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Tag: budget

Speaker
November 19, 2024
Politics

GOP to Extend Govt Funding Battle Into Trump’s 2025 Term.

Republicans in the House of Representatives are looking to push a stop-gap funding bill that would delay the finalization of the government budget until next year. This would give them and President-elect Donald J. Trump a greater say over how tax dollars will be spent during the first half of his second term.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) says that the clock has essentially run out on finishing the budget this year. “We’re running out of clock. December 20 is the deadline. We’re still hopeful that we might be able to get that done but, if not, we’ll have a temporary measure, I think that would go into the first part of next year and allow us the necessary time to get this done,” he said during a televised interview on Sunday. He continued: “That would be, ultimately a good move because the country would benefit from it—because then you’d have Republican control, and we’d have a little more say in what those those spending bills are.”

UNDERMINING TRUMP.

Pushing the finalization of government spending into early next year would give a higher degree of control to not just the Republican House majority but also the new Republican Senate majority and President-elect Trump. However, not all Republicans are on board with delaying the funding legislation.

“I would like to have a situation clear the deck so that we don’t have to deal with this next year,” argues Senator John Boozman (R-AR), contending that pushing the vote on funding to next year would interfere with the confirmation of Trump’s cabinet appointees: “With a new administration coming in… confirmations are going take a lot of time. So we’ll have that to deal with. And then we should be actually working on the next year’s appropriations.”

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are demanding a full-year funding bill be taken up before the December 20 deadline. Should such legislation pass, it could tie President-elect Trump’s hands in terms of federal spending for much of the first half of his second term.

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Republicans in the House of Representatives are looking to push a stop-gap funding bill that would delay the finalization of the government budget until next year. This would give them and President-elect Donald J. Trump a greater say over how tax dollars will be spent during the first half of his second term. show more
August 20, 2024
William Upton
Economy
Immigration

Illegal Immigration Is Costing This State Over $100 Million A Year.

Illegal immigrants are costing Mississippi taxpayers over $100 million annually, according to a new report released by State Auditor Shad White. The study examines the cost borne by taxpayers to provide education, healthcare, and incarceration for the state’s illegal immigrant population. Meanwhile, the state estimates there are currently 22,000 illegal immigrants residing in the state—comprising over a third of Mississippi’s total foreign-born population.

“Mississippi’s illegal immigration problem is spiraling out of control and is costing taxpayers millions,” White said in a statement regarding the data. The State Auditor added: “Our public schools, hospitals, and prisons will continue to lose massive sums of money that we could have spent on our own citizens if this problem is not solved.”

While the Mississippi Department of Education is barred from documenting the legal status of students and their families, analysts with the State Auditor’s office estimate over 2,500 illegal immigrants are enrolled in K-12 schools. The state’s education funding formula allocates education dollars based on the number of students enrolled in a school—with an additional 15 percent in funding available for students who struggle with learning English. The report estimates that the education cost of Mississippi’s illegal immigrants is upwards of $25 million annually.

The auditor’s report shows, however, that the cost of healthcare for illegal immigrants is by far the biggest drain on the state’s coffers. White’s office estimates that the state spends over $77 million every year on healthcare for illegals—factoring in emergency room visits, lack of insurance, and Medicaid services for U.S.-born children of noncitizens.

Tthe State Auditor’s office also estimates that the cost of incarcerating illegal immigrants until they can be transferred to federal immigration authorities costs the state upwards of $1.7 million annually.

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Illegal immigrants are costing Mississippi taxpayers over $100 million annually, according to a new report released by State Auditor Shad White. The study examines the cost borne by taxpayers to provide education, healthcare, and incarceration for the state's illegal immigrant population. Meanwhile, the state estimates there are currently 22,000 illegal immigrants residing in the state—comprising over a third of Mississippi's total foreign-born population. show more
August 2, 2024
Immigration

Massachusetts Predicts Migrant Shelter Costs to Surpass $1 Billion Annually.

Massachusetts anticipates higher spending on the emergency shelter system for illegal immigrants and local families in the upcoming fiscal year, according to revised estimates from Governor Maura Healey’s (D-MA) administration. Shelter-related costs are now expected to exceed $1 billion in fiscal year 2025.

