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Rep. Patty Acomb (HD44B) Update: April 30, 2019

Dear Neighbors,

I hope you’ve all been able to spend some time enjoying the warmer weather! With just a few weeks of session remaining, I’ve been spending long days and nights on the House floor discussing the state budget with my colleagues. We’ve made significant progress, and I’m looking forward to approving more great ideas. Here’s an update on the legislation that my colleagues and I approved in our first week of budget discussions:

At the Capitol

I believe that our state budget should help Minnesotans succeed and ensure that future generations can too. I’m so excited that our energy budget does both! This budget, which the House approved last Tuesday, includes a plan to transition to 100 percent clean energy by 2050 and new opportunities for consumers to conserve energy and save money. My Solar for Schools bill, which would help schools install solar energy, was included along with my bills to support state colleges as they transition to clean energy. These will grow our thriving clean energy economy and provide educational opportunities for our students. Continue reading “Rep. Patty Acomb (HD44B) Update: April 30, 2019”

Stymied by aides, Trump sought out loyalist to curtail special counsel — and drew Mueller’s glare

President Trump was furious.

He had just learned that special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation went beyond Russia’s interference in the 2016 campaign and into the White House — and that Trump himself was now under scrutiny for his actions in office. The next day, he attempted to oust Mueller, only to be thwarted by his White House counsel, according to the special counsel’s report.

So Trump turned to the one person he could long count on to do his bidding: Corey Lewandowski, his former campaign manager, described by senior White House advisers to investigators as a Trump “devotee.” In a private Oval Office meeting, the president dictated a message he wanted delivered to then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions: that he needed to give a speech announcing he was limiting the scope of the investigation.

View the complete April 25 article by Ashley Parker, Rosalind S. Helderman and Matt Zapotosky on The Washington Post webite here.

Trump showdown with House Democrats ignites into all-out war

The White House and congressional investigators are hammering each other with legal action and charges of bad faith.

The showdown between the Trump White House and House Democrats reached a new level of hostility this week, as several investigative disputes veered toward federal court amid scathing rhetoric on both sides.

Three dramatic clashes between White House lawyers and congressional Democrats over the past 36 hours have created an atmosphere of total war between the president and Capitol Hill, suggesting that even modest compromise may be impossible and that protracted court fights likely are inevitable.

House Democrats threatened Tuesday to hold in contempt a Trump official who oversaw security clearances after the White House instructed him not to cooperate with Congress. Later in the day, the Trump administration refused to turn over six years’ worth of President Donald Trump’s personal and business tax returns by a 5 p.m. deadline, instead requesting more time to consult with the Justice Department. And later Tuesday, Trump said he was opposed to his current and former aides — most notably, former White House Counsel Don McGahn — testifying on Capitol Hill, escalating the showdown even further.

View the complete April 23 article by Anita Kumar and Andrew Desiderio on the Politico website here.

Substance Use Disorder Treatment Legislation Receives First Public Hearing

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Representative Hunter Cantrell (DFL – Savage) today presented a bill in the Health and Human Services Finance Committee to provide sustainable funding for substance use disorder treatment and lower costs for both patients and providers. The bill puts into action recommendations of a substance use disorder study recently completed by the Department of Human Services regarding residential treatment and payment rate reform.

“We need to take a comprehensive look at how we address the opioid epidemic and the needs of those experiencing chemical dependency in our state,” said Rep. Cantrell. “That means culturally-competent, individualized care that Minnesotans can actually afford. Not having access to treatment can be devastating.” Continue reading “Substance Use Disorder Treatment Legislation Receives First Public Hearing”