Georgia U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker blasted President Joe Biden, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock for historic levels of inflation that are crushing individuals.
Walker, who received the GOP nomination last month, called on Biden to fire Yellen for previously claiming that inflation would be temporary and not pose a severe risk to the economy.
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Governor Glenn Youngkin formally received the budget on Thursday, launching a seven-day timeline to review the budget and amend or veto parts of the bill, but the current budget ends at the end of June, creating a tight timeline.
The budget with his changes must be available for 48 hours before the General Assembly votes on it.
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President Joe Biden’s and Governor Tony Evers’ policies are driving up inflation on everyday goods, making it more expensive to fill up at the pump, and causing supply chain disruptions making it hard to find family necessities. The biggest loser under these policies? Moms.
The massive spending sprees and burdensome regulations coming from Washington, D.C., and supported by Governor Evers, are only making matters worse for family budgets. As a new mom, I know first-hand how the rising cost of groceries, gas, daycare, and diapers affects my family’s ability to budget and make ends meet.
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Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Americans for Prosperity’s Tennessee state direct, Tori Venable on the newsmaker line to discuss the endorsement of Andy Ogles for Tennessee’s Fifth Congressional District and what they look for in a candidate.
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An EPIC-MRA poll shows that 93% of likely Michigan voters rated state roads as a “total negative,” with 65% rating them “poor.”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ran and won her campaign in 2018 by promising to “fix the damn roads.” In the poll conducted between May 11-17 of 600 likely November voters, the results showed every demographic cited road repair as a priority.
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Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) committed to three debates against GOP challenger Herschel Walker before the November midterm elections.
The contest between the two is expected to be a top battleground for control of the U.S. Senate, drawing national attention and attracting millions in outside spending.
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The Republican Governor’s Association (RGA) Wednesday released an attack ad on Democrat gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, who will square off for a rematch against Gov. Brian Kemp (R) in the Peach State’s November election.
“Typical Stacey Abrams. She believes only she knows what’s best,” the ad opens after quoting Abrams, who once said that she thinks people need to be told what to do.
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The General Assembly will reconvene its special session on June 1, ahead of a June 30 deadline to complete the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Since the end of the session, budget negotiators have been tight-lipped about progress on a compromise, but have said they expect one in late May.
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Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed official guest host Aaron Gulbransen in studio to recap the High Steaks TN5 candidate even Monday night and analyzed the new alliance between Kurt Winstead and Morgan Ortagus.
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The Davidson County Republican Party hosted an event on Monday evening at the Hermitage Steak House with several TN-5 primary candidates in attendance to support Kelli Phillips for Metro Nashville School Board – District 4.
Phillips, whose campaign is the event beneficiary, is the Republican nominee.
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Americans for Prosperity Action (AFP Action) endorsed Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles in the race for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat on Monday.
AFP Action said they endorsed Ogles because “of his track record supporting local, state, and federal policies that promote economic freedom and create opportunities that improve the lives of Tennesseans.”
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Virginia’s April revenues were strong, largely thanks to a shift in the tax due date, Secretary of Finance Stephen Cummings told the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday. He said Virginia is under-performing in recovery after the start of the pandemic compared to some southern states. Cummings downplayed concerns about a near-term recession but said he and the administration are worried about inflation in the energy and food sectors. “I think, as you know, that is what is the backdrop to the governor’s focus on the grocery tax and the gas tax,” Cummings told the legislators, several of whom are involved in budget discussions debating Governor Glenn Youngkin’s proposals. Early in the Youngkin administration, the governor and Cummings said they were concerned by Virginia’s competition with North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, and Texas. Cummings referred to those states repeatedly on Tuesday. “It’ all about creating new jobs, developing that organic growth rate in our Virginia economy,” Cummings said Tuesday. “There’s a battle going on with the states, particularly to our south, as we’ve seen more migration across our country than has been seen in a very, very long time. And we have to play to win against these states.…
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Gov. Ron DeSantis, when suggesting President Joe Biden’s economic policies will “plunge the United States into a recession,” says Florida will be prepared.
