Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Wednesday that he has vetoed two bills dealing with insurance because he thinks they would increase the cost of health care.

‘One is a bad idea, and I can’t see myself supporting it. One is a good idea that just includes some correctable mistakes,’ the Republican governor said in a statement.

Reeves said the ‘bad idea’ was in Senate Bill 2224, which would have given the state insurance commissioner the ability to set rates for all health insurance.

He said Senate Bill 2262 would have made changes to the prior authorization process that insurance companies use to tell providers whether a procedure or drug is covered. Reeves said he liked that the proposal would have required insurance companies to give quicker answers, but the bill would have had ‘unintended consequences.’

‘The bill has a number of technical components,’ Reeves said. ‘These include administrative hearings that are in an incorrect place, increased costs for Medicaid and other issues that cause me not to be comfortable signing it.’

Overriding a governor’s veto would take two-thirds majorities in the House and Senate.

Presidential candidate Nikki Haley split with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump Tuesday by claiming that aiding Ukraine is vital to U.S. interests. 

Fox News’ Tucker Carlson sent a list of questions to a pool of potential 2024 Republican contenders including the former South Carolina governor, Trump, DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. 

Haley did not respond in time for Carlson’s evening show but released her thoughts in a statement the next day.

‘The Russian government is a powerful dictatorship that makes no secret of its hatred of America. Unlike other anti-American regimes, it is attempting to brutally expand by force into a neighboring pro-American country. It also regularly threatens other American allies.’

Haley continued, ‘America is far better off with a Ukrainian victory than a Russian victory, including avoiding a wider war.’

‘If Russia wins, there is no reason to believe it will stop at Ukraine. And if Russia wins, then its closest allies, China and Iran, will become more aggressive.’ 

Despite her support for Ukraine, Haley did criticize the ‘blank checks’ and drew a line at sending U.S. forces to Ukraine, ‘We should not send American troops. We should not send cash or blank checks. Along with our allies in Europe and elsewhere, we should provide conventional weapons that enable Ukraine to effectively stop the Russian invasion and occupation of its land.’

Haley’s take breaks from Trump and DeSantis, who have both come out in favor of reducing aid to Ukraine. 

‘While the U.S. has many vital national interests — securing our borders, addressing the crisis of readiness with our military, achieving energy security and independence, and checking the economic, cultural and military power of the Chinese Communist Party — becoming further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not one of them,’ DeSantis said.

‘[The war] is a vital concern for Europe. But not for the United States. That is why Europe should be paying far more than we are, or equal.’ Trump said, responding to Carlson’s questionnaire. ‘The President must meet with each side, then both sides together, and quickly work out a deal. This can be easily done if conducted by the right President.’

Trump took shots at DeSantis for his Ukraine comments, claiming that the governor is ‘following what I am saying. It is a flip-flop. He was totally different. Whatever I want, he wants.’

Haley agreed with the comparison in a statement: ‘President Trump is right when he says Governor DeSantis is copying him—first in his style, then on entitlement reform, and now on Ukraine. I have a different style than President Trump, and while I agree with him on most policies, I do not on those. Republicans deserve a choice, not an echo.’

Governor DeSantis has not formally entered the presidential race but is widely expected to. Currently, Republicans seeking the presidential nomination include former President Donald Trump, former South Carolina Governor and Ambassador to the United Nations Haley, and tech executive Vivek Ramaswamy.

A conservative legal group and a former Republican candidate for D.C. mayor on Tuesday filed a lawsuit to challenge a controversial new law that would allow noncitizens – including illegal immigrants and foreign embassy staff members – to vote in municipal elections.

The Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) and Stacia Hall – the GOP candidate for mayor in 2022 – along with a number of other U.S. citizen voters filed the complaint alleging that the new law is unconstitutional and contravenes the right for citizens to self-government.

The Local Resident Voting Rights Act, passed in October and says that if a noncitizen is otherwise qualified to vote, they can do so in local elections so long as they have resided in Washington, D.C., for at least 30 days.

The bill has sparked considerable controversy, including an effort in Congress to overturn it. The lawsuit filed Tuesday claims that the law ‘dilutes the vote of every U.S. citizen voter in the District.’ 

