Michigan GOP lawmaker stripped of committee role, staff after alleged online racist post
A Republican lawmaker in Michigan lost his committee assignment and staff Monday, days after posting an image of a racist ideology on social media. House Speaker Joe Tate, a Democrat who is Black, said he will not allow the House to be a forum for “racist, hateful and bigoted speech.” State Rep. Josh Schriver, who is white, shared a post on X — formerly known as Twitter — that showed a map of the world with Black figures greatly outnumbering white figures, along with the phrase, “The great replacement!” MICHIGAN TO PASS LAW DEMANDING TRANSPARENCY IN AI-GENERATED POLITICAL ADS The conspiracy theory says there’s a plot to diminish the influence of white people. Schriver, who represents portions of Oakland and Macomb counties, can vote on the House floor. But Tate removed him from a committee and told the House Business Office to oversee his staff members, who still can assist constituents. “Representative Schriver has a history of promoting debunked theories and dangerous rhetoric that jeopardizes the safety of Michigan residents and contributes to a hostile and uncomfortable environment for others,” Tate said. JEWISH, ISLAMIC GROUPS BACK UP CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN LAWSUIT CHALLENGING NEW MICHIGAN LAW A message seeking comment from Schriver wasn’t immediately returned. He defended his social media post last week. “I’m opposed to racists, race baiters and victim politics,” Schriver told The Detroit News. “What I find strange is the agenda to demoralize and reduce the white portion of our population.” Schriver was elected to a two-year term in 2022. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, released a statement Friday calling his post “abhorrent rhetoric.” “We will never let those who stoke racial fears divide us,” she said.
Biden takes jab at Hur report with joke about his memory, returns after speech: ‘One more thing I forgot’
President Biden attempted a joke about his memory during a speech in Washington, D.C., Monday, seemingly taking a jab at Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report. Delivering remarks at the National Association of Counties Legislative Conference, Biden spoke about his bipartisan infrastructure law, which he credits for allowing his administration to continue “making the biggest investment in climate change ever anywhere in the entire world.” “After devastating floods, tornadoes, wildfires and hurricane, we’re going to keep working together to respond, to rebuild and boost resilience to extreme weather. My administration is also helping install rooftop solar to build a national network of electric vehicle charging stations for revitalizing fenceline communities smothered by the legacy of pollution like where I lived in Claymont,” Biden said, referring to where his family moved in Delaware during the early 1950s. “We’re promoting clean energy in industries of the future made here in America. Made in America,” he said while transitioning. BIDEN ALLIES GO ON DEFENSE BLITZ FOLLOWING HUR REPORT: ‘BUCKET OF BS’ “What I didn’t realize, and I’ve been around, I know it don’t look like it, but I’ve been around a while. I do remember that,” Biden said, garnering laughter and applause. The joke was somewhat undercut by Biden concluding the speech – and then adding an interjection at the end, admitting, “I forgot something,” before making a final comment. In building his argument for why no charges were recommended following an investigation into Biden’s mishandling of classified documents, Hur, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, detailed in part that Biden’s defense of any potential charges could possibly be that, “Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” The report cited examples when investigators said the president’s memory lapsed, including over when his older son Beau had died. Biden’s age and mental fitness have already been a concern for voters. MAYORKAS DUCKS RESPONSIBILITY ON BORDER CRISIS, MIGRANT FIGURES: ‘CONGRESS IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN FIX THIS’ During his speech, Biden also criticized his 2024 rival, former President Trump, and Republicans for opposing a $118 billion supplemental spending agreement that included aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, as well as an ambitious border security and immigration package. The border package drew widespread opposition from conservative Republicans in both chambers since its release just days earlier. The Senate voted against the supplemental 50-49 Wednesday. It needed 60 votes to pass. The vote went mostly along party lines, except for five Democrats voting no and four Republicans voting yes. “Some of my extreme Republican friends – and by the way, this is not your father’s Republican Party … I’m not taking on all Republicans. I really mean it. The MAGA Republicans, a minority, but a powerful minority. They went out and they killed the deal. My predecessor said he didn’t like it. It was a loss for him. We have to end the political games, folks,” Biden said Monday. The president also claimed a victory for the economy. “It’s clear we have the strongest economy in the world. Nearly 15 million new jobs since I came to office,” Biden said. “The longest stretch of under 4% in 50 years. Growth is strong. Rising wages are rising, inflation is down. In fact, the costs have fallen from everything from a gallon of gas to a gallon of milk. We know prices are still too high because of what I call greed-inflation and shrinkflation,” he said, referring to companies charging the same amount for a product while reducing quantity. “I’m calling on corporations to pass their savings on to consumers, for God’s sake. We’re making real progress.” “The recent Washington Post headline summed it up,” Biden added, quoting the newspaper’s story titled, “Falling Inflation and Rising Growth Give the U.S. the World’s Best Recovery.” “The world’s best recovery!” Biden said. “It’s because you implemented what we did. You made it work.”
