. Dragging into a third week, the negotiations over raising the nation’s debt limit, now at $31 trillion, were never supposed to arrive at this point — a crisis in the making. From the White House, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said it was “ridiculous” to suggest Biden wasn’t acting with urgency. “He wants to see this done as soon as possible,” she said. The White House insisted early on it was unwilling to barter over the need to pay the nation’s bills, demanding that Congress simply lift the ceiling as it has done many times before with no strings attached. But the newly elected speaker urged the president at an Oval Office meeting in February to come to the negotiating table on a budget package that would reduce spending to reduce ballooning deficits in the post-COVID era in exchange for the vote to allow future debt. Both men said after a crucial meeting late Monday at the White House — after the president returned from the Group of Seven summit in Japan — that talks were productive. But with time short to strike a deal, they are laboring to come up with a compromise that could be approved quickly by the Republican House and the Democratic Senate and be signed into law. Negotiations are focused on finding agreement over a 2024 budget year limit. Republicans have set aside their demand to roll back spending to 2022 levels, but say that next year’s government spending must be less than it is now. But the White House instead is offering to freeze spending at current 2023 numbers. Agreement on that topline spending level is vital. It would enable McCarthy to deliver spending restraint for conservatives while not being so severe that it would chase off the Democratic votes that would be needed in the divided Congress to pass any bill. “We are holding firm to the speaker’s red line,” said a top Republican negotiator, Rep. Garret Graves of Louisiana. “Which is that we will not do a deal unless it spends less money than we’re spending this year.” The White House continues to argue that deficits can be reduced by ending tax breaks for wealthier households and some corporations, but McCarthy said he told the president at their February meeting that raising revenue from tax hikes is off the table. The negotiators are now also debating the duration of a 1% cap on annual spending growth going forward, with Republicans dropping their demand for a 10-year cap to six years, but the White House offering only one year, for 2025. Typically, the debt ceiling has been lifted for the duration of a budget deal, and in this negotiation, the White House is angling for a two-year agreement that would push past the presidential elections. Another main Republican negotiator, Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, who joined the speaker at the Oval Office Monday evening, said, “What I sense from the White House is a lack of urgency.” But on the Senate side, Republican leader Mitch McConnell said, “Look, I think everybody needs to relax.” Traveling in his home state of Kentucky, McConnell said of the back and forth, “This is not that unusual.” However, time is growing short. The House speaker promised lawmakers he will abide by the rule to post any bill for 72 hours before voting, making any action doubtful until the weekend — just days before the potential deadline. The Senate would also have to pass the package before it could go to Biden’s desk to be signed. McCarthy faces a hard-right flank in his own party that is likely to reject any deal, and that has led some Democrats to encourage Biden to resist any compromise with the Republicans and simply invoke the 14th Amendment to raise the debt ceiling on his own, an unprecedented and legally fraught action the president has resisted for now. On Tuesday, the leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Scott Perry, said: “We all want to stick together. But again, it’s sticking together around the right thing.” He and others are skeptical of the June 1 deadline that Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said is when “it is highly likely” the government will be unable to pay all the nation’s bills. Treasury said Tuesday it is keeping in close contact with federal agencies on their planned spending as it monitors cashflows. As the negotiators focus on the $100 billion-plus difference between the 2022 and 2023 spending plans as a place to cut, other priorities Republicans are pushing as part of the deal remain on the table. Republicans also want to beef up work requirements for government aid to recipients in the Medicaid healthcare program, though the Biden administration has countered that millions of people could lose coverage. The GOP additionally wants new cuts to food aid by restricting states’ ability to waive work requirements in places
Joe Biden scraps planned visit to Australia, Papua New Guinea to focus on debt limit talks