‘Because it does so, the D.C. Noncitizen Voting Act is subject to review under both the equal protection and the substantive due process components of the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,’ it argues.

The lawsuit argues that the act ‘violates the constitutional right of citizens to govern, and be governed by, themselves, and should be struck down on that basis.’

‘This law—and others like it that are popping up around the country—is a direct attack on American self-government,’ Christopher Hajec, IRLI’s director of litigation, said in a statement. ‘The proponents of this law claim it gives citizens of foreign nations a ‘voice’ in the affairs of the city they reside in. But they already have a voice, protected by the First Amendment. They are free to speak, write, attend council meetings, and so on. This law doesn’t just give foreign citizens a voice in our country’s affairs, it gives them voting power that politicians inevitably will have to respond to. That transfer of power flies in the face of the clear right of the American people to govern themselves.’

The D.C. Council has defended the legislation, and recently called on congressional leaders not to intervene in overturning two controversial laws – including the voting bill.

The councilmembers claimed the acts are ‘responsible enactments’ and the ‘bills were approved after public hearings, extensive discussion, and thorough consideration by the Council of the District of Columbia.’

‘The District of Columbia has the right to self-govern as granted to us under the Home Rule Act,’ the letter reads. ‘Any changes or amendments to the District’s local laws should be done by the elected representatives of the District of Columbia.’

New York City had passed a similar bill that also had a 30-day requirement in December 2021. That bill quickly faced a legal challenge, and in June a New York judge ruled that it was illegal, violating the state’s constitution.

Fox News’ Ronn Blitzer and Houston Keene contributed to this report.
 

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced on Tuesday his administration would create an office aimed at helping local law enforcement and public health officials reduce violence in their communities through trainings, model programs and assistance to access funding from the federal government and elsewhere.

During the Executive Mansion event, which was attended by gun-violence prevention advocates, lawmakers and others, Cooper signed an executive order creating the Office of Violence Prevention within the Department of Public Safety.

The new office will coordinate efforts across state and local departments to reverse infamous trends of violence. Cooper said gunfire has surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of injury deaths among children, while in 2021 children in North Carolina were 51% more likely to die from gun violence than children nationwide.

‘Too many families and communities are enduring the tragic injuries and deaths from homicide, from carelessness, from suicide,’ Cooper said at the event. ‘And whether a gun is used or not, violence is a tragedy that has to be stopped. It requires an all-hands-on-deck approach.’

One approach could originate from activities conducted by the One Step Further Gate City Coalition community violence prevention program in Greensboro. The program includes volunteers who go into high-crime areas and work to diffuse conflicts by speaking with crime victims and those who wish to do others harm.

It’s resulted in a 30% reduction in aggravated assaults in the program’s target areas since 2019, said program manager Ingram Haizlip, herself a shooting victim in 2011.

‘Violence prevention programs include community members who understand our community, look like our community, talk like our community, empathize with our community and love our community one block at a time,’ Haizlip said.

An executive director will be hired for the office in the coming months, Cooper said. The Department of Public Safety is already making plans for a statewide public awareness campaign launching in June about the safe storage of firearms.

Cooper, a Democrat, supports additional gun restrictions in state law, but the Republican-controlled legislature has largely ignored such proposals from him and his allies. The new office doesn’t need legislation to be created.

‘Unfortunately, the General Assembly has not yet wanted to take these steps,’ the governor said. ‘So we must tackle these challenges with the tools that we have.’

Republican lawmakers this year are again advancing measures that would ease gun rules.

Later Tuesday, a House judiciary committee advanced a package of proposals approved by the Senate that would eliminate the pistol purchase permit requirement from a local sheriff to purchase a handgun. It also includes a measure already passed by the House as a standalone bill that would allow people with concealed weapons permits to carry openly or under clothing while attending religious services at locations where private or charter schools also meet.

Cooper successfully vetoed similar bills in 2021, but Republican seat gains in November increased the possibility that similar vetoes this year could be overridden.

The release of President Biden’s budget proposal really didn’t give us a sense of where this summer’s debt ceiling brawl is going. 

Presidential budgets are important for establishing policy goals of an administration. But they aren’t binding. The presentation of a budget by the president – to say nothing of various budget proposals pending in the next two months from Congressional Republicans – offer both sides gobs of fodder to cast aspersions on their adversaries for political gain. 