The latest figures were disclosed shortly after the governor signed a state budget allocating $325 million for the shelter system, which also depends on $175 million in pandemic-related funds. Spending is not expected to decrease post-2025; projections indicate that over $1 billion will likely be required annually through fiscal years 2026 and 2027 if current illegal immigration levels persist.

The revised estimates, updated in mid-July, assume the shelter system will maintain its 7,500-family cap, keep open four overflow shelters, and continue the support levels of fiscal year 2024. According to the Executive Office of Administration and Finance, an initial $915 million cost estimate did not fully incorporate the overflow sites’ operations.

A spokesman for the budget office underscored the physical and financial unsustainability of the current emergency assistance shelter system. Consequently, new policies have been implemented, including a five-day limit at temporary respite centers and a nine-month maximum stay in emergency assistance shelters.

Meanwhile, the Biden-Harris government’s inability to control the flow of illegal immigration across the U.S. southern border is straining state and local budgets across the country. The National Pulse reported in April that Denver, Colorado, slashed critical city services—including police and fire department funding—to bridge a $90 million budget gap caused by services offered to illegal immigrants.

Massachusetts has drawn criticism over the last several years for its status as a sanctuary state. Under the law, state and local police are directed not to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers issued for dangerous and criminal illegal immigrants.

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Massachusetts anticipates higher spending on the emergency shelter system for illegal immigrants and local families in the upcoming fiscal year, according to revised estimates from Governor Maura Healey’s (D-MA) administration. Shelter-related costs are now expected to exceed $1 billion in fiscal year 2025. show more
May 28, 2024
William Upton
News

Vets Slam Gov. Youngkin’s Changes To State Benefits.

Governor Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) is under fire, along with members of the Virginia General Assembly, for changes made to a program that covers tuition costs for the children of veterans who’ve either been 90 percent disabled, killed in action, or taken prisoner by hostile forces. The changes, which were enacted just before Memorial Day weekend, would force the families of veterans to first pursue college tuition assistance through FAFSA and Survivors’ and Dependents’ Education Assistance (DEA) — also called Chapter 35 — before applying for tuition relief through Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program (VMSDEP).

Gov. Youngkin and lawmakers argue that the VMSDEP changes were needed because the program was too broad and too expensive—with the total waivers topping $65 million for the fiscal year 2022-2023. However, the group Friends of VMSDEP contends the changes are a betrayal and will adversely impact the families of the 730,215 veterans who live in Virginia. Additionally, veterans groups point to the timing of the changes, just before the Memorial Day holiday, as especially egregious. 

“I think that this is a promise that was made to people, so it’s a betrayal of that promise, and I think the fact that it’s happening right before Memorial Day is incredibly triggering for a lot of people,” Kayla Owen, the co-founder of Friends of VMSDEP, said in a recent interview. She added: “We’re aware of at least three people specifically that have a 100% rating because of PTSD who were off of medication and have gone back to the doctor to get back on medication because they are not able to handle these changes.”

“This feels like an absolute gut punch. An absolute gut punch,” Pamella Newton, a U.S. Air Force veteran, told ABC 8News in Richmond.

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Governor Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) is under fire, along with members of the Virginia General Assembly, for changes made to a program that covers tuition costs for the children of veterans who've either been 90 percent disabled, killed in action, or taken prisoner by hostile forces. The changes, which were enacted just before Memorial Day weekend, would force the families of veterans to first pursue college tuition assistance through FAFSA and Survivors’ and Dependents’ Education Assistance (DEA) — also called Chapter 35 — before applying for tuition relief through Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program (VMSDEP). show more
Mike Johnston Denver
April 16, 2024
Immigration

Denver Mayor Slashes Funding for Police, Fire Depts., Shifts $90M to Pay for Illegals.

Denver, Colorado, Mayor Mike Johnston announced he will raid city coffers and slash the police, firefighter, and 9-1-1 call center budgets to boost funding for housing and other services for illegal immigrants. Johnston, who has embraced the Biden government’s term “newcomers” to refer to the city’s burgeoning illegal alien population, said the cuts are necessary to afford the $89.9 million in new spending on illegals.

