Random Politics

[China]

Republicans unveil steep cuts to Medicaid in portion of Trump tax bill

Legislation introduced by House Republicans late Sunday would slash Medicaid spending significantly by imposing new restrictions on Medicaid beneficiaries such as work requirements and more frequent eligibility checks, but the most controversial changes floated to the program were not included.

The bill from the House Energy and Commerce Committee comes ahead of what’s expected to be a marathon committee hearing Tuesday.

The legislation released Sunday did not include specific spending estimates, but claimed it would save roughly $900 billion.

It appears to cater more to the moderate wing of the party than the conservatives, who had been agitating for drastic cuts to the program. But it remains to be seen if leaders found the right balance between the two factions.

In a Wall Street Journal opinion article published Sunday ahead of the bill’s release, Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) indicated the changes to Medicaid shouldn’t be seen as a cut.

Still, millions of people would lose health insurance under the plan through policies such as work requirements and a new cost-sharing requirement for certain beneficiaries.

The bill also touches on a host of social issues. For instance, it would prohibit Medicaid funding being used for gender-affirming care for minors. It would also stop Medicaid from reimbursing community health providers such as Planned Parenthood that provide family planning and abortion services.

“Let’s be clear, Republican leadership released this bill under cover of night because they don’t want people to know their true intentions,” committee ranking member Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) said in a statement.

Democrats late Sunday released a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis showing the legislation would increase the number of people without health insurance by at least 8.6 million in 2034.

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[China]

You've got to hand it to them: GOP wants to restrict porn

A pair of congressional Republicans have introduced new legislation that would enlist the federal government in the latest target in the conservative war against free speech: banning online porn.

Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois are behind the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act. The law would redefine obscenity as it is currently defined at the federal level by the Communications Act of 1934 and amend the 1973 Supreme Court decision defining pornography known as the “Miller Test.” It's a three-pronged test to decide if something is obscene: Does the material appeal to prurient interests, is it patently offensive, and does it lack serious value?

“Obscenity isn’t protected by the First Amendment, but hazy and unenforceable legal definitions have allowed extreme pornography to saturate American society and reach countless children,” Lee told the conservative Daily Caller.

Ironically, the Republicans are presenting their legislation as a measure to protect children but gave an exclusive advance preview of the bill to the Daily Caller. The Daily Caller has been notorious over the years for making light of child sexual abuse—when it isn’t publishing white supremacists or conspiracy theories.

The GOP bill would redefine the federal definition of obscenity and task federal officials with shutting down the transmission of porn across state lines.

The federal courts have traditionally found that pornography is constitutionally protected free speech under the First Amendment, and that transmitting content over state lines does not trigger standards surrounding “obscenity.”

But the proposed law is in line with ongoing Republican attacks on free speech.

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Democrats Responded To A New Anti-Porn Bill With An Image That Will Haunt Ted Cruz Forever

Last week, Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee introduced a bill that experts are saying could essentially ban pornography on the federal level.

That's where Ted Cruz comes in.

If you'll remember, people noticed that Ted's Twitter account liked a pornographic tweet from @SexuallPosts in 2017.



Well, the Democrats haven't forgotten about any of that, and they've responded to this new porn bill with this:

[Chew]

[SWIM]

I wonder if that is why he dropped out of the race.

[The Evil Genius]

The prostate cancer diagnosis was Friday. He dropped out because he was getting knifed in the back by his Party.

[88Commanders00]

He dropped out because the Dems could no longer hide his cognitive decline.

[The Evil Genius]

Do another speedball Donny.

[The Evil Genius]

[China]

Do another speedball Donny.

Donald Trump, Jr. just confirming how much of an idiot he is. Dr. Biden is a doctor of education, not medicine... and is not Joe Biden's personal physician.

[China]

Upending norms, the Senate votes to undo California's EV rules

The Senate has overruled the guidance of the parliamentarian, a nonpartisan staffer who interprets the Senate's rules, and voted 51 to 44 to overturn a waiver allowing California to set its own air pollution standards for cars that are stricter than national regulations. The Senate has only overruled its parliamentarian a handful of times in the 90-year history of the role.

The Senate also voted to revoke two waivers related to heavy-duty trucks. One allowed California to mandate zero-emission trucks, and the other permitted stricter emissions standards for new diesel trucks.

Congress is using a law called the Congressional Review Act, or CRA, as a mechanism to revoke the federal waivers that allowed California to set these rules. The House previously approved three resolutions to revoke the waivers.

But there are significant questions about whether this use of the CRA is legal; the Government Accountability Office and the Senate parliamentarian, who serve as referees within the federal government, both determined that it is not.

The GAO's opinion is merely advisory. The parliamentarian's guidance is also non-binding, but the Senate has traditionally followed it. While disregarding this advice is not unprecedented, it's extremely rare. Historically, leaders of both parties have feared that if they act unilaterally to change the Senate's norms, the other party will do the same when they're in power. That's exactly what happened in 2013 and 2017, when first Democrats and then Republicans deployed the "nuclear option" to eliminate the filibuster for judicial nominees.

"Today it's all about California emission waivers. But tomorrow, the CRA could now be used to erase any policy from an agency that the Trump administration doesn't like at a simple majority threshold," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Wednesday evening as he tried unsuccessfully to derail the vote. He argued that the CRA could subsequently be used to repeal any policies the White House — including future administrations — doesn't support, including waivers related to Medicaid or reproductive health care. "Republicans should tread carefully today," he said. "What goes around comes around."

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