Category: US

• Bernie Sanders blasted Democrats’ major climate and healthcare bill as “the so-called Inflation Reduction Act.”
• Sanders pointed out a nonpartisan review found the legislation wouldn’t have an immediate effect on inflation.
• Republicans have also knocked out the bill’s name.

Sen. Bernie Sanders blasted Democrats’ massive climate and healthcare bill on Saturday evening as senators tried to pass a major piece of Biden’s economic agenda after more than a year of debate.

“I want to take a moment to say a few words about the so-called Inflation Reduction Act that we are debating this evening,” Sanders said just after joining Democrats in advancing debate on the proposal. “I say so-called because according to the CBO and other economic organizations that have studied this bill, it will in fact have a minimal impact on inflation.”

For much of the week, Sanders has turned into the $740 billion proposal brokered by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin, which would invest millions in green energy, lower some prescription drug prices, and impose a 15 percent minimum tax on large corporations.

Sanders’ mention of the CBO, or Congressional Budget Office, is a nod to the nonpartisan scorekeeper’s finding that the proposal is negligible, at least in the immediate future, NPR previously reported.

The Vermont independent intends to introduce amendments to change the bill, such as one measure that would empower Medicare to pay an amount equal to the Department of Veterans Affairs for prescription drugs. Sanders later stood alone as both Democrats and Republicans rejected his amendment to cap costs for covered prescription drugs under Medicare parts B and D by a 99 to 1 vote.

Both Georgia Democrats, Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, later joined Sanders on an amendment that would Medicare to cover dental, vision, and hearing benefits. But once again, the Vermont senator’s effort failed via a lopsided vote, this time 3 to 97.

Republicans have used the CBO’s findings as fodder to lambaste the Democrats’ proposal. Some have previously used Sanders’ exact approach of referring to the proposal as “the so-called Inflation Reduction Act.”

“I don’t find myself saying this very often. But on that point, I agree with Bernie,” Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the second-ranked Senate Republican, told Insider.

Sanders has smoked over the elements that were jettisoned from Biden’s larger “Build Back Better” agenda to advance the compromise, including universal pre-K, tuition-free community college, and in-home care for the elderly.

The Vermont senator and former presidential candidate added that the legislation contains “good features” but also criticized its inclusion of a drug pricing provision that will take years to kick in. He later called it an “incredibly tepid bill.” Sanders also ripped the provisions in the bill that would expand some fossil fuel exploration, an addition that helped secure Manchin’s support.

Sanders pressed Democratic senators to address “the major crises facing working families” during his floor speech.

“If we cannot do that, not only will people continue to hurt and suffer but to my mind, it is questionable how long we will remain a democracy,” he said on Saturday.

Sen. Ron Wyden, who helped write the legislation as chairman of the powerful Finance committee, said he shared Sanders’ hope for a bill that went further in many areas. But on drug pricing, in particular, Wyden argued the bill still takes major steps.

“I’ve said I’d like to do more myself, more quickly — there’s no question about that those are my roots,” Wyden told reporters, adding that when faced “between inaction and this, for me it’s not a close call. “

During an interview on “Fox & Friends Weekend,” American Legislative Exchange Council economist Jonathan Williams slams Democrats’ latest effort to combat inflation, the Inflation Reduction Act, arguing that raising taxes and increasing spending is “economic malpractice.”

JONATHAN WILLIAMS: And what we need is going in the opposite direction and actually cut spending in Washington. It’s clear we don’t have a problem with the lack of tax revenue here. We’ve hit record tax revenue numbers time and time again in recent years, but we just spend faster than the taxes are coming in. And this is a huge problem here. Let’s look to common sense, what’s happening in the 50 states. In fact, you know, 49 out of the 50 states, a lot of people don’t know this, have balanced budget amendment in their state constitution or in state law.

THERE’S NO WAY THAT MANCHIN, SCHUMER’S RECKLESS TAX AND SPEND PROPOSAL WILL GET MY SUPPORT

Congress spending concept
(istock)

Now, Washington needs to take a page from the successful stories of what’s happening at the state level. People look at Washington as this land of make believe, that say they want to double down on everything that’s causes problems. And by the way, as the economy is contracting. And people like Joe Manchin have said this and Chuck Schumer in the past, let’s not mess with taxes. Let’s not raise taxes. The economy is shrinking. I mean, this is absolutely economic malpractice what’s being discussed right now.

