Lindsey Graham Archives - Louisiana Budget Project

October 25, 2017

Congress reverses consumer protection law

The U.S. Senate voted late Tuesday to repeal a banking rule that allowed consumers the ability to file class-action lawsuits against banks and credit card companies.

Number of the Day

$7,725 - Amount the average consumer pays in fees to their bank or lender after going through forced arbitration. (Source: Economic Policy Institute)

September 25, 2017

Cassidy’s reckless rush

The U.S. Senate could vote as early as Wednesday on Sen. Bill Cassidy’s bill to overhaul America’s health care safety net. It’s a bill that few understand, but with massive implications for patients, health care providers and state economies.

Number of the Day

79 - Number of congressional hearings in the House of Representatives on the Affordable Care Act before it passed. The Cassidy-Graham “health care” bill gets its first and only hearing in the U.S. Senate today. (Source: Noam Levey, Los Angeles Times)

September 18, 2017

The politics of the fiscal cliff

Louisiana faces a $1.5 billion gap between revenues and expenses in the state fiscal year that starts July 1, mainly due to temporary taxes that are expiring. While some officials are optimistic that a deal can come together on taxes by early next year, others say the philosophical gulf separating Gov. John Bel Edwards from hard-line conservatives in the House is far from bridged.

Number of the Day

$7.3 billion - Amount of federal Medicaid funding Louisiana would lose in 2027 under a health care repeal bill sponsored by Sen. Bill Cassidy (Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)

September 14, 2017

Cassidy bill would cut Louisiana health care funding

Sen. Bill Cassidy’s latest attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act is similar to previous versions rejected by the Senate.

Number of the Day

44 percent - Un- and underemployment rate for black men in New Orleans, down from 52 percent in 2014. (Source: Ben Hecht, Living Cities, via The Advocate)