Budgets are required by law. And most importantly, they are political documents. That’s why each side seizes on whatever the other propounds. 

However, the contemporary federal budget process –  as crafted by the Budget Act of 1974 – doesn’t amount to much compared to the upcoming fight over the debt ceiling. 

The debt ceiling is the law. How to address it is also a political exercise – albeit one with profound, real-world consequences. 

President Biden’s budget proposal would slash about $2.8 trillion from the debt over a decade. The Biden Administration whittles away at the debt by raising taxes on the super-wealthy. The billionaire’s minimum tax is a big ‘want’ by liberal Democrats, requiring they pay at least 25 percent on their income. Overall, the administration would impose $5 trillion in new taxes over ten years.

The package also prunes the Trump tax cuts adopted in 2017. 

However, addressing the necessity of raising or suspending the debt ceiling is not the focus of the budget proposal. That’s a distinct animal.

House Republicans are Mr. Biden’s sparring partner in the debt ceiling ring. There’s little consensus among Congressional GOPers as to how to address the debt ceiling. The conservative House Freedom Caucus is proposing a clawback of all unspent COVID funds, slashing money from the Internal Revenue Service, going after the administration’s student debt relief package and imposing a cap on all congressional appropriations for the next decade. The Freedom Caucus believes that would save about $3 trillion.

Such a proposal may struggle to get anywhere near enough votes to pass the House. That’s to say nothing of the Senate. But the plan reflects the politics of the Freedom Caucus and what their voters expect – whether it passes or not.

This is why the budget exercise is mostly a hollow shell when it comes to actually addressing the debt ceiling sometime this summer – or pitching the U.S. into default and potentially triggering a nationwide financial meltdown. 

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is coy on what course of action lies ahead on the debt limit. He’s only said ‘you’ve got to have everybody’ involved to avert an economic catastrophe. That includes the House, Senate and President. 

The potential rendezvous with a debt ceiling crisis is now in a period of meandering, continental political drift. Everyone knows the fiscal continents are going to crash into one another. But no one has a clue about how to avert it or what to do about it. Of course, everyone knows that little unfolds in Washington unless the sides tiptoe right to the precipice of a crisis. So no one truly expects anyone to conjure up a remedy until they absolutely must. The deadline could focus the political minds on the task at hand. 

The other event which could focus minds on the debt ceiling? A stock market crash. 

The markets have largely ignored this early shadowboxing in Washington. But it would not take much to spook the market over the debt ceiling in this environment. Wall Street has become inured to the various manufactured crises in Washington and histrionics with government shutdowns and the debt limit over the years. But this may be the most significant quandary for the markets since the debt ceiling debacle of 2011. Congress ultimately lifted the debt ceiling and developed a two-tiered track of prospective spending cuts back then. But the 2011 melodrama was enough to rattle Wall Street. Standard & Poor’s thought so little of Washington’s effort to actually address the problem that it downgraded the credit worthiness of the federal government for the first time in history. 

It’s possible the markets and the credit ratings agencies could take a dim view of how earnest policymakers are for this round. And since no one knows precisely when the U.S. will collide with the debt ceiling, no one is exactly sure what episode out of Washington could spark jitters on Wall Street. It could happen at any time.

It hasn’t gotten serious yet.

But it will.

Policy won’t matter until then. But politics will. That’s why we’re likely in for a few more months of posturing from both sides. 

The Dow cratered in the fall of 2008 during the nation’s financial crisis. What jolted the market reaction was a real-time failure on the House floor of the fiscal rescue package known as TARP (Troubled Assets Relief Program). The Dow lost 777 points – then a record for a single-day decline. $1 trillion in market capitalization evaporated. The stunner was that the market slid in synchronicity with the vote failing on the House floor. 

The failed TARP vote spooked investors. In turn, the market spooked lawmakers to get serious about TARP and pass it to salvage the American economy. The Senate approved the plan a few days later with both 2008 presidential nominees – future President Obama – then a senator, and the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., peeling off the trail to vote yes. 

The House followed suit after the Senate and finally approved the plan to avert a calamity. 

If lawmakers are wise, you can bet that no one will want to hold a vote on any plan to address the debt ceiling when the markets are open. 

