By ASHLEY MURRAY <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>

WASHINGTON — The holiday weekend debt ceiling deal struck by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy preserves in part new work requirements for some food stamp recipients but now with exceptions for certain populations, including veterans.

The agreement released late Saturday night showed concessions from both sides — from GOP members, who wanted to tighten eligibility for not just food stamps but also low-income health care, and from the Democrats, who called such restrictions a nonstarter.

The Biden administration and the Republican House majority arrived at a compromise, titled the Fiscal Responsibility Act, the day after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://newjerseymonitor.com/2023/05/27/treasury-secretary-pinpoints-june-5-as-earliest-date-for-u-s-debt-default/">warned</a>&nbsp;the U.S. would default if a deal wasn’t brokered by June 5.

Work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and other government benefits were a sticking point during the months of stalemate leading right up to the edge of Treasury exhausting all reserves to pay the nation’s bills.

The House is expected to vote on the deal by late evening Wednesday, after which the bill will head to the Democratic-led Senate.

The Fiscal Responsibility Act proposes additional work requirements, with a sunset date of 2030, for adults without dependents age 18 to 55, unless the recipient has veteran status, is a homeless person or is under 24 and aging out of the foster care system.

The House GOP majority maintains the new rules would “lift Americans out of poverty” and that the “consequential reforms” will “save taxpayer dollars, get Americans back to work, and grow the economy,” according to a document released Saturday by the office of GOP Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota.

The move softens McCarthy’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://tennesseelookout.com/2023/04/26/u-s-house-gop-plan-would-expand-work-requirements-for-food-aid-for-older-adults/">original proposal</a>&nbsp;that raised the work requirements for food assistance beneficiaries without dependents up to age 55 without exceptions for veterans,&nbsp; homeless people or young adults exiting foster care.

As the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/work-requirements">law stands now</a>, all recipients of federal nutrition aid ages 16 to 59 must either be looking for work, enrolled in a SNAP employment training program, or pulling in wages equivalent to 30 hours per week at the federal minimum wage.

Some exceptions exist, for example, for people who already have a job, are physically or mentally unable, or are caring for a child under 6.

Those considered able-bodied adults ages 18 to 49 are subject to additional rules and must work for pay, attend a training program or volunteer 80 hours a month — though some states can waive these requirements depending on unemployment figures and other factors.

Beneficiaries in that age range who don’t meet the current additional work requirements, and cannot secure an exemption, can only receive SNAP benefits, formerly called food stamps, for three months over a three-year period.

The left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://tennesseelookout.com/2023/04/26/u-s-house-gop-plan-would-expand-work-requirements-for-food-aid-for-older-adults/">estimated</a>&nbsp;that raising the age to 55 would have put food assistance in jeopardy for roughly 1 million adults without dependents.

In a statement Sunday, the center’s president, Sharon Parrott, called the new proposal a “significant improvement over the radical House bill.”

But she continued: “It is not the deal the country deserves. There are a number of troubling elements, including the provision that will put at risk food assistance for very low-income older adults. This policy will increase hunger and poverty among that group, runs contrary to our nation’s values, and should be rejected. The nation must pay its bills — but that shouldn’t mean enacting legislation that leaves people who already struggle to afford the basics worse off.”

The most conservative wing of the GOP&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2023/01/07/u-s-house-gop-backs-mccarthy-as-speaker-after-tense-and-chaotic-late-night-session/">demanded</a>&nbsp;McCarthy tie spending cuts to a debt ceiling increase in exchange for their support in securing McCarthy the speaker’s gavel.

The original debt ceiling proposal — the Limit, Save, Grow Act that was narrowly approved by the GOP House majority — included the expanded SNAP work rules along with new work requirements for Medicaid recipients, and for the poorest Americans who rely on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF.

