On October 1, absent a last-minute change in momentum, the federal government will shut down. No one wins a government shutdown, least of all the American people. The Biden administration has already announced it will, in the event of a shutdown, close agencies Nebraskans rely on such as FSA, Rural Development, and the Agriculture Research Service. Because the Biden administration appears prepared to make any lapse in appropriations as painful as possible, I would prefer to keep the government open while we fight for fiscal sanity.

In order to prevent a government shutdown, on Friday, September 29, I supported a continuing resolution which would provide an initial round of spending reductions at federal agencies, increase border funding, and address our border crisis while providing more time to finish our work on the annual spending bills which fund the federal government. Unfortunately, this measure failed to pass the House.

As we’ve seen the predictable impact of overspending in recent years, families and small businesses have been forced to sacrifice and make difficult choices to make ends meet. Likewise, our government should manage its budget, spend responsibly, and live within its means. I am proud of the work we have done this year to stop Democrats’ overspending and to begin returning regular order to the budget process. Over the past four years, Democrat House majorities failed to produce a comprehensive budget resolution, much less pass it out of the House Budget Committee. These resolutions, mandated by the Budget Act of 1974, are intended to provide the basis for tax and spending legislation enacted throughout the year. Passing a budget resolution is not easy, and I am grateful for the work of the House Budget Committee, led by Chairman Jodey Arrington, which has passed a resolution providing a path to a balanced budget over 10 years.

Much more work must be done to get real reforms across the finish line, but a balanced budget is a significant step in the right direction. Coming together to agree on spending reforms to achieve the goals established by our budget will be an even more difficult task. If we fail to act, the Medicare Part A trust fund will run out of money in 2028, with the Social Security Trust Funds becoming insolvent five years later, in 2033. Allowing these trust funds to expire, with no additional action from congress, will lead to mandatory benefit cuts for seniors.&nbsp;In order to help ensure bipartisan buy-in for making these hard decisions, this week I cosponsored The Fiscal Commission Act of 2023. This bill would create a bipartisan, 16-member commission consisting of members of Congress and private sector budget experts to recommend policies to reduce the deficit, reduce spending, and improve our nation’s long-term fiscal outlook. To ensure the policies aren’t ignored for political reasons, the bill would require a vote to enact them in the House and Senate, with Senate passage requiring only a 51-vote majority.

Most immediately, our best available way to address wasteful discretionary spending is by considering the annual appropriations bills which fund federal government operations individually, providing members the opportunity to review spending on an agency-by-agency basis. While I would prefer this process was moving more quickly, the House is well ahead of the Democrat-controlled Senate. Prior to this week’s funding deadline, the House passed four of the twelve major appropriations bills. These bills would responsibly fund priorities like agriculture, border security, national defense, and veterans’ benefits. These measures would provide over 70 percent of federally discretionary spending and include robust-yet-responsible investments to help secure the American border. Unfortunately, unlike the House, the full Senate has yet to take action on any of their appropriations bills.

Washington is broken and our problems demand real leadership. It’s important Congress provide certainty, minimize the hardships placed on Americans, and reach an agreement on responsible funding bills that can ultimately be enacted into law. We must work to put our country on a more sustainable fiscal path, and I won’t stop fighting to balance the budget and cut spending while funding key priorities like veterans’ benefits and border security.

Adrian SmithOn October 1, absent a last-minute change in momentum, the federal government will shut down. No one wins a government shutdown, least of all the American people. The Biden administration has already announced it will, in the event of a shutdown, close agencies Nebraskans rely on such as FSA, Rural Development, and the Agriculture Research Service. Because the Biden administration appears prepared to make any lapse in appropriations as painful as possible, I would prefer to keep the government open while we fight for fiscal sanity.In order to prevent a government shutdown, on Friday, September 29, I supported a continuing resolution which would provide an initial round of spending reductions at federal agencies, increase border funding, and address our border crisis while providing more time to finish our work on the annual spending bills which fund the federal government. Unfortunately, this measure failed to pass the House.As we’ve seen the predictable impact of overspending in recent years, families and small businesses have been forced to sacrifice and make difficult choices to make ends meet. Likewise, our government should manage its budget, spend responsibly, and live within its means. I am proud of the work we have done this year to stop Democrats’ overspending and to begin returning regular order to the budget process. Over the past four years, Democrat House majorities failed to produce a comprehensive budget resolution, much less pass it out of the House Budget Committee. These resolutions, mandated by the Budget Act of 1974, are intended to provide the basis for tax and spending legislation enacted throughout the year. Passing a budget resolution is not easy, and I am grateful for the work of the House Budget Committee, led by Chairman Jodey Arrington, which has passed a resolution providing a path to a balanced budget over 10 years.Much more work must be done to get real reforms across the finish line, but a balanced budget is a significant step in the right direction. Coming together to agree on spending reforms to achieve the goals established by our budget will be an even more difficult task. If we fail to act, the Medicare Part A trust fund will run out of money in 2028, with the Social Security Trust Funds becoming insolvent five years later, in 2033. Allowing these trust funds to expire, with no additional action from congress, will lead to mandatory benefit cuts for seniors.&nbsp;In order to help ensure bipartisan buy-in for making these hard decisions, this week I cosponsored The Fiscal Commission Act of 2023. This bill would create a bipartisan, 16-member commission consisting of members of Congress and private sector budget experts to recommend policies to reduce the deficit, reduce spending, and improve our nation’s long-term fiscal outlook. To ensure the policies aren’t ignored for political reasons, the bill would require a vote to enact them in the House and Senate, with Senate passage requiring only a 51-vote majority.Most immediately, our best available way to address wasteful discretionary spending is by considering the annual appropriations bills which fund federal government operations individually, providing members the opportunity to review spending on an agency-by-agency basis. While I would prefer this process was moving more quickly, the House is well ahead of the Democrat-controlled Senate. Prior to this week’s funding deadline, the House passed four of the twelve major appropriations bills. These bills would responsibly fund priorities like agriculture, border security, national defense, and veterans’ benefits. These measures would provide over 70 percent of federally discretionary spending and include robust-yet-responsible investments to help secure the American border. Unfortunately, unlike the House, the full Senate has yet to take action on any of their appropriations bills.Washington is broken and our problems demand real leadership. It’s important Congress provide certainty, minimize the hardships placed on Americans, and reach an agreement on responsible funding bills that can ultimately be enacted into law. We must work to put our country on a more sustainable fiscal path, and I won’t stop fighting to balance the budget and cut spending while funding key priorities like veterans’ benefits and border security.

A Sustainable Fiscal Path

LINCOLN, NE – Governor Jim Pillen, in accordance with a request from the White House, announced that all U.S. and Nebraska flags be flown at half-staff to honor U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California. The order is effective immediately and is to last until sunset on the day of Sen. Feinstein’s internment.

LINCOLN, NE – Governor Jim Pillen, in accordance with a request from the White House, announced that all U.S. and Nebraska flags be flown at half-staff to honor U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California. The order is effective immediately and is to last until sunset on the day of Sen. Feinstein’s internment.

Flags to Fly at Half-Staff in Honor of U.S. Senator Feinstein

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Another Powerball drawing Saturday night, another chance at a jackpot that is inching toward $1 billion.

The estimated $960 million prize is the world's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lottery-jackpot-mega-millions-powerball-b77dd9c7de3f0ab09545a01113b1f111">ninth-largest lottery jackpot</a>, behind earlier Powerball and Mega Millions prizes that all topped $1 billion.

The prize has grown so large because there have been 30 consecutive drawings without a big winner,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-winner-california-9f0e98a47c96c2b3087a68b33195dd50">dating to July 19</a>. That streak without a jackpot winner is due to the game's long odds,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-lottery-us-news-ap-top-news-ia-state-wire-b5572da1e5d74f6e974bea45c707b5cb">1 in 292.2 million</a>, that are designed to make winning rare so grand prizes can grow large.

The $960 million prize is for a sole winner who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-annuity-vs-cash-0e741f164106c0f4dba89707c5763c99">chooses an annuity</a>, with annual payments over 30 years. Winners almost always take the cash option, which for Saturday's drawing would be an estimated $441 million.

Federal taxes will eat into those winnings, and some states also tax big lottery prizes.

Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691436357118.jpeg" alt="&nbsp;(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Another Powerball drawing Saturday night, another chance at a jackpot that is inching toward $1 billion.The estimated $960 million prize is the world's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lottery-jackpot-mega-millions-powerball-b77dd9c7de3f0ab09545a01113b1f111">ninth-largest lottery jackpot</a>, behind earlier Powerball and Mega Millions prizes that all topped $1 billion.The prize has grown so large because there have been 30 consecutive drawings without a big winner,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-winner-california-9f0e98a47c96c2b3087a68b33195dd50">dating to July 19</a>. That streak without a jackpot winner is due to the game's long odds,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-lottery-us-news-ap-top-news-ia-state-wire-b5572da1e5d74f6e974bea45c707b5cb">1 in 292.2 million</a>, that are designed to make winning rare so grand prizes can grow large.The $960 million prize is for a sole winner who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-annuity-vs-cash-0e741f164106c0f4dba89707c5763c99">chooses an annuity</a>, with annual payments over 30 years. Winners almost always take the cash option, which for Saturday's drawing would be an estimated $441 million.Federal taxes will eat into those winnings, and some states also tax big lottery prizes.Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Powerball jackpot nears $1 billion after long drought of winners

WASHINGTON (AP) — On the brink of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-congress-biden-trump-mccarthy-f1b06964cf549b09977677e5f70bf9ff">federal government shutdown</a>, the House on Saturday swiftly approved 45-day funding bill to keep federal agencies open as Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kevin-mccarthy">Kevin McCarthy</a>&nbsp;dropped demands for steep spending cuts and relied on Democratic votes for passage to send the package to the Senate.

The new approach would leave behind&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/zelenskyy-biden-washington-visit-congress-ukraine-war-1d20574fb3ea4fb5efcc7db5458a33a3#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20President%20Volodymyr,troops%20in%20the%20fight%20against">aid to Ukraine</a>, a White House priority opposed by a growing number of GOP lawmakers, but the plan would increase&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wildfire-hurricane-flooding-fema-disaster-relief-budget-365fc3acd6a12c1f8e67b4926c8dc8b2">federal disaster assistance by $16 billion,</a>&nbsp;meeting President Joe Biden’s full request. The House vote was 335-91.

With hours to go for the midnight deadline to fund the government, the Senate was also in for a rare weekend session and prepared to act next.

“We’re going to do our job,” McCarthy said ahead of voting. “We’re going to be adults in the room. And we’re going to keep government open.”

