<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨 THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL IS NOW OFFICIALLY THE LAW OF THE LAND! <a href="https://t.co/mOpYN0tiZ0">pic.twitter.com/mOpYN0tiZ0</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1941253557665321187?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥 Trump signs Big, Beautiful Bill into law

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/cindygonzalez/">Cindy Gonzalez</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/fortenberry-seeks-two-month-delay-of-re-trial-to-wait-for-trump-justice-department/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN —&nbsp;Gov. Jim Pillen on Thursday announced an interim director for the Nebraska Department of Economic Development: Maureen Larsen, who currently serves as the governor’s general counsel.

Larsen, who earned her law degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law, also serves as Pillen’s deputy director of policy research. The policy division serves as the governor’s personal lobbying arm.

She is to transition from her current role July 21, replacing K.C. Belitz, whose resignation was announced suddenly last month after serving two years on the job. Belitz’s final day as DED director is July 18.

Larsen earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont.&nbsp;

The DED director has been a rather high-profile position, overseeing grants and funding for economic development ventures and attending related ribbon-cuttings for projects across the state.

Larsen’s general counsel and policy research position has been more behind the scenes. She was quoted in a 2023 Flatwater Free Press story about an apparent unprecedented move by the Pillen administration to shield the governor’s communications.

Larsen, in a response to the news outlet’s request for email, said certain communication of the governor was “protected by executive privilege” or “deliberative process privilege,” the FFP reported.&nbsp;

Several former and current officials and advocates told the FFP they couldn’t recall any other Nebraska governors invoking that privilege to deny access to records.

Pillen’s media statement thanked Belitz for his service. It did not indicate when a permanent DED director might be named.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751668482431.png" alt=" Gov. Jim Pillen tapped Maureen Larsen, his office’s general counsel, as the interim director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development beginning July 21, 2025. (Capitol photo by Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner | Larsen photo courtesy of Office of Gov. Jim Pillen)" />
 <figcaption> Gov. Jim Pillen tapped Maureen Larsen, his office’s general counsel, as the interim director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development beginning July 21, 2025. (Capitol photo by Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner | Larsen photo courtesy of Office of Gov. Jim Pillen)</figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/cindygonzalez/">Cindy Gonzalez</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/fortenberry-seeks-two-month-delay-of-re-trial-to-wait-for-trump-justice-department/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN —&nbsp;Gov. Jim Pillen on Thursday announced an interim director for the Nebraska Department of Economic Development: Maureen Larsen, who currently serves as the governor’s general counsel.Larsen, who earned her law degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law, also serves as Pillen’s deputy director of policy research. The policy division serves as the governor’s personal lobbying arm.She is to transition from her current role July 21, replacing K.C. Belitz, whose resignation was announced suddenly last month after serving two years on the job. Belitz’s final day as DED director is July 18.Larsen earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont.&nbsp;The DED director has been a rather high-profile position, overseeing grants and funding for economic development ventures and attending related ribbon-cuttings for projects across the state.Larsen’s general counsel and policy research position has been more behind the scenes. She was quoted in a 2023 Flatwater Free Press story about an apparent unprecedented move by the Pillen administration to shield the governor’s communications.Larsen, in a response to the news outlet’s request for email, said certain communication of the governor was “protected by executive privilege” or “deliberative process privilege,” the FFP reported.&nbsp;Several former and current officials and advocates told the FFP they couldn’t recall any other Nebraska governors invoking that privilege to deny access to records.Pillen’s media statement thanked Belitz for his service. It did not indicate when a permanent DED director might be named.

Pillen announces interim director of Nebraska economic development 

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">“We’re going to have a UFC fight, think of this, on the grounds of the White House. We have a lot of land there. We&#39;re gonna build a little - Dana&#39;s gonna do it... Championship fight, full fight, like 20, 25,000 people. And we&#39;re going to do that as part of A250&quot; - Trump in Iowa <a href="https://t.co/5Dkam2IFWU">pic.twitter.com/5Dkam2IFWU</a>&mdash; Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1941078076903043230?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Trump says he plans to host UFC fight at the White House

Despite political posturing, Rep. Don Bacon ultimately follows along to give Trump his domestic agenda

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/jsalinas/">Juan Salinas II</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — Republican leadership on the Hill successfully wrangled enough Senate and House Republicans, including the Nebraska federal delegation, into supporting President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill.”&nbsp;

The bill passed the U.S. House along party lines, 218-214, and will now be sent to the president to be signed into law. There was no political surprise from the all-Republican Nebraska federal delegation, who spent the week defending the GOP mega bill through national interviews on the Hill.

“We’re delivering on President Trump’s growth agenda,” Rep. Mike Flood, who represents eastern Nebraska’s 1st District, told Fox Business. “This is about growth.”&nbsp;

The only two House Republicans to vote against the bill were Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie.

Earlier this week, the GOP mega bill<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-narrowly-passes-gop-megabill-after-overnight-session-sending-it-house" target="_blank">&nbsp;passed the Senate</a>&nbsp;after an overnight session, with a tie-breaking vote by Vice President JD Vance. U.S. Sens. Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts have been interviewed about what they said is the importance of preserving Trump’s tax cuts.

In a trend, Nebraska’s Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/06/29/nebraska-u-s-rep-don-bacon-again-in-middle-of-fight-for-big-trump-bill/">Don Bacon vocally pushed back</a>, expressing concerns about the Senate version of the bill’s proposed cuts to Medicaid, emphasizing that he had received reassurances the bill would not degrade the quality of healthcare for people covered by Medicaid.&nbsp;

He even said he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.notus.org/congress/the-senates-reconciliation-bill-is-running-into-a-new-problem-house-moderates" target="_blank">won’t support the Senate’s reconciliation bill</a>&nbsp;if it cut the Medicaid provider tax rate.&nbsp;

But in the end, he voted for it. Bacon defended his vote, like the rest of the delegation, by emphasizing the preservation of the Trump tax cuts.&nbsp;

“I wish they had done the house … version,” Bacon told CNN, “But I have an opportunity to protect taxpayers … from a 20% tax increase.”&nbsp;

Rep. Adrian Smith, who represents Nebraska’s largely rural 3rd District, said&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/WaysandMeansGOP/status/1940688121751851097" target="_blank">on the House floor</a>, “We’re stopping a tax increase on the average middle class household.”&nbsp;

Trump and Republican leadership in Congress successfully made their self-imposed deadline of July 4 to get the “big beautiful bill” to the president’s desk. Now the delegation will try to sell the bill to Nebraskans, as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/06/25/donald-trump-big-beautiful-bill-polls-republicans-senate/84353553007/" target="_blank">multiple polls</a>&nbsp;indicate that Trump’s signature piece of legislation is unpopular among Americans who are aware of it.

The bill would make tax cuts from the first Trump administration permanent, cementing most of its benefits for high earners. It also introduces some new temporary tax breaks for workers earning less, boosts funding for immigration enforcement, starts funding Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense program and accomplishes other goals from Trump’s domestic agenda.

To offset the cost of the mega bill, the plan is to reduce spending on the social safety net by adding work requirements for Medicaid and food stamps. Also, by&nbsp;lowering provider taxes, a tax nearly every state uses to help fund Medicaid programs.&nbsp;

Congressional experts have estimated that the package would add $3.253 trillion to the debt during the next decade. An analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office also estimates that 5.2 million adults would lose Medicaid coverage due to the stricter requirements, which are expected to save the federal government $280 billion over the next six years.

The bill would require able-bodied people and working-aged individuals to show the government proof of employment to remain on the program every six months.&nbsp;For months, state lawmakers, left-leaning political advocacy organizations, medical professionals, activists and some everyday Nebraskans have expressed concerns about the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/06/23/nebraskans-raise-concerns-about-health-care-cuts-in-fed-budget-reconciliation/">“disastrous” consequences</a>&nbsp;of the mega bill’s Medicaid cuts for healthcare access and to rural hospitals.

Trump’s mega bill includes $50 billion for rural hospitals as an attempt to offset Medicaid cuts, but according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/how-might-federal-medicaid-cuts-in-the-senate-passed-reconciliation-bill-affect-rural-areas/" target="_blank">KFF, a health research organization, analysis</a>, those cuts could decrease Medicaid spending in rural areas by $155 billion over the next decade.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In Nebraska, it’s estimated that the state would lose between $3 billion and $5 billion in Medicaid federal funding over the next 10 years,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/allocating-cbos-estimates-of-federal-medicaid-spending-reductions-across-the-states-senate-reconciliation-bill/" target="_blank">according to KKF</a>.&nbsp;The director of the Nebraska Rural Health Association&nbsp;<a href="https://journalstar.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/article_b8494b09-3f88-4d9d-98f2-f23e241b1477.html#tracking-source=home-top-story" target="_blank">stated that six rural Nebraska hospitals</a>&nbsp;would likely close as a result.&nbsp;

<a href="https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/southwest-nebraska-hospital-announces-plans-to-close-blames-uncertainty-over-funding/" target="_blank">A rural hospital</a>&nbsp;in southwest Nebraska, Curtis Medical Center, has already announced plans to close in the coming months because of the anticipated Medicaid cuts.&nbsp;

“Unfortunately, the current financial environment, driven by anticipated federal budget cuts to Medicaid, has made it impossible for us to continue operating all of our services, many of which have faced significant financial challenges for years,” Troy Bruntz, president and CEO of Community Hospital, said in a news release.

Gov. Jim Pillen, shortly following the House vote, said in a statement that he believes Nebraska supports Trump’s vision for “the America First Agenda.”

“Nebraska’s Congressional delegation deserves a lot of credit for working day and night to deliver policy that puts our state and country on a trajectory of great growth,” Pillen said. He said the legislation “extends tax cuts for families, boosts our military, secures our border, and grows agriculture.”

Jeremy Nordquist, president of the Nebraska Hospital Association, said, that Nebraska hospitals have been “clear” throughout this debate: “This package will undermine health care in our state, hurt patients, and drive up insurance premiums.”

A Nebraska Appleseed spokesperson said the bill “will cause irreparable harm to Nebraskans for decades to come.” The advocacy group said, for example, 40,000 Nebraskans are at risk of losing their Medicaid healthcare by imposing the work requirements.

