Louisiana Democrat running for Senate highlights effort from party leaders to stifle election chances

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A Democrat seeking to represent Louisiana in the Senate has accused his party of working against him, and says his party should sort out its messaging ahead of the midterm elections.

In an interview with Fox News Digital on Thursday, Gary Chambers said he is running for Senate to better the lives of Louisianans who face economic hardships and noted some of the roadblocks he has faced as a Black candidate along the way, specifically those in his own party.

"I think that any Black candidate is always going to have to prove themselves to be qualified in the eyes of certain communities," Chambers said. "What we're dealing with here in Louisiana is a Republican Party that works against 34% of the state, as well as the leadership of the Democratic Party that sometimes seems like the Republican Party."

Chambers said he gained the state party's executive committee endorsement, but when it came time for the party to vote on his endorsement last weekend, the Democratic State Central Committee and Katie Bernhardt, the chair of the state party, blocked him from being the only endorsed candidate. 

And Chambers accused Bernhardt of telling him last year "that a Black man can't win in Louisiana statewide."

MCCONNELL MAKES GRIM PREDICTION ABOUT REPUBLICANS IN SENATE RACES, REFERENCES ‘CANDIDATE QUALITY’

Gary Chambers is a Democrat running for Senate in Louisiana. (Gary Chambers Senate campaign)

"I think this logic that a Black candidate can't win in Louisiana is just appalling," Chambers told Fox News Digital. 

Noting the importance of getting Democrats to the polls in November, Chambers claimed Bernhardt does not "represent Louisiana Democrats."

"She's worked consistently to try to stop me from being successful, and that only aids [incumbent Sen.] John Kennedy, who is a Republican who's led us in a terrible way, where we rank 50th in the nation," he said. "We need real Democrats. I think that the executive committee of the Democratic Party has spoken and shown that they want a real Democrat."

Chambers said Bernhardt decided to "suspend the rules" during a weekend meeting by party leaders in the state in an effort to stifle his chances of getting a sole endorsement from the executive committee.

A weekend debate by the committee ultimately resulted in a decision to issue endorsements for three Democratic candidates in the election on Nov. 8, including Chambers, Luke Mixon and Syrita Steib, all of whom are seeking to unseat Kennedy, the presumptive Republican nominee, in the December general election. Fox News Power Rankings consider Louisiana to be a safe Republican seat.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., who has served in the Senate since 2017, is the presumptive Republican nominee for Senate in Louisiana. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Following the decision from the committee, which received backlash from Chambers and other Democrats, Bernhardt released a statement, according to Louisiana's KALB, that said the Democratic State Central Committee's duty is to "uphold the will of our members."

"The members of the DSCC spoke with that vote, and it is our duty to uphold the will of our members," Bernhardt said. "We believe that all three endorsed candidates for U.S. Senate, along with our endorsed congressional candidates and all Democratic candidates for PSC, are strong candidates who can get voters to the polls. We will be here every step of the way to support all of them in that endeavor."

Despite Bernhardt's alleged actions to prevent Chambers from receiving the party's nomination, the Louisiana Senate hopeful insisted that Bernhardt's behavior is not a "reflection of the party," but instead a "reflection of someone who is a quasi Republican attempting to lead the Democratic Party."

DEMOCRATS LAUNCH SEVEN FIGURE AD BUY ‘TOUTING PRESIDENT BIDEN,' INFLATION BILL DESPITE LOW APPROVAL RATING

Discussing the current administration, Chambers said he believes the Democratic Party needs to better communicate its messaging on what President Biden has "accomplished" since taking office.

"I think the party, nationally, has got to do a better job touting some of the things that the president has accomplished," Chambers said. "Some of the legislation that the president has accomplished — the infrastructure bill is one, it's the biggest investment in infrastructure in 50, 60 years — you look at the CHIPS Act, that's gonna allow us to make more chips here in America rather than foreign countries, where we know that's impacting the cost of goods and services."

