President Joe Biden

• Biden administration announces nearly $11 billion for renewable energy in rural communities

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a nearly $11 billion investment on Tuesday to help bring affordable clean energy to rural communities throughout the country.

Rural electric cooperatives, renewable energy companies and electric utilities will be able to apply for funding through two programs, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said during a media briefing on Monday.

Vilsack said it was the largest single federal investment in rural electrification since President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act in 1936 as part of the New Deal.

“This is an exciting opportunity for the Rural Utility Service to work collaboratively with our great partners, the Rural Electric cooperatives, in order to advance a clean energy future for rural America,” Vilsack said. “So this is an exciting and an historic day, and it continues an ongoing effort to ensure that rural America is a full participant in this clean energy economy.”

The Empowering Rural America program will make $9.7 billion available for rural electric cooperatives to create renewable energy, zero-emission and carbon capture systems.

Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, praised the administration for the investment.

“This is an exciting and transformative opportunity for co-ops and their local communities, particularly as we look toward a future that depends on electricity to power more of the economy,” Matheson said. “USDA has smartly structured this program in a way that will help electric co-ops leverage new tools to reduce costs and keep energy affordable while meeting the future energy needs of their rural communities.”

The Powering Affordable Clean Energy program will make $1 billion available in partially-forgivable loans for renewable energy companies and electric utilities to help finance renewable energy projects such as large-scale solar, wind and geothermal projects.

The Department of Agriculture said in a press release that the goal of this program is provide affordable clean energy to vulnerable, disadvantaged and Indigenous communities. But there is tension between building a clean energy infrastructure for all and mining the materials needed for that infrastructure.

For example, conservationists and Indigenous communities in Nevada have sued to block the opening of the largest mine planned in the U.S. for extraction of lithium used in electric vehicle batteries.

When asked about tribal concerns about mineral extraction at Monday’s briefing, Vilsack said there would be a “significant tribal consultation” for mining projects on land his agency controls. But when pressed about what would happen if an Indigenous community said no to a mining project, he declined to answer the question, calling it hypothetical.

Rural electric cooperatives can apply for grants, loans and loan modifications through the Empowering Rural America program between July 31 and Aug. 31. The application period for the Powering Affordable Clean Energy program is June 30 — Sept. 29.

Experts told The Associated Press that these programs could have a significant impact for rural America. “The ERA Program has the potential to help rural electric co-ops and municipal co-ops move the needle toward a cleaner, less carbon-intensive electricity mix,” said Felix Mormann, a professor of law at Texas A&M University who specializes in energy law and policy.

The programs will have relatively less impact on electricity growth in rural communities than the Rural Electrification Act during the New Deal, said Carl Kitchens, an associate professor of economics at Florida State University.

“When enacted in the 1930s, only 10 percent of farms had electric power; by 1950, it had risen to over 90 percent,” Kitchens said. “Today, electricity is nearly universal except for a few small pockets and portions of reservation land.”

Funding for the new programs comes from the Inflation Reduction Act, which has generated hundreds of billions of dollars for renewable energy transition and environmental cleanup. In February, the Biden administration announced details on how states and nonprofits could apply for $27 billion in funding from a “ green bank.” The next month, officials announced $2 billion to create the Rural Energy for America Program.

And since the beginning of the year, they’ve announced hundreds of millions of dollars for the renewable energy transition from climate-warming fossil fuels, environmental cleanup and climate mitigation in poor communities and communities of color.

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Originally Posted by helge

How many versions is there ?

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There's one, this is an English language forum, you scandihooligan retard.

And you just keep proving you know zilch about US politics.

Why do you bother, you're shit at trolling.

Biden admin offers temporary fix to Afghan refugees in limbo

The Biden administration announced Friday a plan to allow Afghan refugees who fled their homes for safety to temporarily extend their time in the U.S. as they face uncertainty about their future.

Why it matters: Thousands of refugees, many of whom served alongside American troops as interpreters during the decades-long war, faced the prospect of soon having to return to Afghanistan — now in the Taliban’s draconian grip.

• "The amount of stress, trauma this uncertainty is causing these Afghans is enormous," Mustafa Babak, the executive director of the Afghan-American Foundation, told Axios before the announcement.

The big picture: Since the U.S. chaotically withdrew its final forces from Afghanistan in August 2021, lawmakers in Washington have failed to pass legislation that would carve out pathways to permanent residency for the thousands of Afghans evacuated to the U.S.

• Those Afghans, many of whom faced potential reprisals from the Taliban, were resettled in the U.S. using a short-term mechanism known as parole.
• The parole program, which provided protection from deportation and the ability to work for two years, allowed the U.S. to avoid the typical years-long visa process.
• But for thousands of Afghans, that parole expires this summer, which left their ability to work, send their kids to school, and stay in the country in limbo, Babak said.

Driving the news: Eligible Afghans in the U.S. will be able to re-apply for parole starting in June, the Department of Homeland Security said in a press release Friday.

• Applications will be considered on a "case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons and significant public benefit," it added, noting that additional details would be released soon.
• CBS News first reported the news earlier this week.

Yes, but: Parole is a temporary measure and leaves Afghan refugees without a long-term solution.

• DHS has encouraged Afghan refugees to apply for the special immigrant visa or asylum, but both processes are backlogged and lengthy, sometimes taking years to complete.
• Refugee organizations and even former military leaders have called on Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act, which would provide quicker pathways to permanent status for Afghans already in the U.S.

What they're saying: "While mechanisms like re-parole provide some protection to resettled Afghans in the U.S., they do not provide long-term and sustainable safety and stability for this vulnerable population," Babak said in a statement following the announcement.

• Babak urged Congress to pass the AAA "to reaffirm the U.S.’s commitment and to fulfill our promise to providing long-term protection and safety to our Afghan allies."

Background: The AAA stalled in December after it was excluded from the omnibus spending bill amid opposition from some Republicans.

• A spokesperson for Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), one of the lawmakers who introduced the bipartisan bill last year, confirmed to Axios that efforts are underway to reintroduce the legislation in the new Congress.
• Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who had co-sponsored the AAA, told Axios before Friday's announcement that extending parole was a "necessary step" in the absence of congressional action to provide a permanent solution.
• "We owe the people we evacuated in August 2021 and who have settled into communities across America the peace of mind that they are safely out of harm’s way," she added.

President Biden Delivers Remarks on Preventing a First-Ever Government Default - YouTube

Biden offers optimism on debt talks before take off to Japan

President Biden on Wednesday expressed optimism that the U.S. would not default as he prepared to leave the White House for a trip to Japan, saying he and congressional leaders were working on the contours of a budget deal that would be acceptable to all sides.