Nebraska Farm Bureau President Mark McHargue said Trump’s mega bill is “a win for Nebraska’s farm and ranch families, and we look forward to continuing to work with our stellar congressional delegation on legislation to improve the lives of our state’s food, fuel, and fiber producers.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Nebraska Republican Party chair Mary Jane Truemper said it’s “a win for everyone who believes in a strong work ethic, limited government, and opportunity for all.”&nbsp;

Nebraska Democratic Party chair Jane Kleeb said the Republican Party has delivered a “devastating” blow to that American’s “promise of opportunity.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751590039305.png" alt="There was no political surprise from the all-Republican Nebraska federal delegation" />
 <figcaption>There was no political surprise from the all-Republican Nebraska federal delegation</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Despite political posturing, Rep. Don Bacon ultimately follows along to give Trump his domestic agenda</h2>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/jsalinas/">Juan Salinas II</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — Republican leadership on the Hill successfully wrangled enough Senate and House Republicans, including the Nebraska federal delegation, into supporting President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill.”&nbsp;The bill passed the U.S. House along party lines, 218-214, and will now be sent to the president to be signed into law. There was no political surprise from the all-Republican Nebraska federal delegation, who spent the week defending the GOP mega bill through national interviews on the Hill.“We’re delivering on President Trump’s growth agenda,” Rep. Mike Flood, who represents eastern Nebraska’s 1st District, told Fox Business. “This is about growth.”&nbsp;The only two House Republicans to vote against the bill were Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie.Earlier this week, the GOP mega bill<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-narrowly-passes-gop-megabill-after-overnight-session-sending-it-house" target="_blank">&nbsp;passed the Senate</a>&nbsp;after an overnight session, with a tie-breaking vote by Vice President JD Vance. U.S. Sens. Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts have been interviewed about what they said is the importance of preserving Trump’s tax cuts.In a trend, Nebraska’s Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/06/29/nebraska-u-s-rep-don-bacon-again-in-middle-of-fight-for-big-trump-bill/">Don Bacon vocally pushed back</a>, expressing concerns about the Senate version of the bill’s proposed cuts to Medicaid, emphasizing that he had received reassurances the bill would not degrade the quality of healthcare for people covered by Medicaid.&nbsp;He even said he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.notus.org/congress/the-senates-reconciliation-bill-is-running-into-a-new-problem-house-moderates" target="_blank">won’t support the Senate’s reconciliation bill</a>&nbsp;if it cut the Medicaid provider tax rate.&nbsp;But in the end, he voted for it. Bacon defended his vote, like the rest of the delegation, by emphasizing the preservation of the Trump tax cuts.&nbsp;“I wish they had done the house … version,” Bacon told CNN, “But I have an opportunity to protect taxpayers … from a 20% tax increase.”&nbsp;Rep. Adrian Smith, who represents Nebraska’s largely rural 3rd District, said&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/WaysandMeansGOP/status/1940688121751851097" target="_blank">on the House floor</a>, “We’re stopping a tax increase on the average middle class household.”&nbsp;Trump and Republican leadership in Congress successfully made their self-imposed deadline of July 4 to get the “big beautiful bill” to the president’s desk. Now the delegation will try to sell the bill to Nebraskans, as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/06/25/donald-trump-big-beautiful-bill-polls-republicans-senate/84353553007/" target="_blank">multiple polls</a>&nbsp;indicate that Trump’s signature piece of legislation is unpopular among Americans who are aware of it.The bill would make tax cuts from the first Trump administration permanent, cementing most of its benefits for high earners. It also introduces some new temporary tax breaks for workers earning less, boosts funding for immigration enforcement, starts funding Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense program and accomplishes other goals from Trump’s domestic agenda.To offset the cost of the mega bill, the plan is to reduce spending on the social safety net by adding work requirements for Medicaid and food stamps. Also, by&nbsp;lowering provider taxes, a tax nearly every state uses to help fund Medicaid programs.&nbsp;Congressional experts have estimated that the package would add $3.253 trillion to the debt during the next decade. An analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office also estimates that 5.2 million adults would lose Medicaid coverage due to the stricter requirements, which are expected to save the federal government $280 billion over the next six years.The bill would require able-bodied people and working-aged individuals to show the government proof of employment to remain on the program every six months.&nbsp;For months, state lawmakers, left-leaning political advocacy organizations, medical professionals, activists and some everyday Nebraskans have expressed concerns about the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/06/23/nebraskans-raise-concerns-about-health-care-cuts-in-fed-budget-reconciliation/">“disastrous” consequences</a>&nbsp;of the mega bill’s Medicaid cuts for healthcare access and to rural hospitals.Trump’s mega bill includes $50 billion for rural hospitals as an attempt to offset Medicaid cuts, but according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/how-might-federal-medicaid-cuts-in-the-senate-passed-reconciliation-bill-affect-rural-areas/" target="_blank">KFF, a health research organization, analysis</a>, those cuts could decrease Medicaid spending in rural areas by $155 billion over the next decade.&nbsp;&nbsp;In Nebraska, it’s estimated that the state would lose between $3 billion and $5 billion in Medicaid federal funding over the next 10 years,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/allocating-cbos-estimates-of-federal-medicaid-spending-reductions-across-the-states-senate-reconciliation-bill/" target="_blank">according to KKF</a>.&nbsp;The director of the Nebraska Rural Health Association&nbsp;<a href="https://journalstar.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/article_b8494b09-3f88-4d9d-98f2-f23e241b1477.html#tracking-source=home-top-story" target="_blank">stated that six rural Nebraska hospitals</a>&nbsp;would likely close as a result.&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/southwest-nebraska-hospital-announces-plans-to-close-blames-uncertainty-over-funding/" target="_blank">A rural hospital</a>&nbsp;in southwest Nebraska, Curtis Medical Center, has already announced plans to close in the coming months because of the anticipated Medicaid cuts.&nbsp;“Unfortunately, the current financial environment, driven by anticipated federal budget cuts to Medicaid, has made it impossible for us to continue operating all of our services, many of which have faced significant financial challenges for years,” Troy Bruntz, president and CEO of Community Hospital, said in a news release.<h2>Local Nebraska reactions:</h2>Gov. Jim Pillen, shortly following the House vote, said in a statement that he believes Nebraska supports Trump’s vision for “the America First Agenda.”“Nebraska’s Congressional delegation deserves a lot of credit for working day and night to deliver policy that puts our state and country on a trajectory of great growth,” Pillen said. He said the legislation “extends tax cuts for families, boosts our military, secures our border, and grows agriculture.”Jeremy Nordquist, president of the Nebraska Hospital Association, said, that Nebraska hospitals have been “clear” throughout this debate: “This package will undermine health care in our state, hurt patients, and drive up insurance premiums.”A Nebraska Appleseed spokesperson said the bill “will cause irreparable harm to Nebraskans for decades to come.” The advocacy group said, for example, 40,000 Nebraskans are at risk of losing their Medicaid healthcare by imposing the work requirements.Nebraska Farm Bureau President Mark McHargue said Trump’s mega bill is “a win for Nebraska’s farm and ranch families, and we look forward to continuing to work with our stellar congressional delegation on legislation to improve the lives of our state’s food, fuel, and fiber producers.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Nebraska Republican Party chair Mary Jane Truemper said it’s “a win for everyone who believes in a strong work ethic, limited government, and opportunity for all.”&nbsp;Nebraska Democratic Party chair Jane Kleeb said the Republican Party has delivered a “devastating” blow to that American’s “promise of opportunity.”

Nebraska federal delegation lockstep on big Trump bill

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: “From 1776 all the way through today, American patriots have won triumph after triumph, we’ve had victory after victory, and let nothing stand in the way of the USA.” 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/hfq0JoVIgu">pic.twitter.com/hfq0JoVIgu</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1940947450841518461?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: Exactly one year from tomorrow, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of America&#39;s founding... This evening, we are officially launching &quot;AMERICA 250&quot; — an enormous, year-long, nationwide celebration of our heritage, our flag, and our glorious American freedom. 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/ffQuiio1WY">pic.twitter.com/ffQuiio1WY</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1940938639464452197?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;As we prepare to celebrate two and a half centuries of freedom, I am inviting America’s great religious communities to pray for our nation and for our people... as we chart our course toward the next 250 years, let us rededicate ourselves to ONE NATION UNDER GOD.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/ooso9kLNZf">pic.twitter.com/ooso9kLNZf</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1940945209661043064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> announces the &quot;Patriot Games&quot; as part of the America 250 celebration — in which top high school athletes from all 50 states participate in a nationally televised sporting event. <a href="https://t.co/02rnXtfgzV">pic.twitter.com/02rnXtfgzV</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1940942910167326808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Trump kicks off yearlong celebration of America's 250th anniversary 

A Clackamas County, Oregon jury found former University of Kansas star and Portland Trail Blazer Ben McLemore guilty Thursday of raping and sexually assaulting a 21-year-old woman in 2021, according to a media release from Clackamas County.

McLemore, 32, was convicted in Clackamas County Circuit Court of Rape in the First Degree, Unlawful Sexual Penetration in the First Degree and Sexual Abuse in the Second Degree. He will be sentenced at 9:30 a.m. on July 9.

"We recognize there are those who fear individuals with celebrity status or a position of prominence can avoid prosecution. Not in Clackamas County. This case demonstrates my office prosecutes criminal acts regardless of the offender's community status," said District Attorney John Wentworth.

The sexual assault occurred on October 3, 2021, after a party at the Lake Oswego home of Robert Covington, another former Trail Blazer. Covington and McLemore were teammates at the time.

The victim had been drinking heavily and was "hammered unconscious drunk" that night, prosecutor Scott Healy told jurors. It's the most alcohol the woman ever had to drink in her life and the most intoxicated she's ever been, Healy said.

The victim vomited earlier in the evening and witnesses said she had difficulty walking, slurred speech and could barely lift her head, Healy said.

The victim passed out on a large living room couch around 2 a.m. Sometime later McLemore later began sleeping on the same couch.

Around 6 a.m., the victim regained partial consciousness when McLemore sexually penetrated her with his fingers then began having sexual intercourse with her.

The victim was "fading in and out" of consciousness, frightened and traumatized, Healy said. Later that day she sought a specialized medical examination for victims of sexual assault.

