Tag: taxes

California Expands Digital ID Programs for Public Services, Despite Privacy Concerns

California is accelerating its push into digital identity, with officials launching new pilot programs designed to streamline how residents access public services. But while the state promotes the convenience and efficiency of these efforts, the broader implications for privacy and data control remain a growing concern among advocates for digital rights.

Jonathan Porat, California’s chief technology officer, said the state’s Department of Technology is moving ahead with new collaborations following initial efforts that included the mobile driver’s license launched last fall and a single sign-on pilot through Login.gov tied to transportation benefits.

That project, run through the Cal-ITP platform, lets eligible residents access transit discounts using a contactless payment system linked to their identity. Seniors, veterans, and others were able to verify eligibility for reduced fares without presenting physical documentation. According to Porat, the project’s success in Monterey County and Santa Barbara led the state to explore expanding the system to more than a dozen other local transit agencies.

But while the state touts these pilots as progress toward modernizing access to benefits, the increasing reliance on digital credentials has sparked important questions about surveillance, data sharing, and long-term risks.

California’s approach differs from other states that have focused on digital IDs primarily for age or identity verification. Porat explained that the state wants to use these tools to confirm eligibility across a range of public services. “We’re proud as a state to have [a mobile driver’s license] as well, but we’re really thinking about, how can we digitize the way that we validate residents’ identities and eligibility for different programs,” he said.

That vision includes broader partnerships, including with federal agencies like the VA and CMS. “What we’re doing now is trying to expand the breadth of those different benefits programs,” Porat said. “So we started by looking at a couple of simple things, like age-related discounts, and now we’re going so far as to have agreements with the federal VA and CMS, the group that manages Medicare and Medicaid, so that if you receive disability, if you are above a certain age, if you have a certain status, you can get those discounts automatically, just by paying with your wireless payment.”

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13 Republicans press leadership for more flexibility in green energy tax credit phaseout

A group of 13 House Republicans is asking for more flexibility for climate-friendly tax credits than what’s in the party’s current budget bill, underscoring the difficulty of getting the entire party on the same page.

In a written statement posted by Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) on the social platform X, the 13 Republicans ask House leadership to “consider three thoughtful changes” to the legislation that phases out a significant chunk of Democrats’ tax credits for low carbon energy sources. 

They point to provisions that are expected to make it difficult for energy companies to actually claim the credits during this phaseout period.

Specifically, they ask for more flexibility on newly proposed supply chain requirements and a provision that could make it more difficult for projects to get financing. They also ask for more time, saying the credit phaseout should be based on when projects “start construction” rather than when they’re “placed in service.”

“The last thing any of us want to do is provoke an energy crisis or cause higher energy bills for working families,” they said.

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Gavin Newsom Scales Back Plan to Provide Illegal Aliens With Free Healthcare as California’s Financial Crisis Deepens

California Governor Gavin Newsom is scaling back his ludicrous pledge to offer free healthcare to all illegal aliens in the state.

His 2025–26 budget proposal, released Wednesday, includes a freeze on new Medi-Cal enrollments for adults without legal immigration status and imposes a $100 monthly premium for those already enrolled.

The freeze would begin in 2026, affecting new applicants over the age of 19.

According to Newsom’s office, the change will not impact those currently enrolled or those receiving limited emergency or maternity coverage.

The new premium would apply starting in 2027 to all adults with what the administration calls “unsatisfactory immigration status,” a term that includes both illegal aliens and certain legal residents ineligible for federal Medicaid.

Newsom’s office says the revised policy is necessary due to a $16 billion shortfall in state revenue, driven in part by ballooning Medi-Cal costs linked to his earlier expansions.

Rather than his own failings and the mismanagement of Democratic authorities, Newsom cited Trump’s decision to impose tariffs as justification for the shortfall.

“California is under assault,” Newsom said. “The United States of America, in many respects, is under assault because we have a president that’s been reckless in terms of assaulting growth engines.”

However, Newsom insisted that he was not cancelling the program altogether.