The city’s police department will see a $8.4 million cut in its budget, while the Denver fire department will have its budget slashed by $2.5 million. In addition, 9-1-1 operators would be forced to take a pay cut. Other city services will be reduced by $45.9 million as part of the funding shift, which prioritizes Denver’s illegal immigrant population of its legal residents.

“After more than a year of facing this crisis together, Denver finally has a sustainable plan for treating our newcomers with dignity while avoiding the worst cuts to city services,” Johnston claimed during the April 10 announcement of his budget plan. He continued: “So many times, we were told that we couldn’t be compassionate while still being fiscally responsible. Today is proof that our hardest challenges are still solvable and that together we are the ones who will solve them.”

Johnston has joined other state and local Democratic politicians across the U.S. in asking for the Biden government to provide financial assistance for cities as well as increase the number of work permits for illegal immigrants. “We think if the federal government can take action on the supplemental budget that President Biden has proposed, that would be $14 billion that could help meet this need,” the Denver mayor said earlier this year. Johnston’s budget will head to the Denver City Council for debate and a final vote on April 16.

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Denver, Colorado, Mayor Mike Johnston announced he will raid city coffers and slash the police, firefighter, and 9-1-1 call center budgets to boost funding for housing and other services for illegal immigrants. Johnston, who has embraced the Biden government's term "newcomers" to refer to the city's burgeoning illegal alien population, said the cuts are necessary to afford the $89.9 million in new spending on illegals. show more
zelensky
April 10, 2024
William Upton
Politics
War

You’ve Been Giving Much More to Ukraine Than You Were Told.

A group of Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill are accusing President Joe Biden‘s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of significantly underestimating the amount of aid sent to Ukraine. In a letter to Biden’s budget agency, Sens. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Mike Lee (R-UT) — along with several other lawmakers — detail evidence suggesting the previous Ukraine aid estimate of $111 billion is off by at least $14 billion. They contend the actual cost of aid is closer to $125 billion and could even exceed $129 billion.

Sen. Vance and his colleagues also allege the Biden government has stonewalled their transparency efforts, making it increasingly difficult to determine the cost of U.S. aid packages sent to the Eastern European country. They note that their initial request for OMB to provide the cost of Ukraine aid took nearly eight months to fulfill — and even then, the agency only provided an incomplete data set.

“The deficiencies in OMB’s response were numerous,” the Senators wrote to the agency’s director, Shalanda Young, on Tuesday. They noted the OMB data did not include “base appropriations for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative” and “omitted the administration’s ‘$6.2 billion in ‘freed-up’ authority’ to send weapons to Ukraine.”

In May of last year, The National Pulse reported that the Biden government had changed its method for determining the value of military equipment in an effort to allow them to claim they were spending less than initially claimed on Ukraine. The Pentagon originally valued weapons in terms of their replacement costs. By moving to an accounting system where they valued weapons in terms of cost when they were purchased and depreciated, they have been able to argue military aid to Ukraine has been overvalued.

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A group of Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill are accusing President Joe Biden's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of significantly underestimating the amount of aid sent to Ukraine. In a letter to Biden's budget agency, Sens. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Mike Lee (R-UT) — along with several other lawmakers — detail evidence suggesting the previous Ukraine aid estimate of $111 billion is off by at least $14 billion. They contend the actual cost of aid is closer to $125 billion and could even exceed $129 billion. show more
big tech
March 22, 2024
William Upton
Economy
Politics

Congress’s ‘Minibus’ Contains Dem Earmarks for Transgender Youth Services, $1.8M For Late-Term Abortion Clinics.

Several controversial Democratic earmarks have been included in the second half of this year’s congressional budget request, drawing sharp criticism from conservative groups. Included in the 1,000-page budget document, released in the early morning hours on Thursday, are earmarks aimed toward LGBTQ+ ‘healthcare’ facilities and late-term abortion clinics. Another Democrat earmark funds a multi-million-dollar research project on “gun confiscation.”