With no deal in place before Sunday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shutdown-gop-federal-workers-congress-government-5978a4c7411eba06261d16c3aff3dfc5">federal workers will face furloughs</a>, more than 2 million active-duty and reserve military troops will work without pay and programs and services that Americans rely on from coast to coast will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-snap-benefits-loans-travel-97b3a3b30624704da6eb204837a9135c">begin to face shutdown disruptions</a>.

The House measure would fund government at current 2023 levels for 45 days, through Nov. 17, moving closer to the Senate's approach. But the Senate package would have added $6 billion for Ukraine to fight the war against Russia and $6 billion for U.S. disaster relief.

Both chambers came to a standstill as lawmakers assessed their options, some decrying the loss of Ukraine aid.

"The American people deserve better," said House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, warning in a lengthy floor speech that “extreme" Republicans were risking shutdown.

McConnell, of Kentucky, said Republican senators were waiting “to see what the House is doing."

For the House package to be approved, McCarthy, R-Calif., will be forced to rely on Democrats because the speaker's hard-right flank has said it will oppose any short-term measure. Republicans hold a 221-212 majority, with two vacancies.

Relying on Democratic votes and leaving his right-flank behind is something that the hard-right lawmakers have warned will risk McCarthy's job as speaker. They are almost certain to quickly file a motion to try to remove McCarthy from that office, though it is not at all certain there would be enough votes to topple the speaker.

"If somebody wants to remove me because I want to be the adult in the room, go ahead and try,” McCarthy said of the threat to oust him. “But I think this country is too important.”

The quick pivot comes after the collapse Friday of McCarthy's earlier plan to pass a Republican-only bill with steep spending cuts up to 30% to most government agencies that the White House and Democrats rejected as too extreme.

"Our options are slipping away every minute,” said one senior Republican, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida.

The federal government is heading&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-congress-biden-trump-mccarthy-f1b06964cf549b09977677e5f70bf9ff">straight into a shutdown</a>&nbsp;that poses grave uncertainty for federal workers in states all across America and the people who depend on them — from troops to border control agents to office workers, scientists and others.

Families that rely on Head Start for children, food benefits and countless other programs large and small are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-snap-benefits-loans-travel-97b3a3b30624704da6eb204837a9135c">confronting potential interruptions or outright closures</a>. At the airports, Transportation Security Administration officers and air traffic controllers are expected to work without pay, but travelers could face delays in updating their U.S. passports or other travel documents.

An earlier McCarthy plan to keep the government open collapsed Friday due to opposition from a faction of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-votes-mccarthy-gop-caucus-gaetz-585c82607c00c2cfc45768faff6e1cda">21 hard-right holdouts</a>&nbsp;despite steep spending cuts of nearly 30% to many agencies and severe border security provisions.

The White House has brushed aside McCarthy's overtures to meet with Biden after the speaker walked away from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-debt-ceiling-budget-signing-f78a000d83cf85ffbaa2d08637844053#:~:text=Washington%20News-,Biden%20signs%20debt%20ceiling%20bill%20that%20pulls,from%20brink%20of%20unprecedented%20default&amp;text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20With%20just,on%20the%20federal%20government's%20debt.">debt deal</a>&nbsp;they brokered earlier this year that set budget levels.

Catering to his hard-right flank, McCarthy had returned to the spending limits the conservatives demanded back in January as part of the deal-making to help him&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-house-of-representatives-kevin-mccarthy-us-republican-party-0938c7358f41c83759246f8949ac7c15">become the House speaker</a>.

After Friday's vote, McCarthy’s chief Republican critic, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, said the speaker's bill “went down in flames as I’ve told you all week it would.”

Some of the Republican holdouts, including Gaetz, are allies of former President Donald Trump, who is Biden's chief rival in the 2024 race. Trump has been encouraging the Republicans to fight hard for their priorities and even to “shut it down.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1696100579610.png" alt="“We’re going to do our job,” McCarthy said ahead of voting. “We’re going to be adults in the room. And we’re going to keep government open.”-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>“We’re going to do our job,” McCarthy said ahead of voting. “We’re going to be adults in the room. And we’re going to keep government open.”-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — On the brink of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-congress-biden-trump-mccarthy-f1b06964cf549b09977677e5f70bf9ff">federal government shutdown</a>, the House on Saturday swiftly approved 45-day funding bill to keep federal agencies open as Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kevin-mccarthy">Kevin McCarthy</a>&nbsp;dropped demands for steep spending cuts and relied on Democratic votes for passage to send the package to the Senate.The new approach would leave behind&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/zelenskyy-biden-washington-visit-congress-ukraine-war-1d20574fb3ea4fb5efcc7db5458a33a3#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20President%20Volodymyr,troops%20in%20the%20fight%20against">aid to Ukraine</a>, a White House priority opposed by a growing number of GOP lawmakers, but the plan would increase&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wildfire-hurricane-flooding-fema-disaster-relief-budget-365fc3acd6a12c1f8e67b4926c8dc8b2">federal disaster assistance by $16 billion,</a>&nbsp;meeting President Joe Biden’s full request. The House vote was 335-91.With hours to go for the midnight deadline to fund the government, the Senate was also in for a rare weekend session and prepared to act next.“We’re going to do our job,” McCarthy said ahead of voting. “We’re going to be adults in the room. And we’re going to keep government open.”With no deal in place before Sunday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shutdown-gop-federal-workers-congress-government-5978a4c7411eba06261d16c3aff3dfc5">federal workers will face furloughs</a>, more than 2 million active-duty and reserve military troops will work without pay and programs and services that Americans rely on from coast to coast will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-snap-benefits-loans-travel-97b3a3b30624704da6eb204837a9135c">begin to face shutdown disruptions</a>.The House measure would fund government at current 2023 levels for 45 days, through Nov. 17, moving closer to the Senate's approach. But the Senate package would have added $6 billion for Ukraine to fight the war against Russia and $6 billion for U.S. disaster relief.Both chambers came to a standstill as lawmakers assessed their options, some decrying the loss of Ukraine aid."The American people deserve better," said House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, warning in a lengthy floor speech that “extreme" Republicans were risking shutdown.McConnell, of Kentucky, said Republican senators were waiting “to see what the House is doing."For the House package to be approved, McCarthy, R-Calif., will be forced to rely on Democrats because the speaker's hard-right flank has said it will oppose any short-term measure. Republicans hold a 221-212 majority, with two vacancies.Relying on Democratic votes and leaving his right-flank behind is something that the hard-right lawmakers have warned will risk McCarthy's job as speaker. They are almost certain to quickly file a motion to try to remove McCarthy from that office, though it is not at all certain there would be enough votes to topple the speaker."If somebody wants to remove me because I want to be the adult in the room, go ahead and try,” McCarthy said of the threat to oust him. “But I think this country is too important.”The quick pivot comes after the collapse Friday of McCarthy's earlier plan to pass a Republican-only bill with steep spending cuts up to 30% to most government agencies that the White House and Democrats rejected as too extreme."Our options are slipping away every minute,” said one senior Republican, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida.The federal government is heading&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-congress-biden-trump-mccarthy-f1b06964cf549b09977677e5f70bf9ff">straight into a shutdown</a>&nbsp;that poses grave uncertainty for federal workers in states all across America and the people who depend on them — from troops to border control agents to office workers, scientists and others.Families that rely on Head Start for children, food benefits and countless other programs large and small are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-snap-benefits-loans-travel-97b3a3b30624704da6eb204837a9135c">confronting potential interruptions or outright closures</a>. At the airports, Transportation Security Administration officers and air traffic controllers are expected to work without pay, but travelers could face delays in updating their U.S. passports or other travel documents.An earlier McCarthy plan to keep the government open collapsed Friday due to opposition from a faction of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-votes-mccarthy-gop-caucus-gaetz-585c82607c00c2cfc45768faff6e1cda">21 hard-right holdouts</a>&nbsp;despite steep spending cuts of nearly 30% to many agencies and severe border security provisions.The White House has brushed aside McCarthy's overtures to meet with Biden after the speaker walked away from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-debt-ceiling-budget-signing-f78a000d83cf85ffbaa2d08637844053#:~:text=Washington%20News-,Biden%20signs%20debt%20ceiling%20bill%20that%20pulls,from%20brink%20of%20unprecedented%20default&amp;text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20With%20just,on%20the%20federal%20government's%20debt.">debt deal</a>&nbsp;they brokered earlier this year that set budget levels.Catering to his hard-right flank, McCarthy had returned to the spending limits the conservatives demanded back in January as part of the deal-making to help him&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-house-of-representatives-kevin-mccarthy-us-republican-party-0938c7358f41c83759246f8949ac7c15">become the House speaker</a>.After Friday's vote, McCarthy’s chief Republican critic, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, said the speaker's bill “went down in flames as I’ve told you all week it would.”Some of the Republican holdouts, including Gaetz, are allies of former President Donald Trump, who is Biden's chief rival in the 2024 race. Trump has been encouraging the Republicans to fight hard for their priorities and even to “shut it down.”

On the brink of shutdown, House passes a 45-day funding plan 

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/09/29/nebraska-gender-care-restrictions-take-effect-sunday-with-little-guidance-no-regulations/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — Restrictions on health care for transgender minors in Nebraska are set to take effect Sunday, but they’ll come with little guidance and without a timeline for future rules and regulations.

The state’s&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/10/final-say-on-nebraska-gender-care-legislation-would-be-delegated-to-executive-appointee-and-dhhs/">chief medical officer</a>, Dr. Timothy Tesmer, has been charged with drafting rules and regulations around puberty blockers and cross-sex hormone therapies for people before age 19. This “Let Them Grow Act” included in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=49961">Legislative Bill 574</a>, proposed by State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, takes effect Sunday, Oct. 1.

As of Friday morning, it’s unclear when permanent or temporary regulations could come.

Genital or non-genital transition surgeries will be prohibited for minors&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/19/nebraska-passes-stricter-abortion-ban-limits-on-gender-affirming-care/">as of that date</a>. Non-surgical treatments beyond blockers and hormones, including therapy, are not prohibited.

New patients cannot receive puberty blockers or hormones until new rules are in place; minors who started the treatments can continue only their specific care.

Currently, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services is utilizing internal medical, psychological and behavioral health specialists to craft the regulations. Their identity will be kept confidential “to ensure that the process is not impeded,” a DHHS spokesperson said.

While the permanent rules and regulations will take more time, Tesmer is allowed to issue&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=84-901.04">emergency regulations</a>&nbsp;over the interim subject to Gov. Jim Pillen’s approval.

Tesmer, an ear, nose and throat doctor, said May 25 at his&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/25/nebraska-legislative-committee-advances-contentious-nomination-for-chief-medical-officer/">confirmation hearing</a>&nbsp;that the final rules will not rest “on the shoulders of the chief medical officer” but on a team of multidisciplinary health care providers. He said the rules would be evidence-based, reasonable and time-efficient but as thorough as necessary.