Together those expanded welfare requirements would have cut $100 billion and $120 billion in government spending over the next ten years, according to respective analyses from the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/whats-limit-save-grow-act">Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.moodysanalytics.com/-/media/article/2023/debt-limit-drama.pdf">Moody’s Analytics</a>. But, as both analyses concluded, the Limit, Save, Grow Act’s clawback of new IRS funding, passed in 2022 to modernize tax collection, would have offset that savings by costing the government roughly $100 billion over the next decade.

“Oh, Republicans want to reduce the deficit? I’ve got an easy idea – tax the rich,”&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/RepJayapal/status/1662925238378610689?s=20">tweeted</a>&nbsp;Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Washington congresswoman and head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which is criticizing the White House for agreeing to any new SNAP work requirements.

Some limitations on TANF made it into Saturday’s agreement, but work requirements for Medicaid were dropped.

The Congressional Budget Office, the nonpartisan body that calculates the cost and savings of legislation, has not yet released its score of the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

Shalanda Young, director of the U.S. Office Management and Budget, said Tuesday at the White House press briefing that the administration does not yet have an estimate for how many SNAP recipients will be subject to the new work requirements.

“Some people who have these requirements now will no longer if they’re homeless, if they’re veterans, if they’re foster youth aged out of the system up to 24. So the analysis is being finalized, but we believe those who are off of those requirements because of those exemptions, will be about the same number as those who are phased in on age,” said Young, who was among the negotiators for the new deal.

“And you have to remember this: This entire SNAP change (will) sunset in 2030 to give Congress a chance to see how the new exemptions work and how the new ages work,” she continued. “And (Congress) can opine on a future farm bill if these changes have made a difference in the SNAP program.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP, analyzes the number of beneficiaries and any changes to the program. Nutrition programs make up the majority of the multi-year omnibus legislation referred to as the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF12047#:~:text=The%20farm%20bill%20extends%20authorizations,would%20be%20costly%20if%20restored.">farm bill</a>.

Congress is in the process of negotiating a new farm bill, which reauthorizes spending for food and agriculture programs.

The idea for expanding SNAP work requirements&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2023/03/14/south-dakota-congressman-advocates-expansion-of-work-requirements-for-federal-food-aid/">gained traction in March</a>&nbsp;when Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota, a member of the House Committee on Agriculture, introduced the America Works Act, which proposed adjusting the work rules for recipients up to 65.

Johnson’s office did not respond to an inquiry on whether the congressman would push for the tightened rules under the farm bill.

