GET THE APP
Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Category: Politics
June 24, 2025
William Upton
Economy
Politics

Fed Civil War as Even Democrats Push Powell to Cut Rates.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell faced bipartisan pressure from House Democrats and House Republicans to begin cutting interest rates during a Tuesday hearing on Capitol Hill.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Democrat and Republican members of the House Financial Services Committee, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, President Donald J. Trump, and Federal Reserve Board of Governors members Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Powell testified before the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “From our side, we’d love to see the rates go down,” said Congressman Juan Vargas (D-CA), adding: “I know a number of my colleagues on the other side would love to see the rates go down. I think it’s pretty unanimous.”

🎯IMPACT: With President Trump, GOP and Democrat lawmakers, and Federal Reserve governors increasingly opposed to Powell’s refusal to cut rates, he may be forced to begin climbing down from his position.

IN FULL

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is facing mounting pressure both internally at the central bank and externally from the White House and a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers on Capitol Hill to begin reducing U.S. interest rates. Appearing before Congress on Tuesday, Powell was peppered by House Republicans and Democrats alike to explain his reasoning for not moving to reduce the cost of borrowing.

“From our side, we’d love to see the rates go down,” Congressman Juan Vargas (D-CA) told the Fed chairman during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Tuesday. The California Democrat added: “I know a number of my colleagues on the other side would love to see the rates go down. I think it’s pretty unanimous.”

Just before the hearing, President Donald J. Trump urged lawmakers to grill Powell, posting on Truth Social: “I hope Congress really works this very dumb, hardheaded person, over.”

The bipartisan pressure faced by Powell was compounded in recent days, which saw two members of the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors, who sit on the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), announce their support for the central bank to begin cutting rates in July. On Friday, Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller acknowledged that fears over President Trump’s tariffs reigniting inflation were overblown. “I think we’re in the position that we could do this as early as July,” Waller stated, adding: “That would be my view, whether the committee would go along with it or not.”

Waller was joined on Monday by his fellow Fed governor and FOMC member, Michelle Bowman, who echoed her colleague. “It is likely that the impact of tariffs on inflation may take longer, be more delayed, and have a smaller effect than initially expected,” Bowman said in a speech at a research conference in Prague. She added: “Should inflation pressures remain contained, I would support lowering the policy rate as soon as our next meeting.”

Despite increasing internal and external pressure on Powell to slash rates, the Federal Reserve chairman remains obstinate. “As long as the economy’s strong, we can take a little bit of a pause,” Powell told House lawmakers in response to their push for a July rate cut. While the central bank chief acknowledged that the hard data suggests he should have continued reducing rates after the Fed’s last cut in December, Powell—repeating a mantra he has stated for months—insisted: “The difference, of course, is at this time, all forecasters are expecting pretty soon, that some significant inflation will show up from tariffs.”

However, there has been no evidence of a resurgence of inflation due to the tariffs imposed by the Trump White House. In fact, as Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has noted, the tariffs may actually be having a deflationary effect, which should—under normal circumstances—spur the Federal Reserve to reduce interest rates.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more
June 24, 2025
William Upton
Politics

DEI Loving, Trump Threatening Dem Named Ranking Member of Powerful Congressional Committee.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Congressman Robert Garcia (D-CA) has been tapped to replace the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) as the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, beating out his fellow far-left colleague, Jasmine Crockett (D-TX). Garcia, in his second term of office, was previously the subject of an inquiry by federal prosecutors over implied threats against President Donald J. Trump and Elon Musk.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Rep. Robert Garcia, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, House Democrats, the House Oversight Committee, and the late Rep. Gerry Connolly.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Garcia was elected as ranking member on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: In February, Garcia was accused of threatening Musk and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staff during a televised interview, stating, “What the American public want is for us to bring actual weapons to this bar fight. This is an actual fight for democracy.”

🎯IMPACT: Despite his history of radical and inflammatory statements, the 47-year-old Garcia is being billed by his Democrat colleagues as a “coalition builder” and “cool and calm under the storm.”

IN FULL

Congressman Robert Garcia (D-CA), an openly gay lawmaker who migrated to the United States from Peru as a minor, has been elected by his House Democrat colleagues as the ranking member on the powerful House Oversight Committee. Garcia succeeds the late Representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA), who passed away in May following a battle against esophageal cancer.