Dozens of former top federal officials call on Congress to strike down Biden’s natural gas crackdown
Dozens of former Trump and Bush administration officials – who served in the White House, Department of Energy and State Department – are calling on Congress to reverse President Biden’s pause on liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects. In a letter Monday morning to the chairs and ranking members of top House and Senate committees, 35 ex-officials expressed “profound concern” about Biden’s LNG export moratorium, outlining how it works against U.S. national security, energy and economic interests. They argued that reversing the policy is “imperative” and urged the congressional leaders to take immediate action on the issue. “This decision, we believe, stands in stark contrast to the clear interests of our nation’s economic prosperity, energy security, and the strategic advantage American LNG provides us and our allies across the world who benefit from supply,” the former U.S. officials wrote. “American energy has become a stabilizing force in global markets, reinforcing our alliances and promoting global stability. The moratorium on LNG export permits threatens to undo these gains.” “The United States has provided benefits to a significant part of the world’s population – a role we have been proud to advance as representatives of our Nation,” they continued. “We remain committed to the role of the United States as a stabilizing force in global energy markets.” STATE AGS WARN BIDEN’S NATURAL GAS MORATORIUM VIOLATES FEDERAL LAW, DEMAND REVERSAL The signatories on the letter include former Energy Secretaries Spencer Abraham, Rick Perry and Dan Brouillette, former National Nuclear Security Administration Administrator Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Commissioner Bernard McNamee, former White House deputy national security adviser Victoria Coates, and more than two dozen former State Department ambassadors. In their letter, they stressed that LNG exports ensure energy supplies for allies and strengthen the U.S. economy in the form of creating thousands of high-paying jobs, stimulating local economies and generating “significant tax revenue.” If proposed LNG export projects on pause as a result of Biden’s actions don’t proceed, such economic benefits would move to foreign nations. TIKTOK ACTIVIST SAYS HE ADVISED WHITE HOUSE ON BIDEN’S NEW NATURAL GAS MORATORIUM “The cessation of exports risks derailing this progress, impacting workers and communities across the country that have come to rely on the energy sector,” they wrote. Fossil fuel industry groups have recently cited research indicating that LNG exports could add as much as $73 billion to the U.S. economy by 2040, create 453,000 American jobs and increase U.S. purchasing power by $30 billion. Additionally, the ex-officials argued that the ability for greater LNG exports allows energy companies to invest in more domestic infrastructure that would, in turn, support U.S. energy supplies. And they further stated that limiting LNG exports “sends the wrong message to our allies, partners and the energy markets.” In the aftermath of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, energy experts argued LNG exports would be critical for helping American allies to wean off Russian gas and, in December, more than 87% of U.S. LNG exports went to Europe, U.K. or Asian markets. REPUBLICANS PROBE CCP-TIED NONPROFIT FUNNELING MONEY TO US ECO GROUPS “In the aftermath of Russia’s war in Ukraine, alternative supplies are more important than ever to fill the void of Russian natural gas,” the former officials wrote. “Security of energy supply, specifically natural gas, is critical to counter the threat of widespread deindustrialization as Europe not only faces war on its continent but also a desire to implement a clean energy transition.” “Germany’s own steps to rapidly deploy LNG import infrastructure demonstrate this crisis most exceptionally,” their letter continued. “They have signed binding contracts for long-term US LNG supply that are now being put into question by our government.” Late last month, Biden ordered the DOE to pause pending permits for LNG export facilities while federal officials conduct a rigorous environmental review assessing the projects’ carbon emissions, which could take more than a year to complete. The action represents a major victory for activists who have loudly called for such a move, even threatening to hold large protests over the issue. The president said the pause on LNG permitting was a part of his sweeping climate agenda, adding the action “sees the climate crisis for what it is: the existential threat of our time.” He also took aim at “MAGA Republicans” for willfully denying the “urgency of the climate crisis.”
