First Phosphate’s CEO, John Passalacqua joined Steve Darling from Proactive to announce two major milestones for the company. First, the signing of two…
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The Senate passed a defense bill Wednesday that authorizes significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members and boost overall military spending to $895 billion while stripping coverage of transgender medical treatments for children of military members.The annual defense authorization bill usually gains strong bipartisan support and has not failed to pass Congress in nearly six decades, but the Pentagon policy measure in recent years has become a battleground for cultural issues. Republicans this year sought to tack on priorities for social conservatives to the legislation, contributing to a months-long negotiation over the bill and a falloff in support from Democrats.Still, all but a handful of Senate Democrats as well as nearly all Republicans voted for the bill’s final passage, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden.The bill “isn’t perfect, but it still includes some very good things that Democrats fought for, said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in a floor speech. It has strong provisions to stand up against the Chinese Communist Party here on a national security basis.In the House, a majority of Democrats voted against the bill last week after House Speaker Mike Johnson insisted on adding the provision to ban the military health system from providing transgender medical care for children. The legislation easily passed by a vote of 281-140.Senate Republican leaders argued that its 1% increase for defense spending was not enough, especially at a time of global unrest and challenges to American dominance. Senate Republicans had argued for a generational boost to defense spending this year, but are planning another push for more defense funding once they control the White House and Congress next year.The annual defense authorization bill directs key Pentagon policy, but it would still need to be backed up with an appropriations package.Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said in a floor speech this week that without the topline increase major bill provisions like a pay raise for enlisted servicemembers will come at the expense of investments in the critical weapons systems and munitions that deter conflict and keep them safe.The legislation provides for a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% increase for others. Lawmakers said those were key to improving the quality of life of service members at a time when many military families rely on food banks and other government assistance programs to make ends meet.It includes major quality of life improvements, enhancing things like childcare, housing, medical services, employment support for military spouses and much more, said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee.The legislation also directs resources towards a more confrontational approach to China, including establishing a fund that could be used to send military resources to Taiwan in much the same way that the U.S. has backed Ukraine. It also invests in new military technologies, including artificial intelligence, and bolsters the U.S. production of ammunition.The U.S. has also moved in recent years to ban the military from purchasing Chinese products, and the defense bill extended that with prohibitions on Chinese goods from garlic in military commissaries to drone technology.The Chinese foreign ministry responded to that move last week by calling the bans laughable.I dont think it could ever occur to garlic that it would pose a major threat to the U.S., said Mao Ning, a ministry spokeswoman. From drones to cranes, from refrigerators to garlic, more and more Chinese-made products have been accused by the US of posing national security risks. But has the US shown any reliable evidence or rationale to back up those accusations?But in Congress, Republican and Democratic lawmakers have been mostly united in their stance that China is a rising threat. Instead, it was culture war issues that divided lawmakers on the bill, which took months to negotiate.The Republican-controlled House had passed a version of the bill in June that would have banned the Defense Department’s policy of reimbursing costs for service members who travel to another state for an abortion, ended gender affirming care for transgender troops and weeded out diversity initiatives in the military.Most of those provisions did not make it into the final package, though Republicans are expecting Donald Trump to make sweeping changes to Pentagon policy when he enters office in January.The bill also still prohibits funding for teaching critical race theory in the military and prohibits TRICARE health plans from covering gender dysphoria treatment for children under 18 if that treatment could result in sterilization.For some Democrats, the ban on treatments for transgender children care they said could be life-saving was a red line.In a floor speech, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., said she has always voted for the NDAA, but would not do so this year. She said that the policy change for transgender children would affect between 6,000 and 7,000 families, according to estimates her office has received.The NDAA has embodied the idea that there is more that brings us together than separates us, that our service members and national defense are not to be politicized. That we put our country over a party when the chips are on the table,” she said. Unfortunately, this year that was ignored all to gut the rights of our service members to get the health care they need for their children.
Maui could receive $1.6 billion in disaster relief funding as part of a new bipartisan government spending deal. The funds will support housing, economic development, small business loans, water infrastructure,
The fire started in a house near 40th and Izard at just before 6:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Proactives Tylah Tully breaks down Just the Facts of the latest news from Livium Ltd (ASX:LIT, OTC:LMMFF). The company continues to progress its Battery…
The Birmingham City Council has approved revisions to the citys 2025 fiscal budget, including a plan to reduce traffic downtown.>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Birmingham’s mayor shows budget amendments to improve streets, sidewalksThe amended budget includes $15 million for street resurfacing throughout the city, bringing the total funding for the project to $30 million.>> YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD: Community coverage from WVTM 13The allocated funds for street resurfacing include $1 million for sidewalks, along with “traffic calming” measures, which consist of ramps and dedicated bike lanes throughout various parts of the city.>> KNOW BEFORE YOU LEAVE: Interactive traffic mapAccording to the city’s fiscal 2025 budget, funding a majority of these measures largely comes from property and business taxes, totaling over $427 millionabout 85% of the city’s $554 million revenue for the fiscal years 2024-25. Another big measure the city started in 2024 is its effort to bolster the Birmingham Police Department following a year of violent crime throughout the city.The Birmingham Police Department alone is expected to receive over $115 million from the city’s fiscal 2025 budget, which includes a measure passed in October that aims to aggressively recruit new officers and retain current ones.The updated budget also includes additional funding for the Birmingham Promise, a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for city employees, and increased longevity pay for eligible city employees.City departments receive over $464 million, about 84% of the city’s budget.Non-departmental and city expenditures equal around $90 million, or about 16%.>> FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Realbotix will use the funding to directly support the completion of key initiatives, including the development of Robot Controller 3.0.