One of the key sticking points in those talks has been calls from Republicans for tougher work requirements for government assistance programs. But, Biden indicated he would not support a significant overhaul of mandates.

“I’m not going to accept any work requirements that’s going to impact on the medical health needs of people, I’m not going to accept any work requirements that go much beyond what is already– I voted years ago for the work requirements that exist. But, it’s possible there could be a few other, but not anything of any consequence,” Biden said.

Earlier Wednesday, the president was asked if he had any work requirement red lines and replied, “Yes, it depends on what they are.”

The White House has insisted for months that it is Congress’s responsibility to raise the debt ceiling without conditions. But in recent days, Biden has signaled there are spending areas he is willing to negotiate, including unspent COVID-19 relief funds and suggesting additional work requirements for certain government assistance programs.

The president’s remarks come the day after he met with Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and other top congressional leaders on the debt limit. The president on Wednesday called the meeting “productive,” and “civil and respectful.”

“I’m confident that we’ll get the agreement on the budget and that America will not default,” he said.

“To be clear, this negotiation is about the outlines of what the budget will look like, not whether or not we will in fact pay our debts,” he added, noting that every leader has said they won’t default.

He is set to leave later Wednesday for a four day trip to Japan for the Group of Seven (G-7) summit and will return on Sunday. The White House announced on Tuesday that he would cut his trip short to come back to Washington to resume the talks.

Biden said he would hold a press conference on Sunday where he would address the debt limit talks.

McCarthy left the meeting on Tuesday and said the structure of negotiations had improved and that he held out hope a deal would be possible in the coming days. He outlined that Biden had “changed the scope” of who is involved in talks, appointing White House officials to work directly with members of the Speaker’s team as they try to reach an agreement.

Biden on Wednesday said that group met last night and will meet again on Wednesday. He added that he will be in “constant contact” with his team while at the G-7 and in touch with the Speaker.

Officials have less than two weeks to reach a deal in order to avoid default before June 1, which is the date the Treasury Department has warned it would run out of mechanisms to fund the country’s debts.

The Speaker and other leaders left the talks appearing more optimistic than a week ago. Since then, staff members have huddled for negotiations, which both sides have characterized as positive.There are still areas of disagreement on talks, with House Republicans pushing for significant spending cuts and repeatedly pointing to a bill that passed with no Democratic votes late last month. The White House has said it would veto that bill and warned that the GOP proposals would lead to steep, across-the-board cuts to government services.

Quad summit in Australia canceled after Joe Biden shortens Asia trip

A planned summit of Quad leaders from the United States, India, Australia, and Japan in Sydney next week has been canceled after US President Joe Biden pulled out of his visit, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday, adding that talks could still proceed as leaders visit Japan.

Biden was slated to gather with Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio on May 24 for a meeting of the informal security dialogue, which is widely seen as a counter to China’s aggressive posture in the region.

The late hour cancellation – which also saw Biden pull out of a visit to Papua New Guinea – comes as the US seeks to energize its security ties in the Pacific amid rising competition with Beijing.

But Washington’s fractious domestic politics has curtailed what would have been a significant visit to Asia by a US president.

Biden had been planning to travel to Sydney for the summit as part of a weeklong Asia tour that was set to begin in Hiroshima, Japan, for a Group of Seven (G7) leader summit, and include a stopover in Papua New Guinea for a meeting with Pacific Island leaders.

Biden will still travel to Japan starting Wednesday, but he canceled the additional legs of the trip, due to the ongoing debt ceiling negotiations in Washington, the White House confirmed Tuesday.

The Quad leaders would instead have discussions in Japan, where all four leaders would be over the weekend, Albanese said Wednesday, adding that no time had been confirmed.

“The Quad is an important body and we want to make sure that it occurs at leadership level and we’ll be having that discussion over the weekend,” the Australian leader said.

The meeting would be the third in-person leaders gathering for the Quad, known formally as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, which was founded over 15 years ago but has seen increased prominence in recent years.

The leaders were expected to discuss deepening their cooperation on a range of issues from critical and emerging technologies, to climate change and maritime domain awareness, according to a statement released by the White House last month.

Biden awards Medal of Valor to nine public safety officers

President Biden on Wednesday awarded the Medal of Valor to nine Americans, granting them the highest honor for public safety officers.

“There’s no greater responsibility of government than to ensure the safety of the American people and those who serve and protect us all. We’re incredibly proud of all of you,” Biden said in remarks at the White House. “And we’re going to have your back as long as we need to, as long as you’re engaged.”

“Seeing your courage gives me so much hope for this country,” Biden added before giving out the medals.

Two New York Police Department detectives, Wilbert Mora and Jason Rivera, were honored posthumously. They died protecting a mother and son from an armed man in their home. Detective Sumit Sulan, who saved civilians during the incident and took down the gunman, was also honored.

“They are the who and the what of law enforcement in this country should be,” Biden said on Wednesday, noting Rivera died at 22 and is one of the youngest fallen officers ever.

The other honorees included Cpl. Jeffrey Farmer of the Littleton Police Department in Colorado, who saved the life of a fellow officer who was wounded; Lt. Justin Hespeler of the New York City Fire Department, who rushed into a burning house and rescued a newborn baby; and retired Lt. Jason Hickey of the New York City Fire Department, who rescued a man from the Harlem River.

Additionally, the honorees included deputy Bobby Hau Pham of the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio, who saved a drowning woman who had driven her car into a lake; Sgt. Kendrick Simpo of the Houston Police Department, who confronted a man carrying an assault-style rifle in a shopping mall; and firefighter Patrick Thornton of the New York City Fire Department, who saved a man trapped beneath a capsized boat.

Biden awarded the medals in a ceremony on Wednesday morning, ahead of when he is set to leave for his trip to Japan for the Group of Seven summit.

G7 summit: Biden arrives in Japan and meets with prime minister

President Joe Biden arrived in Japan on Thursday for a truncated Asia visit meant to bolster allies amid China’s growing military and economic ambitions.

The trip, once planned for eight days, has been shortened by half; two of Biden’s three stops were scrapped so he could return to Washington for negotiations over raising the US debt ceiling.

Left with only a stop in Japan for the Group of Seven summit, Biden is attempting to coalesce the leaders of some of the world’s largest economies around a commitment to take on Beijing’s aggressions and support Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion.

The world leaders will also convene a discussion about artificial intelligence, a signal that rapid advancements in the technology have been cause for concern.

Yet it is the concern over the possibility of US default that is providing the most urgent threat to global stability, and leaders were expected to quiz Biden on the risks when they begin meetings Friday.