A congressional aide for the GOP-led House Agriculture Committee said the effort is unlikely. Attempts to re-litigate work requirements for SNAP during the farm bill process would present an unnecessary hurdle in drafting and passing a timely, bipartisan farm bill, the aide said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/10/1571410354379.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By ASHLEY MURRAY <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON — The holiday weekend debt ceiling deal struck by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy preserves in part new work requirements for some food stamp recipients but now with exceptions for certain populations, including veterans.The agreement released late Saturday night showed concessions from both sides — from GOP members, who wanted to tighten eligibility for not just food stamps but also low-income health care, and from the Democrats, who called such restrictions a nonstarter.The Biden administration and the Republican House majority arrived at a compromise, titled the Fiscal Responsibility Act, the day after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://newjerseymonitor.com/2023/05/27/treasury-secretary-pinpoints-june-5-as-earliest-date-for-u-s-debt-default/">warned</a>&nbsp;the U.S. would default if a deal wasn’t brokered by June 5.Work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and other government benefits were a sticking point during the months of stalemate leading right up to the edge of Treasury exhausting all reserves to pay the nation’s bills.The House is expected to vote on the deal by late evening Wednesday, after which the bill will head to the Democratic-led Senate.<h2>New work rules</h2>The Fiscal Responsibility Act proposes additional work requirements, with a sunset date of 2030, for adults without dependents age 18 to 55, unless the recipient has veteran status, is a homeless person or is under 24 and aging out of the foster care system.The House GOP majority maintains the new rules would “lift Americans out of poverty” and that the “consequential reforms” will “save taxpayer dollars, get Americans back to work, and grow the economy,” according to a document released Saturday by the office of GOP Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota.The move softens McCarthy’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://tennesseelookout.com/2023/04/26/u-s-house-gop-plan-would-expand-work-requirements-for-food-aid-for-older-adults/">original proposal</a>&nbsp;that raised the work requirements for food assistance beneficiaries without dependents up to age 55 without exceptions for veterans,&nbsp; homeless people or young adults exiting foster care.As the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/work-requirements">law stands now</a>, all recipients of federal nutrition aid ages 16 to 59 must either be looking for work, enrolled in a SNAP employment training program, or pulling in wages equivalent to 30 hours per week at the federal minimum wage.Some exceptions exist, for example, for people who already have a job, are physically or mentally unable, or are caring for a child under 6.Those considered able-bodied adults ages 18 to 49 are subject to additional rules and must work for pay, attend a training program or volunteer 80 hours a month — though some states can waive these requirements depending on unemployment figures and other factors.Beneficiaries in that age range who don’t meet the current additional work requirements, and cannot secure an exemption, can only receive SNAP benefits, formerly called food stamps, for three months over a three-year period.The left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://tennesseelookout.com/2023/04/26/u-s-house-gop-plan-would-expand-work-requirements-for-food-aid-for-older-adults/">estimated</a>&nbsp;that raising the age to 55 would have put food assistance in jeopardy for roughly 1 million adults without dependents.In a statement Sunday, the center’s president, Sharon Parrott, called the new proposal a “significant improvement over the radical House bill.”But she continued: “It is not the deal the country deserves. There are a number of troubling elements, including the provision that will put at risk food assistance for very low-income older adults. This policy will increase hunger and poverty among that group, runs contrary to our nation’s values, and should be rejected. The nation must pay its bills — but that shouldn’t mean enacting legislation that leaves people who already struggle to afford the basics worse off.”The most conservative wing of the GOP&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2023/01/07/u-s-house-gop-backs-mccarthy-as-speaker-after-tense-and-chaotic-late-night-session/">demanded</a>&nbsp;McCarthy tie spending cuts to a debt ceiling increase in exchange for their support in securing McCarthy the speaker’s gavel.The original debt ceiling proposal — the Limit, Save, Grow Act that was narrowly approved by the GOP House majority — included the expanded SNAP work rules along with new work requirements for Medicaid recipients, and for the poorest Americans who rely on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF.Together those expanded welfare requirements would have cut $100 billion and $120 billion in government spending over the next ten years, according to respective analyses from the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/whats-limit-save-grow-act">Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.moodysanalytics.com/-/media/article/2023/debt-limit-drama.pdf">Moody’s Analytics</a>. But, as both analyses concluded, the Limit, Save, Grow Act’s clawback of new IRS funding, passed in 2022 to modernize tax collection, would have offset that savings by costing the government roughly $100 billion over the next decade.“Oh, Republicans want to reduce the deficit? I’ve got an easy idea – tax the rich,”&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/RepJayapal/status/1662925238378610689?s=20">tweeted</a>&nbsp;Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Washington congresswoman and head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which is criticizing the White House for agreeing to any new SNAP work requirements.Some limitations on TANF made it into Saturday’s agreement, but work requirements for Medicaid were dropped.The Congressional Budget Office, the nonpartisan body that calculates the cost and savings of legislation, has not yet released its score of the Fiscal Responsibility Act.Shalanda Young, director of the U.S. Office Management and Budget, said Tuesday at the White House press briefing that the administration does not yet have an estimate for how many SNAP recipients will be subject to the new work requirements.“Some people who have these requirements now will no longer if they’re homeless, if they’re veterans, if they’re foster youth aged out of the system up to 24. So the analysis is being finalized, but we believe those who are off of those requirements because of those exemptions, will be about the same number as those who are phased in on age,” said Young, who was among the negotiators for the new deal.“And you have to remember this: This entire SNAP change (will) sunset in 2030 to give Congress a chance to see how the new exemptions work and how the new ages work,” she continued. “And (Congress) can opine on a future farm bill if these changes have made a difference in the SNAP program.”<h2>Farm bill</h2>The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP, analyzes the number of beneficiaries and any changes to the program. Nutrition programs make up the majority of the multi-year omnibus legislation referred to as the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF12047#:~:text=The%20farm%20bill%20extends%20authorizations,would%20be%20costly%20if%20restored.">farm bill</a>.Congress is in the process of negotiating a new farm bill, which reauthorizes spending for food and agriculture programs.The idea for expanding SNAP work requirements&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2023/03/14/south-dakota-congressman-advocates-expansion-of-work-requirements-for-federal-food-aid/">gained traction in March</a>&nbsp;when Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota, a member of the House Committee on Agriculture, introduced the America Works Act, which proposed adjusting the work rules for recipients up to 65.Johnson’s office did not respond to an inquiry on whether the congressman would push for the tightened rules under the farm bill.A congressional aide for the GOP-led House Agriculture Committee said the effort is unlikely. Attempts to re-litigate work requirements for SNAP during the farm bill process would present an unnecessary hurdle in drafting and passing a timely, bipartisan farm bill, the aide said.