The 47-year-old California Democrat and close ally of Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is being billed by his party as a “coalition builder” and “cool and calm under the storm.” However, Garcia’s public statements and divisive political positions render descriptions highly questionable. The National Pulse reported in February that Garcia was the subject of an inquiry by then-U.S. Attorney Ed Martin over alleged threats the Democrat lawmaker had made towards the Trump administration, particularly Elon Musk and staff working at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“What the American public want is for us to bring actual weapons to this bar fight,” Garcia said during a panel discussion on CNN, adding: “This is an actual fight for democracy.” Rather than recognizing the inflammatory nature of his attacks on Musk and DOGE, Garcia instead accused the Department of Justice (DOJ) of targeting him.

Meanwhile, late last year, Garcia spearheaded an effort to use the threat of Congressional action to pressure major U.S. corporations to maintain discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, despite mounting consumer and shareholder backlash. “Inclusion is a core American value, and a great business practice,” Garcia and nearly 50 House Democrats joining him wrote. “By embracing this value, you create safer and fairer workplaces without sacrificing quality or financial success.”

Garcia defeated a crowded field of fellow Democrats in the Oversight Committee’s ranking member election, including the far-left progressive Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-MD), and Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA).

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more
June 23, 2025
Politics

Lib State Breaks Ground on New Nuclear Power Plant.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Plans to build the first major U.S. nuclear power plant in over 15 years have been announced in New York.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) and the New York Power Authority.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The announcement was made on Monday, June 23, 2025, by Hochul in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I’m going to lean into making sure that every company that wants to come to New York and everyone who wants to live here will never have to worry about reliability and affordability when it comes to their utility costs,” Gov. Hochul said in the interview.

🎯IMPACT: The new nuclear power plant will produce enough electricity to power one million homes as part of Gov. Hochul’s plan to add at least one gigawatt of electrical power generation to New York’s nuclear energy capacity.

IN FULL
New York has announced plans to build the first major U.S. nuclear power plant in more than a decade and a half. The plans for the plant’s construction were revealed by Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) during an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Monday.
“I’m going to lean into making sure that every company that wants to come to New York and everyone who wants to live here will never have to worry about reliability and affordability when it comes to their utility costs,” Gov. Hochul said, suggesting that she is pursuing assistance from the Trump White House and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to streamline and reduce regulatory hurdles at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
“Why does it take a decade?” the New York Democrat asked regarding federal nuclear power regulations. “That’s why no one is doing it; the barriers are too high.”
Notably, the United States has not constructed a new nuclear power facility in over 15 years, and only a total of five new nuclear reactors have been built since 1991. The lack of new construction means that the rate of nuclear power plant retirements has far outpaced new construction.
The closure of nuclear power facilities across the United States has resulted in an increase in reliance on fossil fuels to meet increasing electrical power demands. This situation has been exacerbated in recent years by the explosion in artificial intelligence (AI) technology, which requires the use of power-intensive data centers.

New nuclear power plant construction has faced opposition from far-left environmentalist groups who use fears surrounding incidents like the earthquake damage and meltdown at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant to generate public and political resistance. Notably, a number of these “green agenda” groups receive financial backing from China, Russia, and other energy industry interests opposed to nuclear power.

Image by Jiří Sedláček.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more
June 23, 2025
Politics

Biden’s White House Doctor to Testify in Mental Health Probe.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Dr. Kevin O’Connor, former White House physician to Joe Biden, will testify before the House Oversight Committee after being subpoenaed.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Rep. James Comer (R-KY), Neera Tanden, Anthony Bernal, Ashley Williams, Annie Tomasini, and the House Oversight Committee.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Scheduled for July 9 before the House Oversight Committee.

🎯IMPACT: The investigation seeks to determine whether Biden’s cognitive decline influenced decision-making in his administration.

IN FULL

Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the former White House physician who treated then-President Joe Biden, is set to appear for a deposition before the House Oversight Committee on July 9. This was confirmed by a source familiar with the committee’s schedule. O’Connor agreed to testify following a subpoena issued by Rep. James Comer (R-KY), the committee’s chairman.