"(The defendant) needs to be held accountable for what he did. You can't do that to somebody, let alone somebody that you don't know either. You don't do that to people and just be able to get away with it. I don't care who you are," the victim said during her trial testimony.

Defense attorneys for McLemore disputed the victim's account of events. They claimed she initiated sexual contact and consented to it.

McLemore's attorneys asserted that although the victim and McLemore were both intoxicated and at the time of the encounter, the victim was sober enough to consent.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751586386443.png" alt="McLemore- photo Clackamas County " />
 <figcaption>McLemore- photo Clackamas County </figcaption>
 </figure>A Clackamas County, Oregon jury found former University of Kansas star and Portland Trail Blazer Ben McLemore guilty Thursday of raping and sexually assaulting a 21-year-old woman in 2021, according to a media release from Clackamas County.McLemore, 32, was convicted in Clackamas County Circuit Court of Rape in the First Degree, Unlawful Sexual Penetration in the First Degree and Sexual Abuse in the Second Degree. He will be sentenced at 9:30 a.m. on July 9."We recognize there are those who fear individuals with celebrity status or a position of prominence can avoid prosecution. Not in Clackamas County. This case demonstrates my office prosecutes criminal acts regardless of the offender's community status," said District Attorney John Wentworth.The sexual assault occurred on October 3, 2021, after a party at the Lake Oswego home of Robert Covington, another former Trail Blazer. Covington and McLemore were teammates at the time.The victim had been drinking heavily and was "hammered unconscious drunk" that night, prosecutor Scott Healy told jurors. It's the most alcohol the woman ever had to drink in her life and the most intoxicated she's ever been, Healy said.The victim vomited earlier in the evening and witnesses said she had difficulty walking, slurred speech and could barely lift her head, Healy said.The victim passed out on a large living room couch around 2 a.m. Sometime later McLemore later began sleeping on the same couch.Around 6 a.m., the victim regained partial consciousness when McLemore sexually penetrated her with his fingers then began having sexual intercourse with her.The victim was "fading in and out" of consciousness, frightened and traumatized, Healy said. Later that day she sought a specialized medical examination for victims of sexual assault."(The defendant) needs to be held accountable for what he did. You can't do that to somebody, let alone somebody that you don't know either. You don't do that to people and just be able to get away with it. I don't care who you are," the victim said during her trial testimony.Defense attorneys for McLemore disputed the victim's account of events. They claimed she initiated sexual contact and consented to it.McLemore's attorneys asserted that although the victim and McLemore were both intoxicated and at the time of the encounter, the victim was sober enough to consent.

Former KU player convicted of rape, sexual assault in Oregon

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans cleared the “big, beautiful bill” for President Donald Trump’s signature Thursday, marking an end to the painstaking months-long negotiations that began just after voters gave the GOP unified control of Washington during last year’s elections.

The final 218-214 vote on the expansive tax and spending cuts package marked a significant victory for Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., who were able to unify centrist and far-right members of the party against long odds and narrow majorities.

But the legislation’s real-world impacts include millions of Americans expected to lose access to Medicaid through new requirements and slashed spending, and state governments taking on a share of costs for a key nutrition program for low-income families. If voters oppose Republicans at the ballot box in return, it could mean the GOP loses the House during next year’s midterm elections.

In the end just two Republicans in the House and three in the Senate opposed the measure, which&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-narrowly-passes-gop-megabill-after-overnight-session-sending-it-house" target="_blank">the Senate approved</a>&nbsp;earlier in the week with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote.

Trump posted on social media numerous times in the days leading up to the vote, thanking supportive Republicans who were praising the bill during interviews and threatening to back primary challenges against GOP lawmakers who stood in the way of passage.

“Largest Tax Cuts in History and a Booming Economy vs. Biggest Tax Increase in History, and a Failed Economy,” Trump posted just after midnight when it wasn’t yet clear the bill would pass. “What are the Republicans waiting for??? What are you trying to prove??? MAGA IS NOT HAPPY, AND IT’S COSTING YOU VOTES!!!”

Johnson said during a floor speech the legislation is a direct result of the November elections, when voters gave the GOP control of the House, Senate and the White House.

“That election was decisive. It was a bellwether. It was a time for choosing,” Johnson said. “And I tell you what — the American people chose, overwhelmingly, they chose the Republican Party.”

The package, he said, would make the country “stronger, safer and more prosperous than ever before.”

“We’ve had spirited debates, we’ve had months of deliberation and now we are finally ready to fulfill our promise to the American people,” Johnson said.

Republicans were spurred to write the tax provisions in the legislation to avoid a cliff at the end of the year, created by the party’s 2017 tax law. But the legislation holds dozens of other provisions as well, spanning border security, defense, energy production, health care and higher education aid.

The bill raises the country’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-gop-wants-hike-debt-limit-5-trillion-mega-bill" target="_blank">debt limit by $5 trillion</a>, a staggering figure that many fiscal hawks would have once balked at, but is enough to get Republicans past the midterm elections before they’ll have to negotiate another deal to raise the country’s borrowing limit.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2025-07/61537-hr1-Senate-passed-additional-info7-1-25.pdf" target="_blank">latest analysis</a>&nbsp;of the measure projects it would add $3.4 trillion to deficits during the next decade compared to current law.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called the health care provisions “reckless” during a speech that lasted nearly nine hours, forcing the vote to take place in the afternoon rather than early morning, and said the “bill represents the largest cut to health care in American history.”

“Almost $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid,” Jeffries said. “This runs directly contrary to what President Trump indicated in January, which was that he was going to love and cherish Medicaid. Nothing about this bill loves and cherishes Medicaid. It guts Medicaid.”

The speech broke the eight-hour-and-32-minute record that then-Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., set in 2021 when he sought to delay Democrats from passing a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. House leaders are allowed to exceed normal speaking limits through a privilege called the “magic minute.”

The nonpartisan health research organization KFF’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/allocating-cbos-estimates-of-federal-medicaid-spending-reductions-across-the-states-senate-reconciliation-bill/" target="_blank">analysis</a>&nbsp;of the package shows it would reduce federal spending on Medicaid by nearly $1 trillion during the next decade and lead to 11.8 million people becoming uninsured.

Republicans made numerous changes to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gop-tax-cut-plans-may-depend-savings-medicaid-what-it-and-who-relies-it" target="_blank">the state-federal health program</a>&nbsp;for lower income people and some people with disabilities, including a requirement that some enrollees work, participate in community service, or attend an educational program for at least 80 hours a month.

Medicaid patients will no longer be able to have their care covered at Planned Parenthood for routine appointments, like annual physicals and cancer screenings, for one year. Congress has barred federal taxpayer dollars from going to abortions with limited exceptions for decades, but the new provision will block all Medicaid funding from going to Planned Parenthood, likely leading some of its clinics to close.

House passage followed several frenzied days on Capitol Hill as congressional leaders and Trump sought to sway holdouts to their side ahead of a self-imposed Fourth of July deadline.

The Senate, and then later the House, held overnight sessions followed by dramatic votes where several Republicans, who said publicly they didn’t actually like the bill, voted to approve it anyway.&nbsp;

GOP leaders didn’t have much room for error amid a narrow 53-seat Senate majority and a 220-212 advantage in the House. That delicate balance hovered in the background during the last several months, as talks over dozens of policy changes and spending cuts in the bill appeared deadlocked.

Any modifications meant to bring on board far-right members of the party had to be weighed against the policy goals of centrist lawmakers, who are most at risk of losing their seats during next year’s elections.

The House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-republicans-push-through-massive-tax-and-spending-bill-slashing-medicaid" target="_blank">passed its first version of the bill</a>&nbsp;following a 215-214 vote in May, sending the legislation to the Senate, where Republicans in that chamber spent several weeks deciding which policies they could support and which they wanted to remove or rework.

The measure changed substantially to comply with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/five-questions-and-answers-about-reconciliation-us-senate" target="_blank">the complex rules for moving a budget reconciliation bill</a>&nbsp;through the upper chamber. GOP leaders chose to use that process, instead of moving the package through the regular legislative pathway, to avoid having to negotiate with Democrats to get past the Senate’s 60-vote legislative filibuster.

In the end nearly every one of the 273 Republicans in Congress approved the behemoth&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1/text?s=6&amp;r=1&amp;q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22H.R.+1%22%7D" target="_blank">870-page bill.</a>

Floor debate on the bill in the House, which began around 3:30 a.m. Eastern Thursday and lasted 11 hours, was along party lines, with Democrats voicing strong opposition to changes in the package and GOP lawmakers arguing it puts the country on a better path.

GOP leaders didn’t originally plan to begin debate in the middle of the night while most of the country slept, but were forced to after&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-gop-struggles-advance-megabill-against-freedom-caucus-resistance" target="_blank">holdouts refused to give their votes</a>&nbsp;to a procedural step.

When the House did finally adopt the rule, Pennsylvania’s Brian Fitzpatrick was the sole member of his party to vote against moving onto floor debate and a final passage vote.

Fitzpatrick had&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/RepBrianFitz/status/1940451015125246089" target="_blank">posted on social media</a>&nbsp;earlier in the day that he wanted Trump “to address my serious concern regarding reports the United States is withholding critical defense material pledged to Ukraine.”

“Ukrainian forces are not only safeguarding their homeland—they are holding the front line of freedom itself,” he wrote. “There can be no half-measures in the defense of liberty. We must, as we always have, stand for peace through strength.”

House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., made significant promises to middle-class Americans during floor debate about the tax provisions in the bill that many voters will be watching for in the months ahead.&nbsp;

“Households making under $100,000 will see a 12% tax cut compared to what they pay today. The average family of four will see nearly 11,000 more in their pockets each year,” Smith said. “Real wages for workers will rise by as much as $7,200 a year. A waitress working for tips will keep an extra $1,300, a lineman working overtime after a storm will keep an extra $1,400.”

Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Richard Neal, ranking member on the tax writing panel, said the legislation’s benefits skew largely toward the very wealthy.

“If you made a million dollars last year, you’re going to make a plus of $96,000 in the next tax filing season,” Neal said. “If you made under $50,000 last year, you’re going to get 68 cents a day in terms of your tax relief.”