"We've also gotta have a party that is reflective of its base, and that's the conflict we have here in Louisiana," he added. "You gotta listen to the people that are grassroots organizers that are out there helping mobilize people. I think the president and the party have some things to be proud of, I just don't think they have effectively communicated that message."

President Biden signs the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022 in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington on April 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Discussing ways for Democrats and Republicans to come together to implement change for Americans, Chambers praised Democratic-controlled states across the country and insisted that "Southern states are the worst states in America" due to Republican leadership.

"One party has got to figure out how to do something that brings a piece of legislation that we find out that's good for everybody," Chambers said. "I don't know if that happens right now. Every election is chasing the next election … that's a huge part of why we have this divide. I think that we've got to have conversations about this economy to fix it because here's the reality: Republicans are eventually going to have to answer for why the 10 worst states in America, the majority of them, are led by Republican legislatures, Republican governors. We need to begin to challenge them on that and say that these policies aren't working for people, specifically in the South."

"The majority of the Southern states are the worst states in America," Chambers added. "They're run by Republicans and their policies aren't working. We need to be able to call that out in an effective way. The top 10 states in America are led by Democrats or Democratic legislatures, and they're producing jobs and their economies are stronger."

LOUISIANA SUPREME COURT DENIES APPEAL CHALLENGING ABORTION BAN

Chambers said his campaign is focused on discussing the "change that people want to see."

"When we look at where we are and where this economy is, wages haven't gone up, but the price of gas, milk and food has," Chambers said. "The president passed an Inflation Reduction Act — Senator John Kennedy voted against that. You can't say that you wanna solve the inflation problem and then not work for the policies that actually help us address this issue. We need a Democrat that doesn't care about partisan politics as much as they care about voting for policies that help the people of Louisiana."

"You look at any category, we are first in the worst, and I think that's because of the policies that we support, the leaders that speak for us and the division we play into that doesn't actually benefit the people of Louisiana," Chambers said, speaking of the state's ranking among its national counterparts on issues like education and healthcare.

Louisiana Senate candidate Gary Chambers smokes marijuana in a campaign ad. (Screenshot/YouTube)

Chambers said he thinks Louisianans want to ensure that they "don't have a senator like Kennedy" and claimed Kennedy voted against infrastructure spending following Hurricane Ida.

"We had people at home in Louisiana, after Hurricane Ida, who didn't have power for four weeks after Hurricane Ida and at the same time, Kennedy was voting against infrastructure dollars. That doesn't make any sense to people in South Louisiana," Chambers said.

"I call him ‘John "the Con" Kennedy’ because he spends a lot of time on TV talking like Foghorn Leghorn and very little time leading the people of Louisiana," he added.

Earlier this year, Chambers made headlines after he appeared in a campaign ad smoking marijuana. Asked about that advertisement and what he hoped to accomplish with it, Chambers pointed to the life sentence of Kevin Allen received in Louisiana after he was arrested for selling $20 worth of marijuana to a friend.

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"Seventy percent of voters in Louisiana believe we should legalize recreational cannabis, and I just think that it's at a time when this is a justice issue and an economic issue," Chambers said. 

"I didn't smoke a blunt because I wanted to make it cool or popular. People are doing this every day. This is the reality of the world we live in. What I did it for is so we could take the stigma away, because there are people in Congress that are smoking weed, okay? They may never openly say that they're smoking weed, but there are people in Congress who are smoking weed. Why? Because in D.C., it's not illegal," he said.

Kyle Morris covers politics for Fox News. On Twitter: @RealKyleMorris.

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Hawaii elections: Aiona wins GOP nomination for governor, Dems back Green; Schatz to face McDermott for Senate

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Hawaiians made their voices heard Saturday when voters cast ballots to decide dozens of elections across the state.

Primaries for Democrats and Republicans were held to decide general election showdowns this November for governor, lieutenant governor, their two U.S. House of Representatives seats as well as state and local elections.

Hawaii Governor

Hawaii Gov. David Ige served two four-year terms and was ineligible to run again, setting up an open ballot for his replacement.

Former Lt. Gov. James R. "Duke" Aiona was declared the winner of the Republican primary for Hawaii governor, a victory he later described as "a miracle."