Comer is leading an investigation into allegations that Democrat staffers in the White House worked to cover up Biden’s cognitive decline while in office. The inquiry also focuses on Biden’s use of an autopen for official government business.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) previously ruled in 2005 that autopen use is legal, and a federal appeals court upheld this in 2024. However, questions have arisen as to whether Biden was aware of certain orders being signed via autopen in his name. Notably, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has publicly spoken about an incident where the octogenarian Democrat appeared unaware that he had issued an executive order halting liquid natural gas exports.

In addition to O’Connor, the Oversight Committee has scheduled interviews with former Biden White House aides Neera Tanden, Anthony Bernal, Ashley Williams, and Annie Tomasini. Unlike O’Connor, these aides agreed to interviews without being subpoenaed.

A former Biden official, speaking anonymously with the media, denied allegations that decisions were made without Biden’s involvement, stating: “Any accusation that President Biden was not making decisions is false. President Biden made the decisions about the pardons and the executive orders he issued, and the legislation he signed into law.”

The Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee has also shown interest in Biden’s mental fitness. Its first public hearing on the matter did not include witnesses with direct knowledge of Biden’s decision-making process.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more
June 20, 2025
Data
Politics

DATA: Service Workers Back No Tax on Tips Plan in Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Hourly workers in service, hospitality, and retail industries overwhelmingly support President Donald J. Trump’s No Tax on Tips plan, according to a new survey.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, hourly workers, and the authors of the survey report.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Survey results published recently, with workers across the United States voicing their support.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I don’t know what the holdup is. I don’t know what the politics are, but if we can cut the BS now … it can help out a lot of people.” – Nevada food service worker.

🎯IMPACT: The plan aims to provide financial stability and relief for hourly workers, while being part of a broader economic agenda under Trump’s leadership.

IN FULL

Hourly workers in the service, hospitality, and retail industries overwhelmingly back President Donald J. Trump’s No Tax On Tips plan in the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” according to a new survey, saying tax-free tips would bring them needed financial stability and relief. According to the data, 83 percent of hourly workers want to see No Tax on Tips become law, with just four percent saying otherwise.

“These results suggest that any measure increasing the amount of immediately available income—such as untaxed tips—would provide meaningful, stabilizing support for a large segment of the hourly workforce,” the report, published by the earned wage payroll company Instant, states. As one Nevada food service worker put it: “I don’t know what the holdup is. I don’t know what the politics are, but if we can cut the BS now … it can help out a lot of people.”

Currently, the “One Big Beautiful Bill”—in the form of budget reconciliation legislation—is undergoing changes in the U.S. Senate after being adopted by the House of Representatives last month. While senators are making substantive changes to the bill’s Medicaid provisions, tax provisions like No Tax on Tips, No Tax on Overtime, and No Tax on Social Security are not expected to be altered from the House version.

The National Pulse has previously reported that President Trump has overseen the largest increase in blue-collar wage growth in 60 years. Blue-collar workers have experienced a 1.7 percent real wage increase in the first five months of Trump’s second term. The wage growth sharply contrasts with the negative growth experienced under former President Joe Biden.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more
June 20, 2025
Immigration
Politics

The LA Dodgers Say They Stopped an ICE Raid at Their Stadium. DHS Says That’s a Lie.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Los Angeles Dodgers claims they denied U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to their baseball stadium parking lot for the purposes of a workplace raid; however, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) states the agents were members of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and were merely transferring detainees from an earlier raid nearby.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: ICE, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and DHS.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Thursday morning at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.

💬KEY QUOTE: “This morning, ICE agents came to Dodger Stadium and requested permission to access the parking lots. They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization.” – LA Dodgers statement.

🎯IMPACT: The decision sparked backlash on social media, with calls for boycotts and criticism of the baseball team’s stance.

IN FULL

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is denying the Los Angeles Dodgers’ claims that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attempted to conduct a workplace raid at the baseball team’s stadium but was denied entry. On Thursday, the Dodgers claimed, “This morning, ICE agents came to Dodger Stadium and requested permission to access the parking lots. They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization. Tonight’s game will be played as scheduled.”

However, DHS, responding to the incident, has clarified that the presence of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) vehicles at the stadium was unrelated to any operational enforcement. “This had nothing to do with the Dodgers. CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement,” DHS stated. A post from ICE’s official X account also denied the Dodgers’ claims, stating, “False. We were never there.”

