GOP leaders unleash on Janet Yellen over $110B energy tax hike
FIRST ON FOX: A group of 24 Senate Republicans are calling out the Biden administration for “weaponizing” the tax code to stifle domestic energy production in the president’s proposed 2025 budget. In a letter Thursday to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the GOP lawmakers — led by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. — highlighted the more than $110 billion in tax hikes targeting domestic production of oil, gas and coal proposed in the budget. They said such an action would only lead to higher prices for Americans and allies worldwide. “The administration has once again doubled down on weaponizing the tax code against U.S. energy producers,” Barrasso and the other senators wrote. “It is alarming that the administration believes utilizing our nation’s abundant natural resources will be detrimental to long-term energy security.” “Sadly, the administration would willingly suppress energy production knowing it means fewer jobs and higher prices for the American people,” they continued. “America is fortunate to have abundant energy resources. Our nation needs to be focused on unleashing American energy and innovation instead of throwing away one of our biggest economic and geopolitical advantages.” GOP LEADERS OPEN JOINT PROBE INTO GLOBAL ENERGY GROUP INFLUENCING NET-ZERO POLICIES IN US Earlier this month, Biden released his fiscal year 2025 budget, a behemoth $7.3 trillion government spending package that Republicans quickly condemned and characterized as a non-starter. As part of the proposal, the Treasury Department released a green book detailing the mechanisms for raising government revenue, a report which listed tax hikes on energy production. The Republicans noted that in the green book, the Treasury Department explained that it would strip tax incentives worth $110 billion from the energy industry because “oil, gas, and coal tax preferences distort markets by encouraging more investment in the fossil fuel sector than would occur under a neutral system.” 130+ HOUSE, SENATE REPUBLICANS JOIN FORCES IN OPPOSITION OF BIDEN’S UPCOMING EV MANDATE “This market distortion is detrimental to long-term energy security and is also inconsistent with the administration’s policy of supporting a clean energy economy, reducing our reliance on oil and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” the Treasury Department added. Among the tax incentives the budget would strip are the intangible drilling costs incentive, which allows independent producers to deduct expenses related to drilling, and the percentage depletion incentive, which, according to the lawmakers, allows producers to have a deduction of taxable income to reflect the declining production of reserves over time. In their letter, the Senate Republicans said the administration’s explanation in the green book is “troubling” and “acknowledges its intention to chill investment in conventional energy production.” BIDEN ADMIN HAMMERED BY DEMS, GOP ALIKE AFTER LATEST CRACKDOWN ON OIL PRODUCTION “It is alarming that the administration believes utilizing our nation’s abundant natural resources will be detrimental to long-term energy security,” they wrote to Yellen. “Sadly, the administration would willingly suppress energy production knowing it means fewer jobs and higher prices for the American people.” Meanwhile, the budget comes months after the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) published a 59-page report showing that the renewable energy sector enjoys significantly larger taxpayer backing than the fossil fuel industry. According to the EIA report, while renewable energy sources like wind and solar power account for about 21% of domestic electricity production, such sources received a staggering $83.8 billion in subsidies, by far the largest share compared to any other category. In addition to Barrasso, Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W. Va., Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Sens. Mike Crapo and James Risch of Idaho also signed the letter. The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Term limits, preventing leader ‘monarchy’ become top concerns in post-McConnell GOP
Setting limits on a leader’s reign and avoiding unilateral decision-making have emerged as chief concerns among Senate Republicans as they prepare to tap a new head in November following Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s announcement of his plan to step down after his term ends in 2025. “We have operated as a monarchy,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said of leadership during his more than 10 years in Congress. Republican senators expressed optimism following a GOP conference meeting on Wednesday regarding their desires for the next era of leadership. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., claimed, “mission accomplished,” following the gathering. GOP SENATOR TO REVEAL FINDINGS AFTER INVESTIGATION INTO TRANSGENDER SPORTS AS BIDEN PUSHES TITLE IX CHANGE Johnson led a letter to GOP Conference Chairman Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., earlier this month requested the meeting to develop goals for the party as it begins to look for a next leader. In an interview after the announcement by McConnell, R-Ky., with Fox News Digital, Johnson noted his frustration with the conference’s lack of collaboration under the current leadership. This concern was echoed by various other party members, including Cruz, Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Rick Scott, R-Fla. “I want someone who is going to talk to members. I want somebody who is going to listen to members and not be bubble wrapped and stay in their office,” Hawley told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. Cruz said he hopes to see “a conference that doesn’t just follow the whims of a leader doing whatever he or she wants, but rather that reflects the views of the majority of the conference.” SCHUMER REFUSES NETANYAHU REQUEST TO SPEAK TO DEMOCRATS Term limits for Republican leaders were touched on during the conversation after Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who is running for the head role, threw his support behind “a conference vote to change the rules” to institute them earlier this month. A number of other Republican senators have since expressed support for the idea. According to Hawley, McConnell had “a few things to say” during the meeting. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., noted that the minority leader reiterated to conference members his opinion on term limits for the position. McConnell notably came out against Cornyn’s proposal prior to the discussion, telling reporters, “Well, we have term limits now. They’re called elections.” “I had a contest myself during my last election as leader,” he said, in reference to a challenge by Scott in 2022. McConnell’s office pointed to those remarks when reached by Fox News Digital but declined to comment further. While McConnell has served as party leader since being first elected to the post in 2007, elections for it have been held for each new Congress every two years. While these concerns were aired at the meeting, the conversation was ultimately cordial and constructive, according to senators who attended. SENATE DEMOCRATS COULD SPOIL BIDEN’S MUSLIM JUDICIAL NOMINEE OVER ‘DEEPLY CONCERNING’ TIES There was no headbutting between conference members, multiple Republicans claimed. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., joked it was “a little disappointing, actually.” Scott, who has not been shy about his criticisms of McConnell and the leadership apparatus, agreed that the conversation was good. “I think there’s agreement that we need to figure out how to work together,” he said. Scott has expressed his interest in a potential run for leader but hasn’t made anything official. The two candidates already in the running are Cornyn and Sen. John Thune, R-S.D. Both men took backseat roles during the meeting, per senators inside. Thune’s office shared, prior to the meeting, that the conversation was going to be a listening session for him. Numerous Republican senators indicated their belief that such meetings would be taking place much more often as they head into a new Congress after November. “I think it was the beginning of what I think is going to be a pretty regular conversation between now and November,” said Rubio. BIPARTISAN SENATORS SHARE TIKTOK CONCERN FOLLOWING ‘POWERFUL’ NATIONAL SECURITY BRIEFING Cruz and Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., echoed this feeling. “All along you could have done it with just five senators,” the latter told Fox News Digital about requesting the meeting. “I didn’t know that. No one ever told us.” According to Cruz, these meetings didn’t take place before, “because Republican leadership was not interested in the views of the conference.” Candidates didn’t share whether they were coming to decisions on who to support for leader, but Hawley revealed he plans to support Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., for conference chair. He said this is due to Cotton’s support as the Missouri senator worked to pass his legislation to compensate victims of radiation. Hawley even suggested Cotton should switch his bid and run for leader instead. “Maybe Tom ought to run for the leader,” he said, adding, “we need people who actually get it and who are going to listen to members.” The Republican additionally predicted several more Republicans would join the leader race, without suggesting names. When prompted, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Steve Daines, R-Mont., reiterated, “I don’t aspire to be the leader,” despite speculation. “I aspire to get the majority back,” he said. In an interesting development, former President Trump, who has demonstrated his wide-ranging influence over the Republican Party both inside and out of Congress, was not mentioned during the meeting, said Hawley. “When I was in there, which was for most of it, I didn’t hear him mentioned one time,” he recalled.
Delhi excise policy case: ED team at CM Arvind Kejriwal’s residence to…
Earlier today, Delhi High Court refused to grant CM Kejriwal any protection from coercive action in the case.