The non-profit group Americans Advancing Freedom has criticized the Congressional appropriations package, stating: “Congress can’t pass this legislation in its current form until these egregious earmarks are weeded out.” Conservative critics are also alarmed by what they perceive as a disregard for transparency, with the budget text released in the middle of the night and a rush by Congressional leadership to adopt the legislation.

Some of the Democrat earmarks include a $400,000 appropriation for Wisconsin’s Briarpatch Youth Services, a facility running the “Teens Like Us LGBTQIA2s+” program, and the “Gender Affirming Clothing Program.” The youth center offers pride-prom events as well, permitting LGBTQ youth to participate without parental consent.

Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) have also requested $400,000 for the Garden State Equality Education Fund. This major LGBTQ+ advocacy group provides certain undergarments for transgender individuals. Additional earmarks involve a $1.8 million request for a Rhode Island hospital performing elective late-term abortions and a $12.5 million appropriation for a National Institutes of Health study focused on firearm control, which opponents deem as ‘research’ into gun confiscation.

The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the appropriations package late on Saturday, with the Senate likely to take up the legislation quickly after that.

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Several controversial Democratic earmarks have been included in the second half of this year’s congressional budget request, drawing sharp criticism from conservative groups. Included in the 1,000-page budget document, released in the early morning hours on Thursday, are earmarks aimed toward LGBTQ+ ‘healthcare’ facilities and late-term abortion clinics. Another Democrat earmark funds a multi-million-dollar research project on “gun confiscation.” show more
March 20, 2024
Economy
Immigration

Illegals Are Breaking the Bank in Denver.

Denver’s economic challenges continue to mount as the Democrat-controlled ‘sanctuary city’ struggles with increasing numbers of illegal immigrants. Within a little over a year, the city council has seen costs for feeding its illegal population surge. In December 2023, the city allocated $100,000 for a contract to provide food for its illegal aliens. By January of 2024, the food costs had increased to $475,000. Last month, the city had to pay an additional $450,000 in food costs, with another $500,000 expected to come due in June.

In total, the city has spent around $1.4 million in taxpayer dollars on the feeding of its illegal alien population. With almost 40,000 migrants arriving in the past year in response to Denver’s sanctuary city status, the city’s budgetary stress is reaching crisis levels.

The increased contract costs come as Denver is wrestling with a nearly $60 million budget deficit — exacerbated by the financial demands of offering food, shelter, and additional services to arriving migrants. Mayor Mike Johnston stated that to retain the existing services for illegal immigrants, taxpayers could face costs upwards of $100 million over the forthcoming year.

Denver has obtained some aid from the state and federal government, including a $3.5 million reimbursement from Colorado’s state government and a $1.6 million federal advance from the Biden government’s Department of Homeland Security. An additional $12.2 million in potential federal reimbursements is currently under review.

Democrat-controlled ‘sanctuary cities’ across the country have come under increasing fiscal strain from growing illegal immigrant populations. While many have turned to the Biden government for federal aid, New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams, has pushed to end the Big Apple’s status as a ‘sanctuary city.’

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Denver’s economic challenges continue to mount as the Democrat-controlled ‘sanctuary city’ struggles with increasing numbers of illegal immigrants. Within a little over a year, the city council has seen costs for feeding its illegal population surge. In December 2023, the city allocated $100,000 for a contract to provide food for its illegal aliens. By January of 2024, the food costs had increased to $475,000. Last month, the city had to pay an additional $450,000 in food costs, with another $500,000 expected to come due in June. show more
March 15, 2024
William Upton
Economy

Commercial Real Estate Shows Signs of Collapse.

The United States economy may be seeing the start of a collapse in the commercial real estate sector — raising concerns about the potential impact on banks and city budgets. Elevated interest rates, slow corporate growth, and post-pandemic ‘work-from-home’ trends have drastically reduced the office and retail space market.

In San Francisco, a 20-story office tower that was purchased for $146 million ten years ago was recently on the market for merely $80 million, almost a 45 percent reduction in value. Similarly, in Chicago, a 200,000-square-foot-office building sold for close to $90 million in 2004, was bought last month for just $20 million, a staggering 78 percent drop in cost. In Washington, D.C., a 12-story retail and office building just blocks from the White House sold for $36 million, a significant decline in value since its $100 million sale in 2018.

