Six minutes of news from around the nation.

House passes funding bill ahead of Friday shutdown deadline in win for Republicans; High moral stakes of proposed cuts to federal programs; AR food tax could be going away; Nursing homes close as Montanans age.

Transcript

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, March the 12th, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Speaker Mike Johnson Tuesday succeeded in a high-stakes House vote to pass President Trump's plan to fund the government into the fall, overcoming far-right opposition as the GOP scrambles to avert a government shutdown Friday at midnight.

That from CNN.

They report the 217-213 vote to approve the GOP stopgap bill saw just one Republican defection, Representative Thomas Massey of Kentucky, and now amplifies pressure on Senate Democrats to decide whether to back the measure or trigger a spending shutdown with Trump and risk a potential shutdown.

Meantime, a new report commissioned by faith leaders outlines the high moral stakes at play as the Trump administration pushes to cut federal programs to pay for extending tax cuts that were passed back in 2017.

Co-author Karen Dolan with the Institute for Policy Studies says the budget resolution recently passed by the U.S.

House would eviscerate Medicaid, the single largest source of health coverage in the U.S., by cutting $880 billion.

And the proposal could result in a loss of coverage for 36 million people.

In Colorado alone, there's over a million enrollees in Medicaid.

Republicans have long argued that tax cuts boost the economy and allow people to keep more of the money they earn.

They also say their budget resolution does not include the word "Medicaid" a single time.

But according to a nonpartisan watchdog group, it would be virtually impossible for the Energy and Commerce Committee to meet its $880 billion target without cutting Medicaid.

I'm Eric Galatas.

And organizations that work to fight food insecurity across Arkansas support two bills before state lawmakers.

The Grocery Tax Relief Act would repeal the state grocery tax, and the Good Neighbor Act expands protections for food donors and food banks.

Brian Burton with the Arkansas Food Bank says several recent bills passed by lawmakers have helped Arkansans who can't afford food.

Expanding school lunch programs and raising the asset limit on SNAP benefits.

And in the current session, they passed the universal preschool breakfast bill.

Arkansas is one of only 10 states in the country that has a grocery tax.

It generates approximately $10 million a year.

I'm Freda Ross reporting.

Next from CNN, President Trump backed down from an extraordinary trade war escalation Tuesday that had threatened a massive surge in tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum and new tariffs on Canadian electricity.

In turn, Ontario paused surcharges to electricity to U.S. customers.

This is Public News Service.

Next to Montana, where the governor's proposed budget includes custom funding for senior long-term care.

Within the last three years, 11 of Montana's nursing homes closed in a single 12-month period.

That adds pressure to those providers left, like Big Sky Senior Services and Billings, which provides payee services for over 100 people and offers in-home care for seniors on a sliding fee scale.

Executive Director Tyler Amundson says keeping seniors in their homes as long as possible is the goal, but there's usually a point where outside care becomes necessary.

And then they're in crisis because we don't have enough places to send them, or the places that are available to send them aren't getting funded well.

And so the quality of care is going down.

Amundson adds that reimbursement rates are not keeping up with the rise of inflation.

Governor Greg Gianforte has proposed $50 million in cuts over the next biennium to senior and long-term care services via the Department of Public Health and Human Services.

That's nearly 6 percent.

I'm Kathleen Shannon.

Next to North Dakota, where the Senate's turned to ramp up debate on property tax reform, a key issue of the session.

Several bills to establish property tax relief have already cleared the North Dakota House.

Yesterday, a Senate committee took up certain proposals.

All the measures have different language, but a consistent provision calls for an annual 3 percent cap on property tax hikes sought by local governments.

Peril Grossman with the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association told lawmakers he hopes the final package will include agricultural properties.

Some of these landowners might certainly have significant land, and others just might be facing huge debt because of their machinery, livestock costs.

Advocates also acknowledge the need for balance so that small and large communities aren't hamstrung in maintaining key infrastructure.

Some rural municipal leaders worry about proposed caps limiting their ability to raise enough revenue, harming vital services.

I'm Mike Moen.

Finally, Indiana lawmakers paused action this week on a bill which aims to prevent crashes caused by dangerously overgrown rural intersections.

The bill originated after 17-year-old Riley Sedergren died in a 2017 collision at a Hancock County intersection.

His father, Jay Sedergren, testified Monday before lawmakers, urging stronger rules to prevent similar tragedies.

Just days before his senior year, Riley was taken from us by a piece of farm machinery that could not see at an intersection because it was obstructed by corn.

They had to move out further into the road.

The truck Riley was a passenger in was struck.

Riley was killed instantly.

The current proposal would mandate property owners or renters near rural intersections clear all vegetation or obstacles above three feet, ensuring drivers can see approaching traffic.

I'm Joe Ulari, Public News Service.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service, member and listener supported.

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