Chad’s Morning Brief: Farm Bill Passes in the House, Most Americans Fine With Banning Abortion at 20 Weeks, & More
Here is your Morning Brief for the morning of July 12, 2013. Give me your feedback below and tune in to The Chad Hasty Show for these and many more topics from 8:30 to 11am. Remember, you can listen online at KFYO.com or with the radioPup App.
1. Farm Bill (link)
The House passed a Farm Bill yesterday by at 216-208 margin. Republicans were successful at getting rid of Food Stamps, but don't expect that to last.
The bill passed on a 216-208 vote. Zero Democrats voted for it.
House Democrats spent most of the afternoon lambasting their Republican colleagues for dropping the food stamp component, making clear that House Speaker John Boehner would need to rely on Republicans only to pass the bill. After some marathon nose-counting, GOP leaders were able to minimize the number of Republican defectors -- just 12 Republicans voted against it on Thursday.
The farm bill historically has been a vehicle for both billions in farm subsidies and billions in food stamps. Twinning the two massive programs has in the past helped win support from rural-state lawmakers and those representing big cities. But after the bill failed in the House last month amid opposition from rank-and-file Republicans, House leaders removed the food stamp portion in a bid to attract conservative support.
The fate of the measure is unclear, though, as the matter now kicks back to the Senate or to a so-called conference committee to resolve differences between the two chambers' bills. The Democratic-led Senate overwhelmingly passed a farm bill with smaller cuts to food stamps, but would be reluctant to go along with a bill that carves out food stamps.
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said splitting the bill would be a "major mistake" -- though she has also indicated a willingness to try building off anything the House passes.
The White House has vowed to veto. A statement released overnight said that the food stamp program "is a cornerstone of our nation's food assistance safety net, and should not be left behind as the rest of the Farm Bill advances."
Though Boehner was able to hold together his own caucus, Democrats reacted furiously at the move to drop food stamps.
"It's all about denying the working poor the right to food," Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., claimed, accusing Republicans of attacking "poor people."
One by one, members of the Congressional Black Caucus lined up to assail the proposal. "There are poor children in poor areas that I represent," Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., said.
There is no way the Farm Bill will live without Food Stamps. They should be two different bills, but it won't happen.
2. Abortion Poll (link)
The pro-abortion extremists down in Austin will be shocked by this poll from the Huffington Post. According to HuffPo, 59% of Americans would favor a law banning abortion after 20 weeks. Sorry Wendy Davis.
Most Americans would favor sweeping new national restrictions on abortion after the 20th week of pregnancy, according to a new HuffPost/YouGov poll. But the poll also shows many Americans remain conflicted in their views on abortion.
By a margin of 59 percent to 30 percent, respondents to the new poll said they would favor a federal law banning abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
A recent United Technologies/National Journal poll found Americans divided over the possible ban, with a narrower plurality of 48 percent to 44 percent supporting it.
Respondents to the HuffPost/YouGov poll were split in their views on whether abortion should usually be legal or illegal, with a large number falling somewhere in the middle -- a finding consistent with other surveys. Nineteen percent said they think abortion should always be legal, while 27 percent said it should be generally legal, but with some restrictions. Another 17 percent said that abortion should always be illegal, while 30 percent said it should be generally illegal, except in special circumstances.
Wendy Davis, leader of the 30%.
3. LP&L Bills (link)
So, how's your LP&L bill looking lately? I'm too scared to look at mine because according to a KAMC report, a lot of people have noticed huge jumps.
On May 9, 2013, LP&L announced the would have a 9.5 percent increase on customer's bills.
Today, customers have gotten back those bills and some are not happy, but LP&L says regardless of the 9.5 percent increase that went into effect June 1st, customers would have seen a spike in their bill.
Today, we met with a man who was shocked to his latest bill... mainly due to the 80 percent increase in fuel costs he found in the fine print.
These fuel costs come from the price that LP&L says they have to pay Xcel Energy for electricity.
Xcel kept raising their rates over the past four years, while LP&L rates remained the same.
But, in order to avoid a budget deficit, LP&L eventually had to raise theirs too.
Anthony Hewetson says he doesn't blame LP&L, but wishes there had been an explanation with his and other's bills.
Matt Rose, spokesmen for LP&L says the increase is accurate, but that bills always jump the most from May to June.
"Atleast if you cant give people warning about something you can at least include an explanatory fact sheet. Banks usually don't give you a warning they just tell you when somethings happened but at least they explain it that's all I'm asking for is a little bit better outreach to the customers on LP&L's part," says Hewerton.
"And so I know for a lot of customers looking at their bill right now and trying to do the math they are saying well this seems like it's high than you said it was... but they have to remember that the highest spike that you are going to see all year is from May to June," says Rose.
Rose says we should see a decrease in bills later in the year when winter rates set in.
How is your bill?
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These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of The Chad Hasty Show. Tune in mornings 8:30-11am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard online in our podcast section after the show at kfyo.com.
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