HAWAII'S THREATENED SPECIES: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT PROTECTED WILDLIFE ON THE ISLANDS

Former Hawaii Lt. Gov. James R. "Duke" Aiona waves at passing cars while campaigning in Kailua, Hawaii on Aug. 9, 2022.  (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

He defeated former UFC champion and legend B.J. Penn and Honolulu City Councilperson Heidi Tsuneyoshi.

Aiona served as lieutenant governor under former Gov. Linda Lingle’ from 2002 to 2010.

Following his service in Lingle’s administration in 2010, he ran for governor and secured his party’s nomination but ultimately lost that year to Democrat Neil Abercrombie.

BJ Penn poses with all five of his UFC championship belts and several of his fight posters at his family's home on May 30, 2015, in Hilo, Hawaii.  (Hollyn Johnson/Hawaii Tribune-Herald via AP, File)

Since leaving office and following the failed campaign, Aiona resumed his private law practice. He has also hosted the 808 State Update Talk Radio and served as university adjunct faculty.

HAWAII SCHOOL NAMED AFTER FORMER US PRESIDENT MCKINLEY FACES CONTROVERSY REGARDING NAME

On the Democratic ticket, current Lt. Gov. Josh Green won his party’s primary for Hawaii governor, defeating U.S. Rep. Kaiali’i Kahele and former Hawaii first lady Vicky Cayetano.

Green, who has served under Hawaii Gov. David Ige for the past four years, was previously a state senator, representative, and physician.

Hawaii Lt. Gov. Josh Green, left, and his wife, Jamie, greet passing cars while campaigning in Honolulu on Aug. 2, 2022.  (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

Aiona is the son of a Portuguese-Hawaiian father and a first-generation Chinese mother while Green was born in Kingston, New York, and was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The two lieutenant governors will square off in November, where Green is already considered a favorite to win the general election as Hawaii is a liberal state. 

HAWAII COUPLE ACCUSED OF STEALING DEAD BABIES' IDENTITIES MAY HAVE BEEN KGB SPIES, PROSECUTORS SAY

In their respective primaries, Green garnered just over 136,000 votes while Aiona received a comparatively smaller 29,000.

U.S. Senate

In the U.S. Senate race, incumbent Brian Schatz won the Democratic primary with 94 percent of the vote.

Republican state Rep. Bob McDermott won his party’s nomination for U.S. Senate, beating five other challengers, Hawaii News Now reported.

U.S. House of Representatives — 1st District

In the 1st Congressional District, incumbent U.S. Rep. Ed Case easily defeated a challenge from attorney and political newcomer Sergio Alcubilla in the Democratic primary, News Now reported.

A general view shows Waikiki and Honolulu, Hawaii, from the Diamond Head crater on February 20, 2022.  (DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)

Among Republicans, Conrad Kress held a comfortable lead with 48 percent over Arturo Reyes (30 percent) and Patrick Largey (24 percent), per the report.

U.S. House of Representatives — 2nd District

After Kaiali’i Kahele vacated his position representing Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District in a bid to become the state’s next governor, six Democrats and three Republicans stepped up to take his place.

HAWAII’S HIDDEN TREASURES INCLUDE THESE HISTORIC WAR MONUMENTS IN OAHU

On Saturday evening, former state Sen. Jill Tokuda secured the Democratic primary win, News Now reported.

An aerial view from the window of a plane shows Diamond Head crater in Oahu, Hawaii on February 23, 2022.  (DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)

Tokuda, a well-known politician, initially ran for lieutenant governor before joining the congressional race after Kahele announced he was not seeking re-election. She defeated state Rep. Patrick Pihana Branco.

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In the Republican primary, former U.S. Air Force intelligence analyst and businessman Joe Akana won his party’s primary, defeating business owner Joseph Webster.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Senate Democrats pass $740B 'Inflation Reduction Act' package in US

The package aims to confront climate crisis, control health care costs, and tax corporations.

Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she departs the Senate after passage of the Inflation Reduction Act at the U.S. Capitol August 7, 2022 in Washington, DC. (AFP)

Democrats pushed their election-year economic package to Senate passage, a hard-fought compromise less ambitious than President Joe Biden’s original domestic vision but one that still meets deep-rooted party goals of slowing global warming, moderating pharmaceutical costs and taxing immense corporations.

The estimated $740 billion package heads next to the House, where lawmakers are poised to deliver on Biden's priorities, a stunning turnaround of what had seemed a lost and doomed effort that suddenly roared back to political life. Cheers broke out as Senate Democrats held united, 51-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote after an all-night session.

Senators engaged in a round-the-clock marathon of voting that began on Saturday and stretched late into Sunday afternoon. Democrats swatted down some three dozen Republican amendments designed to torpedo the legislation.

The bill ran into trouble midday over objections to the new 15 percent corporate minimum tax that private equity firms and other industries disliked, forcing last-minute changes.

Despite the momentary setback, the “Inflation Reduction Act” gives Democrats a campaign-season showcase for action on coveted goals. It includes the largest-ever federal effort on climate change — close to $400 billion — caps out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors on Medicare to $2,000 a year and extends expiring subsidies that help 13 million people afford health insurance. By raising corporate taxes and reaping savings from the long-sought goal of allowing the government to negotiate drug prices for Medicare, the whole package is paid for, with some $300 billion extra revenue for deficit reduction.

Barely more than one-tenth the size of Biden’s initial 10-year, $3.5 trillion Build Back Better initiative, the new package abandons earlier proposals for universal preschool, paid family leave and expanded child care aid. That plan collapsed after conservative Sen. Joe. Manchin, D-W.Va., opposed it, saying it was too costly and would fuel inflation.

Inflation Reduction Act

Nonpartisan analysts have said the 755-page “Inflation Reduction Act” would have a minor effect on surging consumer prices.

Republicans said the new measure would undermine an economy that policymakers are struggling to keep from plummeting into recession. They said the bill's business taxes would hurt job creation and force prices skyward, making it harder for people to cope with the nation's worst inflation since the 1980s.

In an ordeal imposed on most budget bills like this one, the Senate had to endure an overnight “vote-a-rama” of rapid-fire amendments. 

It was the bill's chief protection for the 180 million people with private health coverage they get through work or purchase themselves. Under special procedures that will let Democrats pass their bill by simple majority without the usual 60-vote margin, its provisions must be focused more on dollar-and-cents budget numbers than policy changes.

But the thrust of Democrats' pharmaceutical price language remained. That included letting Medicare negotiate what it pays for drugs for its 64 million elderly recipients, penalizing manufacturers for exceeding inflation for pharmaceuticals sold to Medicare and limiting beneficiaries out-of-pocket drug costs to $2,000 annually.

The bill also caps Medicare patients' costs for insulin, the expensive diabetes medication, at $35 monthly. Democrats wanted to extend the $35 cap to private insurers but it ran afoul of Senate rules. Most Republicans voted to strip it from the package, though in a sign of the political potency of health costs seven GOP senators joined Democrats trying to preserve it.

The measure's final costs were being recalculated to reflect late changes, but overall it would raise more than $700 billion over a decade. 

The money would come from a 15 percent minimum tax on a handful of corporations with yearly profits above $1 billion, a 1 percent tax on companies that repurchase their own stock, bolstered IRS tax collections and government savings from lower drug costs.

Source: AP

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Senate Democrats pass climate, tax and health care bill after marathon voting session

The Senate on Sunday passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) along party lines, 51-50, handing Democrats a crucial legislative win as the midterm cycle ramps up.

Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote with all Democrats in support of the legislation and all Republicans opposed. The proposal was passed via the budget reconciliation process, which allows it to be passed with a simple majority rather than the 60 votes typically needed to overcome a filibuster.

The passage of the sprawling climate, tax and health care legislation now sets up a vote in the Democratic-controlled House, where the bill is expected to pass before President Joe Biden signs it into law.