The extension of the 2017 tax law would predominantly benefit high-income earners. The top 1% would receive a tax cut three times the size of those with incomes in the bottom 60% of after-tax income,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/house-republican-tax-bill-is-skewed-to-wealthy-costs-more-than-extending-2017" target="_blank">according to analysis</a>&nbsp;from the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/1000-trump-accounts-babies-skewed-toward-wealthy-critics-say" target="_blank">Some other tax incentives</a>&nbsp;that critics say skew toward wealthier families include a $1,000 deposit from the federal government for babies born between 2024 and 2028, known as a “Trump account.” The program&nbsp;would track a stock index and gain interest accordingly and families with disposable income could contribute additional funding.

And while Republicans included an extension of the child tax credit to $2,200 per child, it requires the parents to have a Social Security number to claim the tax credit.

The bill will give the president more than $170 billion to carry out his campaign promise of mass deportations of people in the country without permanent legal status. The package would give the Department of Homeland Security $45 billion for the detention of immigrants and give its immigration enforcement arm another $30 billion to hire up to 10,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

The legislation will overhaul federal loans for higher education and how states pay for food assistance that roughly 42 million low-income people rely on, known as the&nbsp;Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

The bill would cap federal graduate loans to $100,000 per borrower and $200,000 per borrower who is attending law school or medical school. It would also cap the ParentPLUS loans to $65,000.

Under the SNAP changes, the package would require states to shoulder more of the burden in food assistance. Currently, the federal government covers 100% of the cost. The legislation tightens eligibility for SNAP, requiring parents with children aged 6 and older to meet the work requirements when they were previously exempt.

The SNAP changes would reduce federal spending on the program by $230 billion over 10 years.

The GOP megabill cuts clean energy tax credits and claws back some of the funding in former president Joe Biden’s signature climate bill, known as the Inflation Reduction Act.

Some of those cuts to clean energy tax credits include terminating at the end of September a nearly $8,000 rebate for the purchase of an electric vehicle, ending a tax credit by December for energy efficient home upgrades such as solar roof panels and heat pumps.

The package rescinds funds to help local governments and states adopt zero emission standards, and eliminates environmental justice block grants that communities used to address health impacts due to environmental pollution, among other things.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751568967015.png" alt="The U.S. Capitol as lawmakers worked into the night on the “big beautiful bill” on July 2, 2025. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)" />
 <figcaption>The U.S. Capitol as lawmakers worked into the night on the “big beautiful bill” on July 2, 2025. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)</figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans cleared the “big, beautiful bill” for President Donald Trump’s signature Thursday, marking an end to the painstaking months-long negotiations that began just after voters gave the GOP unified control of Washington during last year’s elections.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">✅ The House of Representatives just officially PASSED the One Big Beautiful Bill. The largest middle-class tax cut in American history — and so much more — is on its way to President Trump&#39;s desk. MAGA! <a href="https://t.co/V3U8xhenrS">pic.twitter.com/V3U8xhenrS</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1940841386305319258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The final 218-214 vote on the expansive tax and spending cuts package marked a significant victory for Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., who were able to unify centrist and far-right members of the party against long odds and narrow majorities.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">VICTORY: The One Big Beautiful Bill Passes U.S. Congress, Heads to President Trump’s Desk 🇺🇸🎉 <a href="https://t.co/d1nbOlL21G">pic.twitter.com/d1nbOlL21G</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1940840879075611037?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>But the legislation’s real-world impacts include millions of Americans expected to lose access to Medicaid through new requirements and slashed spending, and state governments taking on a share of costs for a key nutrition program for low-income families. If voters oppose Republicans at the ballot box in return, it could mean the GOP loses the House during next year’s midterm elections.In the end just two Republicans in the House and three in the Senate opposed the measure, which&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-narrowly-passes-gop-megabill-after-overnight-session-sending-it-house" target="_blank">the Senate approved</a>&nbsp;earlier in the week with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote.Trump posted on social media numerous times in the days leading up to the vote, thanking supportive Republicans who were praising the bill during interviews and threatening to back primary challenges against GOP lawmakers who stood in the way of passage.“Largest Tax Cuts in History and a Booming Economy vs. Biggest Tax Increase in History, and a Failed Economy,” Trump posted just after midnight when it wasn’t yet clear the bill would pass. “What are the Republicans waiting for??? What are you trying to prove??? MAGA IS NOT HAPPY, AND IT’S COSTING YOU VOTES!!!”Johnson said during a floor speech the legislation is a direct result of the November elections, when voters gave the GOP control of the House, Senate and the White House.“That election was decisive. It was a bellwether. It was a time for choosing,” Johnson said. “And I tell you what — the American people chose, overwhelmingly, they chose the Republican Party.”The package, he said, would make the country “stronger, safer and more prosperous than ever before.”“We’ve had spirited debates, we’ve had months of deliberation and now we are finally ready to fulfill our promise to the American people,” Johnson said.Republicans were spurred to write the tax provisions in the legislation to avoid a cliff at the end of the year, created by the party’s 2017 tax law. But the legislation holds dozens of other provisions as well, spanning border security, defense, energy production, health care and higher education aid.The bill raises the country’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-gop-wants-hike-debt-limit-5-trillion-mega-bill" target="_blank">debt limit by $5 trillion</a>, a staggering figure that many fiscal hawks would have once balked at, but is enough to get Republicans past the midterm elections before they’ll have to negotiate another deal to raise the country’s borrowing limit.The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2025-07/61537-hr1-Senate-passed-additional-info7-1-25.pdf" target="_blank">latest analysis</a>&nbsp;of the measure projects it would add $3.4 trillion to deficits during the next decade compared to current law.<h2>Jeffries: “It guts Medicaid’</h2>House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called the health care provisions “reckless” during a speech that lasted nearly nine hours, forcing the vote to take place in the afternoon rather than early morning, and said the “bill represents the largest cut to health care in American history.”“Almost $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid,” Jeffries said. “This runs directly contrary to what President Trump indicated in January, which was that he was going to love and cherish Medicaid. Nothing about this bill loves and cherishes Medicaid. It guts Medicaid.”The speech broke the eight-hour-and-32-minute record that then-Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., set in 2021 when he sought to delay Democrats from passing a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. House leaders are allowed to exceed normal speaking limits through a privilege called the “magic minute.”The nonpartisan health research organization KFF’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/allocating-cbos-estimates-of-federal-medicaid-spending-reductions-across-the-states-senate-reconciliation-bill/" target="_blank">analysis</a>&nbsp;of the package shows it would reduce federal spending on Medicaid by nearly $1 trillion during the next decade and lead to 11.8 million people becoming uninsured.Republicans made numerous changes to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gop-tax-cut-plans-may-depend-savings-medicaid-what-it-and-who-relies-it" target="_blank">the state-federal health program</a>&nbsp;for lower income people and some people with disabilities, including a requirement that some enrollees work, participate in community service, or attend an educational program for at least 80 hours a month.Medicaid patients will no longer be able to have their care covered at Planned Parenthood for routine appointments, like annual physicals and cancer screenings, for one year. Congress has barred federal taxpayer dollars from going to abortions with limited exceptions for decades, but the new provision will block all Medicaid funding from going to Planned Parenthood, likely leading some of its clinics to close.<h2>Overnight drama</h2>House passage followed several frenzied days on Capitol Hill as congressional leaders and Trump sought to sway holdouts to their side ahead of a self-imposed Fourth of July deadline.The Senate, and then later the House, held overnight sessions followed by dramatic votes where several Republicans, who said publicly they didn’t actually like the bill, voted to approve it anyway.&nbsp;GOP leaders didn’t have much room for error amid a narrow 53-seat Senate majority and a 220-212 advantage in the House. That delicate balance hovered in the background during the last several months, as talks over dozens of policy changes and spending cuts in the bill appeared deadlocked.Any modifications meant to bring on board far-right members of the party had to be weighed against the policy goals of centrist lawmakers, who are most at risk of losing their seats during next year’s elections.The House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-republicans-push-through-massive-tax-and-spending-bill-slashing-medicaid" target="_blank">passed its first version of the bill</a>&nbsp;following a 215-214 vote in May, sending the legislation to the Senate, where Republicans in that chamber spent several weeks deciding which policies they could support and which they wanted to remove or rework.The measure changed substantially to comply with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/five-questions-and-answers-about-reconciliation-us-senate" target="_blank">the complex rules for moving a budget reconciliation bill</a>&nbsp;through the upper chamber. GOP leaders chose to use that process, instead of moving the package through the regular legislative pathway, to avoid having to negotiate with Democrats to get past the Senate’s 60-vote legislative filibuster.In the end nearly every one of the 273 Republicans in Congress approved the behemoth&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1/text?s=6&amp;r=1&amp;q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22H.R.+1%22%7D" target="_blank">870-page bill.</a><h2>GOP holdouts delay passage</h2>Floor debate on the bill in the House, which began around 3:30 a.m. Eastern Thursday and lasted 11 hours, was along party lines, with Democrats voicing strong opposition to changes in the package and GOP lawmakers arguing it puts the country on a better path.GOP leaders didn’t originally plan to begin debate in the middle of the night while most of the country slept, but were forced to after&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-gop-struggles-advance-megabill-against-freedom-caucus-resistance" target="_blank">holdouts refused to give their votes</a>&nbsp;to a procedural step.When the House did finally adopt the rule, Pennsylvania’s Brian Fitzpatrick was the sole member of his party to vote against moving onto floor debate and a final passage vote.Fitzpatrick had&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/RepBrianFitz/status/1940451015125246089" target="_blank">posted on social media</a>&nbsp;earlier in the day that he wanted Trump “to address my serious concern regarding reports the United States is withholding critical defense material pledged to Ukraine.”“Ukrainian forces are not only safeguarding their homeland—they are holding the front line of freedom itself,” he wrote. “There can be no half-measures in the defense of liberty. We must, as we always have, stand for peace through strength.”<h2>Tax breaks and so much more</h2>House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., made significant promises to middle-class Americans during floor debate about the tax provisions in the bill that many voters will be watching for in the months ahead.&nbsp;“Households making under $100,000 will see a 12% tax cut compared to what they pay today. The average family of four will see nearly 11,000 more in their pockets each year,” Smith said. “Real wages for workers will rise by as much as $7,200 a year. A waitress working for tips will keep an extra $1,300, a lineman working overtime after a storm will keep an extra $1,400.”Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Richard Neal, ranking member on the tax writing panel, said the legislation’s benefits skew largely toward the very wealthy.“If you made a million dollars last year, you’re going to make a plus of $96,000 in the next tax filing season,” Neal said. “If you made under $50,000 last year, you’re going to get 68 cents a day in terms of your tax relief.”The extension of the 2017 tax law would predominantly benefit high-income earners. The top 1% would receive a tax cut three times the size of those with incomes in the bottom 60% of after-tax income,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/house-republican-tax-bill-is-skewed-to-wealthy-costs-more-than-extending-2017" target="_blank">according to analysis</a>&nbsp;from the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/1000-trump-accounts-babies-skewed-toward-wealthy-critics-say" target="_blank">Some other tax incentives</a>&nbsp;that critics say skew toward wealthier families include a $1,000 deposit from the federal government for babies born between 2024 and 2028, known as a “Trump account.” The program&nbsp;would track a stock index and gain interest accordingly and families with disposable income could contribute additional funding.And while Republicans included an extension of the child tax credit to $2,200 per child, it requires the parents to have a Social Security number to claim the tax credit.The bill will give the president more than $170 billion to carry out his campaign promise of mass deportations of people in the country without permanent legal status. The package would give the Department of Homeland Security $45 billion for the detention of immigrants and give its immigration enforcement arm another $30 billion to hire up to 10,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.<h2>Food aid, higher education</h2>The legislation will overhaul federal loans for higher education and how states pay for food assistance that roughly 42 million low-income people rely on, known as the&nbsp;Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.The bill would cap federal graduate loans to $100,000 per borrower and $200,000 per borrower who is attending law school or medical school. It would also cap the ParentPLUS loans to $65,000.Under the SNAP changes, the package would require states to shoulder more of the burden in food assistance. Currently, the federal government covers 100% of the cost. The legislation tightens eligibility for SNAP, requiring parents with children aged 6 and older to meet the work requirements when they were previously exempt.The SNAP changes would reduce federal spending on the program by $230 billion over 10 years.The GOP megabill cuts clean energy tax credits and claws back some of the funding in former president Joe Biden’s signature climate bill, known as the Inflation Reduction Act.Some of those cuts to clean energy tax credits include terminating at the end of September a nearly $8,000 rebate for the purchase of an electric vehicle, ending a tax credit by December for energy efficient home upgrades such as solar roof panels and heat pumps.The package rescinds funds to help local governments and states adopt zero emission standards, and eliminates environmental justice block grants that communities used to address health impacts due to environmental pollution, among other things.