At a news conference this week announcing funding for flood control and water management projects in Lee County, he said that while inflation continues to worsen, Florida’s economy is strong, with revenue exceeding expectations.
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Bill McSwain, a Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor, likes to emphasize his public-service experience — and his distinction as a relative political newcomer.
The 53-year old former federal prosecutor and Chester County native hasn’t held elected office, unlike other high-polling hopefuls state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Gettysburg), former Congressman Lou Barletta (R-PA-11) and former County Commissioner Dave White (R-Delaware). That’s often among the first details McSwain and his supporters mention about him.
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A shrinking gross domestic product could cost Georgia taxpayers and is likely to hurt middle-class Georgians in particular as the country appears headed toward a recession, a non-profit policy group said this week.
“The tab is coming due for all the reckless stimulus spending during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Erik Randolph, director of research for the Georgia Center for Opportunity, said in a statement. “The declining GDP in the first quarter is the strongest indicator yet that our nation is headed into a recession.”
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Tennessee tax revenues for the month of March exceeded budgeted estimates by $348.8 million, putting the fiscal year surplus at $2.5 billion, reported Department of Finance and Administration Commissioner Butch Eley in a statement Thursday.
March tax revenues totaling $1.6 billion were $286.8 million or 22.78 percent higher than the state received in March 2021.
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Connecticut businesses are on the hook for $463 million in unemployment assistance the state owes to the federal government.
As the state’s businesses are facing higher taxes and additional assessments this fall, the state is eyeing a repayment of nearly half of the $900 million it borrowed, according to a report by the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, to cover record unemployment claims throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Live from Virginia Friday morning on The John Fredericks Show – weekdays on WNTW AM 820/ FM 92.7 – Richmond, WJFN FM 100.5 – Central Virginia; WMPH AM 1010 / FM 100.1 / FM 96.9 (7-9 p.m.) Hampton Roads; WBRG AM 1050 / FM 105.1 – Lynchburg/Roanoke and weekdays 6-10 a.m. and 24/7 stream – host Fredericks welcomed Georgia State Senator Butch Miller defends his last-minute discharge of voter integrity bill SB89.
Fredericks: Joining me now, Butch Miller, head of the Republican Senate in Georgia running for Lieutenant governor. That will be decided. There’s only two people there’s also. Jeannie Rice, the race. I’m sorry, Jeannie, I always forget.
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RICHMOND, Virginia – The General Assembly met briefly on Monday afternoon after Governor Glenn Youngkin recalled them for a special session to complete and pass a budget compromise and finish other legislation. The legislators passed rules for the special session that allow them to adjourn until Speaker of the House Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) or Senate Rules Committee Chair Mamie Locke (D-Hampton) recall the legislators with 48-hours’ notice. Then, since the budget compromise isn’t ready, the legislators adjourned.
“I was disappointed at the pace the work was going,” Youngkin told the media after a ceremonial bill signing on Monday morning. “I was disappointed there wasn’t more work last week. Everybody’s here today, and I expect them to get to work today. And I know that there are meetings that can be held, and should be held, and will be held. So it’s important to go ahead and get people back to work, and I think calling them back to special session is an important motivator to do that.”
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Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Tennessee Stands Gary Humble to the newsmaker line to discuss his small business background, time in ministry, and why he’s challenging State Senator Jack Johnson.
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Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael in studio for another edition of Crom’s Crommentary.
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Governor Glenn Youngkin is calling the General Assembly to convene for a special session on April 4 to finish work on the budget and other bills that were carried over at the end of the recent session. “Today I am calling back lawmakers to Richmond to finish their work. Between high gas prices and rising inflation, Virginians are more squeezed than ever and the General Assembly can deliver much needed tax relief to struggling Virginia families,” Youngkin said in a press release. “Together, we can produce the biggest tax cut in the history of the Commonwealth at a time when Virginians need it the most and also make record investments in our education, law enforcement and behavioral health system, among other important priorities. Let’s get back to work.” When the General Assembly adjourned two weeks ago, there was a divide between House Republicans who supported Youngkin’s priority on tax relief, and Senate Democrats who included some pared-back tax relief proposals amid concerns that Virginia’s current strong financial situation might not last. Youngkin has spent the time publicly calling for a gas tax holiday and continuing to push for his other tax relief measures, while money legislators from both chambers have…
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The Florida legislature recently passed the largest budget in state history totaling $112.1 billion and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is already hinting at vetoes to the record budget ahead of signing the appropriations.