“I know the nature of this issue,” Tesmer testified. “I get it. I know people are hurting. We want to do the right thing within the guidelines of the law that’s now been enacted.”&nbsp;

Tesmer committed at his hearing to update the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee on the ongoing LB 574 regulations process. State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, who led a near-session-long filibuster against LB 574,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Request_for_update_on_LB574.docx.pdf" target="_blank">wrote to Tesmer</a>&nbsp;requesting such an update and an explanation of the work being done to carry out the law.

“As families prepare for these sweeping changes in their children’s health care, what can they expect to come into effect this Sunday?” the letter reads.

The request seeks information on the involvement of medical experts in this field of care, a timeline for the production of the work, any possible draft language and an explanation of how recommendations and standards of care from national medical organizations are being incorporated.

The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://sos.nebraska.gov/regulations/overview-regulation-process#:~:text=Commonly%20referred%20to%20as%20%22rules,the%20hearing%20and%20adoption%20process.">regulations process</a>&nbsp;requires a public hearing and final approval by Attorney General Mike Hilgers and Pillen. At least 30 days must lapse between proposed rules and a hearing, which is expected by year’s end. All public comments will be reviewed.

“The Department will attempt to minimize any time between when the law takes effect on October 1 and the enactment of emergency regulations,” a DHHS&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://dhhs.ne.gov/Documents/CMO-LetThemGrow-FAQ.pdf#search=%22let%20them%20grow%22">memo</a>&nbsp;on LB 574 reads.

A spokesperson for DHHS reiterated the attempts to minimize such a delay but could not offer a more specific timeline or specify what materials Tesmer is reviewing.

A spokeswoman for Pillen said the governor trusts Tesmer will draft the required LB 574 regulations “in the interest of public health and welfare.”

“The Governor will thoroughly review any emergency regulations presented to him,” she said in an email.

State Sen. John Fredrickson of Omaha, a mental health practitioner and one of two openly LGBTQ state lawmakers, said the fact DHHS has had four months to prepare regulations with little communication shows the law is partisan and political.

“It’s really unfortunate because Nebraskans and Nebraska families have been in anguish in this waiting process, and they are suffering as a result of this,” Fredrickson told the Examiner.

This spring, Fredrickson and State Sens. John Cavanaugh of Omaha and Lynne Walz of Fremont were three opponents working with Kauth and other senators to draft an amendment to LB 574. While initially described as “negotiations,” Kauth said the meetings were “listening sessions.”

Fredrickson, John Cavanaugh and Walz drafted an&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/18/nebraska-lawmaker-introduces-less-restrictive-amendment-on-abortion-gender-care-proposal/">alternative proposal</a>&nbsp;that would have offered specific guidelines. Instead, the Legislature delegated the authority to the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-lawmakers-approve-dr-timothy-tesmer-as-state-chief-medical-officer/">chief medical officer</a>&nbsp;through a different amendment.

“We tried to address each and every single one of those concerns in a very specific and enumerated way, and I haven’t heard a peep from Tesmer or anyone about those efforts,” Fredrickson said. “There’s a blueprint out there.”

Tesmer told Walz at his confirmation hearing he would be willing to look at the alternate proposal but has to “apply that to the boundaries of the context of the law.” The DHHS spokesperson declined to state whether those guidelines have been consulted.

In March, while chair of the State Board of Health, Tesmer joined a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/20/eyebrows-raised-over-nebraska-board-of-healths-advocacy-for-bill-banning-gender-affirming-care/">letter in support of LB 574</a>&nbsp;that at the time included a full ban on surgeries, blockers and hormones.

State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward told the Examiner in May that she would contact Tesmer regarding the draft proposal from Walz, John Cavanaugh and Fredrickson. However, she said Wednesday, she has not yet done so.

Asked whether she would consider contacting Tesmer, Hughes said yes, she would. She described the proposal as “fairly reasonable” and a possible starting point for Tesmer.

Hughes said what put her “over the edge” in support of LB 574 was Planned Parenthood’s process around blockers or hormones. The organization utilizes an informed consent model, and Hughes said it was possible youths could receive treatments without needed mental health counseling.

It’s not that every practitioner is violating best practices, Hughes added, but LB 574 is for every provider to follow those standards of care.&nbsp;

“I would argue there are people out there doing it the correct way,” Hughes said. “But we’ve got to stop the ones that are not doing it the correct way because we’ve got to protect the kids.”

There is uncertainty as to what comes next, and a “chilling effect” has taken hold, according to Dr. Alex Dworak of OneWorld Community Health Centers. He said he knows of five trans adults who have already left Nebraska and knows of more families looking to leave for care.

Dworak said he’s been consulting patients and working to figure out at what stage of care they’re ready for. He’ll operate within the bounds of the law, he added, and he’s been open with patients about his uncertainty in the months ahead.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dworak said, he saw people die despite having no risk factors, yet he said he “never wavered” in his commitment to providing care to those in need.

It wasn’t until this year that he started questioning his role in Nebraska.

“The prospect of leaving my wife a widow and my children orphans did not for a moment sway me from practicing medicine here in Nebraska,” Dworak said. “It took Senator Kauth to do that.”

Dworak disagrees with Kauth’s assessment that there is a “lack” of evidence-based support for the care as he’s sent studies to Tesmer. Dworak also uses guidance in helping the patients he cares for from the Fenway Medical Center in Boston or through literature and research from The Journal of Pediatrics, American Medical Association and Endocrine Society.

<a target="_blank" href="https://transhealthproject.org/resources/medical-organization-statements/">Thirty national and international medical associations endorse gender-affirming care</a>.

“If you’re cherry-picking then there isn’t, but if you’re looking at the actual work being done by and with the trans community, there’s a lot,” Dworak said.

State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair brought the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/08/state-lawmakers-to-try-again-to-limit-abortion-rights-pairing-it-with-a-bill-involving-gender-care/">final amendment</a>&nbsp;to LB 574, which went a step farther: restricting abortion at 12-weeks gestational age.&nbsp;

Hansen, chair of the Health and Human Services Committee and who helped in the “listening sessions,” said it was not his intention to have a full ban Oct. 1. Instead, his efforts put a final decision in the hands of a medical professional, a concern among opponents.&nbsp;

Hansen’s amendment shored up support for at least one lawmaker: State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston. Riepe effectively doomed a more restrictive abortion measure this spring but worked on LB 574 in private for the 12-week ban. He’s said abortion was a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/23/nebraska-lawmakers-respond-to-arkansas-court-decision-striking-gender-care-law/">greater concern to him</a>.&nbsp;

Riepe said it’s difficult to have the gender restrictions take effect without guidance.

“I have all the due respect for the medical director from DHHS because that was a hard task and to put that together,” Riepe said. “But it would be nice before something goes into law that you in fact know what the rules of engagement are.”

There’s some talk of a possible committee hearing for Tesmer to provide an update, Hansen said, but they “haven’t gotten that far yet.”

Kauth said she has yet to meet Tesmer and the Legislature is not involved in the rule process. She said youths experiencing gender dysphoria should seek counseling, understand the causes of their concerns and deal with underlying mental health issues or challenges with puberty.

“Understand that what you feel like today may very well change,” Kauth said in a text. “Making permanent changes to your body before your brain can fully understand the ramifications could very well make your mental health worse.”

In May, the Examiner asked Pillen what his guidance would be to Tesmer, and Pillen said he’s known Tesmer a long time and Tesmer has practiced in the state for over 35 years.

“He knows Nebraska,” Pillen said during the LB 574&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/22/nebraska-gov-jim-pillen-signs-abortion-gender-care-restrictions-into-law/">signing ceremony</a>. “He understands that his job is to carry out the law that has been signed in, and that’s what we expect him to do.”

Asked by another reporter whether the law could override family’s wishes, Pillen said the law protects and allows children to make decisions on their own when they are of age.

“We believe in protecting our kids, making sure that they —&nbsp;parents and kids —&nbsp;don’t get duped in the silliness that if you do this, you’re going to become happy,” Pillen said. “That is absolutely Lucifer at its finest.”

LB 574&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraskas-stricter-abortion-ban-and-trans-health-care-limits-law-wont-face-injunction-during-appeal/">continues to be challenged</a>&nbsp;in court on&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/08/12/judge-dismisses-lb-574-lawsuit-says-abortion-and-gender-care-are-health-care/">appeal</a>&nbsp;to the Nebraska Supreme Court on the argument it violates the state’s single subject clause.

essie McGrath, one of Kauth’s constituents in the Millard-area, said gender-affirming care was lifesaving for her as there were days she no longer wanted to live. The care allowed her to give up antidepressants and provided an opportunity to be comfortable.

McGrath described much of the pushback on trans people as rooted in religious belief and bigotry and that biological mutations show there are more than two genders.