The US president first met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the eve of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, emphasizing close US-Japan relations amid China’s growing military and economic ambitions, as well as Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

“The bottom line, Mr. Prime Minister, is that when our countries stand together, we stand stronger. And I believe the whole world is safer when we do,” Biden told his host.

As he sat across from Kishida at the start of a bilateral meeting with top aides, Biden quoted Kishida’s comments earlier this year during a trip to the White House that the two nations face one of the most complex security environments in recent history.

“I couldn’t agree with you more – and I’m proud that the United States and Japan are facing it together. And, you know, we stand up for the shared values, including supporting the brave people in Ukraine as they defend their sovereign territory and holding Russia accountable for this brutal aggression,” Biden said, flanked by national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

“We’re tracking the global challenges from strengthening our community and our commitment to nuclear nonproliferation to ensuring the free and open Indo-Pacific that’s at the heart of all this,” he went on.

Biden pointed to deepening cooperation between the US and Japan on emerging technologies, including new partnerships on quantum computing and semiconductors.

He thanked Kishida for hosting and noted he looked forward to the summit ahead. The leaders did not take questions from reporters.

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Biden and G7 leaders prepare new Russia sanctions as Zelensky expected to attend Japan summit

US President Joe Biden and fellow world leaders were unveiling tough new sanctions on Russia as they prepare to hear in-person later this weekend from Volodymyr Zelensky, who officials said was planning a dramatic trip to Japan as he continues to appeal for military assistance amid Russia’s invasion.

The new sanctions are designed to plug loopholes and go after untapped industries as western leaders continue to work toward choking off Moscow’s war financing.

A dedicated G7 session on Ukraine was set for Friday afternoon. The war was expected to be a central topic of discussion among leaders here as Ukrainian forces prepare for a counteroffensive.

The high point will come when Zelensky addresses the group in person. Officials declined to say exactly when Zelensky would arrive or detail his travel arrangements. He has been traveling outside his country more as the war grinds onward, including a tour of Europe last week.

The lengthy trip from Ukraine to Hiroshima, where leaders from the world’s most powerful democracies are gathering, underscores Zelensky’s desire to strengthen support fourteen months into the war.

The menacing nuclear undertones to Russia’s invasion were placed into sharp relief as the summit got underway. Leaders laid wreaths at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, the epicenter of the American atomic bomb dropped here in 1945 that wiped out the city and more than 100,000 of its inhabitants while hastening the end of World War II.

In the background was the Atomic Bomb Dome, now a monument and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The dome was formerly the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, and the atomic blast struck almost directly above it, leaving the frame of its iron dome largely intact.

It was against that backdrop that Biden and his fellow leaders entered three days of talks.

The US said Friday it would tighten export controls, including by “extensively restricting categories of goods key to the battlefield,” and will announce nearly 300 new sanctions against “individuals, entities, vessels, and aircraft.”

Additionally, the US will place new designations across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and expand its sanctions authorities to further target Russia’s economy.

The United Kingdom said it will ban the import of Russian diamonds, as part of its latest sanctions against Moscow, Downing Street announced on Friday. The move aims to restrict one of Russia’s few remaining export industries that had been relatively untouched by the withering western sanctions already in place.

Imports of Russian-origin copper, aluminum, and nickel will also be banned under the UK legislation, which will be introduced later this year, the prime minister’s office said in a statement.

The Russian diamond industry was worth $4 billion in exports in 2021, according to Downing Street.

Biden faces his fellow world leaders Friday in Japan under the shadow of a looming default on US debt, a scenario his advisers said risks subverting American leadership and sending the global economy into tailspin.

The risk appears particularly acute as Biden works to rally fellow G7 officials behind a shared approach toward Russia and China. On the first day of the summit talks, the group is expected to unveil a new tightening of sanctions on Moscow – a response to the invasion of Ukraine that relies on the strength of the American financial system.

Before arriving, Biden was briefed on the debt ceiling standoff by aides.

“The President’s team informed him that steady progress is being made,” a White House official said.

The call lasted 20-30 minutes, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told pool reporters traveling with the President. A separate source with knowledge of the talks said — despite the optimism and positive signals — there is a long way to go to get a deal and it’s unclear if negotiators reach one by this weekend or if it will slip into next week.

How much the debt standoff arises in Biden’s talks in Hiroshima remains to be seen; some European officials said they had been down similar roads before as American leaders worked to avert financial disaster only to find a solution at the last moment.

But even if it does not arise substantially in the many hours of leaders’ meetings spanning the next three days, the risk of default remains the backdrop against which Biden will attempt to project strength this week in Japan.

“Debt ceiling brinkmanship that Republicans are driving in Washington, DC, undermines American leadership, undermines the trustworthiness that America can bring to not just our allies and partners but to the rest of the world,” a senior administration official said as Biden began the high-stakes G7 summit.

Biden cut his trip to Asia short to return to Washington early as negotiations continue over raising the US borrowing limit ahead of June 1, the earliest date by which the country could run out of cash to pay its bills.

An extensive agenda of issues, including Ukraine, China and artificial intelligence, are all up for discussion. But it was clear from Biden’s decision to cancel planned stops in Australia and Papua New Guinea – Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make a two-day visit to the latter instead – that other matters are weighing on the US president’s time.

To that end, Biden brought with him to Japan a top domestic policy aide, Bruce Reed, to keep him continually updated on the status of talks between White House aides and congressional Republicans.

Just the threat of default has the potential to weaken American diplomatic authority, the official said, citing a sanctions regime on Russia that relies on the strength of the US financial system.

“All of those things reduce America’s capacity to lead,” the official said.

Biden’s meetings with fellow leaders in Hiroshima will present “an opportunity to highlight just how essential it is that that the Republicans work to get this done expeditiously with the president, because a lot is riding on ensuring that the United States continues to lead and lead alongside the G7.”

Nowhere is that more evident than Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. The conflict will be a key topic of discussion for world leaders Friday.

“All G7 members are preparing to implement new sanctions and export controls,” the senior official said, framing the US package of sanctions as “substantial.”

The official previewed a five-pronged plan of new steps G7 nations are taking more broadly to further economically isolate Russia, including efforts to disrupt Russia’s ability to source inputs for its war and to close loopholes that have allowed certain Russian entities to evade existing sanctions.

The sanctions come 14 months after Russia launched its invasion and as Ukraine prepares for a counteroffensive using billions of dollars in Western military aid.

Biden and fellow leaders were planning to discuss how much progress has been made on the battlefield, with an eye toward helping Ukraine regain territory and assume leverage in potential peace talks.

