In Case You Missed It: GOP Raises DHS Funding Without Expanding Medicaid, Wind Energy Is Not Eco-Friendly, And Trump Continues To Deregulate

MacIver News Service | June 7, 2019

The Joint Finance Committee had a few long nights this week, debating Medicaid on Tuesday, and Transportation on Thursday. They’ll continue discussion on Gov. Tony Evers’ proposed 2019-21 biennial budget next week. Keep up with the ongoing budget debate by following MacIver on Twitter.

This week, the GOP-controlled Joint Finance Committee voted to increase Department of Health Services (DHS) funding without expanding Medicaid; wind energy is found nowhere near as good as advertised; and Trump continues to deregulate as promised. Before the last day of school, here are some important articles for the fiscal conservative, in case you missed it.

GOP-Led Finance Committee Passes Hefty Health Services Budget — With No Medicaid Expansion

Instead of Medicaid expansion, the Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee voted to boost overall DHS spending by $1.63 billion (all funds) over the next two years, and to increase the Department of Children and Families biennial budget by north of $125 million. This proposal actually goes beyond, sometimes even doubles, what Gov. Evers proposed. Yet, Democrats continued to fume over the refusal to expand Medicaid using moral rhetoric to justify the expansion. 

Costly Wind Power Menaces Man and Nature

Environmentalists and Democrats continue to push for a Green New Deal that would replace fossil fuels with wind energy. Wind energy, however, is nowhere near as efficient or practical as many on the left assert. Wind turbines are outrageously expensive, take up mass amounts of land for little power coverage, and are harmful for human health due to infrasound. The turbines even harm the environment they are trying to save through the displacement of animal habitats and the disruption of bird and bat populations. The false claims behind wind energy are now being refuted and should be spread along.

Regulations Trump Administration Has Eliminated So Far in 2019

President Trump has continued to fulfill his promises of deregulation so far in 2019 with the number of regulations issued this year declining. Trump’s Executive Order 13771 requires executive branch agencies to eliminate two regulations for every significant one added. This spring, Trump has completed 15 regulatory actions and taken action on cutting back 33 regulations. See how the President has followed through on promises in the article.

Advocate: Evers’ Nursing Home Budget Increase Doesn’t Add Up

Gov. Evers proposal of a 2.5 percent general rate increase for nursing homes isn’t technically even the largest funding jump in the past three years, despite being called the largest increase in over a decade. Funding for nursing homes would actually go down in comparison to the base year. It would only be a few dollars more per Medicaid patient. This proposal is not viewed by Republicans as the fix to reverse the trend of nursing home closures.

Market is Demanding the Fed Cut Interest Rates Soon

The current economy is in a strong and stable position, but is slowing down and the markets are facing some uncertainty. Markets believe that the Fed will cut its interest rate twice before the end of the year, but there is no guarantee. Supporters of a cut encourage a slash of the interest rate because of the recent trade war and potential market instability. Opponents believe the labor market is strong enough and that if the economic conditions remain stable, there would be no need to adjust the rate.