US House passes massive tax break and spending cut bill, sending it to Trump

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY, <a href="https://twitter.com/RepJeffries?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepJeffries</a>) concludes his record-setting floor speech (8 hrs. 44 min.): &quot;No matter the outcome on this single day, we&#39;re going to press on...we&#39;re going to press on for our children, press on for our seniors, press on for our… <a href="https://t.co/Q2I7YQnyaP">pic.twitter.com/Q2I7YQnyaP</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1940829573647663207?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Here&#39;s the moment Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) set the record for longest floor speech in the U.S. House of Representatives. <a href="https://t.co/2IT8Hwx2Ax">pic.twitter.com/2IT8Hwx2Ax</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1940826628784902333?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">&quot;MAGIC MINUTE&quot; RECORD: On Nov. 18-19, 2021, then Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy spoke on the House floor for a record 8 hours and 32 minutes. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries began his floor remarks at 4:53am ET – 8 hours and 33 minutes ago. <a href="https://t.co/jHjfBs6njh">pic.twitter.com/jHjfBs6njh</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1940824776798621849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><a href="https://t.co/G3gpC9zbgi">pic.twitter.com/G3gpC9zbgi</a>&mdash; Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1940828336877719972?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Rep. Jeffries sets record for longest House speech to delay Trump's tax bill

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) estimated 95.2 million acres of corn planted in the United States for 2025, up 5% from last year, according to the Acreage report released today. Soybean area planted is estimated at 83.4 million acres, down 4% from last year.

Following up on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/Newsroom/2025/03-31-2025.php">Prospective Plantings</a>&nbsp;report released in March, NASS surveyed approximately 67,700 farm operators during the first two weeks of June to gather information on what farmers actually planted. Key findings released in the Acreage report include:

NASS also released the quarterly Grain Stocks and Rice Stocks reports to provide estimates of on-farm and off-farm stocks as of June 1. Key findings in those reports include:

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751542280454.jpeg" alt="NASS surveyed approximately 67,700 farm operators during the first two weeks of June. (Stock photo by Jenn Simpson on Unsplash)" />
 <figcaption>NASS surveyed approximately 67,700 farm operators during the first two weeks of June. (Stock photo by Jenn Simpson on Unsplash)</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;—USDA NASSWASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) estimated 95.2 million acres of corn planted in the United States for 2025, up 5% from last year, according to the Acreage report released today. Soybean area planted is estimated at 83.4 million acres, down 4% from last year.Following up on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/Newsroom/2025/03-31-2025.php">Prospective Plantings</a>&nbsp;report released in March, NASS surveyed approximately 67,700 farm operators during the first two weeks of June to gather information on what farmers actually planted. Key findings released in the Acreage report include:Corn<ul>
 <li>Growers expect to harvest 86.8 million acres of corn for grain, up 5% from 2024.</li><li>Ninety-four percent of all corn acres planted in the United States are biotech varieties, the same as 2024.</li>
 </ul>Soybeans<ul>
 <li><a href="https://www.morningagclips.com/tag/soybeans/">Soybean</a>&nbsp;harvested area for 2025 is estimated at 82.5 million acres, down 4% from last year.</li><li>Producers planted 96% of the soybean acreage using herbicide resistant seed varieties, the same as 2024.</li>
 </ul>Cotton<ul>
 <li>All cotton planted area for 2025 is estimated at 10.1 million acres, 10% below 2024.</li><li>Upland cotton planted is estimated at 9.95 million acres, down 9% from last year.</li><li>American Pima planted area is estimated at 171,000 acres, down 17% from 2024.</li><li>Ninety-seven percent of Upland cotton planted acres are biotech varieties, up 1% from last year.</li>
 </ul>Wheat<ul>
 <li>All wheat planted area for 2025 is estimated at 45.5 million acres, down 1% from last year.</li><li>Winter wheat planted area is estimated at 33.3 million acres, down less than 1% from 2024.</li><li>Other spring wheat planted area is estimated at 10.0 million acres, down 5% from 2024.</li><li>Durum wheat planted area is estimated at 2.11 million acres, up 2% from last year.</li>
 </ul>NASS also released the quarterly Grain Stocks and Rice Stocks reports to provide estimates of on-farm and off-farm stocks as of June 1. Key findings in those reports include:Grain Stocks<ul>
 <li>Corn stocks totaled 4.64 billion bushels, down 7% from the same time last year.</li><li>On-farm corn stocks were down 16% from a year ago, and off-farm stocks were up 6%.</li><li>Soybeans stored totaled 1.01 billion bushels, up 4% from June 1, 2024.</li><li>On-farm soybean stocks were down 12% from a year ago, while off-farm stocks were up 18%.</li><li>All wheat stored totaled 851 million bushels, up 22% from a year ago.</li><li>On-farm all wheat stocks were up 32% from last year, while off-farm stocks were up 20%.</li><li>Durum wheat stored totaled 27.9 million bushels, up 32% from June 1, 2024.</li><li>On-farm stocks of Durum wheat were up 41% from June 1, 2024.</li><li>Off-farm stocks of Durum wheat were up 25% from a year earlier.</li>
 </ul>Grain Stocks<ul>
 <li>Rough rice stocks totaled 69.7 million hundredweight, up 15% from June 1, 2024.</li><li>On-farm rice stocks were up 94% from a year ago, while off-farm stocks were up 7%.</li><li>Long grain rice varieties accounted for 69% of the total rough rice, medium grain accounted for 30%, and short grain varieties accounted for 1%.</li><li>Milled rice stocks totaled 6.09 million hundredweight, up 26% from a year ago.</li><li>Milled rice stocks were comprised of 4.01 million hundredweight of whole kernel rice and 2.08 million hundredweight of second heads, screenings, and brewers rice.</li>
 </ul>

Corn Planted Acreage Up 5% From 2024, Soybean Acreage Down 4% From Last Year

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ashley-murray/">Ashley Murray</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">Ariana Figueroa</a>

WASHINGTON —&nbsp; U.S. House Republican efforts to pass the “big, beautiful bill” hit a roadblock Wednesday, when leaders left the chamber in a holding pattern for more than seven hours before calling a procedural vote that stalled amid opposition from hard-right members and others.

The House must adopt the rule in order to set up floor debate and a final passage vote for the tax break and spending cut package. But with four Republicans voting against it and nine withholding their votes, the House remained at a standstill around 11 p.m. Eastern.

GOP Reps. Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Keith Self of Texas and Victoria Spartz of Indiana had cast votes against approving the rule, though they could flip since leadership hadn’t closed the vote. Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris of Maryland was among the members withholding their votes in protest.

Far-right members of the House GOP objected strongly to the Senate version passed Tuesday, which reflected changes made during the past month compared to an earlier version passed in the House. Members of the House Freedom Caucus&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/freedomcaucus/status/1940425177638002840" target="_blank">opposed</a>&nbsp;provisions dealing with immigration and the repeal of clean energy tax credits, as well as the measure’s increase in the deficit.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2025-07/61537-hr1-Senate-passed-additional-info7-1-25.pdf" target="_blank">released an analysis</a>&nbsp;after the Senate voted, showing the bill would increase deficits by $3.4 trillion during the next decade compared to current law.

‘We can’t make everyone 100% happy’

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said earlier in the day he felt ​​”very positive about the progress” made during ongoing negotiations, but didn’t commit to having the necessary votes.

“The thing about it is, when you have a piece of legislation that is this comprehensive and with so many agenda items involved, you’re going to have lots of different priorities and preferences among people because they represent different districts and they have different interests,” Johnson said. “But we can’t make everyone 100% happy. It’s impossible.”

Johnson said he would never ask lawmakers to “compromise core principles, but preferences must be yielded for the greater good.”