While the US remains Ukraine’s largest contributor of military assistance, some leaders have begun calling for ever-more-advanced weapons, including fighter jets, to send Kyiv. Biden has resisted those calls as he works to prevent an escalation.


F-16 jets: US signals to allies it won't block their export of F-16 jets to Ukraine

SEND IT! F-16 Takeoff - YouTube

Biden vetoes legislation to block solar panel tariffs waivers

President Joe Biden said on Tuesday he has vetoed legislation passed by the U.S. Congress to repeal exemptions granted to Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam to American tariffs on imported solar panels.

The waivers to the four Southeast Asian countries, granted by Biden in June 2022, are due to be in place for two years. Imports from these countries make up around 80% of U.S. solar panel supplies. Biden said the waivers will create a "bridge" while U.S. manufacturing ramps up enough to supply the domestic projects needed to achieve goals in fighting climate change.

In a statement explaining only the third veto of his presidency, Biden said the waivers would help ensure "we have a thriving solar installation industry ready to deploy American-made solar products to homes, businesses and communities across the nation." Biden said he does not intend to extend the waivers after their expiration.

Domestic manufacturers have said the tariffs are needed now to compete with cheap panels made overseas.

Congress appears to lack the votes to override Biden's veto, with two-thirds majorities needed in the House of Representatives and Senate.

Biden vetoes legislation to block solar panel tariffs waivers

National security adviser: Biden ‘has expressed confidence’ at G7 that US won’t default

National security adviser Jake Sullivan said that while the debt limit talks have been a subject of interest at the Group of Seven (G-7) summit, President Biden has “expressed confidence” to world leaders in avoiding a default.

“It is definitely a subject of interest,” Sullivan told reporters during a Saturday morning press conference in Japan. “Here at the G-7, you know, countries want to have a sense of how these negotiations are going to play out and the president has expressed confidence that he believes that we could drive to an outcome that we do avoid default.”

He noted that Biden is returning to Washington on Sunday, which was announced earlier this week, to resume talks.

“This is not generating alarm or a kind of vibration in the room,” Sullivan added. “Countries are keenly interested in what is a significant story and the president has been able to tell them he believes we can get to a good result here.”

Biden has warned recently that it could be a concern internationally if the U.S. were to default on its debt, arguing ahead of the G-7 that world leaders have been wondering about the looming risk.

The White House officials leading talks while Biden is overseas and Republican negotiators resumed conversations on Friday evening after frustrated GOP negotiators hit pause for much of the day.

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Joe Biden apologises to Anthony Albanese after cancelling Sydney Quad meeting at last minute

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The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has met the US president, Joe Biden, on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Japan and signed an agreement to advance climate and clean energy action.

Albanese is holding a round of key talks at the G7 summit as some of the world’s most powerful leaders convene, with a rescheduled Quad meeting on the agenda.

Albanese met with United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, on Saturday and held a bilateral meeting with Biden on the sidelines of the summit in Hiroshima.

Biden apologised to Albanese for not meeting him in Sydney after the US president had to cancel his attendance at a planned Quad meeting next week that was to include the leaders of Japan and India

Biden Invites Japan, S. Korea Leaders To US For Talks

US President Joe Biden on Sunday invited the leaders of Japan and South Korea to formal three-way talks in Washington, a senior US administration official said.

The leaders met briefly on the sidelines of the G7 summit, to which host Japan invited South Korea as long-frosty ties between the neighbours thaw.

Tokyo and Seoul, both key US allies, have long been at odds over issues related to Japan's brutal 1910-1945 colonial rule of Korea, including sexual slavery and forced labour.

But South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have made active efforts to restore soured ties since Seoul announced a plan to compensate those affected by wartime forced labour without Tokyo's involvement.

Biden praised the pair's "courageous work to improve their bilateral ties," the White House said in a statement.

The three leaders also discussed "new coordination" over North Korea's "illicit nuclear and missile threats," the statement added.

The official said the timing for the meeting would be worked out "soon," and there were no further details immediately available.

Earlier, Yoon and Kishida made a historic visit Sunday to a memorial for Koreans killed in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

It was the first time leaders of the two countries have jointly visited the memorial, and only the second time a Japanese prime minister has done so.

"This will be remembered as a courageous action by Prime Minister Kishida that paves the way for a peaceful future while expressing grief for the Korean victims of the atomic bombing," Yoon said at a bilateral meeting after the visit.

Biden teases 14th Amendment "authority" on debt ceiling

President Biden chided House Republicans on Sunday for their debt ceiling proposal and called on them to "move from their extreme positions."

Driving the news: "Much of what they've already proposed is simply, quite frankly, unacceptable," Biden said from Hiroshima, Japan, on the last day of the G7 summit.

• Republicans are seeking a debt ceiling deal that would cut government spending.
• Biden said Sunday that he is "willing to cut spending," but added that "we have to also look at the tax revenues."

The big picture: Biden's remarks come after House Republican negotiators declined a Friday offer from the White House to freeze government spending in the 2024 budget as part of a deal to raise the debt ceiling.

• "I can't guarantee that they wouldn't force a default," Biden said of House Republicans.

Zoom in: Biden, who has previously said that he'd consider invoking the 14th Amendment to raise the debt ceiling without an act of Congress, said Sunday that he thinks he has the "authority" to do so.

• "The question is could it be done and invoked in time that it would not be appealed as a consequence past the date in question," Biden said.
• Republicans have said they oppose the idea, and any attempt to circumvent the debt ceiling would likely face a lengthy court battle.
• Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has also cast doubt on the idea. "It doesn't seem like something that could be appropriately used in these circumstances, given the legal uncertainty around it and given the tight time frame we're on," she said on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday.

What to watch: Biden said that he expects to speak with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) later Sunday.

"Our teams are going to continue working," Biden said.

Yellen has warned that the U.S. could stop being able to pay its debts as early as June 1.

Looks like sleepy joe's team took advantage of him being on a jolly. Sensible decision as well.

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The Biden administration informed lawmakers Monday that it will no longer award a $200 million grant to a Chinese-linked energy technology firm in an unexpected reversal.

In a call with congressional staff Monday evening, Department of Energy (DOE) officials said Microvast, a Texas-based maker of technology for electric vehicle batteries, won't receive the lucrative grant which had been earmarked under the 2021 infrastructure package. Republican lawmakers have for months called on the agency to rescind the grant after its Chinese ties were revealed last year.

"As responsible stewards of American taxpayer dollars, the Department of Energy maintains a rigorous review process prior to the release of any awarded funds, and it is not uncommon for entities selected to participate in award negotiations under a DOE competitive funding opportunity to not ultimately receive an award," a DOE spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement.