Since DeSantis took office in January 2019, his vetoes have incrementally increased each year, culminating in $1.5 billion being slashed from 2021’s budget. However, DeSantis ensured the City of Hialeah Education Academy that they will be receiving $2.9 million from the state. DeSantis made the announcement for additional education STEM funding from the Hialeah school.
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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced a deal aimed at cracking down on fraudulent unemployment claims, a move that garnered support from members of the business community.
The governor and Attorney General Jason Miyares signed an agreement with the Virginia Employment Commission, which allows the attorney general to represent the VEC in the prosecution of criminal unemployment compensation fraud cases.
“The VEC has asked that I take on this responsibility, and I enthusiastically agreed to the VEC’s request,” Miyares said in a statement. “Protecting the Commonwealth from crime is one of my top priorities as Attorney General. Fraudulent claims must be prosecuted and fraud on the unemployment fund diverts resources from those who need them most.”
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President Biden and other White House officials dramatically changed their tune this week in defending their green agenda in the face of skyrocketing gas prices and Russia’s energy supply stranglehold over Europe.
Before Russia invaded Ukraine, Biden for months blamed increasing gas prices on supply-chain issues and pent-up post-pandemic demand for travel, deflecting questions on whether his push to move the country off fossil fuels was a factor.
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Georgians are getting slammed at the pump by rapidly rising gas prices. However, despite what some might claim, this energy crisis began long before Russia invaded Ukraine.
The reality is that Joe Biden’s disastrous energy policies are largely responsible for why Georgians have seen gas prices rise by over a dollar over the past year.
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As gasoline prices soar and inflation seems poised to rise above 8%, Michiganders are squinting to detect any signs of economic hope on the horizon.
Among the variables drawing their attention is whether Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration is successful in closing the Line 5 pipeline across a five-mile stretch of the Straits of Mackinac. The Canadian energy company Enbridge is suing the governor to keep the pipeline open.
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As legislators work towards a budget compromise balancing increased spending with revenue losses from tax cuts, Governor Glenn Youngkin and legislators are continuing to argue for their positions.
“The idea that we have to choose between tax relief and our shared priorities is a false choice. It is critical that we do our part to reduce the tax burden on our citizens, particularly at a time when present receipts continue to be as robust as they are,” Youngkin wrote in a Wednesday Richmond Times-Dispatch column.
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RICHMOND, Virginia – Legislators are meeting in behind-the-scenes meetings to try to finalize a budget compromise before the General Assembly is set to adjourn on Saturday, but are divided by a House of Delegates desire for substantial tax cuts and a Senate desire for higher state employee salaries plus a desire to preserve more future tax revenues. House Appropriations Chair Barry Knight (R-Virginia Beach) said that negotiations may take too long to have a compromise ready for a weekend vote, although he emphasized that his Senate counterparts including Finance Chair Janet Howell (D-Fairfax) are cooperating in good faith.
“I think with the time constraints that we have, with the two bodies doing our business, I’m not sure we’re going to make it,” Knight told reporters on Tuesday.
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Democrat-controlled Senate committees have been killing House Republican bills, blocking policy changes on elections, guns, and the environment. More bills on education, abortion, and taxes are set to be heard in committees that have already killed similar Senate bills. However, even if those bills are killed, some of them still have a chance to be included in the budget.
“There’s still a lot of time left, we got the budget document we’re working on. A lot of our funding opportunities are in the budget,” House Majority Leader Terry Kilgore (R-Gate City) told The Virginia Star. “A lot of these bills that we’re talking about are in the budget. We took out RGGI [Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative] in our budget.”