RFK Jr racks up $1.4M debt with private security firm as Biden ignores plea for Secret Service protection
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign racked up $1.4 million in debt to a private security firm, while the Biden administration has repeatedly denied his requests for Secret Service protection. According to their latest filing with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday, Kennedy’s campaign raised $3.1 million in February but spent $2.8 million that same month. That is not including the $1.4 million the Kennedy campaign also owes to Gavin De Becker and Associates, the private security firm owned by De Becker, a security specialist and longtime friend of Kennedy, according to Politico. Not including withstanding debt, the campaign paid just over $200,000 last month for security services and related travel expenses, raising the total paid to Gavin de Becker & Associates to more than $2 million. Meanwhile, De Becker has donated millions in what he deemed both contributions and “bridge funding” to the pro-Kennedy super PAC American Values 2024. According to a separate FEC filing by the political action committee on Wednesday, De Becker donated another $4 million last month. That accounts for nearly all the total $4.1 million American Values 2024 reported garnering in February. CRUZ DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM MAYORKAS ON DENIAL OF SECRET SERVICE PROTECTION FOR RFK JR De Becker has become the largest donor to the super PAC, second to Republican mega-donor Tim Mellon, Politico reported. Despite having raised nearly $28 million since kicking off his presidential campaign in April 2023, Kennedy has spent heavily. At the end of February, the campaign reported $5 million in cash on hand. Biden’s campaign reported $71 million in cash on hand at the end of February, and former President Trump’s campaign reported $33.5 million in cash on hand, Wednesday’s FEC filings show. Kennedy has assailed Biden for having rejected at least three requests for U.S. Secret Service protection while on the 2024 campaign trail. His father, former U.S. senator, U.S. Attorney General and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1968, and his uncle, former President Kennedy, was assassinated in 1963, RFK JR TRESPASSER INCLUDED IN SECRET SERVICE RISK ASSESSMENT MONTHS BEFORE DHS DENIED PROTECTION: SOURCE As recently as December, Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas deemed that Secret Service protection for Kennedy “is not warranted at this time,” according to a letter obtained by Deseret News. According to Kennedy, that was despite several documented death threats against him. In late October, a man was arrested twice for trespassing at Kennedy’s home twice in the same day. The suspect, Jonathan Macht, was listed in a Secret Service risk assessment as part of the candidate’s first request for protection in June, sources told Fox News Digital at the time. The assessment deemed Kennedy was at elevated risk, but the Democrat turned independent presidential candidate’s request for protection was still denied by Homeland Security. Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Jim Jordan opens investigation into accusations IRS is using AI to spy on taxpayers ‘en masse’
FIRST ON FOX: House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is launching an investigation alongside Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., into whether the IRS is using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to improperly surveil American taxpayers across the country. In a pair of letters sent to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Attorney General Merrick Garland, the lawmakers point to a September 2023 press release in which the IRS said AI “will help IRS compliance teams better detect tax cheating, identify emerging compliance threats and improve case selection tools to avoid burdening taxpayers with needless ‘no-change’ audits.” “However, recent reporting alleges that the IRS’s use of AI has also included actively monitoring American citizens’ bank accounts en masse and without legal process,” they wrote, citing a report by James O’Keefe’s O’Keefe Media Group. FORMER GOOGLE CONSULTANT SAYS GEMINI IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AI COMPANIES GO ‘TOO BIG TOO SOON’ “Video footage obtained by an investigative media outlet appears to capture Alex Mena, an IRS official working in the agency’s Criminal Investigations Unit, admitting that the IRS has ‘a new system’ that uses AI to target ‘potential abusers’ by examining all returns, bank statements, and related financial information for ‘potential for fraud.’ Mena asserted that the new AI system has the ability to access and monitor ‘all the information from all the companies in the world.’” In the video, the man purported to be IRS official Alex Mena says the IRS had no issue “going after the small people… Like destroying people’s lives.” ELON MUSK TO MAKE GROK CHATBOT OPEN-SOURCE, TAKING SWIPE AT OPENAI The IRS has pledged not to increase audit rates for people making under $400,000 per year. “The Committee and Select Subcommittee have reason to believe that the IRS is working with other federal agencies to conduct this AI-powered warrantless financial surveillance,” Jordan and Hageman wrote. “The use of AI technology to actively monitor millions of Americans’ private transactions, bank accounts, and related financial information – without any legal process – is highly concerning. This kind of pervasive financial surveillance, carried out in coordination with federal law enforcement, into Americans’ private financial records raises serious doubts about the IRS’s – and the federal government’s – respect for Americans’ fundamental civil liberties.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Treasury, the Justice Department and the IRS for comment.
How Fincover (Fintech Aggregator) is ending up distinct advantage in Fintech system
Naresh Rajaraman, Gurumoorthy, and Manjunath Thimman began the organization with the aphorism of improving money and making it effectively available to everybody.
EC releases electoral bonds data with alpha-numeric code
EC uploads the data on Electoral Bonds provided by the State Bank of India (SBI).