Surprise retirement of GOP congressman sparks competition for Wisconsin seat
The surprise retirement of a GOP congressman in a solidly Republican Wisconsin congressional district has potential candidates weighing a run, even as a former state lawmaker quickly jumped into the race. U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher announced Saturday that he won’t run for a fifth term representing the 8th Congressional District in northeast Wisconsin. The abrupt move came just days after he angered his fellow Republicans by refusing to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Just hours after Gallagher announced his retirement, former state Sen. Roger Roth, of Appleton, announced his candidacy Saturday and endorsed Trump at the same time, something he did not do in his 2022 run for lieutenant governor. GOP REP. MIKE GALLAGHER ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT FROM HOUSE: ‘CONGRESS IS NO PLACE TO GROW OLD’ The district Gallagher represents is firmly Republican. Seen as a rising star in the Republican Party, the 39-year-old Gallagher sometimes found himself at odds both with former President Donald Trump and his supporters, most recently over the Mayorkas vote. Trump won the district by 16 points in 2020, even though he lost the state by less than a point to President Joe Biden. Gallagher won reelection three times by no fewer than 25 points. The district includes the cities of Appleton and Green Bay, Door County and covers mostly rural areas north through Marinette. Roth served in the Legislature from 2007 to 2023 and was the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor in 2022. He ran for Congress in 2010 but lost in the primary to eventual winner Reid Ribble. Roth, in a statement Saturday, pitched himself a “proven conservative fighter” while calling for strengthening the border, national security, the economy and “our traditional values.” While Roth was the first candidate to get in, he almost certainly won’t be the last. Trump ally and Republican consultant Alex Bruesewitz, who had said Gallagher “betrayed the Republican Party and the American people with his vote to side with Mayorkas,” is considering a run. He posted on X, formerly Twitter, a letter of support from the chair of the Oconto County Republican Party and said that he looked forward to “spreading the MAGA message to the patriots in the Oconto GOP.” Bruesewitz immediately won the support of former Trump campaign consultant Roger Stone, who posted on social media that Bruesewitz “would have the full support of the MAGA movement.” Bruesewitz, 26, was born in Wisconsin but currently lives in Florida. He would have to move back to Wisconsin to run for the seat. State Sen. Andre Jacque, of De Pere, also said he was considering running. Other current and former Republican members of the Legislature are expected to consider running. Democrat Kristin Lyerly, a De Pere doctor, previously said she was considering a run against Gallagher. Democrats fielded no candidate in the 2022 election. The Wisconsin Democratic Party said in a statement Saturday that it looked forward “to competing in the 8th and bringing some stability and competence back to the House.” CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIR SLAMS TIKTOK’S ROLE IN AIDING CHINESE MIGRANT SURGE AT SOUTHERN BORDER Candidates have until June 1 to submit nomination papers for the Aug. 13 primary. The open seat will certainly fuel a competitive Republican primary, but the presidential race and not one for the congressional seat will drive turnout in November, said longtime conservative strategist Mark Graul who lives in the district. He didn’t expect the race to greatly impact the presidential race. The race could be shaken up dramatically if the Wisconsin Supreme Court agrees to hear a redistricting lawsuit challenging congressional boundary lines. said Barry Burden, a University of Wisconsin political science professor. The court has not said whether it will hear the challenge. The state elections commission said in a legislative redistricting case that any new lines must be set by March 15 in order for deadlines to be met for candidates running this November.