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GOP Congressman Humiliates a Grandstanding AOC as She Plays to the Cameras While Asking Questions About Medicaid – AOC Then Completely Snaps

Far-left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) lost it early this morning after a GOP congressman humiliated her by calling out her grandstanding tactics during a committee hearing.

While the House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing entered the early morning hours as part of its marathon mega bill markup, AOC attempted to disassemble the GOP’s plans to reform Medicaid by asking witnesses a series of leading questions. Of course, she wanted to play to the cameras at the same time.

When she did finally act like a professional, Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX) took notice and roasted her.

“Um, in terms of some of the exemptions, pregnancy is covered, correct?” AOC asked.

“May I interrupt? I’m glad you’re addressing us instead of addressing the camera,” Weber quipped.

AOC then repeated her question about pregnancy, and the witness answered that pregnancy was covered. AOC then tried to ask a gotcha question about abortion laws.

“Given the Dobbs decision and the fact that many women and the fact that many women in many states are forced to…” she began before Weber cut her off.

“Okay, what about miscarriage?” AOC asked.

“Reclaiming my time. I just want to make the point that we’d like for you to address the Republicans and let’s have a dialogue this way & not through a camera,” Weber said.

“But, but, I’m just asking about a miscarriage,” AOC whined.

“The gentlelady is out of order!” Weber shouted.

A short time later, AOC started grandstanding again after getting some backup from Rep. Yvette Clarke.

“There are 13.7 million Americans on the other side of that screen there. Hello, hello,” Ocasio-Cortez stated, waving to the camera. “I’m talking to you because I work for you. They deserve to see what is happening here because there are plenty of districts, including Republican ones, where 25 percent of your constituents are on Medicaid, 40 percent of your constituents are on Medicaid.”

“Will the gentlelady yield?” Weber asked.

Upon hearing this, AOC finally snapped completely.

“I will not yield because it was a terribly disrespectful comment, and I will not yield to disrespectful men!” she whined.

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INSANITY: Democrat Rep. Summer Lee to Introduce “Reparations Now” Resolution Demanding TRILLIONS from U.S. Taxpayers for Slavery That Ended 160 Years Ago

Far-left Democrat Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) announced she will introduce the “Reparations Now Resolution” on Thursday—demanding trillions of dollars be handed out to Black Americans in the name of so-called “racial justice.”

The radical push was unveiled during a congressional race grievance circus hosted by Democrat Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) on Tuesday, May 13, titled “Why We Can’t Wait: Advancing Reparative Justice in Our Lifetime.”

Booker was joined by the usual far-left suspects: Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), and Summer Lee.

According to its press release:

The briefing will highlight the urgent need for federal legislative action to address historical and systemic racial injustices. Key federal legislation includes:

  • S.40 / H.R. 40 – Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act (Sen. Cory Booker, Rep. Ayanna Pressley)
  • Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Commission Act (Sen. Cory Booker,  Rep. Jasmine Crockett)
  • S. 1051 – Historic Greenwood District – Black Wall Street National Monument Establishment Act (Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. James Lankford)
  • Reparations Now Resolution (Rep. Summer Lee)
  • G.I. (Grandchildren and Great-Grandchildren of the Institutionalized Generation) Restoration Act (Sen. Raphael Warnock)
  • Restoring Artistic Protection (RAP) Act (Rep. Hank Johnson)
  • Tulsa-Greenwood Claims Accountability Act (Rep. Hank Johnson)
  • H.J.Res.67 – Original Slavery Remembrance Month Resolution (Rep. Al Green)

During the event, Lee boldly declared that Americans have a “moral and legal obligation” to pay reparations, according to Fox News.

She called for the total reconstruction of American society — not to serve all Americans, but to cater to a progressive agenda based on grievance politics.

She went on to suggest that “restoring Black folks” requires a vast and “substantive” redistribution of wealth.

The resolution itself cites slavery, Jim Crow laws, redlining, and so-called “systemic racism” as justification for this unprecedented financial demand. But what it fails to mention is that no living American has ever owned a slave, and this push for reparations would punish millions of Americans — including veterans, and working-class families — for sins they never committed.