“To bury your head in the sand and pretend that trans people don’t exist, that we don’t have medical issues, that we don’t have issues that can be addressed, is just short-sighted,” McGrath said. “In many cases, I think it’s just bigotry. It’s something that they don’t understand, they don’t want to understand it, and so it’s just easier to attack it than it is to understand it.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1696004123135.jpeg" alt=" Nebraska lawmakers watch the final vote to advance and send LB 574 to Gov. Jim PIllen’s desk for approval on Friday, May 19, 2023, in Lincoln, Neb. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption> Nebraska lawmakers watch the final vote to advance and send LB 574 to Gov. Jim PIllen’s desk for approval on Friday, May 19, 2023, in Lincoln, Neb. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Zach Wendling<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/09/29/nebraska-gender-care-restrictions-take-effect-sunday-with-little-guidance-no-regulations/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — Restrictions on health care for transgender minors in Nebraska are set to take effect Sunday, but they’ll come with little guidance and without a timeline for future rules and regulations.The state’s&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/10/final-say-on-nebraska-gender-care-legislation-would-be-delegated-to-executive-appointee-and-dhhs/">chief medical officer</a>, Dr. Timothy Tesmer, has been charged with drafting rules and regulations around puberty blockers and cross-sex hormone therapies for people before age 19. This “Let Them Grow Act” included in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=49961">Legislative Bill 574</a>, proposed by State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, takes effect Sunday, Oct. 1.As of Friday morning, it’s unclear when permanent or temporary regulations could come.Genital or non-genital transition surgeries will be prohibited for minors&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/19/nebraska-passes-stricter-abortion-ban-limits-on-gender-affirming-care/">as of that date</a>. Non-surgical treatments beyond blockers and hormones, including therapy, are not prohibited.New patients cannot receive puberty blockers or hormones until new rules are in place; minors who started the treatments can continue only their specific care.Currently, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services is utilizing internal medical, psychological and behavioral health specialists to craft the regulations. Their identity will be kept confidential “to ensure that the process is not impeded,” a DHHS spokesperson said.While the permanent rules and regulations will take more time, Tesmer is allowed to issue&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=84-901.04">emergency regulations</a>&nbsp;over the interim subject to Gov. Jim Pillen’s approval.<h2>‘I know people are hurting’</h2>Tesmer, an ear, nose and throat doctor, said May 25 at his&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/25/nebraska-legislative-committee-advances-contentious-nomination-for-chief-medical-officer/">confirmation hearing</a>&nbsp;that the final rules will not rest “on the shoulders of the chief medical officer” but on a team of multidisciplinary health care providers. He said the rules would be evidence-based, reasonable and time-efficient but as thorough as necessary.“I know the nature of this issue,” Tesmer testified. “I get it. I know people are hurting. We want to do the right thing within the guidelines of the law that’s now been enacted.”&nbsp;Tesmer committed at his hearing to update the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee on the ongoing LB 574 regulations process. State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, who led a near-session-long filibuster against LB 574,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Request_for_update_on_LB574.docx.pdf" target="_blank">wrote to Tesmer</a>&nbsp;requesting such an update and an explanation of the work being done to carry out the law.“As families prepare for these sweeping changes in their children’s health care, what can they expect to come into effect this Sunday?” the letter reads.The request seeks information on the involvement of medical experts in this field of care, a timeline for the production of the work, any possible draft language and an explanation of how recommendations and standards of care from national medical organizations are being incorporated.The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://sos.nebraska.gov/regulations/overview-regulation-process#:~:text=Commonly%20referred%20to%20as%20%22rules,the%20hearing%20and%20adoption%20process.">regulations process</a>&nbsp;requires a public hearing and final approval by Attorney General Mike Hilgers and Pillen. At least 30 days must lapse between proposed rules and a hearing, which is expected by year’s end. All public comments will be reviewed.“The Department will attempt to minimize any time between when the law takes effect on October 1 and the enactment of emergency regulations,” a DHHS&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://dhhs.ne.gov/Documents/CMO-LetThemGrow-FAQ.pdf#search=%22let%20them%20grow%22">memo</a>&nbsp;on LB 574 reads.A spokesperson for DHHS reiterated the attempts to minimize such a delay but could not offer a more specific timeline or specify what materials Tesmer is reviewing.A spokeswoman for Pillen said the governor trusts Tesmer will draft the required LB 574 regulations “in the interest of public health and welfare.”“The Governor will thoroughly review any emergency regulations presented to him,” she said in an email.<h2>‘There’s a blueprint out there’</h2>State Sen. John Fredrickson of Omaha, a mental health practitioner and one of two openly LGBTQ state lawmakers, said the fact DHHS has had four months to prepare regulations with little communication shows the law is partisan and political.“It’s really unfortunate because Nebraskans and Nebraska families have been in anguish in this waiting process, and they are suffering as a result of this,” Fredrickson told the Examiner.This spring, Fredrickson and State Sens. John Cavanaugh of Omaha and Lynne Walz of Fremont were three opponents working with Kauth and other senators to draft an amendment to LB 574. While initially described as “negotiations,” Kauth said the meetings were “listening sessions.”Fredrickson, John Cavanaugh and Walz drafted an&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/18/nebraska-lawmaker-introduces-less-restrictive-amendment-on-abortion-gender-care-proposal/">alternative proposal</a>&nbsp;that would have offered specific guidelines. Instead, the Legislature delegated the authority to the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-lawmakers-approve-dr-timothy-tesmer-as-state-chief-medical-officer/">chief medical officer</a>&nbsp;through a different amendment.“We tried to address each and every single one of those concerns in a very specific and enumerated way, and I haven’t heard a peep from Tesmer or anyone about those efforts,” Fredrickson said. “There’s a blueprint out there.”Tesmer told Walz at his confirmation hearing he would be willing to look at the alternate proposal but has to “apply that to the boundaries of the context of the law.” The DHHS spokesperson declined to state whether those guidelines have been consulted.In March, while chair of the State Board of Health, Tesmer joined a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/04/20/eyebrows-raised-over-nebraska-board-of-healths-advocacy-for-bill-banning-gender-affirming-care/">letter in support of LB 574</a>&nbsp;that at the time included a full ban on surgeries, blockers and hormones.<h2>Central standard of care</h2>State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward told the Examiner in May that she would contact Tesmer regarding the draft proposal from Walz, John Cavanaugh and Fredrickson. However, she said Wednesday, she has not yet done so.Asked whether she would consider contacting Tesmer, Hughes said yes, she would. She described the proposal as “fairly reasonable” and a possible starting point for Tesmer.Hughes said what put her “over the edge” in support of LB 574 was Planned Parenthood’s process around blockers or hormones. The organization utilizes an informed consent model, and Hughes said it was possible youths could receive treatments without needed mental health counseling.It’s not that every practitioner is violating best practices, Hughes added, but LB 574 is for every provider to follow those standards of care.&nbsp;“I would argue there are people out there doing it the correct way,” Hughes said. “But we’ve got to stop the ones that are not doing it the correct way because we’ve got to protect the kids.”<h2>Evidence for treatments</h2>There is uncertainty as to what comes next, and a “chilling effect” has taken hold, according to Dr. Alex Dworak of OneWorld Community Health Centers. He said he knows of five trans adults who have already left Nebraska and knows of more families looking to leave for care.Dworak said he’s been consulting patients and working to figure out at what stage of care they’re ready for. He’ll operate within the bounds of the law, he added, and he’s been open with patients about his uncertainty in the months ahead.During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dworak said, he saw people die despite having no risk factors, yet he said he “never wavered” in his commitment to providing care to those in need.It wasn’t until this year that he started questioning his role in Nebraska.“The prospect of leaving my wife a widow and my children orphans did not for a moment sway me from practicing medicine here in Nebraska,” Dworak said. “It took Senator Kauth to do that.”Dworak disagrees with Kauth’s assessment that there is a “lack” of evidence-based support for the care as he’s sent studies to Tesmer. Dworak also uses guidance in helping the patients he cares for from the Fenway Medical Center in Boston or through literature and research from The Journal of Pediatrics, American Medical Association and Endocrine Society.<a target="_blank" href="https://transhealthproject.org/resources/medical-organization-statements/">Thirty national and international medical associations endorse gender-affirming care</a>.“If you’re cherry-picking then there isn’t, but if you’re looking at the actual work being done by and with the trans community, there’s a lot,” Dworak said.<h2>‘Would be nice’ to have guidance</h2>State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair brought the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/08/state-lawmakers-to-try-again-to-limit-abortion-rights-pairing-it-with-a-bill-involving-gender-care/">final amendment</a>&nbsp;to LB 574, which went a step farther: restricting abortion at 12-weeks gestational age.&nbsp;Hansen, chair of the Health and Human Services Committee and who helped in the “listening sessions,” said it was not his intention to have a full ban Oct. 1. Instead, his efforts put a final decision in the hands of a medical professional, a concern among opponents.&nbsp;Hansen’s amendment shored up support for at least one lawmaker: State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston. Riepe effectively doomed a more restrictive abortion measure this spring but worked on LB 574 in private for the 12-week ban. He’s said abortion was a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/23/nebraska-lawmakers-respond-to-arkansas-court-decision-striking-gender-care-law/">greater concern to him</a>.&nbsp;Riepe said it’s difficult to have the gender restrictions take effect without guidance.“I have all the due respect for the medical director from DHHS because that was a hard task and to put that together,” Riepe said. “But it would be nice before something goes into law that you in fact know what the rules of engagement are.”There’s some talk of a possible committee hearing for Tesmer to provide an update, Hansen said, but they “haven’t gotten that far yet.”Kauth said she has yet to meet Tesmer and the Legislature is not involved in the rule process. She said youths experiencing gender dysphoria should seek counseling, understand the causes of their concerns and deal with underlying mental health issues or challenges with puberty.“Understand that what you feel like today may very well change,” Kauth said in a text. “Making permanent changes to your body before your brain can fully understand the ramifications could very well make your mental health worse.”<h2>Tesmer and Pillen know one another</h2>In May, the Examiner asked Pillen what his guidance would be to Tesmer, and Pillen said he’s known Tesmer a long time and Tesmer has practiced in the state for over 35 years.“He knows Nebraska,” Pillen said during the LB 574&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/22/nebraska-gov-jim-pillen-signs-abortion-gender-care-restrictions-into-law/">signing ceremony</a>. “He understands that his job is to carry out the law that has been signed in, and that’s what we expect him to do.”Asked by another reporter whether the law could override family’s wishes, Pillen said the law protects and allows children to make decisions on their own when they are of age.“We believe in protecting our kids, making sure that they —&nbsp;parents and kids —&nbsp;don’t get duped in the silliness that if you do this, you’re going to become happy,” Pillen said. “That is absolutely Lucifer at its finest.”LB 574&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraskas-stricter-abortion-ban-and-trans-health-care-limits-law-wont-face-injunction-during-appeal/">continues to be challenged</a>&nbsp;in court on&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/08/12/judge-dismisses-lb-574-lawsuit-says-abortion-and-gender-care-are-health-care/">appeal</a>&nbsp;to the Nebraska Supreme Court on the argument it violates the state’s single subject clause.<h2>Care was ‘lifesaving’</h2>essie McGrath, one of Kauth’s constituents in the Millard-area, said gender-affirming care was lifesaving for her as there were days she no longer wanted to live. The care allowed her to give up antidepressants and provided an opportunity to be comfortable.McGrath described much of the pushback on trans people as rooted in religious belief and bigotry and that biological mutations show there are more than two genders.“To bury your head in the sand and pretend that trans people don’t exist, that we don’t have medical issues, that we don’t have issues that can be addressed, is just short-sighted,” McGrath said. “In many cases, I think it’s just bigotry. It’s something that they don’t understand, they don’t want to understand it, and so it’s just easier to attack it than it is to understand it.”

Nebraska gender care restrictions take effect Sunday with little guidance, no regulations

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kevin-mccarthy">Kevin McCarthy's</a>&nbsp;last-ditch plan to keep the federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-congress-biden-trump-mccarthy-f1b06964cf549b09977677e5f70bf9ff">government temporarily open</a>&nbsp;collapsed in dramatic fashion Friday as a robust faction of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-votes-mccarthy-gop-caucus-gaetz-585c82607c00c2cfc45768faff6e1cda">hard-right holdouts</a>&nbsp;rejected the package, making a shutdown almost certain.

McCarthy’s right-flank Republicans refused to support the bill despite its steep spending cuts of nearly 30% to many agencies and severe border security provisions, calling it insufficient.

The White House and Democrats rejected the Republican approach as too extreme. The vote was 198-232, with 21 hard-right Republicans voting to sink the package. The Democrats voted against it.

The bill’s complete failure a day before Saturday’s deadline to fund the government leaves few options to prevent a shutdown that will furlough federal workers, keep the military working without pay and disrupt programs and services for millions of Americans.