Included in the bill, supporters say, are measures to support job creation, raise taxes on large corporations and the wealthy, allow Medicare to negotiate down some prescription drug costs, expand the Affordable Care Act health care program and invest in combating climate change by implementing tax credits for clean energy initiatives, among other things.

The legislation's tax provisions, prescription drug-pricing reform, as well as boosted IRS tax enforcement measures, are anticipated to raise an estimated revenue of $739 billion -- $300 billion of which Democrats say would go toward reducing the deficit.

The plan would reduce federal budget deficits by $102 billion over 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

The bill passed the Senate after a punishing, approximately 16-hour "vote-a-rama," in which any senator could introduce an amendment to the bill as part of the budget reconciliation process.

The amendment process fueled painful votes for each party.

Vulnerable Democratic incumbents up for reelection this year had to dance around a vote on the Biden administration's decision to scrap Title 42, a Trump-era order using coronavirus concerns to prevent migrants from entering the country while seeking asylum. Republicans, meanwhile, mostly voted against a Democratic amendment that would have capped out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 a month for people with private health insurance.

The IRA passage marks the culmination of grueling negotiations between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who had been a consistent obstacle to cobbling together a Democrats-only social spending bill via reconciliation.

The pathway for a successful vote was cemented late last week when Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., another key centrist, signed on after winning some tweaks to the bill.

Senator Patrick Leahy is wheeled to an elevator from the Senate floor during amendment votes, also called the "vote-a-rama", on the Inflation Reduct Act 2022, at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, Aug. 7, 2022.

Ken Cedeno/Reuters

Among the changes Sinema won were the eliminations of tax provisions targeting wealthy hedge fund managers and private equity executives. The Senate rules official also scrapped a provision intended to reprimand drug companies that raise the prices of some prescription drugs faster than inflation for patients with private insurance.

Still, the bill's passage marks a major step toward President Biden's campaign promises to tackle climate change, reform prescription drug pricing and other issues; and it gives Democrats a new legislative win to run on heading into the November midterms, in an environment where many voters have soured on Biden's handling of the economy and historic inflation.

The IRA also extends a streak of achievements for Biden and congressional Democrats, including passage of a bipartisan anti-gun violence bill and legislation to boost the domestic semiconductor industry.

"This bill is going to change America for decades," Schumer crowed after final passage.

"This vote crystalizes the contrast of the midterms. Senate Democrats have taken a historic step to lower costs like prescription drug prices, tackle inflation and address working families' most pressing concerns. Every Republican voted against the bill because it holds Big Oil, Big Pharma and other corporations that have been jacking up prices accountable, and finally makes them pay their fair share," added Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., the chair of Senate Democrats' campaign arm.

Republicans have already forecasted that they'll paint Democrats as uncaring about Americans' financial burdens at a time of rapid price hikes while passing billions of dollars in new spending.

"This idea that this massive tax increase will just somehow be absorbed by corporate America when they will pass those costs along to consumers, and it will make inflation worse," Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, said last week.

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Democrats advance the Inflation Reduction Act, setting up Senate 'vote-a-rama'

Senate Democrats passed their first procedural vote on the Inflation Reduction Act on Saturday.

The motion to proceed on the $739 billion climate, tax and health care bill passed in a 51 to 50 vote. Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote.

Now, Republicans and Democrats have up to 10 hours each to debate the spending bill, though it's not yet clear how much of the allotted debate time each side will use. After that, they'll move ahead to the consideration of amendments in a marathon session dubbed the "vote-a-rama."

Senators can offer an unlimited amount of amendments, and Republicans have already pledged to bring up several on issues like immigration, the border, energy and crime.

"What will vote-a-rama be like? It'll be like hell," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters on Friday.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on Saturday the amendments won't discourage Democrats.

"These efforts will not deter us," he said during remarks on the Senate floor. "No matter how long it takes, the Senate is going to stay in session to finish this bill."

"We are not leaving until the job is done," he added.

Democrats are fast-tracking the legislation through a process known as reconciliation, which allows them to pass the bill through a simple majority vote. All 50 members of their caucus need to back the bill in order for it to pass, with Vice President Harris acting as a tiebreaker.

