The Patriot Post® · Wednesday Executive News Summary
Medicaid fund freezes
The Trump administration continues to signal strength against fraud, one small slice at a time. On Tuesday, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz announced that $200 million in Medicaid payments for Minnesota and $867 million in payments for California would be deferred. The payments are being held to give federal officials time to review claims that appear fraudulent. Minnesota and California receive billions in Medicaid payments (over $100 billion in the case of California), so this hold represents only a small fraction. The payments will be made after the states provide documentation for these claims, although as Oz pointed out, California’s claims have risen at twice the rate as the rest of the country in recent years, signaling that something is amiss. Apparently, $221 million of its claims are directed toward people with “unsatisfactory immigration status.”
House passes funding bill, Senate balks
It’s that time of year again: the fiscal year ends on September 30, and Congress is once again wrangling over funding as a narrow Republican majority attempts to fund their priorities. On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson led an effort to pass a stopgap spending bill 220-205 that would fund the government through December 4, after the November midterm elections. Unfortunately, this bill is unlikely to pass the Senate, where it would require seven Democrats to set aside partisan bickering and keep open the government they are tasked with running. Senators Patty Murray and Susan Collins are working on their own stopgap resolution, which would then need to be approved by the House. Meanwhile, Speaker Johnson is moving on to a $95 billion reconciliation package mainly intended to fund the Pentagon, which could pass without Democrat support.
Hegseth’s hearing on Iran war funding
As the Iran war’s price tag rises, the military is facing funding shortfalls. During a hearing on Tuesday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth revealed that the conflict has cost $37.5 billion, and he blamed the Biden administration for underfunding the military. He confirmed that China and Russia are aiding Iran by buying its oil, providing targeting data, and attempting to sell weapons. Hegseth warned that the first casualty of underfunding would be training and argued that funding is crucial to maintaining healthy weapons stockpiles. While he claimed Iran’s military has been destroyed (though not rendered completely ineffective in combat), the Democrats accused him of lacking a plan to win the war. Senators resisted giving more money, pointing to domestic economic concerns and bringing up $75 billion in unspent funds allocated to the Pentagon. Hegseth, however, said that money has been earmarked for defense system priorities.
Forthcoming Red Sea blockade?
“So far, it hasn’t happened. Might happen,” President Donald Trump stated on Tuesday in response to reports that Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen would seek to blockade the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, stopping shipping through the Red Sea. “If something like that happens, we take care of it,” Trump added. “You know, we’ve done that with the Houthis before, and we haven’t heard from them in a while.” Indeed, the U.S. struck Houthi positions in the western region of Yemen after the rebels attacked several ships in 2023. Should the Houthis follow through on their blockade threat, it would represent a significant expansion of the U.S. conflict against Iran, potentially drawing more nations like Saudi Arabia into the war. It would also likely have an immediate impact on oil prices, further choking the world’s oil supply.
Trump makes deals with Lebanon and Saudi Arabia
While the U.S. and Israel are engaged in a conflict against Iran to end the Islamic regime’s nuclear weapons program, President Trump yesterday approved an agreement with Saudi Arabia that could provide it with a civilian nuclear enrichment program. The Biden administration sought to broker a similar deal, but it hinged on Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel, a move the Saudis rejected. Meanwhile, Trump met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House in an effort to broker a deal between Lebanon and Israel, wherein Israeli forces would exit southern Lebanon, where they have been fighting against Iranian-backed Hezbollah. To help encourage a deal, Trump said he would allow direct flights from the U.S. to Lebanon, lifting a ban that has been in place since 1985.
Russia-China-Iran
Iran’s strike on a U.S. base in Jordan that killed two U.S. service members was not just a lucky accident; it was the result of a high level of military cooperation among three of America’s most dangerous geopolitical adversaries: Russia, China, and Iran. Increasingly, the Russians and the Chinese are providing aid and revealing capabilities they have previously kept hidden as they attempt to maintain a status quo of a contested Strait of Hormuz. Chinese satellites and Russian reconnaissance platforms are supplying targeting data to Iranian missiles and one-way attack drones. The two formidable Eastern powers are benefiting from a live-fire preview of how their militaries and doctrines would hold up against American forces in a near-future contingency. To capitalize on the situation, the U.S. needs to win control of the Strait and prove that Russian and Chinese investments in Iran are foolish.
GOP farm worker bill labeled amnesty
Forty-seven House Republicans have signed onto bipartisan legislation that would grant H-2A farmworker visas to tens of thousands of illegal alien agricultural workers. With an estimated 327,000 illegal alien farmworkers who are currently unauthorized to work in the U.S., the legislation is being framed as a mass amnesty bill. It would also let many employers off the hook for having illegally employed these migrants. The bill’s author, Republican Congressman Glenn Thompson, contends, “With the border now secure, it is time to address these shortcomings and provide fair and legal pathways for all of agriculture to obtain workers when they are unable to find U.S. citizens willing to perform these noble but arduous tasks.” According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, from 2020 to 2022, just 32% of crop farmworkers were born in the U.S., whereas 42% were illegal aliens.
Mamdani retracts promise to arrest Netanyahu
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of committing war crimes. After recently calling for his arrest, Mamdani backed off, conceding that his administration doesn’t have legal authority. Still, Mamdani called on the federal government to arrest Netanyahu. An Israeli ambassador weighed in: “You were elected to serve New Yorkers, not Hamas’ propaganda.” The United States doesn’t recognize or participate in the International Criminal Court, which accused Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallan of depriving civilians of humanitarian aid. The ICC also accused a former Hamas leader of crimes against humanity. Israel, however, has defended its conduct in Gaza.
France bans social media for minors
After months of debate and revision to the legislation, France has banned social media for children under 15. The law will take effect at the beginning of the school year. Other European nations, such as Britain, Spain, Greece, and Denmark, could follow suit in the coming months. Last year, Australia implemented an under-16 ban. France did not clarify how social media sites will verify age. Platforms could use existing age-verification technology, such as systems that restrict access to pornographic content. In Australia, at least, the responsibility for verification lies with social media companies. The French education minister argued that, beyond bans, France should educate children and propose alternate ways of socializing.
Headlines
Trump flexes GOP muscle in Arizona primaries (Fox News)
Israel believes Iran moved nuclear centrifuges into Pickaxe Mountain (WSJ)
Appeals court rejects Biden bid to block release of ghostwriter recordings (NY Post)
State Department releases 100-page report on Cuba’s infiltration into U.S. government (Not the Bee)
The Executive News Summary is compiled daily by Jordan Candler, Thomas Gallatin, Sterling Henry, and Sophie Starkova. For the archive, click here.