Johnson: ‘States are not properly administering’ SNAP payments

Johnson: 'States are not properly administering' SNAP payments

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) defended the House GOP's proposed changes to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on Sunday, arguing that states will better administer food stamp benefits if they have to shoulder more of the costs. "The states are not properly administering this because they don't have enough skin in the game,"Johnson toldCBS's Margaret Brennan in an interview on "Face the Nation." TheOne Big Beautiful Bill Act, which the GOP-controlled Housenarrowly passedearly Thursday morning after an overnight session, calls for the federal share of SNAP costs to drop from the current 100 percent level to 95 percent in 2028. States could be forced to pick up more of the tab after that based on their payment error rates. "We are not cutting SNAP," Johnson said. "We're working in the elements of fraud, waste and abuse." The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees the nation's largest nutrition assistance program,reported last yearthat nearly 11.7 percent of states' payments were miscalculated. Alaska, New Jersey and South Carolina reported the most frequent overpayment error rates in 2023, USDA data shows. According tothe USDA, payment errors are most commonly made through unintentional mistakes by the state agency or the recipient household. But areview last year fromthe independent Government Accountability Office found that those improper payments cost about $10.5 billion in 2023. "That's a number that everyone acknowledges is real, and it may be much higher than that," Johnson said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.

byDan Dunne

in

May 25, 2025

Johnson: ‘States are not properly administering’ SNAP payments

Johnson: 'States are not properly administering' SNAP payments House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) defended the House GOP's propo...

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Trump extends trade deal deadline for EU after ‘good call’ with commission leader

Trump extends trade deal deadline for EU after 'good call' with commission leader

President Trump on Sunday agreed to extend a deadline for the European Union to avoid punishing 50 percent tariffs on their exports to the United States following a phone call from the president of the EU's executive branch. The agreement means the EU and the U.S. will have until July 9 to reach a deal that would prevent the higher tariffs from being imposed. Trump had previously suggested the tariffs could be put in place on June 1. Trump said the talks had been initiated by the EU. "I received a call today from Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, requesting an extension on the June 1st deadline on the 50% Tariff with respect to Trade and the European Union. I agreed to the extension — July 9, 2025 — It was my privilege to do so," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "The Commission President said that talks will begin rapidly. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Von der Leyen had earlier in a post on the social platform X said the talks had been positive. "Good call with @POTUS," von der Leyen wrote. "The EU and US share the world's most consequential and close trade relationship. Europe is ready to advance talks swiftly and decisively. To reach a good deal, we would need the time until July 9," she stated. Trump expressed frustration with Europe's negotiators on Friday in threatening a 50 percent tariff, which would have more than doubled an earlier 20 percent tariff he had discussed imposing on imports from the EU nations. "The European Union, which was formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on TRADE, has been very difficult to deal with," he wrote. "Their powerful Trade Barriers, Vat Taxes, ridiculous Corporate Penalties, Non-Monetary Trade Barriers, Monetary Manipulations, unfair and unjustified lawsuits against Americans Companies, and more, have led to a Trade Deficit with the U.S. of more than $250,000,000 a year, a number which is totally unacceptable." Treasury Department Secretary Scott Bessentlater on Friday saidthe threat was meant to light a fire under the EU. "I believe the president believes that the EU proposals have not been of the same quality that we've seen from our other important trading partners," Bessent said on Fox News's "America's Newsroom." "I'm not going to negotiate on TV, but I would hope that this would light a fire under the EU," he added. The White House has reached precious few trade deals with countries on the "Liberation Day" tariffs. The only announced trade deal so far is one with Great Britain. Trump meanwhile has paused a number of tariffs, which initially had caused stock markets in the U.S. to plummet while triggering fears of a recession. His steps away from a trade war included dramatically lowering tariffs that had been imposed on China's imports. Markets bounced back, seemingly in response to those moves, though theyended with down dayslast week amid fears about new tariffs from Trump and increased U.S. debt. This story was first posted at 4:40 and updated at 6:25 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.

byDan Dunne

in

May 25, 2025

Trump extends trade deal deadline for EU after ‘good call’ with commission leader

Trump extends trade deal deadline for EU after 'good call' with commission leader President Trump on Sunday agreed to extend a deadl...