The incident drew significant attention online, with images of DHS vehicles circulating on social media. CBP officials note that the vehicles were part of a separate raid at a nearby Home Depot, and due to protests, were unable to transfer the illegal immigrants they apprehended at the scene of the raid. Instead, they traveled to the nearby stadium parking lot to place detainees in vans to take them to a federal detention facility.

The Dodgers have faced increasing pressure to align with pro-illegal immigration activists, particularly after anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles earlier this month. Notably, the controversy comes in the wake of another divisive decision by the Dodgers, when the team chose to honor the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” a drag group centered around blasphemous distortions of the Catholic faith.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more
June 19, 2025
Economy
Politics

Trump Is Pushing the House to Pass This Senate Crypto Bill, Fast.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Senate passed the GENIUS Act in a 68-30 vote, aiming to position the U.S. as a leader in digital assets.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, the U.S. Senate, and the House of Representatives.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Senate approved the bill on Tuesday, with Trump urging the House to act on Wednesday.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The Senate just passed an incredible Bill that is going to make America the UNDISPUTED Leader in Digital Assets — Nobody will do it better, it is pure GENIUS!” – Donald Trump.

🎯IMPACT: The GENIUS Act could establish the U.S. as a global leader in crypto and digital asset innovation.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump late Wednesday urged the House to speedily pass the Senate’s GENIUS Act, arguing it would propel the United States to become the world’s leader on crypto and digital assets. The upper chamber approved the legislation in a 68-30 vote on Tuesday.

The bill would enact new federal guidelines for stablecoins and create a framework for private companies to issue digital dollars. “The Senate just passed an incredible Bill that is going to make America the UNDISPUTED Leader in Digital Assets — Nobody will do it better, it is pure GENIUS! Digital Assets are the future, and our Nation is going to own it,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“We are talking about MASSIVE Investment, and Big Innovation. The House will hopefully move LIGHTNING FAST, and pass a ‘clean’ GENIUS Act,” he continued, adding: “Get it to my desk, ASAP — NO DELAYS, NO ADD ONS. This is American Brilliance at its best, and we are going to show the World how to WIN with Digital Assets like never before!”

Trump’s Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, has lauded the bill, stating that “stablecoins could grow into a $3.7 trillion market by the end of the decade.”

“A thriving stablecoin ecosystem will drive demand from the private sector for US Treasuries, which back stablecoins,” Bessent wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter), adding: “This newfound demand could lower government borrowing costs and help rein in the national debt.”

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more
June 18, 2025
Politics

Biden Will Emerge for ‘Juneteenth’ Celebration.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Former President Joe Biden is set to attend a Juneteenth celebration in Galveston, Texas.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Joe Biden and attendees of the Juneteenth event at Reedy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Thursday at the Reedy Chapel AME Church in Galveston, Texas.

🎯IMPACT: The event marks a rare public appearance for Biden in 2025, following news he has been diagnosed with cancer and mounting evidence that former White House staff hid the octogenarian Democrat’s cognitive and physical decline from the public in office.

IN FULL

Former President Joe Biden will attend a Juneteenth celebration at the Reedy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Galveston, Texas, on Thursday, June 19. The church, the first and oldest operating AME church in Texas, holds historical significance, as it was allegedly one of the locations where the order announcing the end of slavery in Texas was delivered on June 19, 1865.

The Juneteenth event marks a rare public appearance for the 82-year-old Democrat, who was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer earlier this year. Additionally, evidence continues to mount that Biden’s White House staff worked to conceal the octogenarian Democrat’s cognitive and physical decline from the American public.

Notably, Biden signed legislation in 2021 establishing Juneteenth—once predominantly just a holiday in Texas—as a federal holiday. The holiday ostensibly marks the date when Major General Gordon Granger moved to enforce former President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in Texas upon the end of the American Civil War. Lincoln had actually signed the proclamation ending slavery two years earlier, and the order had already been enforced in other states as Union soldiers captured Confederate territory.

The church Biden will attend is, according to Galveston, Texas historians, the same church where Maj. Gen. Granger read and moved to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. However, there is actually scant evidence that Granger visited the church himself or even read Lincoln’s order aloud.

What is documented is that Union soldiers posted the proclamation at a number of public buildings around Galveston, including what is described as the “Negro Church on Broadway” which is believed to now be the Reedy Chapel AME Church.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more
June 18, 2025
Crime
Politics

Top U.S. Cities Have One Thing in Common: No Democrats in Power.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Provo, Utah, was declared the most efficient city in the U.S., according to a WalletHub study analyzing 148 cities based on factors like crime, unemployment, and infrastructure.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi, WalletHub researchers, and other city officials across the U.S.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The study was published in June 2025, focusing on cities nationwide, with Provo, Utah, ranking first.

