Red states are embracing all the evil policies of Trump
As state legislatures wind down their sessions, one thing is clear: for Republicans, it’s Trumpism all the way. Attacking trans people? Check. Stripping health care from the most vulnerable? Check. Cutting everything just to pay for tax cuts that benefit the rich? Check. Gleefully refusing to feed poor kids? Check.
Iowa continues its slide from being the third state to legalize same-sex marriage back in 2009 to … whatever this is now. On July 1, Iowa’s SF 418, which GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds had signed in February, went into effect. It’s basically just the transphobic President Donald Trump executive order codified into law. SF 418 removed protections based on gender identity because rolling back civil rights is all the rage for Republicans right now. The law also “defines” male and female based on what reproductive organs are present at birth. Apparently no one told Iowa Republicans about people who are intersex.
With the law change, transgender Iowans are no longer protected from discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations, and education. Transgender women are not allowed in women’s bathrooms, shelters, or prisons. Reynolds spouted the usual anti-trans language about how codifying genital inspections into law is “necessary to secure genuine equal protection for women and girls.”
Over in Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine just signed a budget that slashes Medicaid spending and kicks 800,000 residents off of health care. But hey, at least it gives $600 million to the Cleveland Browns for a new stadium. It’s all about priorities.
The budget also tees up Ohio’s move to a 2.75% flat tax by 2026, but made sure that the richest people in the state got a tax cut ASAP by lowering the top tax rate right away. Republicans love pretending a flat tax is fair when really having everyone pay the same percentage of their income is regressive and hurts middle- and low-income families the most, which is pretty much the goal here.
Missouri Republicans took a different approach, basically DOGE-ing their state budget. When GOP Gov. Mike Kehoe signed the budget, he vetoed over 200 line items, bragging that he did so “to rein in unsustainable spending.” Examples of unsustainable spending: community child care, jobs programs, science programs for grades 6-12, community college, public libraries, and urgent care for veterans. You get the picture.
These cuts are necessary, according to Kehoe, so that there is funding for “smart policies advancing our shared vision of a safer, stronger and more prosperous Missouri.” What does that look like? Eliminating the tax on capital gains, which Kehoe says will reduce state revenues by $400 million annually. That certainly doesn’t sound like a more prosperous Missouri, but it definitely will make the already prosperous even more so. The richest 5% of residents will get about 80% of the tax cut, so that’s nice for them. Not so nice for everyone else in Missouri who might like libraries or health care or jobs.
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And finally, Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott hates children so much that he vetoed a line item that would have provided the state with $450 million in federal funds for feeding low-income kids during the summer. Yes, that’s Abbott saying that the state won’t even take free federal money to participate in Summer EBT, which gives lower-income families $120 per child during summer months to provide meals when children aren’t in school.
Abbott’s logic? There’s too much uncertainty about budgeting and funding at the federal level. Well, sure, but that money was already budgeted by Congress and doesn’t appear to have been DOGE-ed out of existence. It’s more likely that Abbott doesn’t want the state to have to spend the $60 million over the next two years to cover half the administrative costs as required by the law.
Most people would see spending $60 million to get $450 million as a terrific deal, but those people are not Abbott. So now roughly 3.8 million kids in Texas won’t get those summer meals. But at least when they return to school in the fall, they’ll be forced to see the Ten Commandments posted in every classroom. Too bad those mandatory 16 x 20 posters aren’t edible.
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