A general view of the U.S. Capitol Dome, in Washington, D.C., July 6, 2022.

Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via AP, FILE

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., cleared the way for the Inflation Reduction Act to move forward when she announced her support on Thursday after tax provisions targeting wealthy hedge fund managers and private equity executives she opposed were removed from the bill.

Sinema, who was the last Democratic holdout, said she'd sign on "subject to the parliamentarian's review."

On Saturday, the parliamentarian gave the green light to most of the drug pricing provisions in the bill, except for a provision that aimed to penalize drug companies that raise the prices of some prescription drugs faster than inflation for patients with private insurance.

"Democrats have received extremely good news: for the first time, Medicare will finally be allowed to negotiate prescription drug prices, seniors will have free vaccines and their costs capped, and much more. This is a major victory for the American people," Schumer said.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said the parliamentarian also signed off on his committee's clean energy tax package, which includes consumer credits for Americans to make energy efficiency improvements to their homes and for those who purchase electric vehicles.

President Joe Biden celebrated the movement on the bill, which encompasses key portions of his agenda. It's a "game changer for working families and our economy," he said on Friday.

The White House said Saturday it was "heartened to see the Senate make progress" on the Inflation Reduction Act.

Republicans are expected to be unanimous in their opposition to the Inflation Reduction Act, and have heavily criticized Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., for striking up the deal with Schumer.

On the floor on Saturday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., slammed the bill's climate provisions and drug pricing plans.

"American families don't want Democrats policing what kinds of clothes and clothes driers they can put in their homes. What they want is for Democrats to start actually policing our city streets," said McConnell.

- ABC News' Trish Turner and Allison Pecorin contributed to this report.

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U.S. Senate Democrats' bill will make mark on climate, health-care costs

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) holds his weekly news conference after the Democratic caucus party luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, August 2, 2022.

Jonathan Ernst | Reuters

The $430 billion climate change, health-care and tax bill passed by the U.S. Senate on Saturday delivers a major win for Democrats, and will help reduce the carbon emissions that drive climate change while also cutting costs for the elderly.

Democrats hope the bill, which they pushed through the Senate over united Republican opposition, will boost their chances in the Nov. 8 midterm elections, when Republicans are favored to recapture the majority in at least one chamber of Congress.

The package, called the Inflation Reduction Act, is a dramatically scaled-back version of a prior bill backed by Democratic President Joe Biden that was blocked by maverick Senate Democrats Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema as too expensive.

"It's what the American people want," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters. "We're prioritizing the middle class, working families, those struggling to get to the middle class, instead of what Republicans do: prioritize those at the very top."

The Senate's partisan 51-50 vote, with the tiebreaking vote coming from Vice President Kamala Harris, sends the legislation on to the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, which is expected to pass it on Friday, after which Biden could sign it into law.

Republicans blasted the bill as a spending "wish list" that they argued would hurt an economy weighed down by inflation, saying it would kill jobs, raise energy costs and undermine growth at a time when the economy is facing a potential recession.

"Senate Democrats are misreading the American people's outrage as a mandate for yet another reckless taxing-and-spending spree," top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell said on Saturday. "Democrats want to ram through hundreds of billions of dollars in tax hikes and hundreds of billions of dollars in reckless spending -- and for what?"

About half of Americans -- some 49% -- support the bill, including 69% of Democrats and 34% of Republicans, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Aug. 3 and 4. The most popular element of the bill is giving Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices, which 71% of respondents support, including 68% of Republicans.

Economists, who say the legislation could help the Federal Reserve combat inflation, do not expect a sizeable impact on the economy in the coming months.

Climate focus

With $370 billion in climate-focused spending, it would become the most consequential climate change bill ever passed by Congress.

The bill offers businesses and families billions in incentives to encourage purchases of electric vehicles and energy-efficient appliances, as well as to spur new investments in wind and solar power that would double the amount of new, clean electricity-generating capacity coming online in the United States by 2024, according to modeling by the Repeat Project at Princeton University.