A clearly agitated McCarthy left the House chamber. “It’s not the end yet; I've got other ideas,” he told reporters.

The outcome puts McCarthy’s speakership in serious jeopardy with almost no political leverage to lead the House at a critical moment that has pushed the government into crisis. Even the failed plan, an extraordinary concession to immediately slash spending by one-third for many agencies, was not enough to satisfy the hard right flank that has upturned his speakership.

Republican leaders planned to convene behind closed doors late Friday to assess next steps.

The federal government is heading straight into a shutdown after midnight Saturday that would leave 2 million military troops without pay, furlough federal workers and disrupt government services and programs that Americans rely on from coast to coast. Congress has been unable to fund the agencies or pass a temporary bill to keep offices open.

The Senate was pushing ahead Friday with its own plan favored by Republicans and Democrats to keep the government open while also bolstering Ukraine aid and U.S. disaster accounts. But that won't matter with the House in political chaos.

The White House has brushed aside McCarthy's overtures to meet with President Joe Biden after the speaker walked away from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-debt-ceiling-budget-signing-f78a000d83cf85ffbaa2d08637844053#:~:text=Washington%20News-,Biden%20signs%20debt%20ceiling%20bill%20that%20pulls,from%20brink%20of%20unprecedented%20default&amp;text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20With%20just,on%20the%20federal%20government's%20debt.">debt deal</a>&nbsp;they brokered earlier this year that set budget levels.

“Extreme House Republicans are now tripling down on their demands to eviscerate programs millions of hardworking families count on,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Jean-Pierre said, “The path forward to fund the government has been laid out by the Senate with bipartisan support — House Republicans just need to take it.”

His package would not have cut the Defense, Veterans or Homeland Security departments but would have slashed almost all other agencies by up to 30% — steep hits to a vast array of programs, services and departments Americans routinely depend on.

It also added strict new border security provisions that would kickstart building the wall at the southern border with Mexico, among other measures. Additionally, the package would have set up a bipartisan debt commission to address the nation's mounting debt load.

Ahead of voting, the Republican speaker all but dared his hold-out colleagues to oppose the package a day before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-snap-benefits-loans-travel-97b3a3b30624704da6eb204837a9135c">Saturday’s almost certain shutdown</a>. The House bill would have kept operations open through Oct. 31.

“Every member will have to go on record where they stand,” McCarthy said.

Asked if he had the votes, McCarthy quipped, “We’ll see.”

But as soon as the floor debate began, McCarthy’s chief Republican critic, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, announced he would be voting against the package, urging his colleagues to “not surrender.”

The hard right, led by Gaetz, has been threatening McCarthy’s ouster, with a looming vote to try to remove him from the speaker’s office unless he meets the conservative demands. Still, it’s unclear if any other Republican would have support from the House majority to lead the party.

Gaetz said afterward that speaker's bill “went down in flames as I’ve told you all week it would.”

He and others rejecting the temporary measure want the House to instead keep pushing through the 12 individual spending bills needed to fund the government, typically a weeks-long process, as they pursue their conservative priorities.

Some of the Republican holdouts including Gaetz are allies of Donald Trump, who is Biden's chief rival in 2024. The former president has been encouraging the Republicans to fight hard for their priorities and even to “shut it down.”

The margin of defeat shocked even Republican members.

Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., said, “I think what this does, if anything, I think it’s going to rally people around the speaker and go, ‘hey the dysfunction here is not coming from leadership in this case. The dysfunction is coming from individuals that don’t understand the implications of what we’re doing here.’”

Garcia said, “For the people that claim this isn’t good enough, I want to hear what good enough looks like.”

Another Republican Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, a member of the Freedom Caucus who supported the package, suggested the House was losing its leverage with the failed vote: "We control the purse strings. We just ceded them to the Senate."

Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, criticized the proposed Republican cuts as hurting law enforcement, education and taking food out of the mouths of millions. She said 275,000 children would lose access to Head Start and make it harder for parents to work.

“This is a pointless charade with grave consequences for the American people,” DeLauro said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1696017766851.png" alt="A clearly agitated McCarthy left the House chamber. “It’s not the end yet; I've got other ideas,” he told reporters.-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>A clearly agitated McCarthy left the House chamber. “It’s not the end yet; I've got other ideas,” he told reporters.-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kevin-mccarthy">Kevin McCarthy's</a>&nbsp;last-ditch plan to keep the federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-congress-biden-trump-mccarthy-f1b06964cf549b09977677e5f70bf9ff">government temporarily open</a>&nbsp;collapsed in dramatic fashion Friday as a robust faction of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-votes-mccarthy-gop-caucus-gaetz-585c82607c00c2cfc45768faff6e1cda">hard-right holdouts</a>&nbsp;rejected the package, making a shutdown almost certain.McCarthy’s right-flank Republicans refused to support the bill despite its steep spending cuts of nearly 30% to many agencies and severe border security provisions, calling it insufficient.The White House and Democrats rejected the Republican approach as too extreme. The vote was 198-232, with 21 hard-right Republicans voting to sink the package. The Democrats voted against it.The bill’s complete failure a day before Saturday’s deadline to fund the government leaves few options to prevent a shutdown that will furlough federal workers, keep the military working without pay and disrupt programs and services for millions of Americans.A clearly agitated McCarthy left the House chamber. “It’s not the end yet; I've got other ideas,” he told reporters.The outcome puts McCarthy’s speakership in serious jeopardy with almost no political leverage to lead the House at a critical moment that has pushed the government into crisis. Even the failed plan, an extraordinary concession to immediately slash spending by one-third for many agencies, was not enough to satisfy the hard right flank that has upturned his speakership.Republican leaders planned to convene behind closed doors late Friday to assess next steps.The federal government is heading straight into a shutdown after midnight Saturday that would leave 2 million military troops without pay, furlough federal workers and disrupt government services and programs that Americans rely on from coast to coast. Congress has been unable to fund the agencies or pass a temporary bill to keep offices open.The Senate was pushing ahead Friday with its own plan favored by Republicans and Democrats to keep the government open while also bolstering Ukraine aid and U.S. disaster accounts. But that won't matter with the House in political chaos.The White House has brushed aside McCarthy's overtures to meet with President Joe Biden after the speaker walked away from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-debt-ceiling-budget-signing-f78a000d83cf85ffbaa2d08637844053#:~:text=Washington%20News-,Biden%20signs%20debt%20ceiling%20bill%20that%20pulls,from%20brink%20of%20unprecedented%20default&amp;text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20With%20just,on%20the%20federal%20government's%20debt.">debt deal</a>&nbsp;they brokered earlier this year that set budget levels.“Extreme House Republicans are now tripling down on their demands to eviscerate programs millions of hardworking families count on,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.Jean-Pierre said, “The path forward to fund the government has been laid out by the Senate with bipartisan support — House Republicans just need to take it.”Catering to his hard-right flank, McCarthy had returned to the spending limits the conservatives demanded back in January as part of the deal-making to help him&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-house-of-representatives-kevin-mccarthy-us-republican-party-0938c7358f41c83759246f8949ac7c15">become the House speaker</a>.His package would not have cut the Defense, Veterans or Homeland Security departments but would have slashed almost all other agencies by up to 30% — steep hits to a vast array of programs, services and departments Americans routinely depend on.It also added strict new border security provisions that would kickstart building the wall at the southern border with Mexico, among other measures. Additionally, the package would have set up a bipartisan debt commission to address the nation's mounting debt load.Ahead of voting, the Republican speaker all but dared his hold-out colleagues to oppose the package a day before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-snap-benefits-loans-travel-97b3a3b30624704da6eb204837a9135c">Saturday’s almost certain shutdown</a>. The House bill would have kept operations open through Oct. 31.“Every member will have to go on record where they stand,” McCarthy said.Asked if he had the votes, McCarthy quipped, “We’ll see.”But as soon as the floor debate began, McCarthy’s chief Republican critic, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, announced he would be voting against the package, urging his colleagues to “not surrender.”The hard right, led by Gaetz, has been threatening McCarthy’s ouster, with a looming vote to try to remove him from the speaker’s office unless he meets the conservative demands. Still, it’s unclear if any other Republican would have support from the House majority to lead the party.Gaetz said afterward that speaker's bill “went down in flames as I’ve told you all week it would.”He and others rejecting the temporary measure want the House to instead keep pushing through the 12 individual spending bills needed to fund the government, typically a weeks-long process, as they pursue their conservative priorities.Some of the Republican holdouts including Gaetz are allies of Donald Trump, who is Biden's chief rival in 2024. The former president has been encouraging the Republicans to fight hard for their priorities and even to “shut it down.”The margin of defeat shocked even Republican members.Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., said, “I think what this does, if anything, I think it’s going to rally people around the speaker and go, ‘hey the dysfunction here is not coming from leadership in this case. The dysfunction is coming from individuals that don’t understand the implications of what we’re doing here.’”Garcia said, “For the people that claim this isn’t good enough, I want to hear what good enough looks like.”Another Republican Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, a member of the Freedom Caucus who supported the package, suggested the House was losing its leverage with the failed vote: "We control the purse strings. We just ceded them to the Senate."Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, criticized the proposed Republican cuts as hurting law enforcement, education and taking food out of the mouths of millions. She said 275,000 children would lose access to Head Start and make it harder for parents to work.“This is a pointless charade with grave consequences for the American people,” DeLauro said.

Last-ditch plan to keep the government open collapses, shutdown almost certain

DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union says its two-week strike against Detroit automakers will spread to 7,000 more workers at a Ford plant in Chicago and a General Motors assembly factory near Lansing, Michigan.

Union President Shawn Fain told workers on a video appearance Friday that negotiations haven’t broken down but Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress. Jeep maker Stellantis was spared from the third round of strikes.

The GM plant in Delta Township, near Lansing, makes large crossover SUVs such as the Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave. A nearby metal parts stamping plant will remain open, Fain said.

The Chicago Ford plant makes the Ford Explorer and Explorer Police Interceptors, as well as the Lincoln Aviator SUV. The Explorer interceptor is the nation's top selling police vehicle.

“Sadly, despite our willingness to bargain, Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress at the table,” Fain said in explaining the two new strike locations.

Fain said union bargainers are still talking to all three companies. “I’m still very hopeful that we can reach a deal that reflects the incredible sacrifices and contributions that our members have made over the last decade,” he said.

Stellantis, he said, made significant progress "moments” before the Facebook Live broadcast by agreeing to unspecified cost-of-living pay raises, the right not to cross a picket line and the right to strike over plant closures.

"We are excited about this momentum at Stellantis and hope it continues,” Fain said. “Our strategy is working.”

But General Motors was less optimistic, with manufacturing head Gerald Johnson accusing the union of calling more strikes "just for the headlines, not real progress."

