The coming battles over the nation’s safety-net programs are beginning with an early clash over a thorny question of semantics: What constitutes a cut? In the eyes of many Democrats, any change to Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security that erodes benefits provided under current law would be considered a cut — and therefore stands as…
Author: Mike Lillis
Democrats vow fierce fight if GOP cuts Medicaid
House Democrats are vowing a fierce fight over Medicaid as Republicans eye plans to curb spending for the low-income health care program in the name of deficit reduction. Joining President Biden, the Democrats are warning that Medicaid cuts would disproportionately impact the same vulnerable populations least able to absorb the hit, including low-income kids, seniors…
CBO warns of sharp uptick in Social Security, Medicare spending
Federal spending on Social Security and Medicare is projected to rise dramatically over the next decade, far outpacing revenues and the economy on the whole while putting new pressure on Congress to address accelerated threats of insolvency, according to new estimates from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The increase is driven by a variety of…
Distrust over GOP plans for Social Security, Medicare mark rocky start to budget talks
Republican leaders vowing to protect Social Security and Medicare benefits as part of the coming budget battles are running into a wall of skepticism across the aisle, lending a rocky start to the high-stakes debate over the future of federal spending. Despite Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) promise that entitlement cuts are “off the table” in…
Democrats bash McCarthy over spending demands in debt ceiling talks: ‘hypocrite’
House Democrats are slamming Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) this week after he demanded steep spending cuts as part of negotiations with President Biden to lift the debt limit. They’re pointing to the trillions of dollars piled onto the debt under Republican administrations, wondering aloud why GOP leaders didn’t prioritize cuts when they had the power…
House GOP seeks to divide, conquer Democrats on socialism
As House Republicans aim to use their majority to divide Democrats on toxic political issues, they found early success this month making new hay out of an old idea: the “horrors” of socialism. House GOP leaders staged a vote Thursday on a resolution condemning socialism as a fundamental threat to American prosperity and independence — a…
McCarthy notches win with hard-fought vote to oust Omar
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) chalked up a big victory on Thursday when Republicans rallied to expel Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from her seat on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Omar, a frequent critic of Israel and its human rights record, has been a target of Republicans since her arrival on Capitol Hill in 2019, and McCarthy…
Bipartisan lawmakers launch uphill battle to expand background checks
A bipartisan pair of lawmakers introduced legislation on Wednesday designed to keep firearms from the hands of violent people — a wildly popular idea that has virtually no chance of moving in the GOP-controlled House. Sponsored by Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), the bill would require background checks for essentially all gun…
Democrats fill out select committees on Intel, China, COVID-19 and weaponization
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday filled out the final spots for the party’s committee roster in the new Congress, naming the members of the select committees on Intelligence, China, COVID-19 and the “weaponization” of government. Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) secured the party’s top spot on the House Intelligence — an expected ascension that…
House Dems eye discharge petition as escape hatch on debt ceiling
As the debt ceiling fight heats up on Capitol Hill, House Democrats are eyeing an end-around strategy to bypass Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) — and the conservative hawks driving his agenda — to avoid a federal default later in the year. Democratic leaders have already begun talks about tapping a procedural tool, known as a…