So expect no true ‘policy’ on the debt ceiling until an external force compels them to do so. Settle in for months of political Kabuki dances. The next big exercise will come in May when the House decides to tangle with a budget – and maybe even force a vote on Mr. Biden’s budget on the floor.

But that’s just the politics.

Things are far from getting serious. 

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said that Republicans don’t seem to give a ‘crap’ about children when it comes to gun violence.

Murphy made the comments on Salon’s ‘Salon Talks’ podcast published Tuesday.

‘So to me, we can’t catalog the epidemic of gun violence merely by how many shootings we’ve had or even how many homicides we’ve had. You have to talk about a generation of kids, specifically in these violence-prone neighborhoods, that we are literally losing because their brains change when they’re exposed to war-like levels of trauma,’ Murphy said. 

‘It is beyond me why Republicans who claim to care about the health of our kids don’t seem to give a crap about our children who are being exposed to these epidemic, cataclysmic rates of gun violence,’ Murphy said.

His comments come after a series of mass shootings across America, including one at Michigan State University where three students were killed and five others were injured on Feb. 13, as well as a shooting in Monterey Park, California, that left 12 dead and several others wounded.

Murphy has long held gun control as a top issue he focuses on in the Senate, being from Connecticut where a gunman killed 20 students and six educators on Dec. 14, 2012.

In June 2016, Murphy held a 14 hour and 50 minute filibuster with a goal of bringing a vote on expanded background checks and a measure that would prevent terrorists from buying weapons.

An estimated 530,000 Alabama children who get free or reduced price school meals are now eligible for food benefits this summer after the school year ends, officials said Tuesday.

The Alabama Department of Human Resources said qualifying households will get $120 for each participating student to buy food that is eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program at stores that accept Electronic Benefit Transfer cards. The Summer Pandemic EBT program benefits are expected to begin rolling out in mid-to-late summer.

‘Inflation has transformed each grocery trip into a balancing act for low-income families struggling to afford food for their children on top of other costs like housing and transportation,’ said Alabama Department of Human Resources Commissioner Nancy Buckner in a news release. ‘Every dollar of support from programs like P-EBT strengthens their spending power and weakens the prospect of hunger, while promoting nutritious meals for children.’

Summer P-EBT benefits are limited to students who receive free or reduced price meals under the National School Lunch Program. To become eligible, families may apply by contacting their schools. Applications must be approved by May 16 to qualify for summer benefits.

Households with eligible students who received P-EBT benefits previously will access Summer P-EBT benefits on their existing EBT cards. Those who are new to the National School Lunch Program will get EBT cards in the mail.

The leader of a northeastern Wisconsin tribe implored lawmakers on Tuesday to do more to address threats to public health and safety that disproportionately affect Native Americans.

Robert VanZile, chairman of the Sokaogon Chippewa Community, called for actions to increase access to health care on tribal lands, fight pollution and end violence against Native American women as he delivered the annual State of the Tribes address to a joint session of the Wisconsin Legislature.

VanZile asked lawmakers to expand Medicaid eligibility for Native Americans and allow nurse practitioners to treat tribal patients without a physician’s supervision.

‘The tribes face a huge barrier with recruiting and retaining medical staff since the pandemic,’ he said. ‘It’s very difficult for a tribe to compete with wages for health care professionals.’

He also asked the Republican-controlled Legislature to support an item in Democratic Gov. Tony Evers budget devoting nearly $3.7 million annually to create an Office of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women within the state Department of Justice.

‘The missing and murdered indigenous women, or MMIW, crisis affects everyone in our state, regardless of age, race or political party,’ VanZile said.

Wisconsin does not formally track statewide numbers of missing and murdered indigenous women. A 2016 study by the National Institute of Justice found that 84.3% of American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence in their lifetime, including 56.1% who have experienced sexual violence. Evers’ proposed office would administer grants and offer resources to victims and witnesses to address what the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs has labeled a national crisis.

Republican leaders have promised to start from scratch and write their version of the budget, which Evers can revise with partial vetoes.

Rep. Mark Born, who co-chairs the Legislature’s powerful budget-writing committee, said before the address that he plans to work with tribal leaders during the budget process, but he did not comment on the specifics of Evers’ plan.

