Congress
The legislation, which now moves to the House, would have a tiny impact on the nation’s rising debt but could have major ramifications for the targeted spending, from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to U.S. food aid programs abroad.
Senate Republicans on Tuesday advanced President Donald Trump’s request to cancel some $9 billion in previously approved spending, overcoming concerns from some lawmakers about what the rescissions could mean for impoverished people around the globe and for public radio and television stations in their home states.
Senate Republicans will test the popularity of Department of Government Efficiency spending cuts this week by aiming to pass President Donald Trump’s request to claw back $9.4 billion in public media and foreign aid spending.
Officials are warning that millions of Americans could lose their insurance under changes in the law — including 330,000 people in Illinois who could be impacted by changes to Medicaid. However, Republican lawmakers say the changes are aimed at eliminating waste, fraud and abuse in the system.
Hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans could lose benefits from a federal food assistance program while the state will be required to cover more costs under changes passed in the latest domestic policy plan.
“This is an abomination. This is sinful. It’s unholy,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “This bill is a fundamental attack on our democracy and our way of life.”
President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill is now law, after days of heated debate and close votes in Congress. Democrats say the cuts will impact low-income Americans.
Congress on Thursday passed President Donald Trump’s so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill,” which the president is expected to sign into law. The tax and spending plan cuts federal funding for services such as food aid and Medicaid, as well as Planned Parenthood.
At nearly 900 pages, the legislation is a sprawling collection of tax breaks, spending cuts and other Republican priorities, including new money for national defense and deportations.
Some members of Congress are saying they’ve been turned away from local ICE facilities as they seek transparency on the conditions detainees are experiencing. Federal appropriations law allows members of Congress to perform oversight of these facilities, unannounced.
The Senate parliamentarian has advised that a Medicaid provider tax overhaul central to President Donald Trump’s tax cut and spending bill does not adhere to the chamber’s procedural rules, delivering a crucial blow as Republicans rush to finish the package this week.
The Trump administration on Tuesday postponed classified briefings for Senate and House members as lawmakers look for more answers about President Donald Trump’s directed strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend and his announcement on Monday that the two countries had reached a ceasefire agreement.
The guns provision was first requested in the House by Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde, a Republican gun store owner. The House bill would remove silencers from a 1930s law that regulates firearms that are considered the most dangerous, eliminating a $200 tax while removing a layer of background checks.
The administration said in its statement that everyone who contacts the 988 lifeline will continue to receive access to crisis counselors who can help with suicidal, substance misuse or mental health crises, or any other kind of emotional distress, but there will no longer be the LGBTQ+ specialized services.
Members of Congress from at least five other Midwest states said law enforcement told them that their names were in Boelter’s writings. They included three elected officials from Illinois.
The governor’s appearance is the latest flashpoint in Illinois’ ongoing battle with the GOP-controlled U.S House and the Trump administration, which is attempting to strip self-proclaimed sanctuary cities of all federal funding.