In a note to workers, Johnson said the company has not yet received a counter offer from union leaders to an economic proposal it made on Sept. 21.

“We continue to stand ready and willing to negotiate in good faith to reach an agreement that benefits you and doesn’t let the non-union manufacturers win,” Johnson wrote, calling the counter offer a record proposal with historic wage increases and job security.

Ford scheduled a 1 p.m. briefing by CEO Jim Farley for industry analysts and reporters to discuss the talks.

Automakers have long said that they're willing to give raises to workers, but fear that too rich of a contract will drive up the prices of their vehicles, making them higher than those made at nonunion U.S. plants run by foreign automakers, largely in the south. The union counters that labor costs are only 4% to 5% of the cost of a vehicle, and the companies are making billions in profits and can afford big raises.

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote in a note to investors that the union's expansion of strikes shows that both sides are digging in for what could be a could be a long battle.

Current offers on the table from the companies will add $3,000 to $5,000 to the cost of an average electric vehicle that would be passed on to consumers , costs that would be passed on to consumers, Ives wrote. Such costs “would ultimately be a torpedo to the future business models” of the automakers, he wrote.

The UAW has vowed to hit automakers harder if it does not receive what it calls substantially improved contract offers as part of an unprecedented, simultaneous labor campaign against all three Detroit automakers.

Additional walkouts were to begin at noon Friday.

The automakers' last known wage offers were around 20% over the life of a four-year contract, a little more than half of what the union has demanded. Other contract improvements, such as cost of living increases, restoration of defined benefit pensions for newly hired workers and an end to tiers of wages within the union are also on the table.

The union went on strike Sept. 15 when it couldn’t reach agreements on new contracts with the companies. Contracts expired at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 14.

The UAW initially targeted one assembly plant from each company. Last week it added 38 parts distribution centers run by GM and Stellantis. Ford was spared the second escalation because talks with the union were progressing at that time.

The union has structured its walkouts in a way that has allowed the companies to keep making pickup trucks and large SUVs, their top-selling and most profitable vehicles. Previously it shut down assembly plants in Missouri, Ohio and Michigan that make midsize pickup trucks, commercial vans and midsize SUVs, all of which are profitable but don’t make as much money as the larger vehicles.

But the new strikes against GM and Ford target SUVs that are big moneymakers for both companies.

In the past the union had picked one company as a potential strike target and reached a contract agreement with that company that would serve as a pattern for the others.

But this year Fain introduced a novel strategy of targeting a limited number of facilities at all three automakers, while threatening to add more if the companies do not come up with better offers.

About 25,000, or about 17%, of the union’s 146,000 workers at the three automakers are on strike, allowing it to preserve a strike fund that was worth $825 million before Sept. 14.

DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union says its two-week strike against Detroit automakers will spread to 7,000 more workers at a Ford plant in Chicago and a General Motors assembly factory near Lansing, Michigan.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">UAW President Shawn Fain Livestream Update 9/29/23 <a href="https://t.co/6TtSoViarO">https://t.co/6TtSoViarO</a>&mdash; UAW (@UAW) <a href="https://twitter.com/UAW/status/1707759748462809109?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Union President Shawn Fain told workers on a video appearance Friday that negotiations haven’t broken down but Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress. Jeep maker Stellantis was spared from the third round of strikes.The GM plant in Delta Township, near Lansing, makes large crossover SUVs such as the Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave. A nearby metal parts stamping plant will remain open, Fain said.The Chicago Ford plant makes the Ford Explorer and Explorer Police Interceptors, as well as the Lincoln Aviator SUV. The Explorer interceptor is the nation's top selling police vehicle.“Sadly, despite our willingness to bargain, Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress at the table,” Fain said in explaining the two new strike locations.Fain said union bargainers are still talking to all three companies. “I’m still very hopeful that we can reach a deal that reflects the incredible sacrifices and contributions that our members have made over the last decade,” he said.Stellantis, he said, made significant progress "moments” before the Facebook Live broadcast by agreeing to unspecified cost-of-living pay raises, the right not to cross a picket line and the right to strike over plant closures."We are excited about this momentum at Stellantis and hope it continues,” Fain said. “Our strategy is working.”But General Motors was less optimistic, with manufacturing head Gerald Johnson accusing the union of calling more strikes "just for the headlines, not real progress."In a note to workers, Johnson said the company has not yet received a counter offer from union leaders to an economic proposal it made on Sept. 21.“We continue to stand ready and willing to negotiate in good faith to reach an agreement that benefits you and doesn’t let the non-union manufacturers win,” Johnson wrote, calling the counter offer a record proposal with historic wage increases and job security.Ford scheduled a 1 p.m. briefing by CEO Jim Farley for industry analysts and reporters to discuss the talks.Automakers have long said that they're willing to give raises to workers, but fear that too rich of a contract will drive up the prices of their vehicles, making them higher than those made at nonunion U.S. plants run by foreign automakers, largely in the south. The union counters that labor costs are only 4% to 5% of the cost of a vehicle, and the companies are making billions in profits and can afford big raises.Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote in a note to investors that the union's expansion of strikes shows that both sides are digging in for what could be a could be a long battle.Current offers on the table from the companies will add $3,000 to $5,000 to the cost of an average electric vehicle that would be passed on to consumers , costs that would be passed on to consumers, Ives wrote. Such costs “would ultimately be a torpedo to the future business models” of the automakers, he wrote.The UAW has vowed to hit automakers harder if it does not receive what it calls substantially improved contract offers as part of an unprecedented, simultaneous labor campaign against all three Detroit automakers.Additional walkouts were to begin at noon Friday.The automakers' last known wage offers were around 20% over the life of a four-year contract, a little more than half of what the union has demanded. Other contract improvements, such as cost of living increases, restoration of defined benefit pensions for newly hired workers and an end to tiers of wages within the union are also on the table.The union went on strike Sept. 15 when it couldn’t reach agreements on new contracts with the companies. Contracts expired at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 14.The UAW initially targeted one assembly plant from each company. Last week it added 38 parts distribution centers run by GM and Stellantis. Ford was spared the second escalation because talks with the union were progressing at that time.The union has structured its walkouts in a way that has allowed the companies to keep making pickup trucks and large SUVs, their top-selling and most profitable vehicles. Previously it shut down assembly plants in Missouri, Ohio and Michigan that make midsize pickup trucks, commercial vans and midsize SUVs, all of which are profitable but don’t make as much money as the larger vehicles.But the new strikes against GM and Ford target SUVs that are big moneymakers for both companies.In the past the union had picked one company as a potential strike target and reached a contract agreement with that company that would serve as a pattern for the others.But this year Fain introduced a novel strategy of targeting a limited number of facilities at all three automakers, while threatening to add more if the companies do not come up with better offers.About 25,000, or about 17%, of the union’s 146,000 workers at the three automakers are on strike, allowing it to preserve a strike fund that was worth $825 million before Sept. 14.

🎥 UAW expands strike against Big 3 automakers

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, a centrist Democrat who was elected to the Senate in 1992 in the “Year of the Woman” and broke gender barriers throughout her long career in local and national politics, has died. She was 90.

Three people familiar with the situation confirmed her death to The Associated Press on Friday.

Feinstein, the oldest sitting U.S. senator, was a passionate advocate for liberal priorities important to her state -- including environmental protection, reproductive rights and gun control -- but was also known as a pragmatic lawmaker who reached out to Republicans and sought middle ground.

She was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1969 and became its first female president in 1978, the same year Mayor George Moscone was gunned down alongside Supervisor Harvey Milk at City Hall by Dan White, a disgruntled former supervisor. Feinstein found Milk’s body.

After Moscone’s death, Feinstein became San Francisco's first female mayor. In the Senate, she was one of California’s first two female senators, the first woman to head the Senate Intelligence Committee and the first woman to serve as the Judiciary committee’s top Democrat.

Although Feinstein was not always embraced by the feminist movement, her experiences colored her outlook through her five decades in politics.

"I recognize that women have had to fight for everything they have gotten, every right," she told The Associated Press in 2005, as the Judiciary Committee prepared to hold hearings on President George W. Bush's nomination of John Roberts to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court.

"So I must tell you, I try to look out for women's rights. I also try to solve problems as I perceive them, with legislation, and reaching out where I can, and working across the aisle," she said.

Her tendency for bipartisanship helped her notch legislative wins throughout her career. But it also proved to be a liability in her later years in Congress, as her state became more liberal and as the Senate and the electorate became increasingly polarized.

A fierce debater who did not suffer fools, the California senator was long known for her verbal zingers and sharp comebacks when challenged on the issues about which she was most fervent. But she lost that edge in her later years in the Senate, as her health visibly declined and she often became confused when answering questions or speaking publicly. In February 2023, she said she would not run for a sixth term the next year. And within weeks of that announcement, she was absent for the Senate for more than two months as she recovered from a bout of shingles.

Amid the concerns about her health, Feinstein stepped down as the top Democrat on the Judiciary panel after the 2020 elections, just as her party was about to take the majority. In 2023, she said she would not serve as the Senate president pro tempore, or the most senior member of the majority party, even though she was in line to do so. The president pro tempore opens the Senate every day and holds other ceremonial duties.

One of Feinstein’s most significant legislative accomplishments was early in her career, when the Senate approved her amendment to ban manufacturing and sales of certain types of assault weapons as part of a crime bill that President Bill Clinton signed into law in 1994. Though the assault weapons ban expired 10 years later and was never renewed or replaced, it was a poignant win after her career had been significantly shaped by gun violence.

Feinstein remembered finding Milk’s body, her finger slipping into a bullet hole as she felt for a pulse. It was a story she would retell often in the years ahead as she pushed for stricter gun control measures.

She had little patience for Republicans and others who opposed her on that issue, though she was often challenged. In 1993, during debate on the assault weapons ban, Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, accused her of having an insufficient knowledge of guns and the gun control issue.

Feinstein spoke fiercely of the violence she’d lived through in San Francisco and retorted: ''Senator, I know something about what firearms can do.”

Two decades later, after 20 children and six educators were killed in a horrific school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, first-term Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas similarly challenged Feinstein during debate on legislation that would have permanently banned the weapons.

"I'm not a sixth grader,” Feinstein snapped back at the much younger Cruz -- a moment that later went viral. She added: "It's fine you want to lecture me on the Constitution. I appreciate it. Just know I've been here a long time."

Feinstein became mayor of San Francisco after the 1978 slayings of Moscone and Milk, leading the city during one of the most turbulent periods in its history. Even her critics credited Feinstein with a calming influence, and she won reelection on her own to two four-year terms.

With her success and growing recognition statewide came visibility on the national political stage.

In 1984, Feinstein was viewed as a vice presidential possibility for Walter Mondale but faced questions about the business dealings of her husband, Richard Blum. In 1990, she used news footage of her announcement of the assassinations of Moscone and Milk in a television ad that helped her win the Democratic nomination for California governor, making her the first female major-party gubernatorial nominee in the state's history.