For the sixth year in a row Ireland is the world’s most generous country, topping the charts of GoFundMes 2024 Year in Help Report.
After meeting with TikTok’s CEO Mon, Trump now says he might reevaluate a law that’s set to ban the platform in a few weeks. TikTok’s also appealing to SCOTUS.
Think networking is just small talk? Think again! In this post, we’re breaking down how meaningful connections can turbocharge your franchise.
THE DEPARTMENT HAS HAD. CAMERON LOBLEY IS AT THE SPEECH AND WILL HAVE AN UPDATE TONIGHT AT ELEVEN. MANY MAINERS WILL BEGIN CONTRIBUTING TO THE STATE’S NEW PAID FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE PROGRAM STARTING NEXT MONTH…BEFORE BENEFITS BEGIN IN MAY 2026. BUT AS CATEMCCUSKER EXPLAINS, A REPUBLICAN STATE LAWMAKER IS HOPING TO STOP IT — AS BUSINESS OWNERS WORRY ABOUT THE IMPACTS. WE’RE HEARING NEW CONCERNS ABOUT THE STATES PAID FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE PROGRAM – AS ONE STATE LAWMAKER IS HOPING TO REPEAL IT. THE NEW PROGRAM WILL ALLOW FOR 12 WEEKS OF PAID LEAVE FOR MAINE EMPLOYEES. STARTING NEXT MONTH – BOTH EMPLOYEES AND EMPLOYERS WILL BEGIN CONTRIBUTING TO THE PROGRAM’S FUND BEFORE BENEFITS BEGIN IN MAY 2026….BUT A REPUBLICAN STATE LAWMAKER IS HOPING TO REPEAL IT. 10:20:46:17 – 10:21:03:09 “MAINERS RIGHT NOW ARE STRUGGLING WITH HIGH GROCERY COSTS, HIGH ELECTRICITY BILLS, HIGH HEATING HOME COSTS, AND HIGH GAS PRICES, AND ADDING ANOTHER BENEFIT AND TAKING ANOTHER CUT FROM THEIR PAYCHECKS WEEKLY, WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO ACCESS THE BENEFITS FOR ANOTHER YEAR I THINK IS IRRESPONSIBLE.” MELINDA SMALL – A BUSINESS OWNER IN LEWISTON – SAYS SHE WILL HAVE TO OVERSTAFF DUE TO THE NEW REQUIREMENTS. 10:30:01:11 – 10:30:16:25 “IT’S GONNA HAVE AN EFFECT ON BUSINESSES, IT’S GOING TO HAVE AN AFFECT ON CONSUMERS, WHO ARE ALREADY STRUGGLING WITH HOW THEY’RE BEING TREATED, AND WITH THE SHORT STAFF ISSUES THAT WE HAVE GOING ON, IT’S GOING TO MAKE IT WORSE.” AND THE MAIN CONCERN FROM OUR STATE’S CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IS THAT EMPLOYERS WILL HAVE TO PAY INTO A PROGRAM THAT THEY WON’T BE USING – THROUGH THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2025. 10:37:42:25 – 10:37:56:05 “WE BELIEVE THAT THE PAYROLL TAX SHOULD NOT BE TO TAX SHOULD NOT BE APPLIED TO ANY ENTITY THAT IS SEEKING A PRIVATE PLAN, AND IT REALLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN FOR THOSE COMPANIES, THOSE EMPLOYEES, THAT ARE NOT UTILIZING A PAID FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE PROGRAM” BUT THE DEMOCRATIC STATE LAWMAKER WHO SPONSORED ORIGINAL BILL POINTS TO THE PROGRAMS BENEFITS – AND THE YEARS OF EFFORT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WORKS FOR EVERYONE. 00:01:44:21 – 00:01:57:15 “I DO FEEL THAT IT’S PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST WORKED BILLS THAT THE LEGISLATURE HAS EVER SEEN, AND ONE THAT REALLY WAS CREATED IN A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT.” BUTTED 00:02:08:23 – 00:02:19:14 “IF A REPEAL WERE TO PASS, MAINERS WOULD NOT HAVE ACCESS TO BENEFITS TO HELP THEM TO CARE FOR A CHILD, AN AGING PARENT, OR THEMSELVES IF THEY BECOME ILL.” REPRESENTATIVE MORRIS LIKELY FACES AN UPHILL BATTLE IN HIS EFFORT TO REPEAL THE PROGRAM – AS DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKE
While consumer concerns surrounding electric vehicles’ viability on road trips may remain, Colorado officials are doing their best to assuage them.