Hammering City Budgets.

This depreciation in commercial property values is severely affecting municipal budgets that rely heavily on the taxes attached to these commercial real estate properties. Financial shortfalls are becoming a reality for many cities as lower assessments of property values shrink tax income. Aaron Peskin, president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, notes a potential $1 billion shortfall in San Francisco’s $14 billion budget over the next few years, mainly due to decreased commercial real estate tax revenue.

Renewed Banking Crisis Risk.

Additionally, there are mounting concerns that a crisis in commercial real estate could cause cross-contamination in the U.S. banking sector — especially among small and regional banks. Since the middle of last year, small and mid-sized regionals have increased holdings in commercial real estate despite the market cooling. If holdings in commercial real estate increasingly become toxic assets, U.S. regulators could face a renewed banking crisis similar to the one experienced last year when several regional banks — including Silicon Valley Bank — experienced banking runs before ultimately being seized by the Biden government as they collapsed.

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The United States economy may be seeing the start of a collapse in the commercial real estate sector — raising concerns about the potential impact on banks and city budgets. Elevated interest rates, slow corporate growth, and post-pandemic ‘work-from-home’ trends have drastically reduced the office and retail space market. show more
big tech
March 5, 2024
William Upton
Politics

House Conservatives Brand Schumer-Johnson Budget Bills ‘Pathetic.’

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced details of the first six major budget bills on Sunday to prevent a partial government shutdown, which House conservatives are calling “pathetic.” Federal funding for several government agencies is set to lapse on March 8.

The 1,050-page appropriations package combines six bills drafted by the House and Senate — including funding for the military, veterans affairs, agriculture, commerce, energy and water, transportation, and housing. Initial funding was due to expire on March 1, but leaders agreed on Wednesday to extend these deadlines by a week.

The funding agreement falls well short of what many conservative lawmakers on Capitol Hill expected. The legislation does not prohibit the Department of Justice (DOJ) from using taxpayer funds to prosecute a presidential candidate — a top priority for many Congressional Republicans. Additionally, it allows for continued funding of China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology and other labs controlled by governments hostile to the United States. The appropriations package doesn’t prohibit taxpayer funding of mail-order chemical abortion drugs, nor does it defund President Joe Biden’s DEI executive orders or federal funding for the promotion of Critical Race Theory.

“It’s pathetic,” a senior House Republican aide told The National Pulse, adding: “Weak, low energy, apologetic failure.”

“The truth is that the FBI cut is largely a result of killing one big earmark for Alabama now that Senator Shelby is gone; plus, there is nothing meaningful on border security at all,” the aide said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, however, declared the appropriations package a victory for conservatives, noting House Republicans were able to secure a handful of the policy priorities in the negotiations.

“House Republicans secured key conservative policy victories, rejected left-wing proposals, and imposed sharp cuts to agencies and programs critical to President Biden’s agenda,” Johnson said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).

He continued: “This legislation forbids the Department of Justice from targeting parents exercising their right to free speech before school boards, while it blocks the Biden Administration from stripping Second Amendment rights from veterans.”

The appropriations package contains modest cuts to FBI and ATF funding — seven percent and six percent, respectively. It also includes a 10 percent cut to funding for the Environment Protection Agency. Additionally, the funding agreement nearly zeroed out the FBI’s construction budget. The package also addresses — to a degree — partisan lawfare by Biden’s DOJ. It bars the DOJ from investigating parents who exercise their free speech rights at local school board meetings and bars the investigation of churches for their religious beliefs.

Democrat leaders on Capitol Hill praised the package, cheering its continued full funding for programs including special food assistance for women, infants, and children, rent assistance, and infrastructure employee pay. House leaders have indicated they expect to take the legislation to the floor for a vote this coming weekend, just ahead of the March 8 funding deadline.

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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced details of the first six major budget bills on Sunday to prevent a partial government shutdown, which House conservatives are calling “pathetic.” Federal funding for several government agencies is set to lapse on March 8. show more