President Joe Biden said Tuesday he’s curtailing his upcoming trip to the Indo-Pacific, scrapping what was to be a historic stop in Papua New Guinea as well as a visit to Australia for a gathering with fellow leaders of the so-called Quad partnership so he can focus on debt limit talks in Washington. The scuttling of two of the three legs of the overseas trip is a foreign policy setback for an administration that has made putting a greater focus on the Pacific region central to its global outreach. Biden said he still plans to depart on Wednesday for Hiroshima, Japan, for a Group of Seven summit with leaders from some of the world’s major economies. He will return to the U.S. on Sunday. “I’m postponing the Australia portion of the trip and my stop in Papua New Guinea in order to be back for the final negotiations with congressional leaders,” Biden said at the start of a Jewish American Heritage Month event at the White House. He added, “The nature of the presidency is addressing many of the critical matters all at once. So I’m confident we’re going to continue to make progress toward avoiding the default and fulfilling America’s responsibility as a leader on the world stage.” Biden said he spoke to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese earlier on Tuesday to inform him he was postponing a visit to Australia and invited him to Washington for an official state visit at a yet-to-be determined date. White House staff broke the news to Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape. White House officials did not offer an immediate response to questions about when Biden might reschedule visits to the two countries. “Revitalizing and reinvigorating our alliances and advancing partnerships like the Quad remains a key priority for the President,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “This is vital to our ability to advance our foreign policy goals and better promote global stability and prosperity. We look forward to finding other ways to engage with Australia, the Quad, Papua New Guinea, and the leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum in the coming year.” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has invited Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as Pacific Island leaders to come to Hiroshima during the G-7. Albanese, in an Australian Broadcasting Corp. interview, said that the Quad leaders are now hoping to hold a meeting in Hiroshima. “We’ll also hopefully be able to find a time when the four of us can sit down,” Albanese said. “We will have to organize the logistics of the Quad meeting now in Sydney, and we’ll be discussing with our partners in the U.S., but also Japan and India over the next day or so.” Biden had been scheduled to travel on to Papua New Guinea to meet with Pacific Island leaders and then to Australia for a meeting of the leaders of the Quad partnership, made up of the U.S., Australia, India, and Japan. The Papua New Guinea stop would have been the first visit by a sitting U.S. president to the island country of more than 9 million people. The Quad partnership first formed during the response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed some 230,000 people. Since coming into office, Biden has tried to reinvigorate the Quad as part of his broader effort to put greater U.S. focus on the Pacific and counter increasing economic and military assertiveness by China in the region. Biden announced his decision soon after he wrapped up a meeting on Tuesday afternoon with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies, D-N.Y., for talks on the debt limit standoff. Earlier Tuesday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby expressed administration officials’ frustration that the debt talks are having an impact on the president’s dealings on the international stage. “We wouldn’t have to have this conversation. I wouldn’t have to answer these questions if Congress just did the right thing,” Kirby said. Some Republican lawmakers questioned Biden’s decision to travel overseas considering the consequences of the debt limit talks. “I think he should not leave, and he should focus on the debt limit here at home,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. With the brief stop in Papua New Guinea to meet with Pacific Island leaders, Biden had hoped to demonstrate that the United States is committed to remaining engaged for the long term in the Pacific Islands. The area has received diminished attention from the U.S. in the aftermath of the Cold War, and China has increasingly filled the vacuum — through increased aid, development, and security cooperation. Biden has said that he’s committed to changing that dynamic. Last September, Biden hosted leaders from more than a dozen Pacific Island countries at the White House, announcing a new strategy to help to assist the region on climate change and maritime security. His administration also recently opened embassies in the Solomon Islands and Tonga, and has plans to open one in Kiribati. As vice president, Biden saw up close how domestic politics can complicate foreign policy during the 2013 government shutdown. President Barack Obama was forced to bail on attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and the East Asia Summit in Brunei as well as a visit to Malaysia and the Philippines in the midst of a government shutdown as he negotiated with GOP leaders. President Bill Clinton opted to skip his scheduled participation in the APEC summit in Japan in the midst of the 1995 government shutdown. He opted to send Vice President Al Gore in his place. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Joe Biden sending 1,500 troops for Mexico border migrant surge