‘Make it quick!’ Virginia legislature’s short time limit for public comments leaves some feeling disrespected
Virginia’s part-time Legislature moves at a quick clip. And its time-pressed lawmakers expect the same from members of the public who want to make their voices heard. Year after year, no matter which party is in charge, committee and subcommittee chairs have repeatedly exhorted those providing testimony at the Capitol to speed things along. They often remind speakers that a countdown timer is running or urge them to consider whether weighing in is even necessary. There’s broad agreement that some kind of public comment time management is necessary in Virginia’s sessions, which generally run no longer than 60 days. But critics say the way the General Assembly structures its work means important deliberations take place privately and citizens’ concerns get short shrift. VIRGINIA GOV. YOUNGKIN PRIORITIZES MENTAL HEALTH POLICY AS POLICE ARE OVERWHELMED BY CASES “Virginia’s legislative calendar just isn’t designed for public input,” said Sally Hudson, a University of Virginia professor and former member of the House of Delegates, who has advocated for rethinking the way sessions are structured. One particular exchange last week, during which victims of violent crime were limited in their remarks, highlighted the issue and drew a sharp rebuke from the state’s GOP attorney general and governor and Republican legislators, who are in the minority in both chambers. The incident took place during a meeting led by Del. Vivian Watts, a Democrat who is the third-most senior member of the House of Delegates. The panel was hearing a so-called “second look” bill backed by criminal justice reform advocates that would allow individuals serving long prison terms to petition a court for a potential reduction to their sentence. After the subcommittee heard an explanation of the bill, Watts told lobbyists and members of the public that she would allow six minutes of testimony for supporters in the room, who also included some crime victims, and then six minutes for opponents. When the opponents’ six minutes ran out after only three speakers, Watts attempted to cut the group off. As the wife of a murder victim insisted on being heard, it appeared her microphone was silenced. Michael Grey, whose son was fatally shot while trying to sell an iPhone in 2018, stepped up to the microphone next. Watts asked him to stop speaking and then chided him when he persisted, saying: “I am not happy with the performance. However, I’ll let you go forward.” Melinda Wallin, who appeared shaken, followed and simply introduced herself before Spotsylvania County commonwealth’s attorney Ryan Mehaffey, whose office prosecuted the 2019 fatal shooting of Wallin’s son, said: “Respectfully, I’d ask for one minute for Ms. Wallin. … Her son died in her arms and she just wants one minute. We’ve been here all day. Please.” “Next speaker, please,” Watts said after a long pause, according to a recording of the meeting. “I just felt railroaded. I felt so disrespected,” Wallin said in an interview this week. Watts said she had attempted to be clear and fair about the expectations she laid out and had tried to give some leeway to the speakers. Virginia’s tightly compressed session means at some point, you have to move on, she said. “We try to cover as many bills as Congress does in a whole year in eight weeks,” she said. While the exchange was striking, it represented a common back-and-forth and underscored the time crunch faced by lawmakers, most of whom earn around $18,000 a year and many of whom travel long distances to Richmond. The General Assembly legislates for a narrowly politically divided state of some 8.7 million people and considers thousands of bills in sessions scheduled for at most 60 days in even-numbered years, less in odd-numbered years. Lawmakers typically don’t meet over the weekends and generally structure the weeks so work can conclude more quickly on Fridays. Nationally, state legislatures — which differ widely in how long they meet — have varying policies on handling public input. Some offer visitors more time and latitude than others. Members of the public who visit capitols to petition their government also face varying regulations that limit the display of signs, political messaging on clothing and even where people can gather. Virginia legislators can’t plod through discussion on every single issue or they would run out of time, said House GOP Leader Todd Gilbert. But the public broadly deserves more time, and especially on sensitive topics like the second look bill, he said. Gilbert also suggested the limited public comment could have been by design in this instance. Last year, the measure passed the Senate unanimously but died on a unanimous, bipartisan vote in a House of Delegates subcommittee after a public hearing that featured over an hour of testimony, including emotional pleas from victims who said the measure would add to their trauma. By the end of the public comment, then-sponsor Sen. Chap Petersen, a Democrat, threw up his hands and said: “Do what you want with the bill. … I’m sorry, so sorry for these families.” Broadly speaking, the Assembly’s time limits for speakers — which vary from panel to panel — have generally seemed tighter this session, said Megan Rhyne, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government. She also questioned why the Senate is not taking online public comment in subcommittees or allowing the submission of written public comments. Joan Porte, president of the League of Women Voters of Virginia, expressed similar concerns about the Senate’s virtual testimony policies and the lack of an option to submit written comments. But other Assembly observers have noted how much access and transparency have improved since the pre-pandemic days when not all meetings were recorded and there was no ability to testify online. The Assembly’s current session has been replete with other examples of visitors and even legislators being told to keep their remarks or questions brief. One instance happened in a House subcommittee discussing the closure of several state prisons and another in a Senate committee debating collective bargaining and other employment-related measures.