Although she narrowly lost the general election to Republican Pete Wilson, the stage was set for her election to the Senate two years later to fill the Senate seat Wilson had vacated to run for governor.

Feinstein campaigned jointly with Barbara Boxer, who was running for the state's other U.S. Senate seat, and both won, benefiting from positive news coverage and excitement over their historic race. California had never had a female U.S. senator, and female candidates and voters had been galvanized by the Supreme Court hearings in which the all-male Senate Judiciary Committee questioned Anita Hill about her sexual harassment allegations against nominee Clarence Thomas.

Feinstein was appointed to the Judiciary panel and eventually the Senate Intelligence Committee, becoming the chairperson in 2009. She was the first woman to lead the intelligence panel, a high-profile perch that gave her a central oversight role over U.S. intelligence controversies, setbacks and triumphs, from the killing of Osama bin Laden to leaks about National Security Agency surveillance.

Under Feinstein’s leadership, the intelligence committee conducted a wide-ranging, five-year investigation into CIA interrogation techniques during President George W. Bush’s administration, including waterboarding of terrorism suspects at secret overseas prisons. The resulting 6,300-page “torture report” concluded among other things that waterboarding and other "enhanced interrogation techniques" did not provide key evidence in the hunt for bin Laden. A 525-page executive summary was released in late 2014, but the rest of the report has remained classified.

The Senate investigation was full of intrigue at the time, including documents that mysteriously disappeared and accusations traded between the Senate and the CIA that the other was stealing information. The drama was captured in a 2019 movie about the investigation called “The Report,” and actor Annette Bening was nominated for a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Feinstein.

In the years since, Feinstein has continued to push aggressively for eventual declassification of the report.

"It's my very strong belief that one day this report should be declassified," Feinstein said. "This must be a lesson learned: that torture doesn't work."

Feinstein sometimes frustrated liberals by adopting moderate or hawkish positions that put her at odds with the left wing of the Democratic Party, as well as with the more liberal Boxer, who retired from the Senate in 2017. Feinstein defended the Obama administration’s expansive collection of Americans' phone and email records as necessary for protecting the country, for example, even as other Democratic senators voiced protests. “It’s called protecting America,” Feinstein said then.

That tension escalated during Donald Trump’s presidency, when many Democrats had little appetite for compromise. Feinstein become the top Democrat on the Judiciary panel in 2016 and led her party’s messaging through three Supreme Court nominations -- a role that angered liberal advocacy groups that wanted to see a more aggressive partisan in charge.

Feinstein closed out confirmation hearings for Justice Amy Coney Barrett with an embrace of Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and a public thanks to him for a job well done. “This has been one of the best set of hearings that I’ve participated in,” Feinstein said at the end of the hearing.

Liberal advocacy groups that had fiercely opposed Barrett's nomination to replace the late liberal icon Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg were furious and called for her to step down from the committee leadership.

A month later, Feinstein announced she would remain on the committee but step down as the top Democrat. The senator, then 87 years old, did not say why. In a statement, she said she would “continue to do my utmost to bring about positive change in the coming years.”

Feinstein was born on June 22, 1933. Her father, Leon Goldman, was a prominent surgeon and medical school professor in San Francisco, but her mother was an abusive woman with a violent temper that was often directed at Feinstein and her two younger sisters.

Feinstein graduated from Stanford University in 1955, with a bachelor’s degree in history. She married young and was a divorced single mother of her daughter, Katherine, in 1960, at a time when such a status was still unusual.

In 1961, Feinstein was appointed by then-Gov. Pat Brown to the women's parole board, on which she served before running for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Typical of the era, much of the early coverage of her entrance into public life focused on her appearance, and she was invariably described as stunning, tall, slender and raven-haired.

Feinstein's second husband, Bert Feinstein, was 19 years older than she, but she described the marriage as "a 10" and kept his name even after his death from cancer in 1978. In 1980, she married investment banker Richard Blum, and thanks to his wealth, she was one of the richest members of the Senate. He died in February 2022.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681478968321.png" alt="A fierce debater who did not suffer fools, the California senator was long known for her verbal zingers and sharp comebacks when challenged on the issues about which she was most fervent- photo CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>A fierce debater who did not suffer fools, the California senator was long known for her verbal zingers and sharp comebacks when challenged on the issues about which she was most fervent- photo CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, a centrist Democrat who was elected to the Senate in 1992 in the “Year of the Woman” and broke gender barriers throughout her long career in local and national politics, has died. She was 90.Three people familiar with the situation confirmed her death to The Associated Press on Friday.Feinstein, the oldest sitting U.S. senator, was a passionate advocate for liberal priorities important to her state -- including environmental protection, reproductive rights and gun control -- but was also known as a pragmatic lawmaker who reached out to Republicans and sought middle ground.She was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1969 and became its first female president in 1978, the same year Mayor George Moscone was gunned down alongside Supervisor Harvey Milk at City Hall by Dan White, a disgruntled former supervisor. Feinstein found Milk’s body.After Moscone’s death, Feinstein became San Francisco's first female mayor. In the Senate, she was one of California’s first two female senators, the first woman to head the Senate Intelligence Committee and the first woman to serve as the Judiciary committee’s top Democrat.Although Feinstein was not always embraced by the feminist movement, her experiences colored her outlook through her five decades in politics."I recognize that women have had to fight for everything they have gotten, every right," she told The Associated Press in 2005, as the Judiciary Committee prepared to hold hearings on President George W. Bush's nomination of John Roberts to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court."So I must tell you, I try to look out for women's rights. I also try to solve problems as I perceive them, with legislation, and reaching out where I can, and working across the aisle," she said.Her tendency for bipartisanship helped her notch legislative wins throughout her career. But it also proved to be a liability in her later years in Congress, as her state became more liberal and as the Senate and the electorate became increasingly polarized.A fierce debater who did not suffer fools, the California senator was long known for her verbal zingers and sharp comebacks when challenged on the issues about which she was most fervent. But she lost that edge in her later years in the Senate, as her health visibly declined and she often became confused when answering questions or speaking publicly. In February 2023, she said she would not run for a sixth term the next year. And within weeks of that announcement, she was absent for the Senate for more than two months as she recovered from a bout of shingles.Amid the concerns about her health, Feinstein stepped down as the top Democrat on the Judiciary panel after the 2020 elections, just as her party was about to take the majority. In 2023, she said she would not serve as the Senate president pro tempore, or the most senior member of the majority party, even though she was in line to do so. The president pro tempore opens the Senate every day and holds other ceremonial duties.One of Feinstein’s most significant legislative accomplishments was early in her career, when the Senate approved her amendment to ban manufacturing and sales of certain types of assault weapons as part of a crime bill that President Bill Clinton signed into law in 1994. Though the assault weapons ban expired 10 years later and was never renewed or replaced, it was a poignant win after her career had been significantly shaped by gun violence.Feinstein remembered finding Milk’s body, her finger slipping into a bullet hole as she felt for a pulse. It was a story she would retell often in the years ahead as she pushed for stricter gun control measures.She had little patience for Republicans and others who opposed her on that issue, though she was often challenged. In 1993, during debate on the assault weapons ban, Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, accused her of having an insufficient knowledge of guns and the gun control issue.Feinstein spoke fiercely of the violence she’d lived through in San Francisco and retorted: ''Senator, I know something about what firearms can do.”Two decades later, after 20 children and six educators were killed in a horrific school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, first-term Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas similarly challenged Feinstein during debate on legislation that would have permanently banned the weapons."I'm not a sixth grader,” Feinstein snapped back at the much younger Cruz -- a moment that later went viral. She added: "It's fine you want to lecture me on the Constitution. I appreciate it. Just know I've been here a long time."Feinstein became mayor of San Francisco after the 1978 slayings of Moscone and Milk, leading the city during one of the most turbulent periods in its history. Even her critics credited Feinstein with a calming influence, and she won reelection on her own to two four-year terms.With her success and growing recognition statewide came visibility on the national political stage.In 1984, Feinstein was viewed as a vice presidential possibility for Walter Mondale but faced questions about the business dealings of her husband, Richard Blum. In 1990, she used news footage of her announcement of the assassinations of Moscone and Milk in a television ad that helped her win the Democratic nomination for California governor, making her the first female major-party gubernatorial nominee in the state's history.Although she narrowly lost the general election to Republican Pete Wilson, the stage was set for her election to the Senate two years later to fill the Senate seat Wilson had vacated to run for governor.Feinstein campaigned jointly with Barbara Boxer, who was running for the state's other U.S. Senate seat, and both won, benefiting from positive news coverage and excitement over their historic race. California had never had a female U.S. senator, and female candidates and voters had been galvanized by the Supreme Court hearings in which the all-male Senate Judiciary Committee questioned Anita Hill about her sexual harassment allegations against nominee Clarence Thomas.Feinstein was appointed to the Judiciary panel and eventually the Senate Intelligence Committee, becoming the chairperson in 2009. She was the first woman to lead the intelligence panel, a high-profile perch that gave her a central oversight role over U.S. intelligence controversies, setbacks and triumphs, from the killing of Osama bin Laden to leaks about National Security Agency surveillance.Under Feinstein’s leadership, the intelligence committee conducted a wide-ranging, five-year investigation into CIA interrogation techniques during President George W. Bush’s administration, including waterboarding of terrorism suspects at secret overseas prisons. The resulting 6,300-page “torture report” concluded among other things that waterboarding and other "enhanced interrogation techniques" did not provide key evidence in the hunt for bin Laden. A 525-page executive summary was released in late 2014, but the rest of the report has remained classified.The Senate investigation was full of intrigue at the time, including documents that mysteriously disappeared and accusations traded between the Senate and the CIA that the other was stealing information. The drama was captured in a 2019 movie about the investigation called “The Report,” and actor Annette Bening was nominated for a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Feinstein.In the years since, Feinstein has continued to push aggressively for eventual declassification of the report."It's my very strong belief that one day this report should be declassified," Feinstein said. "This must be a lesson learned: that torture doesn't work."Feinstein sometimes frustrated liberals by adopting moderate or hawkish positions that put her at odds with the left wing of the Democratic Party, as well as with the more liberal Boxer, who retired from the Senate in 2017. Feinstein defended the Obama administration’s expansive collection of Americans' phone and email records as necessary for protecting the country, for example, even as other Democratic senators voiced protests. “It’s called protecting America,” Feinstein said then.That tension escalated during Donald Trump’s presidency, when many Democrats had little appetite for compromise. Feinstein become the top Democrat on the Judiciary panel in 2016 and led her party’s messaging through three Supreme Court nominations -- a role that angered liberal advocacy groups that wanted to see a more aggressive partisan in charge.Feinstein closed out confirmation hearings for Justice Amy Coney Barrett with an embrace of Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and a public thanks to him for a job well done. “This has been one of the best set of hearings that I’ve participated in,” Feinstein said at the end of the hearing.Liberal advocacy groups that had fiercely opposed Barrett's nomination to replace the late liberal icon Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg were furious and called for her to step down from the committee leadership.A month later, Feinstein announced she would remain on the committee but step down as the top Democrat. The senator, then 87 years old, did not say why. In a statement, she said she would “continue to do my utmost to bring about positive change in the coming years.”Feinstein was born on June 22, 1933. Her father, Leon Goldman, was a prominent surgeon and medical school professor in San Francisco, but her mother was an abusive woman with a violent temper that was often directed at Feinstein and her two younger sisters.Feinstein graduated from Stanford University in 1955, with a bachelor’s degree in history. She married young and was a divorced single mother of her daughter, Katherine, in 1960, at a time when such a status was still unusual.In 1961, Feinstein was appointed by then-Gov. Pat Brown to the women's parole board, on which she served before running for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Typical of the era, much of the early coverage of her entrance into public life focused on her appearance, and she was invariably described as stunning, tall, slender and raven-haired.Feinstein's second husband, Bert Feinstein, was 19 years older than she, but she described the marriage as "a 10" and kept his name even after his death from cancer in 1978. In 1980, she married investment banker Richard Blum, and thanks to his wealth, she was one of the richest members of the Senate. He died in February 2022.