"The Department can confirm that it has elected to cancel negotiations and not to award Microvast funds from this competitive funding opportunity," the statement continued.

The spokesperson didn't say what specifically caused the DOE to cancel negotiations with Microvast.

During a grant awarding process, the DOE is required to assess a number of factors including the fitness of an applicant to carry out the scope of its responsibilities under the award, the applicant's past performance including audit reports, its financial management and its accounting systems. Grantees are required to share a large amount of confidential information during the process which can factor into the DOE's final decision.

The DOE announced in October that Microvast would be one of just 20 American companies to receive a portion of the nearly $3 billion appropriated through the infrastructure bill for a program designed to boost domestic battery manufacturing capabilities. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm touted Microvast and the other grant recipients as examples of companies that would boost "American-made" batteries.

However, 69% of Microvast's revenue was generated in China and just 3% came from the U.S., according to a third quarter financial disclosure it filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last month. In the same filing, the company acknowledged that the Chinese government "exerts substantial influence" over its business activities and "may intervene at any time and with no notice."

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-admin-pulls-grant-energy-firm-chinese-ties-stunning-reversal

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US signs security pact with Papua New Guinea to counter China’s Pacific influence

The United States on Monday signed a new security agreement with the island nation of Papua New Guinea as Washington seeks to counter China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Defense Cooperation Agreement enhances and modernizes an old security pact between the nations, increasing bilateral and multilateral exercises and improving the capabilities of the U.S. to respond to emergency situations.

Another agreement reached Monday expands efforts to address maritime threats, including illegal fishing and smuggling operations. The pact, similar to those forged with other partner nations in the Indo-Pacific, allows U.S. Coast Guard officers to board and search ships suspected of illegal activities.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed the agreement in the country’s capital of Port Moresby on Monday.

Blinken said the two countries have a “deep and rich shared history.”

“The work that we’re doing together to try to shape the future could not be more important, could not be more timely,” Blinken said ahead of the signing with Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape.

Blinken traveled to Papua New Guinea in the place of President Biden, who canceled what would have been the first visit from a sitting U.S. president to a Pacific country. Biden returned to Washington to work to resolve the debt ceiling crisis.

The security agreement also includes a U.S. commitment of more than $12 million of equipment.

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Biden nominates Anna Gomez for FCC commissioner vacancy

President Biden on Monday nominated telecommunications attorney Anna Gomez to serve as a commissioner for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Biden nominated Gomez at the same time he renominated current FCC commissioners Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Adam Starks, who have served in those roles since 2017 and 2019, respectively.

Gomez spent 12 years in various positions at the FCC, including as a senior legal adviser to then-Chairman William Kennard. She also spent a short time serving as counsel on a Senate subcommittee on communication.

She currently serves as a senior adviser for international information and communications policy in the cyberspace and digital policy bureau of the State Department.

Biden tapped Gomez to serve as an FCC commissioner after a previous nominee, Gigi Sohn, withdrew her name from consideration after her confirmation was repeatedly delayed by partisan gridlock.

In a statement in March, Sohn said she asked Biden to withdraw her nomination after discussions with her family and “careful consideration.” She said the “unrelenting, dishonest and cruel attacks” on her character and career from cable and media lobbyists “have taken an enormous toll on me and my family.”

• Biden formally announces Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. as next top military officer

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. will become the country’s next senior-most military officer later this year, President Biden formally announced Thursday.

“He knows what it means to be in the thick of battle and how to keep your cool when things get hard,” Biden announced in the White House Rose Garden, flanked by Brown, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Vice President Harris.

“He gained the respect of our allies and partners around the world who regard General Brown as a trusted partner and a top-notch strategist.”

Biden added: “He doesn’t play for second place, he plays to win.”

The announcement also took on a more lighthearted tone, with Biden calling Brown a “proud butt-kickin’ American airman,” who also “smokes a mean brisket.”

If his nomination is approved by the Senate, Brown, 60, would become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, only the second Black man to do so after Colin Powell.

The appointment would also be historic as it would mean that, with Austin in his current role, the top two Pentagon officials would be Black men for the first time in U.S. history.

The four-star general would also be the first Air Force officer to become Joint Chiefs chair in more than a decade — since 2005, when retired Gen. Richard Myers held the position.

The Joint Chiefs role historically carriers major weight in advising the president of national security and military matters alongside the Defense secretary.

Brown, who has a significant background in the Middle East and Asia — having both served as the deputy chief of U.S. Central Command and head of Pacific Air Forces — would counsel Biden on everything from the war in Ukraine to China’s military posturing in the Asia-Pacific to North Korea and Iran’s nuclear saber rattling to the still lingering extremist groups across the Middle East and Africa.

Brown and Austin would also attend congressional hearings to represent the Pentagon.

General Brown, a former F-16 fighter pilot with more than 3,000 flight hours, beat out Marine Corps commandant Gen. David Berger for the nomination.

___________

• Joint Chiefs shuffle: Biden’s top contenders to replace Trump’s military leaders

Donald Trump handpicked the nation’s top military brass while he was in office. Now it’s Joe Biden’s turn.

As many as five members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the eight most senior uniformed leaders who advise the president on military issues, are scheduled to leave their assignments this year. Besides the Joint Chiefs chair, the heads of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and potentially the Air Force are all set to leave. Three of the military’s top operational commanders are changing over as well: The heads of Northern Command, Space Command and Cyber Command.

The Joint Chiefs don’t command troops and aren’t responsible for conducting military operations. Their primary role is to advise the president and the secretary of defense on military matters, and each chief has to oversee the readiness, policies and training of their respective branches. | Patrick Semansky/AP Photo

The vacancies give President Biden a chance to put his stamp on the Joint Chiefs as the administration looks to take big steps to counter Chinese aggression in the Pacific, chart a new course in Europe after the Ukraine invasion and dump old weapons systems to make room for new ones.

“These are legacy moments for the Biden administration, but they are also the guard rails for the republic,” Peter Feaver, a former staffer on the National Security Council and author of “Armed Servants: Agency, Oversight, and Civil-Military Relations.”

It’s also an opportunity for Biden, who named the first Black defense secretary in 2021, to make more historic appointments, including the first female member of the Joint Chiefs. Last year, Biden chose Adm. Linda Fagan to be the first female commandant of the Coast Guard, which operates under the Department of Homeland Security.

POLITICO spoke to 11 current and former Defense Department officials, as well as leaders in academia with knowledge of the discussions to forecast who’s in the running for the jobs. Some were granted anonymity to discuss the subject ahead of the announcements.