Congress leaders discuss seat-sharing for Lok Sabha polls; Sonia Gandhi may be named for RS election
The former Congres president is the frontrunner for the Rajya Sabha seat from Himachal Pradesh that will fall vacant after BJP chief J P Nadda’s tenure ends this April.
Ukraine aid package would be used to impeach Trump, Sen Vance warns
Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, warned his Republican colleagues that the proposed Ukrainian aid bill could be used to impeach former President Trump if he wins re-election in November. Vance sent a memo to GOP lawmakers highlighting that the Ukraine package assures the delivery of funding through September 2025. Trump, however, has vowed to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of gaining office, which would also end funding. “[The package] represents an attempt by the foreign policy blob/deep state to stop President Trump from pursuing his desired policy, and if he does so anyways, to provide grounds to impeach him and undermine his administration. All Republicans should oppose its passage,” the memo read. “Back in 2019, Democrats articulated a novel theory of impeachment, based on Trump’s refusal to spend money from the USAI—Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. Five years after impeaching Trump for refusing to spend money on Ukraine, they have drafted a new law that again requires Trump to spend money on Ukraine. If he negotiates an end to the war, as he has promised to do, they will undoubtedly argue that he has broken the law,” Vance wrote in an op-ed for the American Conservative. NETANYAHU DECLARES ‘VICTORY IS WITHIN REACH’ AS HAMAS REDUCED TO ‘LAST REMAINING BASTION’ On Sunday, the Senate voted to push forward the aid package, which also includes funds for Israel and other U.S. allies. So far, 18 GOP lawmakers have signed on to the effort. The package would provide $60 billion for Ukraine, mostly to purchase U.S.-made defense equipment, including munitions and air defense systems that authorities say it desperately needs as Russia batters the country. It also includes $8 billion for the government in Kyiv and other assistance. The 67-27 test vote Sunday on the $95.3 billion foreign aid package came just after Trump moved to kill the assistance and has escalated his attacks on the NATO military alliance. MODERATE DEMS SILENT AS BIDEN SKIRTS SENATE CONFIRMATION FOR JOHN KERRY’S REPLACEMENT Trump suggested this weekend that he would let Russia run amok in countries that are not contributing their fair share to NATO’s budget. Even if it makes it out of the Senate, the bill faces an uncertain future in the House of Representatives, where Republican lawmakers are more deeply aligned with Trump. Fox News’ Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
Kamala Harris ‘ready to serve’ as Democrats sound the alarm about Biden’s age: report
Vice President Kamala Harris says she is “ready to serve” as concerns over President Biden’s age and mental fitness continue to grow, notably among members of their own party. Harris made the statement during a a recent interview last week before the Thursday release of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on Biden’s mishandling of classified documents, which described the president’s memory as having “significant limitations.” “I am ready to serve. There’s no question about that,” Harris told The Wall Street Journal, adding that everyone who observes her work “walks away fully aware of my capacity to lead.” BIDEN CONSIDERED RESIGNING VICE PRESIDENCY ‘IN PROTEST’ OVER OBAMA’S AFGHANISTAN POLICY: HUR REPORT Hur’s report recommended no charges against Biden over his actions pertaining to the mishandling of classified documents, partly because he would have a defense at trial as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” Republicans piled on Biden following the Hur report’s release last week, but Democrats have also begun voicing — or at least admitting — greater concern surrounding Biden’s age and whether that could hurt his chances at winning re-election this year. Former President Bill Clinton’s lead strategist, James Carville, argued Saturday that the White House has little confidence in Biden after he turned down a Super Bowl Sunday interview. TREASURY CONFIRMS TERMS LIKE ‘MAGA,’ TRUMP,’ KAMALA,’ ‘BIDEN’ USED IN PRIVATE BANK TRANSACTION SEARCHES “It’s the biggest television audience, not even close, and you get a chance to do a 20-25-minute interview on that day,” Carville