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Secretary of Finance Stephen Cummings told the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee on Tuesday that while General Fund revenues are performing well, there is an overall lack of economic growth in Virginia. That’s similar to the message from a letter Governor Glenn Youngkin sent to the Senate Finance and House Appropriations chairs last Friday. Tuesday’s discussion between Democratic senators and Cummings illustrated the policy divide on finance between the administration and the Senate.
Cummings said that January 2022 was the sixth consecutive month of revenues exceeding the prior year by more than 15 percent. “So, pretty remarkable times,” Cummings said.
“Obviously, the extraordinary level of revenues for the government is great, but that does not indicate success in our economy,” Cummings said. “It’s the result of external factors, and in our opinion, taxes that are too high.”
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Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Mayor Glenn Jacobs of Knox County to the newsmakers line to talk about this continued fight against mandatory mask mandates in schools and the new state budget.
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Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed State Senator Mark Pody to the newsmakers line to discuss the new state budget, his personal agenda, and focusing on patients’ rights.
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Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s proposed fiscal year 2023 budget includes $626.5 million in road projects for the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
The proposal includes 22 new projects that are categorized under the State Highway Partnership Program ($226 million), Rural Interchange Improvement Program ($176 million), IMPROVE Act Acceleration ($100 million) and economic development projects ($77 million).
The economic development projects, in what are characterized as some of the state’s fastest-growing counties, include a Cleveland Street extension and Interstate-24 underpass in Davidson County ($40 million), a Sullivan County alignment project ($22 million) and widening State Road 334 in Blount County ($15 million).
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Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Chairman John Ragan of the House of Representatives Government Operations Committee to the newsmakers line to discuss K12 education and the Basic Education Program.
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Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed State Representative Jerry Sexton in studio to talk about his re-election, K12 education, and agreeing that the federal government should keep their education money.
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A report released this week by the Commonwealth Foundation (CF), a Harrisburg-based think tank, underscores the drawbacks of lavish government spending for ordinary Pennsylvanians.
Inflation and the economic policies that fuel it have already weighed on the minds of Americans for months. Federal spending during the COVID-19 pandemic has skyrocketed to create a debt nearing $30 trillion, equating to 133 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product and amounting to $239,000 per taxpayer.
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Governor Glenn Youngkin used his first State of the Commonwealth address to describe a Virginia in need of reform, with underfunded schools whose leaders are out of touch with parents, rising crime rates, rising cost of living, and a stalled economy. The Monday message contrasted with former Governor Ralph Northam’s State of the Commonwealth delivered last Wednesday, where Northam highlighted economic success, education that reckons with Virginia’s past, and progress on equity.
“From the perspective of everyday Virginia families, times are tough and the State of the Commonwealth is not what it should be,” Youngkin said. “The good news is that we have the ability to course-correct before this poor performance becomes permanent.”
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) gave his State of the State speech from the Florida House of Representatives and touted Florida as one of the freest state in the Union.
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The Tennessee General Assembly begins its legislative session at noon Tuesday with two essential priorities: redistricting maps and a new K-12 public education funding model.
Proposed state Senate maps and Congressional maps are scheduled to be revealed by the Select Committee on Redistricting during its meeting at 10 a.m. Wednesday. The new education funding formula is expected to be announced in the next week as well.
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Yesterday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced his plans for Florida’s 2022 budget, which is expected to come to a total of $99.7 billion. Last year, Florida’s budget eclipsed $100 billion for the first time in state history. The slight decrease in state revenue is due, in large part, to the economy rebounding from the effects of the COVID pandemic.
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Several Democratic states withdrew from an ambitious plan to curb transportation emissions less than a year after signing onto the agreement.
Massachusetts and Connecticut abandoned the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) last week, citing high gas prices and irreconcilable differences, E&E News reported. Rhode Island and Washington, D.C., also joined the agreement which promised to cut transportation emissions 25% and raise $3 billion for clean energy projects.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The November 19 vote of congressional Democrats to pass the Build Back Better Act cornucopia of social spending and policies unleashed a wave of criticism from Ohio’s GOP U.S. representatives united in a fear of unbridled inflation and an expanded federal government.
