It’s Tuesday, the traditional day for elections and for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy. We think of it as a mini-magazine in your inbox.
WHERE THINGS STAND WITH TRUMP’S BIG BILL
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews
Correspondent
Historians will have much to dissect from these years of Trump 2.0.
Regardless of what else happens in this term, Trump’s legacy will include whether he can — or cannot — pass his agenda in Congress.
As we head into more discussion of his “big beautiful bill,” we thought we’d write a short outline of where things stand.
What has been decided
So far, seven out of 11 House committees involved have marked up and passed their portions of this bill. An eighth committee is meeting today.
These are initial drafts. These pieces must be joined together and then passed as a package, but they tell us a lot about Republicans’ plan.
Some highlights from those committee-passed proposals:
Border: $46.5 billion for border barriers, $2.7 billion for border security technology. Also: new hire and retention bonuses at U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Immigration: $45 billion for new or expanded detention centers, $14 billion for transportation for increased deportations and $8 billion to hire more U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and staff.
Asylum: New fees would go into place, including $1,000 for adults seeking asylum.
Courts: A provision in the Judiciary Committee’s bill is raising debate. Democrats say it would shield Trump from having to follow court orders, by removing funding to enforce being in contempt of court. Republicans say that is not the aim, with one committee aide saying the provision is meant to “stop frivolous lawsuits.”
Federal workers: The Oversight Committee’s bill significantly reforms the pension system for federal workers. Under its plan, workers would need to contribute more toward their pension while on the job and be penalized if they retire before age 62.
What is left?
The largest and most difficult decisions remain. You know where I’m heading here; we mentioned some last week.
Republicans have not yet agreed on some major items: the size of the tax cuts, who will get them, how to pay for them as well as how and when to reform programs like Medicaid, including new work requirements.
What happens next
The three remaining committees, which govern the questions above, hoped to meet and finish their bill drafts this week. But instead, they are looking to next week.
Those bills will tell us how deep cuts could go, potentially including Medicaid, as well as if Republicans can manage to put all of these complicated puzzle pieces together.
One Big Question: Who do voters believe is responsible for the current economy? NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter discuss.
Perspectives: Judy Woodruff hosted a conversation at the Reframe Festival that explores how to engage and connect in a time of deep political divisions.
WHAT TRUMP’S ORDER TARGETING PUBLIC MEDIA FUNDING SAYS
Watch the segment in the player above.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order Thursday instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to halt all funding for PBS and NPR, saying the broadcasters fail to present “a fair, accurate or unbiased portrayal of current events.”
It’s not the first time Trump and other Republican lawmakers have pushed to cut public media funding, but the latest move is the most forceful in years.
Katherine Maher of NPR, said the order was an “affront to the First Amendment rights of NPR.” Paula Kerger of PBS called Trump’s order "blatantly unlawful." Days before the executive order came out, she told PBS News that most federal funding does not go to PBS or any national organization, but “goes directly to our stations to help them support their operations.”
PBS News’ William Brangham takes a close look at what Trump’s order could mean for the two major broadcasters and the some 1,500 public media stations across the country. That federal support also helps to fund programs like the News Hour.
More on the possible public media funding cuts from our coverage:
On the Record: PBS chief Paula Kerger on the potential impact of cutting public media funding.
A Major Hearing: In March, NPR and PBS heads faced sharp questioning from House lawmakers about federal funding.
THIS WEEK’S TRIVIA QUESTION
By Joshua Barajas
Senior Editor, Digital
The Trump administration’s efforts to end PBS and NPR zeroed in on a new target on Tuesday.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced that the Department of Education has cut Ready To Learn, a federal grant program that funneled some $23 million to educational children’s shows and games on public media networks.
The New York Times reports that this grant, which was set to end in September, historically supported beloved TV shows such as “Sesame Street” and “Reading Rainbow.”
Our question: Another PBS TV show that relied on the Ready To Learn grant was based on a series of children’s books about a giant pet who was bigger than a horse and was once called “Tiny.”
Send your answers to [email protected] or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.
Last week, we asked: Which president’s achievements inadvertently created the “first 100 days” measuring stick for later U.S. leaders?
The answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt. Within 100 days of Roosevelt taking office in 1933, Congress passed 15 pieces of legislation that created foundational parts of the New Deal that helped pull the nation back from economic collapse. That 100 days later became a framework to assess a president’s early success.
Congratulations to our winners: Jerry Place and Helen Lynn!
Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.
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