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INDIANAPOLIS — One of the largest employers and oldest companies in Indiana will begin looking for expansion opportunities outside of the Hoosier State in the wake of a recently passed abortion ban bill.

Eli Lilly and Co. released a statement Saturday that said the abortion ban may hurt the company’s ability to bring in “diverse scientific, engineering and business talent” to Indiana.

“As a global company headquartered in Indianapolis for more than 145 years, we work hard to retain and attract thousands of people who are important drivers of our state’s economy,” Lilly’s statement read.

The law referenced by Lilly, Senate Bill 1, is a near-total statewide abortion ban with few exceptions. The bill was passed by the Indiana Senate on Friday night and signed into law by Gov. Eric Holcomb shortly after. The ban is set to go into effect on Sept. fifteen.

A Lilly spokeswoman told the Indiana Business Journal that the company plans to honor all current Indiana commitments. In May, IBJ reported that Lilly announced plans to spend $2.1 billion to open two Boone County manufacturing sites.

Lilly’s statement, which was sent out on Saturday morning, was the company’s first public comment on the topic of abortion, IBJ wrote.

“Lilly recognizes that abortion is a divisive and deeply personal issue with no clear consensus among the citizens of Indiana,” the statement read. “Despite this lack of agreement, Indiana has opted to quickly adopt one of the most restrictive anti-abortion laws in the United States.”

• Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas has sent over 6,100 immigrants from the border to Washington, DC, per NPR.
• In April, Abbott announced he would send buses of migrants to DC to address immigration.
• Abbott announced on Friday that the first charter bus of immigrants arrived in New York City.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has sent over 6,100 immigrants from the border to Washington, DC, his office said on Friday

After the 36-hour journey to DC’s Union Station, migrants who exit the charter buses are met with volunteers from mutual aid organizations to help them get settled but not officials from the local or federal government, NPR reported.

“It was really crazy because they were just leaving them on the street,” Abel Nuñez, executive director of DC’s Central American Resource Center, told NPR while describing the first bus arrival on April 16.

“We knew it was on its way so we were there since 5 am just waiting for them along with mutual aid organizations,” Nuñez added to NPR. “It was incredible how shell-shocked these people were coming out of the buses.”

In April, Abbott announced he would send charter buses of migrants to DC to help Texas “cope with this latest escalation of the Biden border disaster.” It came after the Biden administration announced the end of Title 42, a pandemic-era public health order that blocked many migrants from entering the US.

“Because of President Biden’s continued refusal to acknowledge the crisis caused by his open border policies, the State of Texas has had to take unprecedented action to keep our communities safe,” Abbott said in a statement.

On Friday, Abbott announced the first arrival of a charter bus of immigrants in New York City, which will “now be a drop-off location for the busing strategy as part of the Governor’s response to the Biden Administration’s open border policies,” the statement said.

“In addition to Washington, DC, New York City is the ideal destination for these migrants, who can receive the abundance of city services and housing that Mayor Eric Adams has boasted about within the sanctuary city,” Abbott said in the statement. “I hope he follows through on his promise of welcoming all migrants with open arms so that our overrun and overwhelmed border towns can find relief.”

While criticizing Abbott, New York officials said the immigrants, over 40 of which arrived Friday, will be welcomed to the city.

“Governor Greg Abbott is continuing to play with the lives of human beings. We think this is cruel, it’s disgusting and it’s pure cowardice,” said Manuel Castro, commissioner of the Office of Immigrant Affairs, per CBS News.

Border patrol took 113 Haitian migrants into custody after their sailing-vessel ran aground off the coast of Florida Saturday afternoon.

The boat was spotted off the coast of Key Largo, near the gated community of Ocean Reef, officials said.

Rescue crews transferred the people from the grounded vessel to Coast Guard ships, with some entering the water without life jackets and needed to be rescued by crew members.

Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar, who heads the agency’s Miami sector, said in a Twitter post that agents are working to keep the migrants “safe, clean, fed and healthy and identify exactly who they are and what they may or may not have wrong with them.”