California doctors say Medicaid must pay more, upcoming vote could raise taxes to do so
When Hunter Morgan bought an optometry practice in Southern California three years ago, one of the first things he did was start seeing patients who use Medicaid — the government-funded health insurance program for low-income people. The previous owners had not accepted patients on Medicaid, which covers roughly a third of California’s 39 million residents. But Morgan felt he had a responsibility to serve people in need. Just five months later, Morgan said, he had to stop treating Medicaid patients because of the paltry pay. He charges $175 for eye exams, but the most he could get from Medicaid was about $40. That made it difficult to pay his staff and pricey rent in the upscale beach community of Encinitas, 25 miles north of San Diego. CALIFORNIA’S SINGLE-PAYER HEALTH CARE BOONDOGGLE IS BACK AND WORSE THAN EVER “We couldn’t function that way,” he said. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his Democratic allies in the state Legislature have greatly increased the number of people on Medicaid, including all eligible adults in the state who are in the country without legal permission. But while California’s Medicaid now covers some 15 million people, the rates it pays to doctors have not kept up. It has contributed to a crisis at some rural hospitals, some of which needed an emergency loan from the state Legislature last year to keep from closing. And it has made it harder for people enrolled in Medicaid to find doctors willing to treat them, forcing some to drive long distances to seek care. Health care providers have been clamoring for California’s Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal, to pay them more. But California doesn’t have extra money thanks to back-to-back multibillion-dollar budget deficits. To pay doctors more, Newsom and the state Legislature chose to raise taxes — but not in the way you might think. Just about every state taxes things like hospitals, nursing homes and ambulances to help pay for their share of Medicaid. Since 2005, California has taxed managed care organizations — the private companies that contract with the state to provide Medicaid benefits. But unlike with most taxes, the companies don’t have to pay all of it. The state pays most of it for them, then uses the money to trigger more federal payments for Medicaid. That means more money for everybody. Last year Newsom signed a law that greatly increased this tax. It means the state will get $19.4 billion through 2026. On Thursday the Legislature is scheduled to vote to increase it again, generating an estimated $1.5 billion more. “California is pulling every lever of government to increase access to affordable, high-quality health care across the state,” Newsom said in a statement to The Associated Press. In the past, California has used that kind of surplus to balance its budget. But this time the state has vowed to use part of it to pay doctors more for treating Medicaid patients. How much, and who will get it, will be fully decided this year. The first increases last year went to primary care doctors, maternity care and some mental health services. This year’s increases, which have not yet been approved by the Legislature, would include things like obstetrics, vaccine and abortion services — and optometry. For optometrists, Newsom is proposing to raise rates to match those paid by Medicare, the federal government’s health insurance program for people 65 and older. That could mean California’s roughly 8,000 licensed optometrists would get a lot more money for Medicaid patients — roughly $130 per exam instead of $47. Health care providers have cheered these increases, but they’re still nervous. California’s budget deficits have only been growing. “If things really did get bad, I think, they could use the money for other purposes,” said Kristine Schultz, executive director of the California Optometric Association. Newsom already wants to change the tax increase he signed last year, which included $11 billion more to hike provider payments over five years. This year, because of the deficit, Newsom wants to use $8 billion for provider payments over four years. Providers would still get the same increase, but it would expire sooner. Plus, the federal government must approve California’s tax on managed care organizations every three years. The Biden administration has signaled recently that it wants to reduce how much money states can collect, and that could force California to lower the tax in the future, cutting into its ability to continue paying doctors higher rates. “It’s a real concern,” said Stuart Thompson, senior vice president for governmental affairs for the California Medical Association, during a recent public hearing before lawmakers. “We don’t want to create a scenario in which we have a program that goes for four years and then we reach the cliff.” Republicans in the Legislature have criticized Newsom’s plan to raise the tax again. There is “no guarantee it stays in the health care space,” said Assemblymember Vince Fong, a a Republican and vice chair of the Assembly Budget Committee. But Assembly Democrats appear to view the plan more favorably. Democrat Akilah Weber, chair of the budget subcommittee that oversees health care spending, said the deficit is requiring “some changes” but she remains committed to the rate increases. An increase for optometrist payments would be good news for people in Fresno, a Central Valley city with a large population of low-income farm workers who are on Medicaid. At one eye care practice in the city, Fogg Remington, Medicaid patients historically made up about 15% of clients. But it stopped accepting new Medicaid patients in January, citing low rates and a new law requiring health care workers to be paid at least $25 per hour. Fogg Remington optometrist Dr. Anthony Chavez said that if California were to increase its rates, it would be a “no brainer” to reverse that decision. “We want to help these people,” Chavez said.