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EPA slush fund for climate grifters

Democratic politicians and their allies have been in a lather for months over President Trump and his administration, especially Elon Musk and his “DOGE” operation. The reason? They are exposing their bureaucratic slush funds to the public, including a big one at the Environmental Protection Agency.

The discovery in February of billions of dollars of payments to enrich favored climate groups and causes reveals a sordid taxpayer-funded scheme. The administration’s efforts to stop this gravy train threaten the climate house of cards built up for decades.

EPA administrator Lee Zeldin, a former Republican congressman from New York, revealed that $20 billion of the $27 billion climate slush fund known as the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund was paid by the Biden administration to eight organizations. The purpose was for them to distribute to numerous other organizations for climate projects such as electric vehicle loans, solar panels, and much else in search of a climate crisis.

“This scheme was the first of its kind in EPA history, and it was purposefully designed to obligate all of the money in a rush job with reduced oversight,” Zeldin said. In so doing, Zeldin described the scheme as “self-dealing and conflicts of interest, (and) unqualified recipients.”

Designated recipients of this massive taxpayer largess promptly sued in federal District Court. Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled in April that the EPA cannot freeze or claw back the funds under contract.

The administration immediately appealed the ruling by claiming the court has no jurisdiction and cannot overrule the executive branch’s authority to cancel a contract, which other courts have permitted involving other issues and agencies.

The following day, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals halted Chutkan’s order to disburse the funds to the climate groups to allow time for the case to be heard in full.

Government handouts to favored organizations, which distribute to other organizations, are like taxpayer cash flowing downstream as these ostensibly private entities act as bureaucracies to further a political agenda.

Great gig, if you can get it.

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Report: Biden Admin Paid $271 Million In Unemployment Checks To Millionaires In Two Years

Good news for millionaires and billionaires: They are currently eligible for unemployment benefits, whether they need it or not. That has been true since 1964 when the Department of Labor determined unemployment is for all eligible workers no matter their income level.

In 2022, The Biden Administration paid unemployment compensation to 5,773 people earning $1 million or more, with nearly $58 million going to out-of-work millionaires. It is an average of nearly $10,000 per person.  

In 2021, a COVID quarantine year with extra dough baked into unemployment, 14,972 people earning $1 million or more received unemployment compensation. The Biden Administration spent nearly $214 million keeping millionaires fed, paying an average of $14,200 each.

(As the Federalist previously reported, 2021 and 2022 were also banner years for unemployment fraud, in which fraudsters including prisoners and dead people placed multiple claims.)

Combine the years and individuals earning more than $1 million annually received more than $271 million in unemployment during the first two years of the Biden Administration.

These numbers are part of a report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), prepared for Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the Senate DOGE Caucus chair. CRS looked at tax returns and counted individuals who earned over $1 million and also received unemployment.

“Our nation’s safety net shouldn’t be strained by subsidizing the lifestyles of the self-sufficient,” Ernst said in an email. “Able-bodied millionaires shouldn’t expect handouts paid for by overtaxed and overworked Americans. The freebies for free-loading fat cats are over.”

Being fired from a job can be devastating. Getting turned down for unemployment benefits even more so, especially when living paycheck-to-paycheck at $30,000 with nothing in savings. It happens. Not everyone is eligible for the unemployment safety net, which is a fraction of your pay before being separated from employment.

When income stops, it sure would be nice to have $1 million in income from another income stream. Maybe you own some rental properties, have good investments, or earned enough to save. If you only had an even $1 million, it would be just over $83,000 a month.

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Average earners’ tax bills would fall under House tax package, forecasters say

Average-income people would see double-digit percentage declines in their tax bills under House Republicans’ tax package, according to a new official analysis that’s sure to inflame partisan fights over who would get what under the plan.

Those making between $30,000 and $80,000 would pay around 15 percent less in taxes in 2027, the report by the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation shows. People making more than $1 million that year would see an 8.6 percent decline.

However, the analysis does not take account of a likely expansion of a deduction for state and local taxes, which would overwhelmingly benefit upper-income households, or look at the possible effect of spending cuts Republicans are also planning that would primarily hit lower-income people.