Here are the names at the top of the list:

Chair : The frontrunner: Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown

Marine Corps Gen. David Berger - The White House is also considering Gen. David Berger, the Marine Corps Commandant, who has served in the post since July 2019.

Army Gen. Laura Richardson - DoD insiders aren’t ruling out Gen. Laura Richardson, an Army officer serving as the commander of U.S. Southern Command.

The list continues

'There will be no default': Biden addresses ongoing debt limit talks - YouTube

Biden, McCarthy appear near two-year deal on US debt ceiling as default looms

U.S. President Joe Biden and top congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy on Thursday appeared to be nearing a deal to cut spending and raise the government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, with little time to spare to head off the risk of default.

The deal would specify the total amount the government could spend on discretionary programs like housing and education, according to a person familiar with the talks, but not break that down into individual categories. The two sides are just $70 billion apart on a total figure that would be well over $1 trillion, according to another source.

The two sides met virtually on Thursday, the White House said. Biden said they still disagreed where the cuts should fall.

"I don't believe the whole burden should fall back to middle class and working-class Americans," he told reporters.

It is unclear precisely how much time Congress has left to act. The Treasury Department was warned that it could be unable to cover all its obligations as soon as June 1, but on Thursday said it would sell $119 billion worth of debt that will come due on that date, suggesting to some market watchers that it was not an iron-clad deadline.

"They have suggested in the past that they would not announce auctions that they did not believe they had the means to settle," Gennadiy Goldberg, senior rates strategist at TD Securities in New York. "So I do think that's a positive note."

Any agreement will have to pass the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and the Democratic-controlled Senate. That could be tricky, as some right-wing Republicans and many liberal Democrats said they were upset by the prospect of compromise.

"I don't think everybody's going to be happy at the end of the day. That's not how the system works," said House Speaker McCarthy.

His office did not respond to a request for comment about the possible agreement with the Democratic president.

The House adjourned on Thursday afternoon for a week-long break, and the Senate is not in session. Lawmakers have been told to be ready to come back to vote if a deal is reached.

The deal would only set broad spending outlines, leaving lawmakers to fill in the blanks in the weeks and months to come.

It would specify the total amount of military spending, which has been a key sticking point in the talks, one of the sources said.

Biden has resisted Republican proposals to stiffen work requirements for anti-poverty programs and loosen oil and gas drilling rules, according to Democratic Representative Mark Takano.

Representative Kevin Hern, who leads the powerful Republican Study Committee, told Reuters a deal was likely by Friday afternoon.

'TIME'S UP'

Democrats on Thursday focused their attacks on what they said would be devastating cuts in federal aid for veterans -- ranging from healthcare and food aid to housing assistance -- if Republicans got their way in the negotiations.

"Time's up for all of these games around here," Democratic Representative Don Davis, a U.S. Air Force veteran, said at a press conference.

A U.S. default could upend global financial markets and push the United States into recession.

Credit rating agency DBRS Morningstar put the United States on review for a possible downgrade on Thursday, echoing similar warnings by Fitch, Moody's and Scope Ratings. Another agency, S&P Global, downgraded U.S. debt following a similar debt-ceiling standoff in 2011.

The months-long standoff has spooked Wall Street, weighing on U.S. stocks and pushing the nation's cost of borrowing higher.

Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said concerns about the debt ceiling had pushed up the government's interest costs by $80 million so far.

Lawmakers regularly need to raise the self-imposed debt limit to cover the cost of spending and tax cuts they have already approved.

House lawmakers will get three days to read any debt-ceiling bill before they have to vote on it.

McCarthy has insisted that any deal must cut discretionary spending next year and cap spending growth in the years to come, to slow the growth of the U.S. debt, now equal to the annual output of the economy.

He also said he had briefly spoken about the negotiations with former President Donald Trump, who has publicly urged Republicans to allow a default if they fall short of their goals.

Biden has offered to freeze spending at current levels next year and proposed several tax increases to help curb the debt.

Lawmakers on the parties' right and left flanks are growing frustrated. Republican Representative Chip Roy, a member of the hard-right Freedom Caucus, has insisted that any deal must include the sharp spending cuts they passed last month.

Some Democrats, meanwhile, say Biden has not been vocal enough about the downsides to Republicans' proposed spending cuts, in contrast to McCarthy who has been briefing reporters multiple times per day.

"I would urge the president to use the power of the bully pulpit of the presidency," said Democratic Representative Steven Horsford.

• Biden releases new plan to tackle rise in antisemitism, says ‘hate will not prevail’

President Joe Biden on Thursday announced what he said is the most ambitious and comprehensive undertaking by the U.S. government to fight hate, bias and violence against Jews, outlining more than 100 steps the administration and its partners can take to combat an alarming rise in antisemitism.

Speaking during a videotaped address at the White House, Biden said the first U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism sends a “clear and forceful message” that “in America, evil will not win, hate will not prevail” and “the venom and violence of antisemitism will not be the story of our time.”

Months in the making, the strategy has four basic goals: increasing awareness and understanding of antisemitism, including its threat to America, and broadening appreciation of Jewish American heritage; improving safety and security for Jewish communities; reversing the normalization of antisemitism and countering antisemitic discrimination; and building “cross-community” solidarity and collective action to counter hate.

Jewish organizations largely applauded the administration’s effort.

“Jewish safety is inextricably linked to the safety of other communities and the health and vibrancy of our multiracial democracy,” said Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. “As we see antisemitism and extremism increasingly normalized in our politics and our society, the urgency of this framework is even more clear.”

The strategy also calls on Congress, state and local governments, tech companies and other private businesses, faith leaders and others to help combat bias and hate directed at Jews.

Tech companies are asked to establish “zero tolerance” policies against antisemitic content on their platforms. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum has committed to launching an education research center. Professional sports leagues and clubs are asked to use their platforms and clout to raise awareness. The White House public engagement office will invite members of the public to describe how they have supported Jewish, Muslim or other communities that are different from their own.

Doug Emhoff, who is married to Vice President Kamala Harris, said at the White House that hate crimes against Jews accounted for 63%, or nearly two-thirds, of all religiously motivated hate crimes in the United States in 2022 although Jews make up just over 2% of the overall population.

“I know the fear. I know the pain. I know the anger that Jews are living with because of this epidemic of hate,” said Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of a U.S. president or vice president. He has become the administration’s point-person on combating antisemitism.

Emhoff, formerly an entertainment lawyer in California, said he never envisioned that this issue would become “my cause” as second gentleman of the United States, “ but now, more than ever, we must all rise to the challenge and meet this moment.” He said the plan will save lives.