That would help put the U.S. on course to meet its pledge to slash its greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 below 2005 levels, made at last year's Glasgow climate summit.

While environmental groups largely embraced the bill, they noted that compromises secured by Manchin, who represents coal-producing West Virginia, would prolong U.S. use of fossil fuels.

Those provisions include rules that would only allow the federal government to authorize new wind and solar energy developments on federal land when it is also auctioning rights to drill for oil and natural gas.

Drug costs

The legislation would lower drug costs for the government, employers and patients, said Juliette Cubanski, deputy director of the Medicare program at the Kaiser Family Foundation.

"Perhaps the biggest effect would be for people with prescription drug coverage through Medicare," she said.

A key change is the provision allowing the federal Medicare health plan for older and disabled Americans to negotiate lower prescription drug prices.

The pharmaceutical industry says price negotiation would stifle innovation. Negotiated prices for 10 of the costliest drugs for Medicare would apply starting in 2026, with that number rising until it caps at 20 a year in 2029.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates Medicare would save $101.8 billion over 10 years by negotiating drug prices.

The provision also introduces a $2,000 annual cap on out-of-pocket costs for the elderly through the Medicare program.

Tax provisions

The bill also imposes a new excise tax on stock buybacks, a late change after Sinema raised objections over another provision that would have imposed new levies on carried interest, currently a tax loophole for hedge fund and private equity financiers. The provision was dropped.

The excise tax is expected to raise an additional $70 billion in tax revenue per year, lawmakers said. That is more than the carried interest provision had been forecast to raise.

A report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released prior to that last change estimated the measure would reduce the federal deficit by a net $101.5 billion over the next decade.

That was about one-third of the $300 billion in deficit reduction predicted by Senate Democrats, but excluded a projected $204 billion revenue gain from increased Internal Revenue Service enforcement.

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Senate votes to support Finland and Sweden joining NATO

The U.S. Senate approved a resolution Wednesday evening to support Finland and Sweden in joining NATO -- a crucial step in the quest of the two countries to join the 30-member alliance.

The Senate voted 95-1, with Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley voting no and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., voting "present."

The vote comes several weeks after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved admitting Finland and Sweden into NATO. Lawmakers were working to approve the matter before their August break.

Finland and Sweden announced their decision to formally join NATO within days of each other in May, ending long-held positions of neutrality in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They simultaneously submitted their applications on May 18.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, flanked by Paivi Nevala, minister counselor of the Finnish Embassy, left, and Karin Olofsdotter, Sweden's ambassador to the U.S., welcomes diplomats from Sweden and Finland just before the Senate vote to ratify NATO membership for the two nations in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at the Capitol in Washington, Aug. 3, 2022.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

All 30 NATO members must ratify the accession of the two countries. Seven countries remain.

During Wednesday's vote, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., took a veiled swipe at Paul and Hawley in a floor speech, saying, "Their accession will make NATO stronger and America more secure. If any senator is looking for a defensible excuse to vote no, I wish them good luck."

Hawley aligned himself with former President Donald Trump, saying the U.S. could devote more funds and firepower to NATO "or do what we need to do to deter Asia and China. We cannot do both."

Paul has always worked to keep the U.S. out of foreign conflicts. He offered an amendment that most rejected seeking to ensure that Congress' role in authorizing military force would not be usurped by the NATO pact's common defense commitment, known as Article 5.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer poses for a photo with an official delegation from Finland and Sweden in his office in Washington, Aug. 3, 2022.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., applauded the Senate's vote, saying on Twitter that it is "all the more urgent given [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's barbaric, immoral and unjustified war in Ukraine."

President Joe Biden thanked a number of senators, including Schumer and McConnell, for moving the ratification process along quickly.

"This historic vote sends an important signal of the sustained, bipartisan U.S. commitment to NATO, and to ensuring our Alliance is prepared to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow," the president said in a statement.