U.S. Representative Brad Wenstrup (R-OH-02) criticized the $1.85 trillion package – even at half of its original cost – as “Build Back Broke” for its effect on the national debt while U.S. Representative Robert Latta (R-OH-05) called House Resolution 5376 a “wish-list spending spree” by Democrats.
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Glenn Youngkin will be Virginia’s next governor, part of a near-complete Republican takeover of Virginia’s government. In 2022, Republicans will be governor, attorney general, and lieutenant governor. They will also likely hold a two-seat majority in the House of Delegates, although two close races may go to recounts. However, they will not hold the Senate, where Democrats have a 21-to-19 majority. Still, if one Democratic senator flips on a vote, that would create a tie that lieutenant governor-elect Winsome Sears would break. Minority Leader Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah), who House Republicans nominated for Speaker, has said that Republicans do have a mandate, but he is also aware of the need to work across the aisle with the Senate.
All that gives political novice Youngkin strong Republican support to launch efforts to fulfill his campaign promises, but also sets him up for serious challenges to get his policies across the finish line. Still, Virginia governors have extensive power to set policy and funding priorities, and Youngkin will also have executive authority, which will allow him to fulfill some key promises without legislative buy-in.
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Virginia was supposed to be a solid blue state. Joe Biden carried it by 10 points. Since 2013, Democrats have won 13 straight statewide elections. Terry McAuliffe is a former governor who started this race with a massive name recognition advantage and presumably a substantial advantage in knowledge about state government.
Yet, today the race is too close to call. If McAuliffe does win, he will barely squeak through in a state the Democrat should be carrying handily.
And, of course, there is a distinctly real possibility (I would say a probability) that Glenn Youngkin will become the next governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
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Virginia House District 10 is one of Republicans’ best chances to flip a House seat in the election; Republicans hope to retake the majority by winning a net six seats. The district includes part of Loudoun County, where the local school board has become a battleground and a national bellweather for the GOP’s new messaging on education. Statewide politicians have made repeated stops in the area, and GOP challenger Nick Clemente and Delegate Wendy Gooditis (D-Clarke) have together raised over $2 million, placing the district number one among the 100 House seats for fundraising, according to The Virginia Public Access Project.
“I think Gooditis is probably the second most likely Democrat to lose in the House,” CNalysis Executive Director Chaz Nuttycombe said. “I think Nick Clemente is definitely the strongest recruit that the GOP has going up against the Democrats.”
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Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed all-star panelist Crom Carmichael in studio to discuss the lack of federal institutional constraints related to fiscal spending.
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Tommy Hazouri, Jacksonville native and Jacksonville City Council president who had served in multiple political positions over the last 47 years, died Saturday at the age of 76 from recent complications that traced back to a lung transplant he received last year.
Prior to his most recent position as a City Council member, Hazouri began his political career by spending 12 years in the Florida House of Representatives from 1974 to 1986. In 1987 he was elected as the first Arab-American mayor in Jacksonville history, where he would serve until 1991.
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GOP gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin unveiled a long list of policy priorities prominently featuring tax breaks alongside spending on law enforcement and schools in his “Day One Game Plan.” His Monday announcement in Falls Church also included a declaration that he would ban Critical Race Theory (CRT) from being taught in schools or used in teacher training, and he said he wouldn’t implement COVID-19 shutdowns.
“I will not allow COVID lock downs to ever occur in Virginia again,” Youngkin said to loud cheers and applause from the crowd.
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The recently passed U.S. Senate infrastructure bill includes controversial provisions such as a vehicle per-mile user fee pilot program as the bill faces uncertainty in the U.S. House.
The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, which includes $550 billion of new spending, passed in the Senate on Tuesday by a 69-30 vote. The bill authorizes spending for improvements to roads, bridges, rail, transit and broadband, among other forms of infrastructure.
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