Friday, October 9: With no chance of passage Republican lawmakers propose cancelling data center tax break, voters blame tariffs for lack of affordability, urban and rural hospitals both face closings, FEMA confirms federal tornado aid, union doubles down on labor charges against healthcare provider, Obama endorses Crowley
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The tax code should not be used to effectuate crony capitalism,”
– Republican lawmakers, in a co-sponsorship memo on their proposal to repeal the data center sales tax exemption that Republicans put in the 2023-25 budget
Attendees at a Feb. 12 protest called for a pause on data center construction in Wisconsin. (Photo by Henry Redman/Wisconsin Examiner)
Months after the end of the legislative session and weeks before the midterm election, a group of Republican lawmakers have proposed legislation that would repeal the sales tax exemption for data center projects that Republicans included in the 2023-25 biennial budget. Henry Redman reports on what Democrats call a “stunt” and how it fits into the broader debate around regulating the projects ahead of the elections and next year’s legisative session.
A growing number of voters are taking their anger about affordability to the polls this midterm election and blaming President Donald Trump’s tariffs as a culprit for rising expenses, public opinion surveys have found. Ashley Murray reports from our Washington bureau.
Urban and rural hospitals are closing at similar rates, and those urban hospitals are more likely to serve low income populations with fewer transportation options, a study in the journal JAMA found. Stateline reporter Nada Hassanein reports on the findings, which come as healthcare systems across the country brace for the impact of the Trump administration’s cuts to Medicaid spending.
Baylor Spears reports that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has confirmed it is sending $17.9 million in aid to Wisconsinites in Forest, Outagamie, Vilas and Winnebago counties for tornado damage in July.
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More from Washington:
ICYMI
Obama, who was elected the first Black president in 2008, said in the video that he hasn’t known many leaders like Crowley. (Screenshot via Crowley campaign YouTube)
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