Forecasters dropped the analysis on lawmakers as they jousted over the winners and losers under the plan at a frequently contentious meeting of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. Democrats called the plan a giveaway to billionaires, frequently invoking Tesla founder Elon Musk.

Republicans scoffed, pointing to provisions in their plan that would expand the Child Tax Credit and standard deduction while creating new breaks for tips, overtime pay, seniors and car-loan interest.

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Man burns 100 library books; residents donate 1,000 more to local libraries

In Beachwood, the community is rallying together after a man reportedly burned 100 books from the local library — and filmed himself doing it.

For Kate Anderson Foley, books are more than just words on a page.

“These are our words, these are our lived experiences,” said Foley.

As the author of a children’s book about a young girl named Ida finding her voice in a world filled with hate, Foley has experienced that power firsthand.

“She comes to the realization there are many people like her, like us, that are gathered here to be able to say, let’s stand up and speak out,” said Foley.

What angers her most is when those pages are destroyed.

“It’s hurtful, no doubt about it,” said Foley.

On Monday, members of an Interfaith Group Against Hate (IGAH) gathered outside Fairmount Presbyterian Church to stand united against hate. This comes after reports that a man checked out 100 books related to race, religion, and LGBTQ+ topics from the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Beachwood — then burned them in a video posted to social media.

On April 22, the man checked out 50 books from the library relating to those topics and posted a photo of a car trunk full of books with a caption relating to “cleansing” the libraries, Beachwood Police said.

The books in the trunk of the car in the photo appeared to match the topics of books checked out by the man and had Cuyahoga County Public Library stickers on them.

The library was tipped off to the photo, and when he returned to pick up 50 more books, he said his son was a part of the LGBTQ+ community and he was trying to learn more, police said.

When a video of the man burning the books surfaced on social media, the library was tipped off once again. In the video, the books appeared to match the theme and titles of the books listed above. The video shows one book with a Cuyahoga County Public Library sticker on it, and matches one of the specific books checked out by the man.

“It was a man’s voice and image and foreboding tones describing the need to cleanse the community of the library of the books that he was setting a fire,” said Robert Nosanchuk, the Senior Rabbi at Congregation Mishkan Or.

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Georgia governor signs law banning funding for gender transitions in prison

Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation banning the use of taxpayer funds for gender “transition” procedures for prison inmates, declaring it a “common-sense step.”

Senate Bill 185 states that “no state funds or resources shall be used” for “(s)ex reassignment surgeries or any other surgical procedures that are performed for the purpose of altering primary or secondary sexual characteristics; (h)ormone replacement therapies; and (c)osmetic procedures or prosthetics intended to alter the appearance of primary or secondary sexual characteristics.”

Exceptions would be made for “medical conditions where such treatments are considered medically necessary” unrelated to gender dysphoria or sex reassignment; rare cases of “medically verifiable disorder of sex development, including individuals born with ambiguous genitalia or chromosomal abnormalities resulting in ambiguity regarding the individual’s biological sex”; “partial androgen insensitivity syndrome”; or weaning off hormone replacement therapies that were underway before incarceration.

“Taxpayer dollars should not be used for procedures like this, and this legislation codifies that common-sense step,” Kemp declared just before signing the bill at a public event, WMAZ reported.

“A budget is a reflection of our priorities, and by voting red, we are signaling that our priorities lean more toward paying for sex reassignment surgeries than budget dollars for teachers, pre-K students and for law enforcement, which is why in my mind SB 185 is a common-sense piece of legislation for our constituents,” Republican state Rep. Scott Hilton said last month in the floor debate over the bill, WABE added.

In recent years, there has been growing concern around the world over placing men who claim to be women in female prison populations that has proved to be a means of both securing lighter treatment during incarceration and gaining easy access to women to prey upon. Transgender status also has the potential to be exploited to avoid incarceration entirely in some cases, as seen in Wales when a man who identified as a woman received a suspended sentence keeping him out of prison despite physically assaulting two partners within days of each other on the grounds that he would be “vulnerable” behind bars.

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