JONES RIPS LAWMAKERS OVER BORDER CRISIS: THEY WERE ALL ABOUT COMPASSION UNTIL THEY WERE ON THEIR LAWNS

The area off the coast of northern Key Largo has been a frequent destination of Haitian migrants since November.

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“This is an ongoing investigation, and we are trying to identify the smugglers who crammed these people onto that vessel,” Slosar said.

On Saturday, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd spoke for three quarters of the Democratic Party, urging President Joe Biden to announce that he will not be running for re-election for the good of the country.

In her opinion piece, titled, “Hey, Joe, Don’t Give It a Go,” Dowd urged the president to not make the mistake that the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg did, and leave office before overstaying his welcome and making things worse for the Democratic Party.

Dowd began, stating, “Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a cautionary tale. She missed the moment to leave the stage, ignoring friendly nudges from Democrats and entreaties from Obama allies.”

As such, “Her death opened the door to the most conservative court in nearly a century. Her successor, a religious zealot straight out of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ is erasing Justice Ginsburg’s achievements on women’s rights,” Dowd noted, referencing Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

DEMOCRATS WHO DON’T SUPPORT BIDEN IN 2024 REFUSE TO EXPLAIN PLANS FOR ‘NEW LEADERSHIP’ IN WHITE HOUSE

A recent New York Times column urged President Biden to not run for re-election for the sake of the Democratic Party.
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Addressing Biden directly, she insisted, “The timing of your exit can determine your place in the history books.”

Though she acknowledged the recent string of successes for Biden, such as Democrats finding enough support to pass legislation such as the “Inflation Reduction Act,” the columnist argued that this “winning streak” should not inspire him to run again.

“The opposite is true. It should give him the confidence to leave, secure in the knowledge that he has made his mark,” Dowd said.

She continued to give the president credit, stating, “President Biden has had a cascade of legislative accomplishments on tech manufacturing, guns, infrastructure — and hopefully soon, climate and prescription drugs — that validate his promises when he ran.” She called them “genuine achievements that Democrats have been chasing for decades, and they will affect generations to come.”

Though again, she mentioned that he could “leave on a high, knowing that he has delivered on his promises for progress and restored decency to the White House.”

Dowd characterized Biden’s presidency “as a balm to the bombastic Donald Trump,” and “an escape from Trump and Trumpism, a way to help us get our bearings after the thuggish and hallucinatory reign of a con man.”

Implying that’s all it should have ever been, she subsequently wrote, “Then he and his team got carried away and began unrealistically casting him as an FDR with a grand vision to remake the social contract.”

“Biden’s mission was not to be a visionary but to be a calming force for a country desperately in need of calming, and a bridge to the next generation,” Dowd wrote, adding that “he’s a logical one-termer.”

New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd claimed Biden should now announce his plans to not run in 2024 so that Democrats can look for ‘new blood’ to put up as presidential candidates.
(REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo)

TWO NEW YORK REPS JOIN GROWING LIST OF DEMOCRATS WHO REFUSE TO COMMIT TO SUPPORTING BIDEN IN 2024

Dowd gave credence to the “growing sense in the Democratic Party and in America” ​​that dodging a “comeback by Trump or the rise of the odious Ron DeSantis,” requires “new blood.”

She argued that if Biden admitted his plans for next term now, “it would give Democrats a chance to sort through their meh field and leave time for a fresh, inspiring candidate to emerge.”

Dowd then called Biden a “lame duck,” but spun that to work in his favor, writing, “Usually, being a lame duck weakens you. But in Biden’s case, it could strengthen him. We live in a Washington where people too often put power over principle.”

“So the act of leaving could elevate Biden, freeing him from typical re-election pressures, so he and his team could do what they thought was right rather than what was politically expedient,” she claimed.

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Dowd also mentioned that the question of Biden’s age won’t go away, as it’s “already a hot topic in focus groups and an undercurrent in Democratic circles.”

She then concluded her column, stating that for Biden to deal with these “dangerous times” involving inflation, climate change, China, and “women’s rights on the line,” “It might be best to have a president unshackled from the usual political restraints .”

Dowd also claimed Biden accepting the fact that he’s a one-term president means he’ll be “unshackled from the usual political restraints,” and lead even better.
(Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)