South Dakota Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson told reporters before the delay that “the rule going down would be a very unfortunate development.”

But he expressed confidence in Speaker Johnson’s ability to bring holdouts on board eventually, potentially by making commitments tied to future bills.

“Speaker Johnson has not made any promises. He has been really good about talking about legislative vehicles that will exist in the months to come,” Dusty Johnson said. “Reconciliation is not the only tool in the Republican, or I should say in the congressional toolbox. Mike Johnson’s done a good job of making people understand there are other ways we can get things done.”

Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy said a few hours before the rule vote began that holdouts were “exploring all of the options legislatively and through the executive.”

“We were not happy with what the Senate produced,” Roy said. “We thought there was a path forward as of late last week, even though I had concerns. I’ve been public about them. But then they jammed it through at the last minute in a way that we’re not overly excited about.”

Roy said that “everything is on the table at the moment,” when asked by States Newsroom if he hoped to get concessions from leaders on this package or deals struck for future bills.

Several House GOP lawmakers traveled to the White House earlier in the day to meet with President Donald Trump, who was also attempting to assuage concerns through several social media posts.

“It looks like the House is ready to vote tonight,’ Trump posted minutes before the rule vote began. “We had GREAT conversations all day, and the Republican House Majority is UNITED, for the Good of our Country, delivering the Biggest Tax Cuts in History and MASSIVE Growth. Let’s go Republicans, and everyone else – MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

House Rules Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., urged support for approving the rule during floor debate, arguing it was essential for GOP lawmakers to deliver on campaign promises.

“This legislation is the embodiment of the America First agenda and we would all do well to remember that,” Foxx said. “Failure at this critical juncture is not an option. This clock is ticking, the president and the American people are waiting. ”

Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern, ranking member on the panel, railed against the dozens of provisions Senate Republicans bundled together in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1/text?s=6&amp;r=1&amp;q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22H.R.+1%22%7D" target="_blank">870-page package</a>, including some added just Tuesday.

“This process — an abomination, legislative malpractice,” McGovern said. “Final text of this bill came out less than 24 hours ago. We met in committee an hour after it was posted and now we’re here considering a rule that only allows for one hour of debate.

“This bill is within the jurisdiction of 12 different committees. One hour is ridiculous. And every minute we’re finding out new things that were snuck into the bill: a tax cut for whalers and now we’re learning about a gambling tax.”

The bill — which underwent weeks of revisions in the Senate after a prior version&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-republicans-push-through-massive-tax-and-spending-bill-slashing-medicaid" target="_blank">barely passed the House</a>&nbsp;in May — will extend and expand the 2017 GOP tax law while overhauling several safety-net programs and slashing spending on Medicaid.

Those tax cuts skew toward wealthier income earners. The top 1% would receive a cut three times the size of those with incomes in the bottom 60% of after-tax income,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/house-republican-tax-bill-is-skewed-to-wealthy-costs-more-than-extending-2017" target="_blank">according to analysis</a>&nbsp;from the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. It also makes permanent some tax breaks on business investments and research and development costs.

The package makes substantial changes to Medicaid, including requiring some people on the program to work, participate in community service, or attend an educational program for at least 80 hours a month.

It will block any Medicaid funding from going to Planned Parenthood for one year, essentially requiring enrollees to find other health care options for routine appointments such as cancer screenings, birth control and sexually transmitted infections treatment and screening. Using federal taxpayer dollars for abortion coverage has been restricted for decades, with limited exceptions.

The legislation requires state governments to pay for a portion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for the first time if they cannot get error payment rates under a certain percentage. SNAP is the primary federal nutrition program that feeds low-income people and roughly 42 million rely on it.

It bolsters spending on border security and defense by hundreds of billions of dollars, including line items for the “golden dome” missile defense system and additional barriers along the southern border.

The measure would provide a substantial funding increase to federal immigration enforcement for detention and removal of people without permanent legal status, aiding the president in carrying out his campaign promise of mass deportations.

The bill would raise the debt limit by $5 trillion, a figure designed to get Congress past next year’s midterm elections before the country would once again bump up against the borrowing limit.

Protesters&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/protesters-outside-us-house-make-last-stand-against-gop-megabill" target="_blank">milled about and held signs on street corners</a>&nbsp;outside the U.S. Capitol as Republicans worked to pass the megabill. Several spoke out against cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, as well as rollbacks to clean energy tax credits contained in the budget reconciliation package.

The House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-republicans-push-through-massive-tax-and-spending-bill-slashing-medicaid" target="_blank">voted 215-214</a>&nbsp;mostly along party lines to approve the first version of the package in late May.

Senate Republicans spent much of the last month reading through that, trying to determine what proposals their members supported and which elements would need to come out to comply with the strict rules that go along with writing a budget reconciliation bill.

The parliamentarian, that chamber’s referee,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gun-silencer-school-voucher-provisions-dropped-gop-mega-bill-us-senate" target="_blank">continued</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-votes-advance-republican-mega-bill-tense-late-night-session" target="_blank">issue rulings</a>&nbsp;on whether various policies in the legislation were in bounds for days before the Senate officially began debating the measure and even after they launched into vote-a-rama Monday morning.

That “Byrd bath” process eventually wrapped up, allowing Senate GOP leaders to release updated text of the package shortly before the chamber took its final vote.

Even with near-constant negotiations among Senate Republicans, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., was unable to get everyone on board.

Maine Sen. Susan Collins, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis opposed the measure, which&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-narrowly-passes-gop-megabill-after-overnight-session-sending-it-house" target="_blank">the Senate approved</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote.

Collins wrote in a statement that while she supported “extending the tax relief for families and small businesses,” her opposition to the legislation “stems primarily from the harmful impact it will have on Medicaid, affecting low-income families and rural health care providers like our hospitals and nursing homes.”

Collins also cited “additional problems” with how the legislation addressed tax credits for certain forms of energy production, which she wrote “should have been gradually phased out so as not to waste the work that has already been put into these innovative new projects and prevent them from being completed.”

Tills spoke about his opposition to the bill’s changes to Medicaid during a floor speech before the Senate’s vote, arguing its cuts to spending to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gop-tax-cut-plans-may-depend-savings-medicaid-what-it-and-who-relies-it" target="_blank">the state-federal health program</a>&nbsp;for low-income people and some people with disabilities weren’t in the best interest of GOP voters.

“I’m telling the president that you have been misinformed,” Tillis said. “You supporting the Senate mark will hurt people who are eligible and qualified for Medicaid.”

Tillis said he supports a policy change in the bill that would require people on Medicaid to work, participate in community service, or attend an educational program. But he was critical of other changes implemented by his Senate colleagues, and announced&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/north-carolina-us-sen-thom-tillis-announces-retirement-after-drawing-trump-wrath" target="_blank">he won’t seek reelection</a>&nbsp;hours after voting against advancing the package.

“I love the work requirement. I love the other reforms in this bill. They are necessary and I appreciate the leadership of the House for putting it in there,” Tillis said. “In fact, I like the work of the House so much that I wouldn’t be having to do this speech if we simply started with the House mark.”

Paul said he decided to vote against the legislation because it will increase federal deficits during the next few years.&nbsp;

“To me the most pertinent question is, how will the bill affect the deficit in the next year?” Paul said. “Currently our deficit is estimated to be a little under $2 trillion this year. What will happen to the (deficit) in 2026 if this bill passes? Well, using the math most favorable to the supporters of the bill, referred to as the policy baseline, the deficit in 2026 will still be $270 billion more than this year.”