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/senate-votes-to-support-finland-and-sweden-joining-nato/?feed_id=6329&_unique_id=62eb3d967b0ce

US Senate ratifies Sweden, Finland’s membership in NATO

Republican Josh Hawley only senator to oppose Nordic countries' NATO bids
Source https://www.globalcourant.com/us-senate-ratifies-sweden-finlands-membership-in-nato/?feed_id=6266&_unique_id=62eb121b8b1e6

Indiana senate approves bill to help women, children, people who adopt

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Indiana senators on Friday approved a measure to direct funding toward programs that help pregnant women, children and people who adopt during a divided special session where lawmakers have been wrangling over a proposal to ban nearly all abortions in the state.

The spending bill from Senate Republicans, which passed 46–1, allocates $45 million more in the coming year toward state agencies that "support the health of pregnant women, postpartum mothers, and infants," especially among low-income families. The wraparound services would be available for families with children under 4 years old and comes with an estimated $5 million expansion in adoption tax credits.

Alone in his dissent was Senate Democratic Leader Greg Taylor, who said that while he thinks it is important to send assistance to families in need, disbursing the funds through the state’s budget agency is "not fiscally responsible."

"Sending $45 million to the budget agency does not get the money to the people," he said before voting. "It puts it in a fund that allows the budget agency to determine who gets it and where it goes."

The House on Friday also approved a similar bill that comprises millions in tax credits for families adopting, repeals the state tax on children’s diapers and expands eligibility for direct payments through the state’s automatic taxpayer refund law.

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Approved by House legislators 93-2, the bill will distribute $225 to taxpayers, and Indiana residents who were not required to file a tax return can sign an affidavit to claim a tax rebate. It’s an echo of Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb’s first call for a special session on inflation relief in June.

Senate Republicans have so far been opposed to issuing direct payments in their legislation. The Senate is also considering an inflation relief bill without a tax rebate, and a Democratic amendment that would have included one was shot down Friday.

"We think the programs that we’re supporting are the right programs to support," House Speaker Todd Huston told reporters. "People need the dollars right now."

The final Senate vote happened about 10 hours after the Republican-dominated chamber declined to remove exceptions for rape and incest victims in the proposed abortion ban. Indiana is among GOP-controlled states moving quickly to further restrict or ban abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.

The Indiana senate passed a bill that will help women, children, and people who adopt in the state, the vote was 46-1.

Lawmakers wrapped past midnight due to an approximately five-hour delay in Thursday’s session, and Senate restrictions prohibited lawmakers from voting on the ban Friday. The Senate vote is now expected Saturday, and the House could take up the proposal next week.

As for the spending proposal, Republicans have said it shows dedication to mothers and babies, while Democrats say the money isn't enough for services that will be in greater demand if the abortion ban passes. House Democrats emphasized a similar note of dissatisfaction in their own social services bill.

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Republican Sen. Travis Holdman called the bill "a start" and addressed Democrats' calls for mental health funding in the bill.

"We have a whole new budget session coming up here in January, and hopefully we can supplement some of the funds and respond in kind as we should to the mental health situation and the needs of young mothers, pregnant women and young children," Holdman said.

Twice in recent years, GOP legislators turned aside Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb’s call for a law requiring businesses to provide workplace accommodations for pregnant women.

Supporters for previous bills — such as provisions to grant pregnant workers longer breaks or transfers to less physical work — said they would improve Indiana’s infant mortality rate. Federal statistics show the state had the country’s ninth worst in 2020, with 527 infant deaths.

An amendment to the wraparound services bill approved Thursday requires state offices to research neighboring states' Medicaid reimbursement rates for pregnancy-related services, with a report required by Dec. 31, 2022.

MORE THAN 2 DOZEN STATES TO RESTRICT ABORTIONS AFTER ROE V WADE OVERTURNED IN DOBBS DECISION

Legislative leaders have acknowledged the abortion ban could increase the state’s Medicaid and other expenses. A ban on most of the approximately 8,400 abortions performed in Indiana in 2021 would add an unknown number to the state’s live births, about 80,000 of which occurred last year, according to the state Health Department.

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/indiana-senate-approves-bill-to-help-women-children-people-who-adopt/?feed_id=4012&_unique_id=62e4514817ee0