Rep. Jen Kiggans and All Virginia Rs Vote to Cut Medicaid; 200+ Attend Arlington Ds Event to Support Fed Workers as Trump Plans "Large Scale" Fed Layoffs
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U.S. House Rs All Vote to Cut Medicaid, Give Tax Cuts to Top 1%
HOUSE GOP PASSES CUTS TO MEDICAID, TAX CUTS TO RICH AND BIG DEBT. Last night, Republicans in the U.S. House did what they always do when they have the majority in the U.S. House: They unanimously voted for cuts to programs that assist the poor with a vote that cuts Medicaid and explodes the debt. The budget now goes to the Senate.
Who voted for this is the Virginia delegation?
RELATED: What Can House Republicans Cut Instead of Medicaid? Not Much. (NYT, Feb. 25, 2025)
That group includes all of the Republican members of the Virginia delegation including allegedly “moderate” Republicans Jen Kiggans and Rob Wittman.
RELATED: Elon Musk’s Business Empire is Built on $38 Billion in Government Funding (WaPo, Feb. 26, 2025)
“Every Virginia Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives — including Rep. Jen Kiggans — voted for a budget resolution that includes slashing Medicaid funding by nearly $1 trillion in order to give tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy and big corporations. This budget resolution opens the door for Republicans to achieve their goal of cutting up to $2 trillion from Medicaid,” exclaimed a press release by the health care advocacy group Protect Our Care. They also broke down the numbers.
“The GOP is putting health care at risk for 1,843,000 or 21 percent of Virginians, including: 1,058,100 women, 175,000 people with disabilities, 130,000 seniors and 605,000 children. Republicans in the U.S. House voted to create at least a $2.27 billion hole in the Virginia budget annually to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy,” Protect Our Care continued.
“The U.S. House Republican budget calls for a $2 trillion cut in spending over ten years, “without specifying which programs should be cut, though top Republicans have targeted Medicaid and food aid programs for poor Americans. It directs increases of about $300 billion for border enforcement and defense programs, alongside a $4 trillion increase in the debt limit,” Rep. Bobby Scott, a member of the House Budget Committee pointed out during the debate on the House floor yesterday.
“Democrats have been finding solutions and cleaning up Republican messes for six decades, and thanks to Republican tax cuts for the corporations and the top 1%, they added over $7 trillion to the national debt during Trump's first term, and here we go again. Help billionaires, run up the debt and make everybody else pay,” Rep. Scott added.
The House Republican plan instructs the Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicaid and Medicare, to find $880 billion in cuts. Though Republicans keep denying that they would cut programs for the poor, the math indicates that’s exactly what would have to be cut to get to the number required for the tax cuts they’ve promised.
Over 200+ People Pack Federal Job Event by Arlington Dems
ASSISTING FEDERAL WORKERS. Led by Chair Steve Baker, the Arlington Democrats held a timely event last night to assist federal workers at the Arlington Public Library on Quincy Street. The event to assist federal workers with everything from job hunting, legal issues and employment contacts hit capacity with at least 180 to 200 people in the room. Outside the event candidate petitions were being signed for statewide office. Arjoon Srikanth, who is running for the House of Delegates in District 1, greeted attendees.
🚨 RELATED: The Trump Administration Sets the Stage for Large-scale Federal Worker Layoffs in a New Memo (AP, Feb. 26, 2025) Download memo below.
The standing room only forum will be followed by another resource fair by Arlington County on March 8th to assist federal workers at Wakefield H.S. from 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm.
“PREPARE FOR LARGE SCALE FIRINGS (CNN).” Via the unprecedented policy views of OMB Director Russell Vought, President Trump and Elon Musk, the Republican Party is waging a negative PR campaign against federal workers. This was codified in the pages of Project 2025 and heard yesterday in a hearing from Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Chair of the House DOGE Subcommittee. Rep. Greene who announced that federal workers “do not deserve their paychecks.”
CNN’s Erin Burnett gave a report last night on an upcoming plan on more firings:
Twenty-one federal employees tasked with assisting the Trump Administration resigned in protest on Feb. 25, 2025 rather than help with DOGE’s plans.
Below: A pan of the packed room in Arlington last night.
VMI Problems Again: Governor, Lawmakers Clash Over Black Superintendent
By Nathaniel Cline. A political firestorm has erupted over the future of the Virginia Military Institute’s first Black superintendent, Ret. Maj. General Cedric Wins, with accusations flying that lawmakers attempted to strong-arm the school’s governing board.
But an effort to investigate one legislator has run into resistance from Virginia Senate leaders, who argue that if lawmakers are scrutinized for meddling in higher education, then Gov. Glenn Youngkin should be, too.
Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, signaled before the end of this year’s regular legislative session that it is unlikely his colleagues will launch an ethics investigation against Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy, D-Prince William, over allegations that she pressured the VMI Board of Visitors regarding Wins’ contract.
The request for the investigation came from U.S. Rep. Ben Cline, R-Botetourt, who accused Carroll Foy of attempting to sway the board’s decision on whether to extend Wins’ tenure. READ ENTIRE
FEB. 28: 10-Acre Former Belmont Plantation Land Donation to Loudoun Freedom Center
Loudoun Freedom Center and JK Holdings Announce Landmark Land Donation Following SCC Approval
Date: February 28, 2025. Time: 10:00 AM, Location: African American Burial Ground for the Enslaved at Belmont, 19400 Freedom Trail Road, Ashburn, VA 20147
The Loudoun Freedom Center and JK Holdings invite members of the media, community leaders, and stakeholders to a press conference announcing a significant milestone in the preservation of local history and cultural heritage.
Following the Virginia State Corporation Commission’s (SCC) approval of Dominion Power’s transmission line northwest alignment, Chuck Kuhns of JK Holdings is officially moving forward with the donation of a 10-acre plot to the Loudoun Freedom Center, fulfilling a commitment made on February 28, 2024. This landmark contribution will advance the Loudoun Freedom Center’s mission of historical preservation, history education, and community empowerment.
Speakers: Pastor Michelle Thomas, Founder & CEO, Loudoun Freedom Center and Chuck Kuhns, JK Holdings
1.8 Million Watch Joy Reid's Last Show on MSNBC
Close to 2 million viewers tuned in to watch the final MSNBC edition of The ReidOut hosted by Joy Ann Reid.
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