The Biden administration will send 1,500 active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border starting next week, ahead of an expected migrant surge following the end of coronavirus pandemic-era restrictions. Military personnel will do data entry, warehouse support, and other administrative tasks so that U.S. Customs and Border Protection can focus on fieldwork, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. The troops “will not be performing law enforcement functions or interacting with immigrants, or migrants,” Jean-Pierre said. “This will free up Border Patrol agents to perform their critical law enforcement duties.” They will be deployed for 90 days and will be pulled from the Army and Marine Corps, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will look to backfill with National Guard or Reserve troops during that period, Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said. There are already 2,500 National Guard members at the border. The COVID-19 restrictions have allowed U.S. officials to turn away tens of thousands of migrants crossing the southern border, but those restrictions will lift May 11, and border officials are bracing for a surge. Even amid the restrictions, the administration has seen record numbers of people crossing the border, and President Joe Biden has responded by cracking down on those who cross illegally and by creating new pathways meant to offer alternatives to a dangerous and often deadly journey. For Biden, who announced his Democratic reelection campaign a week ago, the decision signals his administration is taking seriously an effort to tamp down the number of illegal crossings, a potent source of Republican attacks, and sends a message to potential border crossers not to attempt the journey. But it also draws potentially unwelcome comparisons to Biden’s Republican predecessor, whose policies Biden frequently criticized. Congress, meanwhile, has refused to take any substantial immigration-related actions. Then-President Donald Trump deployed active-duty troops to the border to assist border patrol personnel in processing large migrant caravans, on top of National Guard forces that were already working in that capacity. Jean-Pierre downplayed any similarity between Biden’s immigration management and Trump’s use of troops during his term. “DOD personnel have been supporting CBP at the border for almost two decades now,” Jean-Pierre said. “So this is a common practice.” It’s another line of defense in an effort to manage overcrowding and other possible issues that might arise as border officials move away from the COVID-19 restrictions. Last week, administration officials announced they would work to swiftly screen migrants seeking asylum at the border, quickly deport those deemed as not being qualified, and penalize people who cross illegally into the U.S. or illegally through another country on their way to the U.S. border. They will also open centers outside the United States for people fleeing violence and poverty to apply to fly in legally and settle in the United States, Spain, or Canada. The first processing centers will open in Guatemala and Colombia, with others expected to follow. The Pentagon on Tuesday approved the request for troops by Homeland Security, which manages the border. The deployments have a catch: As a condition for Austin’s previous approval of National Guard troops to the border through Oct. 1, Homeland Security had to agree to work with the White House and Congress to develop a plan for longer-term staffing solutions and funding shortfalls, “to maintain border security and the safe, orderly, and humane processing of migrants that do not involve the continued use of DOD personnel and resources,” said Pentagon spokesman Air Force Lt. Col. Devin Robinson. As part of the agreement, the Pentagon has requested quarterly updates from Homeland Security on how it would staff its border mission without servicemembers. It was not immediately clear if those updates have happened or if border officials will be able to meet their terms of the agreement — particularly under the strain of another expected migrant surge. Homeland Security said it was working on it. “U.S. Customs and Border Protection is investing in technology and personnel to reduce its need for DOD support in coming years, and we continue to call on Congress to support us in this task,” the agency said in a statement. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Joe Biden announces 2024 reelection bid: ‘Let’s finish this job’
President Joe Biden on Tuesday formally announced that he is running for reelection in 2024, asking voters to give him more time to “finish this job” and extend the run of America’s oldest president for another four years. Biden, who would be 86 at the end of a second term, is betting his first-term legislative achievements and more than 50 years of experience in Washington will count for more than concerns over his age. He faces a smooth path to winning his party’s nomination, with no serious Democratic challengers. But he’s still set for a hard-fought struggle to retain the presidency in a bitterly divided nation. In his first public appearance Tuesday since the announcement, Biden offered a preview of how he plans to navigate the dual roles of president and presidential candidate, using a speech to building trades union members to highlight his accomplishments and undercut his GOP rivals, while showing voters he remained focused on his day job. Greeted with chants of “Let’s Go Joe” from a raucous crowd of building trades union members — a key base of Democratic support — Biden showcased the tens of thousands of construction jobs being created since he took office that are supported by legislation he signed into law. “We — you and I — together, we’re turning things around, and we’re doing it in a big way,” Biden said. “It’s time to finish the job. Finish the job.” Biden’s campaign announcement, in a three-minute video, comes on the four-year anniversary of when he declared for the White House in 2019, promising to heal the “soul of the nation” amid the turbulent presidency of Donald Trump — a goal that has remained elusive. “I said we are in a battle for the soul of America, and we still are,” Biden said. “The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or fewer.” While the prospect of seeking reelection has been a given for most modern presidents, that’s not always been the case for Biden. A notable swath of Democratic voters has indicated they would prefer he