Paul added “that’s just not good if you profess to be fiscally conservative.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751546897594.png" alt="Missouri 8th District Rep. Jason Smith during the overnight debaate-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Missouri 8th District Rep. Jason Smith during the overnight debaate-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ashley-murray/">Ashley Murray</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">Ariana Figueroa</a>WASHINGTON —&nbsp; U.S. House Republican efforts to pass the “big, beautiful bill” hit a roadblock Wednesday, when leaders left the chamber in a holding pattern for more than seven hours before calling a procedural vote that stalled amid opposition from hard-right members and others.The House must adopt the rule in order to set up floor debate and a final passage vote for the tax break and spending cut package. But with four Republicans voting against it and nine withholding their votes, the House remained at a standstill around 11 p.m. Eastern.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751536826780.png" alt="As House Speaker Mike Johnson looks on, Kansas 4th District Rep. Ron Estes speaks during the overnight session in the House on the battle to pass the Big, Beautiful Bill-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>As House Speaker Mike Johnson looks on, Kansas 4th District Rep. Ron Estes speaks during the overnight session in the House on the battle to pass the Big, Beautiful Bill-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>GOP Reps. Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Keith Self of Texas and Victoria Spartz of Indiana had cast votes against approving the rule, though they could flip since leadership hadn’t closed the vote. Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris of Maryland was among the members withholding their votes in protest.Far-right members of the House GOP objected strongly to the Senate version passed Tuesday, which reflected changes made during the past month compared to an earlier version passed in the House. Members of the House Freedom Caucus&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/freedomcaucus/status/1940425177638002840" target="_blank">opposed</a>&nbsp;provisions dealing with immigration and the repeal of clean energy tax credits, as well as the measure’s increase in the deficit.The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2025-07/61537-hr1-Senate-passed-additional-info7-1-25.pdf" target="_blank">released an analysis</a>&nbsp;after the Senate voted, showing the bill would increase deficits by $3.4 trillion during the next decade compared to current law.<h2>‘We can’t make everyone 100% happy’</h2>Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said earlier in the day he felt ​​”very positive about the progress” made during ongoing negotiations, but didn’t commit to having the necessary votes.“The thing about it is, when you have a piece of legislation that is this comprehensive and with so many agenda items involved, you’re going to have lots of different priorities and preferences among people because they represent different districts and they have different interests,” Johnson said. “But we can’t make everyone 100% happy. It’s impossible.”Johnson said he would never ask lawmakers to “compromise core principles, but preferences must be yielded for the greater good.”South Dakota Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson told reporters before the delay that “the rule going down would be a very unfortunate development.”But he expressed confidence in Speaker Johnson’s ability to bring holdouts on board eventually, potentially by making commitments tied to future bills.“Speaker Johnson has not made any promises. He has been really good about talking about legislative vehicles that will exist in the months to come,” Dusty Johnson said. “Reconciliation is not the only tool in the Republican, or I should say in the congressional toolbox. Mike Johnson’s done a good job of making people understand there are other ways we can get things done.”Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy said a few hours before the rule vote began that holdouts were “exploring all of the options legislatively and through the executive.”“We were not happy with what the Senate produced,” Roy said. “We thought there was a path forward as of late last week, even though I had concerns. I’ve been public about them. But then they jammed it through at the last minute in a way that we’re not overly excited about.”Roy said that “everything is on the table at the moment,” when asked by States Newsroom if he hoped to get concessions from leaders on this package or deals struck for future bills.<h2>Trump presses House GOP</h2>Several House GOP lawmakers traveled to the White House earlier in the day to meet with President Donald Trump, who was also attempting to assuage concerns through several social media posts.“It looks like the House is ready to vote tonight,’ Trump posted minutes before the rule vote began. “We had GREAT conversations all day, and the Republican House Majority is UNITED, for the Good of our Country, delivering the Biggest Tax Cuts in History and MASSIVE Growth. Let’s go Republicans, and everyone else – MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”House Rules Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., urged support for approving the rule during floor debate, arguing it was essential for GOP lawmakers to deliver on campaign promises.“This legislation is the embodiment of the America First agenda and we would all do well to remember that,” Foxx said. “Failure at this critical juncture is not an option. This clock is ticking, the president and the American people are waiting. ”Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern, ranking member on the panel, railed against the dozens of provisions Senate Republicans bundled together in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1/text?s=6&amp;r=1&amp;q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22H.R.+1%22%7D" target="_blank">870-page package</a>, including some added just Tuesday.“This process — an abomination, legislative malpractice,” McGovern said. “Final text of this bill came out less than 24 hours ago. We met in committee an hour after it was posted and now we’re here considering a rule that only allows for one hour of debate.“This bill is within the jurisdiction of 12 different committees. One hour is ridiculous. And every minute we’re finding out new things that were snuck into the bill: a tax cut for whalers and now we’re learning about a gambling tax.”<h2>Tax cuts favor higher incomes</h2>The bill — which underwent weeks of revisions in the Senate after a prior version&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-republicans-push-through-massive-tax-and-spending-bill-slashing-medicaid" target="_blank">barely passed the House</a>&nbsp;in May — will extend and expand the 2017 GOP tax law while overhauling several safety-net programs and slashing spending on Medicaid.Those tax cuts skew toward wealthier income earners. The top 1% would receive a cut three times the size of those with incomes in the bottom 60% of after-tax income,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/house-republican-tax-bill-is-skewed-to-wealthy-costs-more-than-extending-2017" target="_blank">according to analysis</a>&nbsp;from the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. It also makes permanent some tax breaks on business investments and research and development costs.The package makes substantial changes to Medicaid, including requiring some people on the program to work, participate in community service, or attend an educational program for at least 80 hours a month.It will block any Medicaid funding from going to Planned Parenthood for one year, essentially requiring enrollees to find other health care options for routine appointments such as cancer screenings, birth control and sexually transmitted infections treatment and screening. Using federal taxpayer dollars for abortion coverage has been restricted for decades, with limited exceptions.The legislation requires state governments to pay for a portion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for the first time if they cannot get error payment rates under a certain percentage. SNAP is the primary federal nutrition program that feeds low-income people and roughly 42 million rely on it.It bolsters spending on border security and defense by hundreds of billions of dollars, including line items for the “golden dome” missile defense system and additional barriers along the southern border.The measure would provide a substantial funding increase to federal immigration enforcement for detention and removal of people without permanent legal status, aiding the president in carrying out his campaign promise of mass deportations.The bill would raise the debt limit by $5 trillion, a figure designed to get Congress past next year’s midterm elections before the country would once again bump up against the borrowing limit.Protesters&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/protesters-outside-us-house-make-last-stand-against-gop-megabill" target="_blank">milled about and held signs on street corners</a>&nbsp;outside the U.S. Capitol as Republicans worked to pass the megabill. Several spoke out against cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, as well as rollbacks to clean energy tax credits contained in the budget reconciliation package.<h2>Senate turmoil</h2>The House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-republicans-push-through-massive-tax-and-spending-bill-slashing-medicaid" target="_blank">voted 215-214</a>&nbsp;mostly along party lines to approve the first version of the package in late May.Senate Republicans spent much of the last month reading through that, trying to determine what proposals their members supported and which elements would need to come out to comply with the strict rules that go along with writing a budget reconciliation bill.The parliamentarian, that chamber’s referee,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gun-silencer-school-voucher-provisions-dropped-gop-mega-bill-us-senate" target="_blank">continued</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-votes-advance-republican-mega-bill-tense-late-night-session" target="_blank">issue rulings</a>&nbsp;on whether various policies in the legislation were in bounds for days before the Senate officially began debating the measure and even after they launched into vote-a-rama Monday morning.That “Byrd bath” process eventually wrapped up, allowing Senate GOP leaders to release updated text of the package shortly before the chamber took its final vote.Even with near-constant negotiations among Senate Republicans, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., was unable to get everyone on board.<h2>3 Senate Republicans voted no</h2>Maine Sen. Susan Collins, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis opposed the measure, which&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-narrowly-passes-gop-megabill-after-overnight-session-sending-it-house" target="_blank">the Senate approved</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote.Collins wrote in a statement that while she supported “extending the tax relief for families and small businesses,” her opposition to the legislation “stems primarily from the harmful impact it will have on Medicaid, affecting low-income families and rural health care providers like our hospitals and nursing homes.”Collins also cited “additional problems” with how the legislation addressed tax credits for certain forms of energy production, which she wrote “should have been gradually phased out so as not to waste the work that has already been put into these innovative new projects and prevent them from being completed.”Tills spoke about his opposition to the bill’s changes to Medicaid during a floor speech before the Senate’s vote, arguing its cuts to spending to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gop-tax-cut-plans-may-depend-savings-medicaid-what-it-and-who-relies-it" target="_blank">the state-federal health program</a>&nbsp;for low-income people and some people with disabilities weren’t in the best interest of GOP voters.“I’m telling the president that you have been misinformed,” Tillis said. “You supporting the Senate mark will hurt people who are eligible and qualified for Medicaid.”Tillis said he supports a policy change in the bill that would require people on Medicaid to work, participate in community service, or attend an educational program. But he was critical of other changes implemented by his Senate colleagues, and announced&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/north-carolina-us-sen-thom-tillis-announces-retirement-after-drawing-trump-wrath" target="_blank">he won’t seek reelection</a>&nbsp;hours after voting against advancing the package.“I love the work requirement. I love the other reforms in this bill. They are necessary and I appreciate the leadership of the House for putting it in there,” Tillis said. “In fact, I like the work of the House so much that I wouldn’t be having to do this speech if we simply started with the House mark.”Paul said he decided to vote against the legislation because it will increase federal deficits during the next few years.&nbsp;“To me the most pertinent question is, how will the bill affect the deficit in the next year?” Paul said. “Currently our deficit is estimated to be a little under $2 trillion this year. What will happen to the (deficit) in 2026 if this bill passes? Well, using the math most favorable to the supporters of the bill, referred to as the policy baseline, the deficit in 2026 will still be $270 billion more than this year.”Paul added “that’s just not good if you profess to be fiscally conservative.”

US House GOP struggles to advance megabill against Freedom Caucus resistance

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://wisconsinexaminer.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">Shauneen Miranda</a>

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has put on hold $6.8 billion in federal funds for K-12 schools, according to an Education Department notice obtained by States Newsroom.

The agency informed states on Monday that it would be withholding funding for several programs, including before- and after-school programs, migrant education and English-language learning, among other initiatives.

But the agency notified states just a day ahead of July 1 — the date these funds are typically sent out as educators plan for the coming school year.

“The Department remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President’s priorities and the Department’s statutory responsibilities,” the Education Department wrote to states.

The notice, which did not provide any timeline, said the funds are under review and “decisions have not yet been made concerning submissions and awards for this upcoming academic year.”

The affected programs, according to the Democrats on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/minority/senator-murray-calls-on-trump-admin-to-immediately-release-billions-in-funds-k-12-schools-across-america-are-counting-on" target="_blank">Senate Appropriations Committee</a>, include:

States have been on the lookout for these funds. For instance, just last week, Oklahoma’s Department of Education reported that it had yet to get money from the federal government for migrant education, English language acquisition and other programs, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://oklahomavoice.com/2025/06/27/federal-funds-for-oklahoma-migrant-students-english-learners-in-doubt/" target="_blank">Oklahoma Voice</a>.&nbsp;

Adding fuel to the fire, Trump is looking to eliminate all these programs as part of his fiscal 2026 budget request. That wish list, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ed.gov/media/document/fiscal-year-2026-budget-summary-110043.pdf" target="_blank">department summary</a>, calls for $12 billion in total spending cuts at the agency.

That proposed $12 billion cut “reflects an agency that is responsibly winding down,” the document notes.

Meanwhile, a coalition of 16 states is also&nbsp;<a href="https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/court-filings/state-of-washington-et-al-v-united-states-department-of-education-complaint-2025.pdf" target="_blank">suing the Trump administration</a>&nbsp;over the cancellation earlier this year of roughly $1 billion in school mental health grants — a different piece of school funding — to try to restore that money.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle. The states include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.

In a Tuesday statement, Washington state U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate spending panel, urged the Trump administration to immediately release the frozen funds.

“President Trump himself signed this funding into law — but that isn’t stopping him from choking off resources to support before and after school programs, help students learn, support teachers in the classroom, and a lot more,” Murray said. “The uncertainty he has created has already forced districts to delay hiring and other initiatives to help students. The only question left now is how much more damage this administration wants to inflict on our public schools.”

“Local school districts can’t afford to wait out lengthy court proceedings to get the federal funding they’re owed — nor can they make up the shortfall, especially not at the drop of a pin,” Murray added.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, blasted the administration’s actions, saying this is “another illegal usurpation of the authority of the Congress” and “directly harms the children in our nation.”

“K-12 public school leaders across the country who should have been able to start planning months ago for the summer and the upcoming school year are instead left mired in financial uncertainty,” added Weingarten, who leads one of the largest teachers unions in the country.