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US-German citizen charged with trying to bomb embassy building in Israel

US-German citizen charged with trying to bomb embassy building in Israel

A dual U.S. and German citizen was arrested in New York for allegedly attempting to firebomb a branch office of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel, the Department of Justice said. Joseph Neumayer, 28, was arrested by FBI special agents on May 25 at John F. Kennedy International Airport after being deported by Israeli authorities, the Justice Department said in anews release. He was charged with attempting to destroy, by means of fire or explosive, the U.S. Embassy, according to an unsealed criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York. Neumayer made an initial court appearance before a federal judge in New York City and was ordered detained, the Justice Department said. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. "This defendant is charged with planning a devastating attack targeting our embassy in Israel, threatening death to Americans, and President Trump's life," Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. "The Department will not tolerate such violence and will prosecute this defendant to the fullest extent of the law." The arrest came just days after the fatal shooting oftwo Israeli embassy staff membersin Washington, D.C. On the evening of May 21,Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrimwere killed after leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum. The suspect in the shooting,Elias Rodriguez, 31, faces federal and local murder charges along with firearms offenses, authorities said on May 22. U.S. and Israeli officials havecondemned the shooting, with Deputy FBI Director Don Bongino calling it an "act of targeted violence." In response to the incident, Israeli embassies immediately increased security measures,USA TODAY previously reported. 'Free Mahmoud':Columbia students boo university president at graduation over Palestinian activist arrest Neumayer arrived in Israel in April, according to the complaint. He then allegedly traveled to the branch office of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv on May 19 with a backpack containing three rudimentary improvised incendiary devices, known as Molotov cocktails, the complaint states. "Without provocation, Neumeyer spit on an Embassy guard as he walked past," the Justice Department said. "Neumeyer managed to break free as the guard attempted to detain him, leaving behind his backpack." Law enforcement officials in Israel searched the backpack, in which they discovered the Molotov cocktails, and later tracked Neumeyer to his hotel, according to the complaint. He was arrested and Israeli authorities returned him to the U.S. on May 25. A further investigation into Neumayer revealed that earlier in the day on May 19, he posted on social media, saying "join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv. Death to America, death to Americans, and f---k the west," the complaint states. Federal prosecutors added that investigators believe a social media account used by Neumeyer also allegedly showed that he made posts threatening to assassinate PresidentDonald Trump. What we know:Suspect in shooting outside Jewish museum in DC faces local, federal charges The recent incidents come amid growing criticism against Israel after it announced plans to intensify its military campaign against Hamas and to control Gaza, which has been devastated byair and ground operations. More than 53,000 people have been killed and nearly all residents in Gaza have been displaced since the start of the war, according to local health authorities. The war has increased tensions between Israel and much of the international community. Relations were further strained last week when Israeli soldiers fired warning shots near a diplomatic delegation in the occupied West Bank, with Italy and France both summoning Israeli ambassadors to explain what happened, according toReuters. Incidents ofantisemitismandIslamophobiain response to the war have also surged across the United States, putting law enforcement agencies on high alert. Advocacy groups have reported a record number of discrimination and hate incidents. Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahucalled the May 21 shooting "a despicable act of hatred, of antisemitism," saying the incident was connected to the increasingly hostile climate facing Israel over the war in Gaza. Netanyahu himself faces anarrest warrant from the International Criminal Courtover alleged war crimes in Gaza, which Israeli politicians have condemned as part of a wider effort to delegitimize the state of Israel. Contributing: Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Man arrested for attempted bombing attack of the US embassy in Israel

byDan Dunne

in

May 25, 2025

US-German citizen charged with trying to bomb embassy building in Israel

US-German citizen charged with trying to bomb embassy building in Israel A dual U.S. and German citizen was arrested in New York for alleged...