🎯IMPACT: Provo’s success highlights the effectiveness of conservative leadership in fostering low crime, economic growth, and strong education outcomes.

IN FULL

Provo, Utah, has been named the most efficient city in the United States, according to a WalletHub study that analyzed 148 cities on factors such as unemployment, crime, infrastructure quality, education outcomes, and economic health. Provo, run by Republican Mayor Michelle Kaufusi since 2017, achieved the top ranking due to its low crime rates, strong economy, and high graduation rates.

The city boasts the fourth-lowest violent crime rate and seventh-lowest property crime rate in the nation. It also ranks 22nd for infrastructure quality and eighth for unemployment. Provo’s economy is growing at a rate of 5.2 percent, and its high school graduation rate stands at nearly 91 percent, signaling a bright future for the city of just over 113,000 residents.

Nampa, Idaho, ranked second in the study, also under Republican leadership. Mayor Debbie Kling has overseen a city with the lowest property crime rate in the nation and a government with remarkably low debt—just $478 per capita in long-term debt. This contrasts sharply with cities like New York, where residents would need to contribute over $34,000 each to eliminate their city’s debt.

Manchester, New Hampshire, placed third, with Republican Mayor Jay Ruais taking office in January 2024. Manchester excels in environmental health, boasting the seventh-lowest air pollution in the country, alongside a strong real estate market and low unemployment. The city’s lack of state income and general sales taxes has also attracted new residents.

At the other end of the spectrum, San Francisco, California, was ranked the worst-run city in the study, burdened by the highest debt levels and ongoing issues with crime and homelessness. Other poorly-ranked cities included Detroit, Oakland, and Baltimore, all of which struggle with high crime rates and weak public services. San Francisco’s financial health was downgraded by S&P Global in December 2024, reflecting the challenges facing Democrat-led cities.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

Image via Wikimedia Commons.

show less
show more
June 17, 2025
Politics

The Senate GOP Is Making Big Changes to Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Senate Republicans unveiled a new proposal for Medicaid reforms within President Donald J. Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” aiming to implement stricter eligibility and work requirements while limiting states’ use of health care provider taxes to qualify for additional funding.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), Senate Finance Committee members, and President Donald Trump.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The Senate Finance Committee revealed the proposal on Monday evening.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The things that we’re doing are going to strengthen it, improve it, and make it available to people for whom it was intended.” – John Thune.

🎯IMPACT: The reforms aim to reduce federal Medicaid spending by over $700 billion, with Senate Republicans arguing it will curb unnecessary spending while preserving benefits for vulnerable Americans.

IN FULL

Senate Republicans are pushing to enact more expansive Medicaid reforms in President Donald J. Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” surpassing the changes implemented in the House-passed version with further tightened eligibility and stricter work requirements. The Senate Finance Committee unveiled its proposed changes Monday evening, including measures to limit states’ use of health care provider taxes to secure additional federal funding.

The Senate’s proposal is projected to exceed the $700 billion in federal Medicaid spending reductions included in the House version of the reconciliation bill. Republican leaders have touted these reforms as the most significant reduction to mandatory spending in a budget bill in U.S. history.

“[T]his is a program that’s ripe for reform. The things that we’re doing are going to strengthen it, improve it, and make it available to people for whom it was intended,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said in a recent interview, adding: “It shouldn’t be available for illegal immigrants. There are people who are ineligible. There are people, able-bodied males who are of working age; there ought to be a work requirement attached to it. These are all reforms to a program that was desperately in need of reform.”

The Senate plan targets provider taxes, reducing the cap states can impose on health care providers to receive federal Medicaid funding. Starting in 2027, the cap will gradually decrease to 3.5 percent by 2031. Additionally, the Senate proposal expands work requirements to include adults with children aged 14 or older, a step beyond the House version, which exempted adults with dependent children entirely.

However, not all Senate Republicans support the far-reaching reforms. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) panned the proposal, arguing that the provider tax changes would essentially “defund rural hospitals” to pay for “Biden ‘Green New Deal’ subsidies.”

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

show less
show more