said. “And you don’t do it? That’s a kind of sign that the staff, or yourself, doesn’t have much confidence in you. There’s no other way to read this.” Another former Clinton strategist, Paul Begala, said Hur’s indictment of Biden’s memory and Biden’s subsequent response was “terrible for Democrats.” “Oh yeah. Look, I’m a Biden supporter, and I slept like a baby last night: I woke up every two hours crying and wet the bed,” Begala quipped on CNN last Friday. “This is terrible for Democrats. And anybody with a functioning brain knows that,” he declared. GOP CAMPAIGN ARM LAUNCHES MEDIA BLITZ AGAINST DEMS WHO OPPOSED VIOLENT CRIME BILL AS CRISIS IN DC SPIRALS Also ahead of the Hur report’s release, former Secretary of State and 2016 Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton admitted Biden’s age was “a legitimate issue.” Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
Hawley calls out Biden campaign for using TikTok after president signed law banning it from federal devices
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., called out the Biden-Harris campaign for joining TikTok on Super Bowl Sunday, after the administration signed legislation banning the app from most federal devices in 2022. “Hey by the way, we just joined TikTok,” the campaign’s post on X read on Sunday, with the campaign’s first TikTok video of the president answering quizzes about the Super Bowl. “Biden campaign bragging about using a Chinese spy app even though Biden signed a law banning it on all federal devices,” Hawley wrote on X in response to the campaign’s post. BIDEN’S BRUTAL WEEK: PRESIDENT BATTERED BY GAFFES, DAMAGING SPECIAL COUNSEL REPORT BIDEN ‘DID NOT REMEMBER WHEN HE WAS VICE PRESIDENT,’ WHEN HIS SON BEAU DIED, DURING SPECIAL COUNSEL INTERVIEWS The Biden administration set a 30-day deadline in late February 2023 for government agencies to purge the app, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, from federal devices. Several Republicans have urged Congress to ban the app in the U.S. entirely because of reports the app steals Americans’ data and poses a national security threat. In 2017, China began enforcing a law mandating companies to provide the government with any personal data pertinent to the regime’s national security. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has also called for a nationwide ban on TikTok, saying last month that the CEO is “lying” about the app being safe for users. FBI DIRECTOR CHRIS WRAY TESTIFIES CHINESE-OWNED TIKTOK HAS POWER TO ‘DRIVE NARRATIVES,’ ‘DIVIDE AMERICANS’ “We should ban it,” Hawley previously told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “It tracks everything you do on your phone. It tracks everywhere you go, every text message you send, every email you write, and it’s — all that information — all of it’s available to the Chinese Communist Party.“ Cotton appeared to weigh in Monday on the Biden campaign joining TikTok, writing, “Just like TikTok, Temu or any Chinese tech company must allow the Communist Party unfettered access to its data. This should be a non-starter for doing business in the United States.” The app is vastly popular among young voters, and Biden’s campaign team will be running the president’s account. The campaign also has a presence on other social media platforms, including X, Instagram, Meta’s Threads and former President Trump’s Truth Social. The FBI and the Federal Communications Commission have both reportedly cautioned that ByteDance may potentially share user data — including browsing history, location information, and biometric identifiers such as fingerprints, facial features, iris patterns, voice prints — with the Chinese Communist Party. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a government agency that reviews national security implications of foreign investments in the U.S. has been investigating TikTok since 2019. The Biden-Harris campaign said they will be posting content regularly on all platforms, including TikTok. “We are taking advanced safety precautions around our devices and incorporating a sophisticated security protocol to ensure security. The campaign’s presence is independent and apart from the ongoing CFIUS review,” a campaign adviser said in an email. “The campaign will continue meeting voters where they are, innovating to create content that will resonate with critical audiences and the core constituencies that make up the president’s diverse and broad coalition of voters.”