State’s largest police union makes major endorsement in 2024 presidential race
EXCLUSIVE: The largest police union in the state of Florida announced Thursday which presidential candidate it will back in the November general election. In a letter shared with Fox News Digital, Florida Police Benevolent Association (PBA) President John Kazanjian declared his organization will be supporting former President Donald Trump over President Biden and other third-party candidates, arguing Trump is the right person to handle the many crises facing the nation. “It’s no secret that over the past four years, under the current administration, America has regressed. Law enforcement officers are leaving their jobs in record numbers throughout this country, crime is rising in our major cities, and over 8 million migrants have entered this country, putting a heavy and untenable strain on the ability of local municipalities to effectively maintain public safety and provide essential services to the citizens of this country,” Kazanjian wrote. CONSERVATIVE GROUPS UNLEASH MASSIVE INVESTMENT FOR BATTLEGROUND STATE’S ‘LARGEST EVER’ VOTE-BY-MAIL PROGRAM “This November, America is once again at a critical juncture. The choice we make in electing the next president of the United States will have a lasting impact on our nation for generations to come. And for us, the choice is crystal clear. On behalf of the 30,000 members of Florida’s largest law enforcement union, the Florida PBA is proud to once again endorse you for president of the United States,” he added. Kazanjian also praised what he said were the successes of Trump’s administration, and said that another term for the former president would mean police would be defended, and the border crisis would be addressed. “Moving forward, we will ask all of our 30,000 members, their friends and family, and all Floridians, who love and respect law enforcement, to cast their ballots in support of President Donald J. Trump. Together we’ll make America great again,” he wrote. The Florida PBA’s endorsement of Trump comes as murder rates in big cities across the country are on the rise — including in places like Washington, D.C., Memphis and New Orleans — despite FBI statistics showing overall lower crime rates nationwide. Retail theft rates have also been on the rise in some areas, prompting many businesses to shutter stores due to the losses. The organization decided last summer to back their state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, in the Republican primary before he ultimately dropped out following the Iowa caucuses in January. Trump became his party’s presumptive nominee following the exit of former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley from the race and victories in the Georgia, Mississippi and Washington primaries on Mar. 12. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub
White House calls GOP Biden impeachment inquiry ’embarrassing’
The White House dismissed the ongoing impeachment inquiry against President Biden as “embarrassing” following a chaotic hearing on Wednesday. Republicans’ efforts fizzled on Wednesday when an eight-hour hearing failed to produce a clear path forward for the investigation into the Biden family’s unclear relationship with foreign business interests. “That hearing was embarrassing for House Republicans. A total waste of time. It’s time to move on from this sad charade. There are real issues the American people want us to address,” said White House spokesperson Ian Sam, according to The Hill. AOC TAKES HEAT OVER ‘RICO IS NOT A CRIME’ COMMENT IN BIDEN IMPEACHMENT PROBE HEARING “This is a sad stunt at the end of a dead impeachment,” Sams said in a separate statement. “Call it a day, pal.” House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer said at the culmination of the hearing that the committee would need to hear from the president himself. The president is unlikely to accommodate the committee’s desire for him to testify. Comer has indicated he is likely to abandon plans to draft articles of impeachment against the president and instead submit criminal referrals to the Department of Justice. HOUSE HOLDS PUBLIC HEARING ON BIDEN FAMILY ‘INFLUENCE PEDDLING’ WITH EX-HUNTER BIDEN ASSOCIATES The hearing investigating the Biden family finances broke down in chaos at one point as two of the witnesses began lobbing accusations at each other. The exchange began after Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., slammed Democrats for inviting former Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas as their witness, referencing his past criminal convictions, and asking GOP witness Tony Bobulinski for his reaction. “I think it’s laughable that the Democrats are asking Lev Parnas to weigh in on my credibility. A convicted felon, who served jail time. I have an impeccable record,” Bobulinski said. Bobulinski added that Parnas “warned” him earlier in the hearing that Democrats were coming after him, to which Parnas responded, “I didn’t warn you. I said just keep talking, you’ll be there soon.” “I look forward to that, Mr. Parnas,” Bobulinski responded. Then two continued going back and forth until Parnas turned on Gaetz and criticized him for not asking him a direct question, to which Gaetz responded that he did ask him about his “illegal business dealings” earlier in the hearing. Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.