“We are committed to making sure that everyone can live openly, proudly and safely in their own communities,” Emhoff said. “It’s on all of us to put an end to the visceral hate we are seeing across our nation. We cannot normalize this.”

In a sign of the administration’s support for the strategy, Emhoff was flanked by White House domestic policy adviser Susan Rice; homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall; and Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, the special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism.

Harris slipped into the auditorium for a few minutes to watch her husband from the back of the room and flashed him a thumbs-up before departing.

In his videotaped remarks, Biden said hate does not go away, that it only hides until given oxygen. He recalled the deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, and noted that the antisemitic chants by participants led him to run for president in 2020.

“Silence is complicity,” the president said.

• Biden says debt deal 'very close' with default deadline now set at June 5

President Joe Biden said a deal to resolve the government’s debt ceiling crisis seemed “very close” late Friday, even as the deadline for a potentially catastrophic default was pushed back to June 5 and seemed likely to drag negotiations between the White House and Republicans into another frustrating week.

The later “X-date,” laid out in a letter from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, set the risk of a devastating default four days beyond an earlier estimate. It came as Americans and the world uneasily watched the negotiating brinkmanship that could throw the U.S. economy into chaos and sap world confidence in the nation’s leadership.

Yet Biden was upbeat as he left for the Memorial Day weekend at Camp David, declaring, “It’s very close, and I’m optimistic.”

With Republicans at the Capitol talking with Biden’s team at the White House, the president said: “There’s a negotiation going on. I’m hopeful we’ll know by tonight whether we’re going to be able to have a deal.” But a deal had not come together by the time Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy left the Capitol late Friday.

__________

• These billionaires have more money than the US Treasury right now

LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault – $189 billion
Twitter, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk – $179 billion
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos – $139 billion
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates – $125 billion
Oracle co-founder and Chairman Larry Ellison – $116 billion
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer – $113 billion
Google co-founder Larry Page – $112 billion
Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett – $111 billion
Google co-founder Sergey Brin – $106 billion
Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg – $92.3 billion
Investor and América Móvil founder Carlos Slim – $90.3 billion
L’Oreal heiress Francoise Bettencourt Meyers – $87.2 billion
Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani – $83.7 billion
Inditex founder Amancio Ortega – $67.1 billion
Walmart heir Jim Walton – $66.6 billion
Walmart heir Rob Walton – $64.9 billion
Walmart heiress Alice Walton – $63.8 billion
Adani Group founder and Chairman Gautum Adani – $63.4 billion
Mars candy heiress Jacqueline Badger Mars – $61.7 billion
Mars heir and Chairman John Mars – $61.7 billion
Nongfu Spring founder and Chairman Zhong Shanshan – $61.6 billion
David Koch heirs Julia Flesher Koch and family – $60.6 billion
Koch Industries CEO and Chairman Charles Koch – $60.4 billion
Dell Technologies CEO and Chairman Michael Dell – $53.4 billion

President Biden and the First Lady Welcome the LSU Women’s Basketball Team to the White House - YouTube

LSU forward faints as Biden gives speech honoring championship team

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Friday welcomed the Louisiana State University (LSU) women’s basketball team to the White House to celebrate their recent national championship.

https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploa...053.jpg?w=1280

The ceremony was briefly interrupted after Sa’Myah Smith, a forward on the team, appeared to pass out while standing on risers on stage in the East Room. Proceedings were delayed for roughly six minutes while medical personnel attended to Smith.

“She’s OK. It’s happened lots of times,” Biden told attendees.

Coach Kim Mulkey also assured those in the audience that Smith was fine, but was getting checked out as a precaution.

The Bidens and Vice President Harris praised the LSU team for their dominant championship run earlier in the year and for helping to grow the popularity of the women’s game.

“Folks, we need to support women’s sports not just during championship runs but the entire year, and every season,” the president said.

Biden noted that visiting the White House had become a habit for Mulkey, who won three championships as head coach at Baylor before winning her first with LSU this year.

“Isn’t this getting old for you?” he quipped.

Friday’s visit came after some initial controversy in the wake of the team’s championship victory in early April.

The first lady, who attended the championship game between LSU and the Iowa Hawkeyes, suggested that the Iowa women should also be invited to the White House because of the high quality of the game, which set viewership records. Biden’s office walked back her suggestion the following day.

LSU star forward Angel Reese initially said that she wouldn’t accept Biden’s apology. She also had said the LSU team refused to meet with the first lady before the championship game, noting their frustration that the president had chosen LSU to lose in the second round of the tournament in his bracket.

Reese joined the rest of the team in attending Friday’s event.

Others in attendance included Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) and Office of Management and Budget director Shalanda Young, a Louisiana native. The two are leading negotiations between the White House and House Republicans over a budget agreement that would allow lawmakers to raise the debt ceiling and avoid a default in the coming days.

Biden recognized Young in the crowd, saying she was “putting together a deal, hopefully…but she said, ‘I’m leaving the talks to be here.'”

LSU White House visit turns into slam dunk for Jill Biden, Angel Reese

Biden touts tentative debt deal as ‘good news for the American people’

President Biden on Saturday hailed the tentative budget agreement struck between the White House and Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) team to avert a default and raise the debt ceiling.

“The agreement represents a compromise, which means not everyone gets what they want,” Biden said in a statement. “That’s the responsibility of governing.”

The president said the deal, which will be voted on in the coming days, “reduces spending while protecting critical programs for working people and growing the economy for everyone. And, the agreement protects my and Congressional Democrats’ key priorities and legislative accomplishments.”

“And, this agreement is good news for the American people, because it prevents what could have been a catastrophic default and would have led to an economic recession, retirement accounts devastated, and millions of jobs lost,” Biden added.

The president and the Speaker talked on the phone earlier Saturday to broker a final agreement on government spending that would also allow for the debt ceiling to be lifted just days before the U.S. was at risk of defaulting.

The agreement that was reached in principle must still make it through the House and Senate and will likely require a bipartisan vote.

It would lift the debt ceiling for two years and keeps non-defense spending roughly consistent with fiscal year 2023 levels.

• Factbox: What's in the debt ceiling deal Biden, McCarthy agreed?

U.S. President Joe Biden and House Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Saturday reached an agreement in principle to lift the debt ceiling that would trim some U.S. federal spending.

While the bill is still being written, the general contours of the deal have been described by Democrat and Republican sources. Here's what we know so far:

A CAP ON DISCRETIONARY SPENDING

The deal would suspend the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling until January of 2025, allowing the U.S. government to pay its bills. In exchange, non-defense discretionary spending would be capped at current year levels in 2024 and increased by only 1% in 2025.