New Mexico legislators consider how to use multibillion-dollar oil surplus as spending plan advances
New Mexico’s strategy for spending and investing a multibillion-dollar annual surplus linked closely to oil production came into sharper focus Saturday, as a legislative panel advanced an annual spending plan toward a Senate floor vote. Legislators are tapping the brakes on recent double-digit budget increases in the nation’s No. 2 state for oil production behind Texas, while setting aside money in endowments and investment accounts to ensure funding for critical programs in the future — in case the world’s hunger for oil weakens. Advancing on an 11-0 committee vote, the amended budget proposal would increase annual state general fund spending by roughly 6.8%, to $10.2 billion, for the fiscal year that runs from July 2024 through June 2025. NEW MEXICO BILL TO LOWER INCOME TAXES AND CAP INVESTMENT TAX BREAK ADVANCES Proposed changes from the Senate add $32 million to the spending package, setting average public salary increases at 3% for state employees and staff at K-12 schools, state colleges and public universities. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has advocated for a more robust spending package, a 10% annual spending increase that would shore up housing opportunities, childhood literacy and health care access. New Mexico’s Legislature assembles its own budget — a bill that currently includes the governor’s $30 million request to establish a literacy institute and bolster reading programs, along with $125 million in new financing for housing development projects. Democratic state Sen. George Muñoz of Gallup, chairman of the lead Senate budget-writing committee, said the budget plan slows down spending increases and still funnels more money to rural hospitals, the new literacy institute, state police salaries, safety-net program for seniors and increased highway spending to overcome inflationary construction costs. A monthly payment of $25 to impoverished seniors and the disabled from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program would increase to $100, he said. “You can leave at the end of the day and say we helped the poor, we helped the seniors, we helped law enforcement, you fixed a lot of things,” Muñoz said. Legislators also want to help the state and local governments compete for a greater share of federal infrastructure spending from the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden administration’s signature climate, health care and tax package. Senate budget amendments apply $75 million in state matching funds to the effort. Under another $1.5 million budget provision, New Mexico would for the first time help compensate landowners and agricultural producers when wolves are confirmed to have killed livestock or working animals. Wolf-livestock conflicts have been a major challenge in reintroducing endangered Mexican gray wolves to the Southwest over the past two decades. Ranchers say the killing of livestock by wolves remains a threat to their livelihood despite efforts by wildlife managers to scare the wolves away and reimburse some of the losses. Separately, a conservation fund established in 2023 would get a new $300 million infusion. The fund underwrites an array of conservation programs at state natural resources agencies, from soil enhancement programs in agriculture to conservation of threatened and big-game species. Leading Democratic legislators also say they want to ensure that new initiatives at agencies overseen by the governor are cost-effective and responsive — especially when it comes to public education, foster care and child protective services — before future funding is guaranteed. The state House on Friday endorsed the creation of the “government results and opportunity” trust that would underwrite pilot programs during a three-year vetting period, with requirements for annual reports to the Legislature’s accountability and budget office. The Legislature’s budget bill would place $512 million in the trust. “It gives us funding for several years to solve problems,” said Rep. Nathan Small of Las Cruces, a cosponsor of the initiative. “It gives us a quick ability to analyze whether or not, and how, that’s working.” Legislators have until noon Thursday to deliver a budget to the governor, who can veto any and all spending items.