not run, in part because of his age. Biden has called those concerns “totally legitimate,” but he did not address the issue head-on in his launch video. Yet few things have unified Democratic voters like the prospect of Trump returning to power. And Biden’s political standing within his party stabilized after Democrats notched a stronger-than-expected performance in last year’s midterm elections. The president is set to run again on the same themes that buoyed his party last fall, particularly on preserving access to abortion. “Freedom. Personal freedom is fundamental to who we are as Americans. There’s nothing more important. Nothing more sacred,” Biden said in the launch video, depicting Republican extremists as trying to roll back access to abortion, cut Social Security, limit voting rights, and ban books they disagree with. “Around the country, MAGA extremists are lining up to take those bedrock freedoms away.” As the contours of the campaign begin to take shape, Biden plans to run on his record. He spent his first two years as president combating the coronavirus pandemic and pushing through major bills such as the bipartisan infrastructure package and legislation to promote high-tech manufacturing and climate measures. The president also has multiple policy goals and unmet promises from his first campaign that he’s asking voters to give him another chance to fulfill. “Let’s finish this job. I know we can,” Biden said in the video, repeating a mantra he said a dozen times during his State of the Union address in February. Vice President Kamala Harris, who was featured prominently alongside Biden in the video, held a political rally at Howard University in Washington on Tuesday evening in support of abortion access, kicking off her own efforts to support the reelection effort. Saying she’s “proud to run for reelection with President Joe Biden,” Harris added, “Our hard-won freedoms are under attack. And this is a moment for us to stand and fight.” In the video, Biden speaks over brief clips and photographs of key moments in his presidency, snapshots of diverse Americans, and flashes of outspoken Republican foes, including Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. He exhorts supporters that “this is our moment” to “defend democracy. Stand up for our personal freedoms. Stand up for the right to vote and our civil rights.” Biden also plans to point to his work over the past two years shoring up American alliances, leading a global coalition to support Ukraine’s defenses against Russia’s invasion and returning the U.S. to the Paris climate accord. But public support in the U.S. for Ukraine has softened in recent months, and some voters question the tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance flowing to Kyiv. The president also faces lingering criticism over his administration’s chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years of war, which undercut the image of competence he aimed to portray, and he’s the target of GOP attacks over his immigration and economic policies. As a candidate in 2020, Biden pitched voters on his familiarity with the halls of power in Washington and his relationships around the world. But even back then, he was acutely aware of voters’ concerns about his age. “Look, I view myself as a bridge, not as anything else,” Biden said in March 2020, as he campaigned in Michigan with younger Democrats, including Harris, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “There’s an entire generation of leaders you saw stand behind me. They are the future of this country.” Three years later, the president now 80, Biden allies say his time in office has demonstrated that he saw himself as more of a transformational than a transitional leader. Still, many Democrats would prefer that Biden didn’t run again. A recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows just 47% of Democrats say they want him to seek a second term, up from 37% in February. And Biden’s verbal — and occasional physical — stumbles have become fodder for critics trying to
Katie Britt expresses her concerns about inflation in confirmation hearing
U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) spoke about her concerns with inflation on Tuesday at a hearing of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Britt questioned Dr. Jared Bernstein, President Joe Biden’s nominee to be the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), on his steadfast support for the Biden Administration’s economic agenda items. Sen. Britt noted previous statements by Dr. Bernstein downplaying inflation by claiming it was merely “transitory.” Responding to Senator Britt’s questioning, Dr. Bernstein asserted that categorizing inflation as “transitory” was “correct” but “too ambiguous.” Bernstein would not say that the term “transitory” should not have been used by the Administration. Britt pressed the case that persistently high inflation has lasted longer than the Administration anticipated when they first used the “transitory.” Senator Britt also made the case that Dr. Bernstein, a current member of the CEA, simply wants to double down on the very policies that have fueled inflation since January 2021. Britt claimed that Dr. Bernstein’s insistence on advising the President to continue pushing an “irresponsible, partisan tax-and-spend agenda” makes him unfit to serve as our nation’s chief economist – a role which traditionally is reserved for a nonpartisan, serious expert. “The last thing the American people need is a continuation of crushing inflation,” said Sen. Britt. “Instead of owning up to this Administration’s failures and committing to a course correction, Dr. Bernstein used his testimony today to