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Trump says he'll delay a threatened 50% tariff on the European Union until July

Trump says he'll delay a threatened 50% tariff on the European Union until July

WASHINGTON (AP) — PresidentDonald Trumpsaid Sunday that the U.S. will delay implementation of a 50%tariffon goods from the European Union from June 1 until July 9 to buy time for negotiations with the bloc. That agreement came after a call Sunday with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, who had told Trump that she "wants to get down to serious negotiations," according to the U.S. president's retelling. "I told anybody that would listen, they have to do that," Trump told reporters on Sunday in Morristown, New Jersey, as he prepared to return to Washington. Von der Leyen, Trump said, vowed to "rapidly get together and see if we can work something out." In a social media post Friday, Trump hadthreatened to imposethe 50% tariff on EU goods, complaining that the 27-member bloc had been "very difficult to deal with" on trade and that negotiations were "going nowhere." Those tariffs would have kicked in starting June 1. But the call with von der Leyen appeared to smooth over tensions, at least for now. "I agreed to the extension — July 9, 2025 — It was my privilege to do so," Trump said on Truth Social shortly after he spoke with reporters on Sunday evening. For her part, von der Leyen said the EU and the U.S. "share the world's most consequential and close trade relationship." "Europe is ready to advance talks swiftly and decisively," she said. "To reach a good deal, we would need the time until July 9."

byDan Dunne

in

May 25, 2025

Trump says he'll delay a threatened 50% tariff on the European Union until July

Trump says he'll delay a threatened 50% tariff on the European Union until July WASHINGTON (AP) — PresidentDonald Trumpsaid Sunday that ...

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Trump blasts Harvard, wants ‘names and countries’ of international students

Trump blasts Harvard, wants 'names and countries' of international students

President Trump on Sunday took new shots at Harvard University, saying he wants to know exactly who the foreign students it enrolls are after the Department of Homeland Security last weeksought to blockthe prestigious school's agility to enroll foreign students. "Why isn't Harvard saying that almost 31% of their students are from FOREIGN LANDS, and yet those countries, some not at all friendly to the United States, pay NOTHING toward their student's education, nor do they ever intend to," Trump wrote. "Nobody told us that! We want to know who those foreign students are, a reasonable request since we give Harvard BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, but Harvard isn't exactly forthcoming. We want those names and countries. Harvard has $52,000,000, use it, and stop asking for the Federal Government to continue GRANTING money to you!" Harvard enrolled about 6,800 international students during the 2024-2025 academic year — about 27 percent of the entire student population, according tothe university's recordsavailable online. Those students and their families pay tuition to Harvard. International students studying in the United States are much more likely to be paying full tuition and arguably subsidize costs for U.S. students. Some observers at the same time have noted that Trump's efforts to cut off foreign students from Harvard, if they are successful, could conceivably allow more U.S. students to attend the school. Trump has been wagingan ongoing waragainst the nation's oldest and richest university, fueled by his allegations of antisemitism and discrimination on campus. Harvard's endowment is more than $52 billion, but the attacks on foreign students and Trump's efforts to cut off federal research grants could hurt the school. A federal judgetemporarily blockedthe move to block foreign students from going to Harvard on Friday after Harvard filed a legal challenge. The universityalso is suingthe Trump administration over billions in federal dollars that were frozen after Harvard refused to end its diversity initiatives. Trump's actions have been widely seen as a threat to higher education more broadly, as schools seek to take steps to escape the president's ire over a host of issues, including pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.

byDan Dunne

in

May 25, 2025

Trump blasts Harvard, wants ‘names and countries’ of international students

Trump blasts Harvard, wants 'names and countries' of international students President Trump on Sunday took new shots at Harvard Univ...

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