The U.S. government will spend $936 billion on non-defense discretionary spending in 2023, the Office of Management and Budget estimates, money that goes to housing, education, road safety and other federal programs.

The debt limit extension lasts past 2024, which would mean Congress would not need to address the deeply polarizing issue again until after the November 2024 presidential election.

This would prevent another political showdown that rattles global investors and markets until either a Republican is elected president or Biden wins a second term.

INCREASED DEFENSE SPENDING

The deal is expected to boost defense spending to around $885 billion, in line with Biden's 2024 budget spending proposal.

That's an 11% increase from the $800 billion allocated in the current budget.

MOVING SPECIAL IRS FUNDING

Biden and Democrats secured $80 billion in new funding for a decade to help the IRS enforce the tax code for wealthy Americans in last year's Inflation Reduction Act, a move the administration said would yield $200 billion in additional revenue over the next 10 years.

Republicans and Democrats had battled over moving that funding, which was allocated under the act as "mandatory spending" to keep it from the political fighting of the annual budgeting process, to "discretionary spending" to be allocated by Congress.

The IRS planned to use the money to hire thousands of new agents, and the extra tax revenue they generated was expected to offset a slew of climate-friendly tax credits. Republicans have argued that auditors will eventually come after middle-class Americans, although the Treasury and Biden said they would focus on high-earning households.

COVID CLAWBACK

Biden and McCarthy are expected to agree to clawback unused COVID relief funds as part of the budget deal, including funding that had been set aside for vaccine research and disaster relief. The estimated amount of unused funds is between $50 billion and $70 billion.

WORK REQUIREMENTS

Biden and McCarthy battled fiercely over imposing stricter work requirements on low-income Americans for being eligible for food and healthcare programs.

No changes were made to Medicaid in the deal, but the agreement would impose new work requirements on low-income people who receive food assistance under the program known as SNAP. They would apply to recipients up to age 54, instead of up to age 56 as had been proposed by Republicans.

SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a federal nutrition assistance program that reaches over 40 million people.

ENERGY PERMITTING

Biden and McCarthy agreed to new rules to make it easier for energy projects - including fossil-fuel based ones - to gain permit approval. McCarthy and his Republicans had identified permitting reform as one of the pillars of any deal and the White House threw its support behind the plan earlier this month.

Biden protected the signature climate provisions of his Inflation Reduction Act, sources said.

A bill that would boost power transmission between U.S. regions was being considered as part of talks, Reuters reported on Thursday. The measure could be paired with slight changes to the bedrock U.S. environmental law, the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, that governs environmental reviews of projects such as roads and pipelines.

Little more: Here's what's in the debt ceiling deal

Quote:

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Originally Posted by S Landreth

The deal would suspend the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling until January of 2025,

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31.4 TRILLION . . . Christ in a basket . . . and of course:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by S Landreth

In exchange, non-defense discretionary spending would be capped at current year levels in 2024 and increased by only 1% in 2025.

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The military-industrial complex in action

Little more.......

While the details are still fuzzy, with the text due to be released sometime Sunday, the agreement is undoubtedly the most monumental debt limit compromise the two parties have struck in more than a decade. If party leaders can whip enough support to clear the deal through both chambers in the coming days, it would largely freeze non-defense discretionary funding in the fiscal year that kicks off in October, revive the threat of across-the-board cuts and impose the most substantive restrictions in decades on the country’s leading anti-hunger program.

Until the debt ceiling details are released.

Vice President Harris Delivers the Commencement Address at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point - YouTube

Harris says West Point graduates entering ‘increasingly unsettled world’

Vice President Harris told graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point that they are entering an “increasingly unsettled world” in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and with continued threats around the world.

Harris said in her commencement address to the West Point graduates that the world has changed significantly since they began as students at the academy. She noted that the pandemic caused the deaths of millions and “upended” life for many more, the U.S. ended its longest war in Afghanistan and Russia launched the first major European ground war since World War II with its invasion of Ukraine.

“Looking forward to the future, it is clear you graduate into an increasingly unsettled world where longstanding principles are at risk,” Harris said.

She said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is an “attack on the lives and freedom” of the Ukrainian people and on international rules that have “served as the foundation of international security and prosperity” for decades.

She also mentioned that China has been modernizing its military while it threatens freedom of the waters in the Indo-Pacific region and violates rules of international commerce.

China has increasingly stepped up its threats and military operations in the South China Sea and near Taiwan, which is a self-governing democratic island that China claims as part of its own. The U.S. has also accused China of violating international trade practices.

Harris said autocracies have also become bolder, terrorism remains a threat and climate change is affecting more people’s lives, which she said is all “a threat to global stability and security.”

“In the face of all these challenges, America plays a singular role of leadership,” she said.

She said global prosperity depends on U.S. leadership, and U.S. strength is “indispensable” to the world, inspiring other countries with its democracy and driving growth in the global economy.

She added that the U.S. military is the strongest in the world and maintains global and U.S. security.

“And it is this pillar of our strength where you, cadets, have dedicated yourself to lead,” Harris said.

just for fun.

• Conservative House Republicans knock debt ceiling deal

Conservative House Republicans are already voicing criticism about the agreement in principle to cap spending and raise the debt ceiling announced late Saturday as the White House and GOP leadership work to avoid a default on the nation’s debt.

Rep. Dan Bishop (R) tweeted a vomiting emoji to express his thoughts on the proposed deal, noting that RINOS, or Republicans in Name Only, were “congratulating [Speaker Kevin] McCarthy [(R-Calif.)] for getting almost zippo in exchange for $4T debt ceiling hike.”

“Actually, it’s so bad they won’t give a figure for the debt ceiling hike … only that it’s suspended til Q1 2025. Our bill was a year less,” Bishop added.

Additionally, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) tweeted: “I do not like the ‘deal’ as I understand it from the cheerleading so far… I will have more to follow once I see more details.”

Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), meanwhile, said that he is “appalled by the debt ceiling surrender” McCarthy outlined Saturday evening.

“The bottom line is that the U.S. will have $35 trillion of debt in January, 2025. That is completely unacceptable,” Buck tweeted.

President Biden and McCarthy announced that the two sides came to an agreement in principle late Saturday, and the release of the legislative text could come as early as Sunday. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned last week that without congressional action, the country could default on June 5, a deadline that McCarthy says Congress will meet.

McCarthy said he expects the House to hold a vote as soon as Wednesday, when the bill likely will face challenges from conservative GOP members.