VanZile commended Evers for defending the treaty rights of Native Americans to hunt, fish and gather on land across the state. But he pleaded with lawmakers to address so-called forever chemicals, also known as PFAS, which have contaminated water across Wisconsin.

‘What is the value of a home with no water supply, a poison well?’ VanZile said. ‘I would encourage the state to work with tribes who for hundreds of years have lived close to the land.’

He also asked for the Legislature to authorize an environmental impact study of Enbridge Line 5, a controversial oil and gas pipeline in northern Wisconsin that VanZile called ‘slow, systematic poisoning of our resources.’

The Alabama House on Tuesday advanced a plan to use the state’s final $1 billion in federal pandemic relief funds mostly on a mix of water and sewer infrastructure, broadband expansion and health care reimbursements.

Representatives voted 102-3 for the legislation, which now moves to the Senate. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey called lawmakers into special session last week to find a way to use the state’s remaining $1.06 billion sent from the American Rescue Plan — the sweeping relief plan approved by Congress to help the country climb out of the coronavirus crisis.

The proposed spending plan would allocate:

— $339 million for healthcare costs, including $100 million to reimburse hospitals for pandemic-related expenses, $100 million to reimburse nursing homes and $25 million to support mental health programs and services.

— $400 million for water and sewer infrastructure projects, including $195 million for high-need projects, $200 million for matching funds for public water and sewer systems, and $5 million for septic systems in the Black Belt region.

— $260 million for improvement and expansion of broadband network access.

— $55 million for projects that address economic impacts of the pandemic. The legislation says the Department of Finance may distribute the money for a wide range of needs such as food banks, long-term housing and summer learning programs for children.

The spending plan directs pots of money to state agencies, such as the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, and other entities to distribute for the allotted purposes.

House members also voted 104-0 for separate legislation to use $60 million from a budget surplus to finish repaying money borrowed a decade ago during a budget shortfall. Alabama voters in 2012 approved borrowing $437 million from the Trust Fund — a state savings account fueled by offshore drilling royalties — to avoid cuts to state services. Lawmakers stood and applauded when the legislation was approved. The bill also moves to the Alabama Senate.

Schools that experience a high number of crimes would have to hire police officers and station them in their buildings under a Republican-authored bill the state Assembly passed Tuesday.

Under the bill, if a school has more than 100 incidents in a semester, and at least 25 of those result in an arrest, the school must hire an armed school resource officer to work at the school.

The cost of hiring the officer would be partially reimbursed by the state using federal COVID-19 relief money. The state education department said it could not calculate how many schools may qualify.

The measure comes after the state’s two largest districts in Milwaukee and Madison voted in 2020 to remove school resource officers.

The only registered supporter of the measure was the Milwaukee Police Association. Opponents included Milwaukee Public Schools, Disability Rights Wisconsin and the Wisconsin School Social Workers Association. The Wisconsin Association of School Boards also raised concerns.

Democrats criticized the bill as a Republican attack on Madison and Milwaukee schools.

Rep. LaKeisha Myers of Milwaukee said her school board should be allowed to set its own rules and accused Republicans of ‘wrapping yourself in fear.’ Rep. Francesca Hong of Madison said increasing violence in schools is a result of Republicans choosing to underfund public education.

Republicans called the bill a common-sense first step toward reducing violence in schools.

‘It’s clear the status quo can’t continue,’ aid Rep. Nik Rettinger, the bill’s chief Assembly sponsor. ‘I worry that if we stay on the current path, more students and faculty will be attacked.’

The Assembly ultimately approved the bill on a 59-36 vote.

The chamber approved another bill Tuesday that would require schools to collect and report information about crimes on school grounds. The GOP-controlled Legislature passed that measure last session, but Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoed it.

Democrats complained that the bill does nothing to stop violence in schools going forward. Republicans countered that parents deserve to know if their children’s schools are failing.

‘I’m not going to solve every problem with this. This is not a school safety bill. This is a school transparency bill,’ said Rep. Cindi Duchow, the bill’s chief Assembly sponsor.

The Assembly passed the bill 61-35.

Both bills go next to the Senate. Approval in that chamber would send the measures on to Evers. Britt Cudaback, the governor’s spokesperson, didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the bills’ prospects.