Dr. Oz takes the helm of CMS

Donald Trump, health care, medicaid, Medicare, News
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Senate confirms Oz as head of CMS along party lines

health care, medicaid, Medicare, News, Senate

The Senate has confirmed Mehmet Oz as administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), making him the head of Medicaid at a time where its funding is at risk of being severely cut.

The Senate voted 53-45 along party lines to confirm Oz.

The heart-surgeon-turned-celebrity-physician faced intense questioning by Democrats in the Senate Finance Committee. Oz often dodged providing specific answers, providing generalities.

The fo...

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Xavier Becerra joins crowded California governor’s race amid Democratic shake-up

Democrats, News, US news, US politics

Former Biden health secretary and state attorney general enters race as speculation swirls over Kamala Harris’s plans

Former Biden administration health secretary Xavier Becerra on Wednesday became the latest Democrat to join the crowded field seeking to become California’s next governor, a contest that could be dramatically reshaped if former vice-president Kamala Harris becomes a candidate.

The Stanford Law School graduate enters the race with a lengthy résumé of government service, including stints as California attorney general, US House member and state legislator. In December 2020, Joe Biden picked Becerra to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, putting a defender of the Affordable Care Act in a leading role to oversee his administration’s coronavirus response.

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Senate Republicans eye budget resolution vote this week with reduced spending cuts

News, Senate

Senate Republicans are hoping to vote on a budget resolution this week that would pave the way for President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” encompassing tax cuts, border security and energy extraction.

Senators say the resolution calls for far fewer budget cuts to offset the cost of desired tax cuts than the analogous bill passed in February by the House, setting up a fight between the chambers about how much the legislation could add to the deficit.

The House and Sen...

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Senate Republicans eye budget resolution vote this week with reduced spending cuts

News, Senate

Senate Republicans are hoping to vote on a budget resolution this week that would pave the way for President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” encompassing tax cuts, border security and energy extraction.

Senators say the resolution calls for far fewer budget cuts to offset the cost of desired tax cuts than the analogous bill passed in February by the House, setting up a fight between the chambers about how much the legislation could add to the deficit.

The House and Sen...

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A ‘current policy’ budget baseline would have disastrous consequences

Congressional Budget Office, News, Opinion

Some Republicans in Congress have proposed changing the budget reconciliation process to begin using a “current policy” baseline that ignores expirations under law, instead of the traditional “current law” baseline.  

This would be a serious act of fiscal irresponsibility, making it easier for either party to circumvent important budgetary guardrails, thereby accelerating the growth of our national debt by many trillions for years to come.   

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Former Biden HHS secretary Becerra launches bid for California governor

News

Former Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra on Wednesday launched a bid for California governor, joining a growing field of candidates looking to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).

“As AG I took on Trump – and won. As HHS Secretary, I took on Big Pharma — and won. It’s time to do it again for California," Becerra said in a post on social platform X announcing his campaign. "Let’s rebuild the California Dream for everyone."

Becerra previou...

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The Memo: Inside Trump’s big gamble on tariffs

News

President Trump is set to take the biggest gamble of his second term on Wednesday, when he will announce a fresh round of tariffs.

Trump has dubbed Wednesday “Liberation Day,” suggesting that it will mark a watershed in what he sees as an effort to push back on trade imbalances.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a media briefing on Tuesday that Trump views it as “fundamentally unfair” that “too many foreign countries have their markets cl...

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Booker sets record for longest Senate speech in history

News, Senate

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) on Tuesday set a new record for the longest floor speech in Senate history, having held the floor for 25 hours and 5 minutes to decry potential GOP spending cuts in their looming tax bill and policies put in place by the Trump administration.

Booker, the No. 4 member of Democratic leadership, wrapped up at 8:05 p.m. Tuesday, having started at 7 p.m. the previous day — topping the previous record of 24 hours and 18 minutes held by former Sen. ...

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Thune backs Trump tariffs

News

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