Carissa Moffat Miller, CEO of the Council of Chief State School Officers, said “the administration must make the full extent of title funding available in a timely manner,” in a statement shared with States Newsroom on Tuesday.

“These funds were approved by Congress and signed into law by President Trump in March,” Miller said. “Schools need these funds to hire key staff and educate students this summer and in the upcoming school year.”

In response to a request for comment on the frozen funds, the Education Department referred States Newsroom to the Office of Management and Budget, which is responsible for administering the federal budget and overseeing the performance of departments throughout the federal government.

OMB did not immediately respond to States Newsroom’s inquiry.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751469689354.png" alt="Education Secretary Linda McMahon-photo U.S. Dept. of Education" />
 <figcaption>Education Secretary Linda McMahon-photo U.S. Dept. of Education</figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://wisconsinexaminer.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">Shauneen Miranda</a>WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has put on hold $6.8 billion in federal funds for K-12 schools, according to an Education Department notice obtained by States Newsroom.The agency informed states on Monday that it would be withholding funding for several programs, including before- and after-school programs, migrant education and English-language learning, among other initiatives.But the agency notified states just a day ahead of July 1 — the date these funds are typically sent out as educators plan for the coming school year.“The Department remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President’s priorities and the Department’s statutory responsibilities,” the Education Department wrote to states.The notice, which did not provide any timeline, said the funds are under review and “decisions have not yet been made concerning submissions and awards for this upcoming academic year.”The affected programs, according to the Democrats on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/minority/senator-murray-calls-on-trump-admin-to-immediately-release-billions-in-funds-k-12-schools-across-america-are-counting-on" target="_blank">Senate Appropriations Committee</a>, include:<ul>
 <li>Title I-C, on migrant education</li><li>Title II-A, on improving the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders</li><li>Title III-A, on English language acquisition</li><li>Title IV-A, on STEM education, college and career counseling and other activities</li><li>Title IV-B, on before- and after-school programs and summer school programs</li><li>Grants geared toward adult education and literacy programs</li>
 </ul>States have been on the lookout for these funds. For instance, just last week, Oklahoma’s Department of Education reported that it had yet to get money from the federal government for migrant education, English language acquisition and other programs, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://oklahomavoice.com/2025/06/27/federal-funds-for-oklahoma-migrant-students-english-learners-in-doubt/" target="_blank">Oklahoma Voice</a>.&nbsp;<h2>‘Winding down’ the department</h2>Adding fuel to the fire, Trump is looking to eliminate all these programs as part of his fiscal 2026 budget request. That wish list, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ed.gov/media/document/fiscal-year-2026-budget-summary-110043.pdf" target="_blank">department summary</a>, calls for $12 billion in total spending cuts at the agency.That proposed $12 billion cut “reflects an agency that is responsibly winding down,” the document notes.Meanwhile, a coalition of 16 states is also&nbsp;<a href="https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/court-filings/state-of-washington-et-al-v-united-states-department-of-education-complaint-2025.pdf" target="_blank">suing the Trump administration</a>&nbsp;over the cancellation earlier this year of roughly $1 billion in school mental health grants — a different piece of school funding — to try to restore that money.The lawsuit was filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle. The states include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.<h2>Uncertainty created</h2>In a Tuesday statement, Washington state U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate spending panel, urged the Trump administration to immediately release the frozen funds.“President Trump himself signed this funding into law — but that isn’t stopping him from choking off resources to support before and after school programs, help students learn, support teachers in the classroom, and a lot more,” Murray said. “The uncertainty he has created has already forced districts to delay hiring and other initiatives to help students. The only question left now is how much more damage this administration wants to inflict on our public schools.”“Local school districts can’t afford to wait out lengthy court proceedings to get the federal funding they’re owed — nor can they make up the shortfall, especially not at the drop of a pin,” Murray added.Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, blasted the administration’s actions, saying this is “another illegal usurpation of the authority of the Congress” and “directly harms the children in our nation.”“K-12 public school leaders across the country who should have been able to start planning months ago for the summer and the upcoming school year are instead left mired in financial uncertainty,” added Weingarten, who leads one of the largest teachers unions in the country.<h2>Approved by Congress</h2>Carissa Moffat Miller, CEO of the Council of Chief State School Officers, said “the administration must make the full extent of title funding available in a timely manner,” in a statement shared with States Newsroom on Tuesday.“These funds were approved by Congress and signed into law by President Trump in March,” Miller said. “Schools need these funds to hire key staff and educate students this summer and in the upcoming school year.”In response to a request for comment on the frozen funds, the Education Department referred States Newsroom to the Office of Management and Budget, which is responsible for administering the federal budget and overseeing the performance of departments throughout the federal government.OMB did not immediately respond to States Newsroom’s inquiry.&nbsp;

Trump admin. tells states it’s freezing $6.8 billion for K-12 school programs

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>

WASHINGTON — The final “big beautiful bill” approved by Senate Republicans Tuesday included some last-minute changes on hot-button issues such as safety net programs and clean energy tax credits.

Senate Republicans had wrangled for weeks to deliver legislative text to satisfy concerns from lawmakers who objected to cutting Medicaid, the federal-state insurance program for low-income families and some individuals with disabilities.

Other sticking points included threats that the health cuts pose to rural hospitals, and tax revisions that hamper clean energy jobs and investment, most of which are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/republicans-congress-axed-green-new-scam-its-red-state-boon" target="_blank">in states</a>&nbsp;that elected President Donald Trump to his second term.

The lawmakers debated amendments for more than 24 hours. Even with&nbsp;<a href="https://rules.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/rules.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/file_8654.pdf" target="_blank">final changes</a>, now under consideration in the House, three Republicans held out: Susan Collins of Maine, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Rand Paul of Kentucky. Vice President JD Vance cast the tie breaking vote.

Here are several rewrites that popped up in the bill’s final minutes and hours:

Senate Republicans doubled the amount for a rural health “transformation program,” or money to compensate rural hospitals for the funds they would lose as a result of the proposed Medicaid cuts.

The latest proposal sets aside $50 billion, up from $25 billion, and moves up the distribution timeline to begin in 2026, up from 2028.

Collins had&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-narrowly-passes-gop-megabill-after-overnight-session-sending-it-house" target="_blank">unsuccessfully introduced</a>&nbsp;an amendment to bump the fund to $50 billion. Despite some support from GOP colleagues, the amendment was blunted by a technical budget point of order.

The Maine Republican still voted “no” Tuesday on the final bill.

The lawmakers also made a late change to how and when states would begin to shoulder the responsibility for costs of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1751335012744.png" alt="&nbsp;North Carolina Senator Thom Thillis waving at the camera covering the all-night battle in the Senate. On Sunday, Tillis said he won't seek re-election after opposing Trump's bill.&nbsp; -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;North Carolina Senator Thom Thillis waving at the camera covering the all-night battle in the Senate. On Sunday, Tillis said he won't seek re-election after opposing Trump's bill.&nbsp; -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>WASHINGTON — The final “big beautiful bill” approved by Senate Republicans Tuesday included some last-minute changes on hot-button issues such as safety net programs and clean energy tax credits.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">MAGA VICTORY: The United States Senate PASSES President Trump&#39;s One Big Beautiful Bill 🇺🇸🦅🎉 <a href="https://t.co/28JThZW5z0">pic.twitter.com/28JThZW5z0</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1940083696012599735?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Senate Republicans had wrangled for weeks to deliver legislative text to satisfy concerns from lawmakers who objected to cutting Medicaid, the federal-state insurance program for low-income families and some individuals with disabilities.Other sticking points included threats that the health cuts pose to rural hospitals, and tax revisions that hamper clean energy jobs and investment, most of which are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/republicans-congress-axed-green-new-scam-its-red-state-boon" target="_blank">in states</a>&nbsp;that elected President Donald Trump to his second term.The lawmakers debated amendments for more than 24 hours. Even with&nbsp;<a href="https://rules.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/rules.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/file_8654.pdf" target="_blank">final changes</a>, now under consideration in the House, three Republicans held out: Susan Collins of Maine, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Rand Paul of Kentucky. Vice President JD Vance cast the tie breaking vote.Here are several rewrites that popped up in the bill’s final minutes and hours:<h2>Rural hospital fund</h2>Senate Republicans doubled the amount for a rural health “transformation program,” or money to compensate rural hospitals for the funds they would lose as a result of the proposed Medicaid cuts.The latest proposal sets aside $50 billion, up from $25 billion, and moves up the distribution timeline to begin in 2026, up from 2028.Collins had&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-narrowly-passes-gop-megabill-after-overnight-session-sending-it-house" target="_blank">unsuccessfully introduced</a>&nbsp;an amendment to bump the fund to $50 billion. Despite some support from GOP colleagues, the amendment was blunted by a technical budget point of order.The Maine Republican still voted “no” Tuesday on the final bill.<h2>SNAP</h2>The lawmakers also made a late change to how and when states would begin to shoulder the responsibility for costs of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.According to the new version, if a state’s payment error rate in 2025 multiplied by 1.5 is equal or greater than 20%, then that state would be permitted to wait until 2029, rather than 2028, to begin footing a portion of the bill for food assistance.&nbsp; A state’s accuracy rate is the annual measurement of over- or underpayments to recipients.Nine states would hover in the territory of meeting that threshold, according to the Department of Agriculture’s latest&nbsp;<a href="https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/snap-fy24QC-PER.pdf" target="_blank">error rates</a>&nbsp;published Monday. They are: Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Oregon.Alaska had the highest payment error rate of all states in both 2023 and 2024. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s final decision on the bill was largely unknown until she cast a “yes” vote Tuesday.A late amendment to strike the language offered by Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota failed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00369.htm" target="_blank">45-55</a>.Critics say the measure incentivizes states to keep the payment error rates high this year.<h2>Solar energy</h2>GOP senators late Friday added a clean energy excise tax into the bill, taking the industry by surprise. Then it vanished.The tax that would have been imposed on new solar and wind projects was no longer in the legislation that senators voted on around noon Eastern Tuesday.Other text loosened a squeeze on tech-neutral tax credits meant to incentivize the installation of energy systems that do not use fossil fuels. Senate Republicans added a year of leeway for new projects to break ground and avoid cutting short two of the tax credits.