Dianne Feinstein dies at 90; longest-serving woman in U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government is just hours<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-mccarthy-biden-trump-18ef8a03363d31742c5b4c5ecb23506f">&nbsp;away from a shutdown</a>&nbsp;that will disrupt many services, squeeze workers and roil politics as Republicans in the House, fueled by hard-right demands, force a confrontation over federal spending.

While some government entities will be exempt — Social Security checks, for example, will still go out — other functions will be severely curtailed. Federal agencies will stop all actions deemed non-essential, and millions of federal employees, including members of the military, won't receive paychecks.

A look at what's ahead if&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shutdown-mccarthy-congress-house-republicans-biden-249d83636e9d61cdd2aabdf34a129514">the government shuts down</a>&nbsp;on Sunday.

A shutdown happens when Congress fails to pass some type of funding legislation that is signed into law by the president. Lawmakers are supposed to pass 12 different spending bills to fund agencies across the government, but the process is time-consuming. They often resort to passing a temporary extension, called a continuing resolution or CR, to allow the government to keep operating.

When no funding legislation is enacted, federal agencies have to stop all nonessential work and will not send paychecks as long as the shutdown lasts.

Although employees deemed essential to public safety such as air traffic controllers and law enforcement officers still have to report to work, other federal employees are furloughed. Under a 2019 law, those same workers are slated to receive backpay once the funding impasse is resolved.

WHEN WOULD A SHUTDOWN BEGIN AND HOW LONG WILL IT LAST?

Government funding expires Oct. 1, the start of the federal budget year. A shutdown will effectively begin at 12:01 a.m. Sunday if Congress is unable to pass a funding plan that the president signs into law.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695951910798.png" alt="FILE - A sign reading "Because of the Federal Government SHUTDOWN All National Parks are Closed" is posted on a barricade in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Oct. 1, 2013. The federal government is heading toward a shutdown at month's end that will disrupt many services, squeeze workers and roil politics. It comes as Republicans in the House, fueled by hard-right demands for deep cuts, force a confrontation over federal spending. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - A sign reading "Because of the Federal Government SHUTDOWN All National Parks are Closed" is posted on a barricade in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Oct. 1, 2013. The federal government is heading toward a shutdown at month's end that will disrupt many services, squeeze workers and roil politics. It comes as Republicans in the House, fueled by hard-right demands for deep cuts, force a confrontation over federal spending. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government is just hours<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-mccarthy-biden-trump-18ef8a03363d31742c5b4c5ecb23506f">&nbsp;away from a shutdown</a>&nbsp;that will disrupt many services, squeeze workers and roil politics as Republicans in the House, fueled by hard-right demands, force a confrontation over federal spending.While some government entities will be exempt — Social Security checks, for example, will still go out — other functions will be severely curtailed. Federal agencies will stop all actions deemed non-essential, and millions of federal employees, including members of the military, won't receive paychecks.A look at what's ahead if&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shutdown-mccarthy-congress-house-republicans-biden-249d83636e9d61cdd2aabdf34a129514">the government shuts down</a>&nbsp;on Sunday.WHAT IS A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN?A shutdown happens when Congress fails to pass some type of funding legislation that is signed into law by the president. Lawmakers are supposed to pass 12 different spending bills to fund agencies across the government, but the process is time-consuming. They often resort to passing a temporary extension, called a continuing resolution or CR, to allow the government to keep operating.When no funding legislation is enacted, federal agencies have to stop all nonessential work and will not send paychecks as long as the shutdown lasts.Although employees deemed essential to public safety such as air traffic controllers and law enforcement officers still have to report to work, other federal employees are furloughed. Under a 2019 law, those same workers are slated to receive backpay once the funding impasse is resolved.WHEN WOULD A SHUTDOWN BEGIN AND HOW LONG WILL IT LAST?Government funding expires Oct. 1, the start of the federal budget year. A shutdown will effectively begin at 12:01 a.m. Sunday if Congress is unable to pass a funding plan that the president signs into law.It is impossible to predict how long a shutdown would last. The Democratic-held Senate and Republican-controlled House are working on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shutdown-mccarthy-biden-trump-republicans-e4c37673b6507deaed2902f2166ef759">vastly different plans</a>&nbsp;to avert a shutdown, and House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kevin-mccarthy">Kevin McCarthy</a>&nbsp;is struggling to win&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-mccarthy-biden-trump-18ef8a03363d31742c5b4c5ecb23506f">any support from hard-right</a>&nbsp;conservatives to keep the government open.Many are bracing for a stoppage that could last weeks.WHO DOES A SHUTDOWN AFFECT?Millions of federal workers face delayed paychecks when the government shuts down, including many of the roughly 2 million military personnel and more than 2 million civilian workers across the nation.Nearly 60% of federal workers are stationed in the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security.While all of the military's active-duty troops and reservists would continue to work, more than half of the Department of Defense's civilian workforce, which is roughly 440,000 people, would be furloughed.Across federal agencies, workers are stationed in all 50 states and have direct interaction with taxpayers — from Transportation Security Administration agents who operate security at airports to Postal Service workers who deliver mail.U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has said new training for air traffic controllers will be halted and another 1,000 controllers in the midst of training will be furloughed. Even a shutdown that lasts a few days will mean the department won't hit its hiring and staffing targets for next year, he said.“Imagine the pressure that a controller is already under every time they take their position at work, and then imagine the added stress of coming to that job from a household with a family that can no longer count on that paycheck," Buttigieg said.Beyond federal workers, a shutdown could have far-reaching effects on government services. People applying for government services like clinical trials, firearm permits and passports could see delays.Some federal offices will also have to close or face shortened hours during a shutdown.Businesses closely connected to the federal government, such as federal contractors or tourist services around national parks, could see disruptions and downturns. The travel sector could lose $140 million daily in a shutdown, according to the U.S. Travel Industry Association.Lawmakers also warn that a shutdown could rattle financial markets. Goldman Sachs has estimated that a shutdown would reduce economic growth by 0.2% every week it lasted, but growth would then bounce back after the government reopens.Others say the disruption in government services has far-reaching impacts because it shakes confidence in the government to fulfill its basic duties. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce warned, “A well-functioning economy requires a functioning government.”WHAT ABOUT COURT CASES, THE WORK OF CONGRESS AND PRESIDENTIAL PAY?The president and members of Congress will continue to work and get paid. However, any members of their staff who are not deemed essential will be furloughed.The Supreme Court, which begins its new term Monday, would be unaffected by a short shutdown because it can draw on a pot of money provided by court fees, including charges for filing lawsuits and other documents, court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe said.The rest of the federal judiciary also would operate normally for at least the first two weeks of October, said Peter Kaplan, a spokesman for the judiciary.Even in a longer shutdown, the entire judiciary would not shut down, and decisions about what activities would continue would be made by each court around the country. The justices and all federal judges would continue to be paid because of the constitutional prohibition on reducing judges’ pay during their tenure, according to the Congressional Research Service.Notably, funding for the three special counsels appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland would not be affected by a government shutdown because they are paid for through a permanent, indefinite appropriation, an area that’s been exempted from shutdowns in the past.That means the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">two federal cases</a>&nbsp;against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>, the former president, as well as the case against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hunter-biden">Hunter Biden</a>, the son of President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>, would not be interrupted. Trump has demanded that Republicans defund the prosecutions against him as a condition of funding the government, declaring it their “last chance” to act.HAS THIS HAPPENED BEFORE?Prior to the 1980s, lapses in government funding did not result in government operations significantly shuttering. But then-U.S. Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti, in a series of legal opinions in 1980 and 1981, argued that government agencies cannot legally operate during a funding gap.Federal officials have since operated under an understanding they can make exemptions for functions that are “essential” for public safety and constitutional duties.Since 1976, there have been 22 funding gaps, with 10 of them leading to workers being furloughed. But most of the significant shutdowns have taken place since Bill Clinton's presidency, when then-Speaker Newt Gingrich and his conservative House majority demanded budget cuts.The longest government shutdown happened between 2018 and 2019 when then-President Trump and congressional Democrats entered a standoff over his demand for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2f4affc2b2ed426e823fd62102696670">funding for a border wall</a>. The disruption lasted 35 days, through the holiday season, but was also only a partial government shutdown because Congress had passed some appropriations bills to fund parts of the government.WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO END A SHUTDOWN?It's the responsibility of Congress to fund the government. The House and Senate have to agree to fund the government in some way, and the president has to sign the legislation into law.The two sides are deeply entrenched and nowhere near reaching a deal to avert a shutdown.But if the shutdown lasts for weeks, pressure will build to end the impasse, particularly if active-duty military members miss pay dates on Oct. 13 or Nov. 1. If the wider public starts seeing disruptions in air travel or border security as workers go unpaid, it will further goad Congress to act.Congress often relies on a so-called continuing resolution, or CR, to provide stopgap money to open government offices at current levels as budget talks are underway. Money for pressing national priorities, such as emergency assistance for victims of natural disasters, is often attached to a short-term bill.But hardline Republicans say any temporary bill is a non-starter for them. They are pushing to keep the government shut down until Congress negotiates all 12 bills that fund the government, which is historically a laborious undertaking that isn't resolved until December, at the earliest.Trump, who is Biden's top rival heading into the 2024 election, is urging on the Republican hardliners.If they are successful, the shutdown could last weeks, perhaps even longer.