deflect blame, shirk responsibility, and even claim that this economy is a success. This is a stark departure from the harsh reality facing hardworking Alabamians around their kitchen table every day. Since President Biden took office, inflation is up 15.4%. As a mom of two school-aged children, I see this firsthand every time I walk the aisles at the grocery store or fill up at the gas pump: grocery prices are up nearly 20%, while energy costs are up 36%. Simply put, the American Dream is slipping further and further out of reach. Dr. Bernstein made it clear today that we can only expect more of the same under his counsel. He should be fired, not promoted.” Real wages, adjusted for inflation, have fallen for 24 consecutive months while rising prices cost the typical household approximately $10,000 in the same period. In 2022 alone, real disposable income fell more than $1 trillion nationwide, the largest drop since 1932. In a recent poll, just 16% of Americans consider economic conditions “excellent” or “good,” while 72% of the population thinks economic conditions are getting worse. White House Press Secretary Karine Jeane-Pierre told reporters on Wednesday, “We have always said it will take some time for inflation to come down. And we may see bumps in the roads, but that’s why lowering costs and fighting inflation remains the President’s top priority.” Katie Britt won a landslide election in November to win her first term as U.S. Senator. She is a former Chief of Staff for Sen. Richard Shelby, an attorney, and formerly the President and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Tommy Tuberville says it is no longer safe for Americans to cross Mexican border
Four Americans were kidnapped while making a cross-border visit to Mexico. Authorities rescued two of those Americans, but the other two were found executed. On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville told the Alabama press corps, “You can’t go freely across the border.” “I hate this happened to four Americans,” Sen. Tuberville said in his weekly press call. “We lost two lives, and it is sad what happened. That you can’t go freely across the border, you can’t go at any stop across the border now. It is out of control.” “Well, it just goes to show you, not just on our side, but on their side – they’re losing control of their borders, Mexico is,” Tuberville continued. “Mexico actually is being held hostage by the cartels. The cartels are running the country of Mexico. Their government is under siege. You have got to be very careful. It is a different country than it has been in the past.” Tuberville urged President Joe Biden to talk to the President of Mexico and urge Mexico to send military to the border. “I would hope that President Biden would step up and have a meeting with the president over there,” said Tuberville. “I know President Trump did. He held them accountable and said we are going to stop trade if you don’t get your chips in a row. They straightened up. They gave us people at the border Military that would help out the border.” Tuberville said that President Biden is partly to blame for the border chaos. “President Biden is partly to blame for this for what he has done on our side of the border – opened up the border and let the cartel come through as they may,” Tuberville said. “So hopefully, this administration in the White House will wake up and smell the roses. It is wrong. It is wrong for the people of Mexico, and it is wrong for law-abiding citizens of Mexico, and something needs to be done, and there needs to be huge talks. We have got wars all over the world, but we have got a war right at our border, and we better wake up and see this and start getting some kind of answers to it at the border on both sides.” The four friends from South Carolina were traveling to Mexico for inexpensive cosmetic surgery. Eric James Williams, Zindell Brown, and cousins Latavia “Tay” McGee and Shaeed Woodard drove into Matamoros, Mexico, in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas just south of Brownsville, Texas. Their white minivan was fired on by heavily armed gunmen in body armor. The foursome was then taken hostage and forced at gunpoint to leave in another car. The hostages were moved frequently to avoid authorities who were frantically seeking to rescue the Americans. Williams and McGee were both rescued Tuesday morning. Brown and Woodard’s ordeal ended in tragedy. One of the victims’ bodies was found in the house with the survivors. The other body was found outside the home. All four are back in America now. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked on Wednesday if the President had spoken to the victims. Jean-Pierre told reporters, “I just don’t have anything more to share. Clearly, our hearts go out to the family members who lost — who lost a loved one. It is devastating, clearly, the news that we heard and the reports and what we know of the case thus far. And so, our hearts go out to them. I just don’t have anything to read — to read out.” A 24-year-old suspect, who allegedly was assigned to guard the hostages, is in custody, and authorities are seeking more suspects. Irving Barrios is the attorney general of Tamaulipas. Barrios said that the Americans were not directly targeted and that he believes it all “was a misunderstanding.” The FBI is urging anyone with information to call its San Antonio office at 210-225-6741 or submit information on its website. Tuberville was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2020. Since his election, he has visited the southern border multiple times and has urged Biden to address the growing border chaos. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
