We are now witnessing an outcry from Democrats, loan servicers and the media over the prospect of Congress scaling back the Department of Veterans Affairs's new mortgage bailout program, the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase program. If the program is curtailed as proposed by Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wisc.), they warn, tens of thousands of veterans — perhaps as many as 80,000 — will lose their homes.
But the reality is quite different and far more dangerous. Left unc...
Opinion
Wisconsin’s high-stakes Supreme Court election is a referendum on Trump
On Apr. 1, Wisconsin voters will elect a new state Supreme Court justice. Normally, such news would be met with a yawn, but not this year — the campaign has already made national news and drawn the attention of people from around the country
The Wisconsin election could be one of American history's most important judicial elections, and one of the most expensive. And, as has been the trend in recent decades in America, this one has turned nasty, full of what one spokesman ter...
The Republican plan to dismantle the Affordable Care Act
Everyone is talking about Republicans' proposed Medicaid cuts, but hardly anyone is calling this what it really is: the strategy by Elon Musk, President Trump, and the Republican Party to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, one piece at a time.
The ACA, a historic piece of legislation that extended health coverage to millions of Americans, celebrated its 15th anniversary on March 23. Signed by President Barack Obama in 2010, the ACA expanded Medicaid and provided subsidies so t...
Trump won’t like what happens if Canada becomes our 51st state
President Trump wants to annex Canada and make it America’s 51st state. If he gets his way, here are just a few of the possible “unintended consequences.”
We currently have 50 states that divide up 435 congressional representatives. California, our largest state, has over 39 million people with 52 seats in the House of Representatives. Canada has 41 million people. If Canada were to become a state, Congress would have to add about 54 new House members to represent ...
Autism, ADHD and transgenderism: America’s epidemic of fake medical news
America’s health care system is a mess. Its incentives are costing the U.S. a fortune, both in cold hard cash and in real damage to human health. Nowhere is this more pernicious than in children’s health: The rise in autism, ADHD and transgender diagnoses appears to be driven by profit motive taking advantage of social pathologies.
While the capitalist, free-market system is superior to any socialist or single-payer system in promoting innovation and matching supply...
The impact on US elections if Canada and Greenland were states
President Trump keeps threatening to make Canada the 51st state and also buy Greenland, presumably making that country either a territory or a state. The possibility of either occurring is virtually zero, and that’s a good thing for Republicans. Because while Trump and his MAGA supporters may not realize it, giving those countries the vote would likely send the GOP to the political sidelines.
We’ve seen this movie before. Advocates have been working for years to give statehoo...
What to do about $1.1 trillion in improper Medicaid payments
As the 119th Congress seeks to reduce government spending through reconciliation, talk of Medicaid reductions has raised concerns about vulnerable populations losing Medicaid coverage. But simply following the law and paying only for what Medicaid allows would save hundreds of billions of dollars without ending coverage for any of Medicaid’s intended recipients.
According to official reports, the government issued $543 billion in improper Medicaid payments from ...
The looming budget question: Will Medicaid cuts fund tax cuts?
The challenge of restoring fiscal responsibility will be on full display in the months ahead following the passage of the House of Representatives budget resolution for the 2025 fiscal year on Feb. 25.
It set the stage for legislation that can circumvent the Senate’s 60-vote threshold and pass with a simple majority. While it does not include specific changes to spending and taxes, it specifies which House committees should finance deficits in reconci...
Restore Medicaid’s intent: Prioritize the most vulnerable over able-bodied childless adults
As Republicans unveil proposed cuts to government programs, they should take this opportunity to reform a program that is the fourth-largest driver of spending: Medicaid.
Congress should refocus the program on its original intent: vulnerable Americans, especially those with disabilities who have nowhere else to turn for health coverage.
Nearly 700,000 people with disabilities are sitting on Medicaid waitlists for vital home and community-based care, and they will ...
How Trump is weaponizing federal spending power
“I’ll see you in court.”
That promise was made by Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) in response to Trump’s threat to withhold all federal funding from her state unless it complies with his executive order banning transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. It has become a rallying cry of sorts for progressives desperate for any Democratic politician to stand up to Trump and Elon Musk in their dizzying attempt to dismantle the federal government and remake socie...