New work requirements for some SNAP recipients included in debt limit deal

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged aggravated assault.

Just before midnight Saturday, deputies with the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the 8200 block of SW 10th Street for a disturbance involving a firearm, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

A family of four riding their 2023 Polaris Rzr ATV&nbsp; told deputies that an&nbsp;individual in a pickup truck threatened them with a firearm.

Deputies were able to locate the truck and the driver. A search warrant was executed and a firearm matching the description was located.

Deputies then arrested 50-year-old Fabian R. Tinajero of Topeka, and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685464616228.png" alt="Tinajero-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Tinajero-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged aggravated assault.Just before midnight Saturday, deputies with the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the 8200 block of SW 10th Street for a disturbance involving a firearm, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.A family of four riding their 2023 Polaris Rzr ATV&nbsp; told deputies that an&nbsp;individual in a pickup truck threatened them with a firearm.Deputies were able to locate the truck and the driver. A search warrant was executed and a firearm matching the description was located.Deputies then arrested 50-year-old Fabian R. Tinajero of Topeka, and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Sheriff: Kansas man with a gun threatened family on ATV

LYON COUNTY —Detectives investigating alleged inappropriate touching of students by an adult at a middle school dance in Emporia on May 12, are near the completion of their work on the case, according to Police Captain Lisa Hayes.

Over 30 interviews have been conducted and several days were spent reviewing videos from inside the school.

All alleged victims, their parents or guardians were given the opportunity to view the video footage with a detective at the Emporia Police Department.

The investigation has revealed no probable cause to believe any adult(s) intentionally touched any students in an inappropriate manner. Probable cause has been established, however, to believe 4 juveniles made false reports to the Emporia Police Department regarding this incident.&nbsp;

Police intend to propose to the Lyon County Attorney’s Office, the 4 juveniles be formally charged with Falsely Reporting a Crime.

The Emporia Police Department also thanked USD 253 for their cooperation in this investigation. 

LYON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged inappropriate touching by an adult at a middle school dance in Emporia on Friday,&nbsp;according to Police Captain Lisa Hayes.

Police have conducted interviews and are reviewing security video from inside the school, according to Hayes.&nbsp; USD 253 Emporia and the alleged suspect have been cooperative with the investigation.

Police expect to conduct additional interviews and ask those with 'firsthand' information and directly witnessed the incident to contact them at 620-343-4225.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684147771319.png" alt="The Emporia Police Department thanked USD 253 for their cooperation in this investigation.-Google image" />
 <figcaption>The Emporia Police Department thanked USD 253 for their cooperation in this investigation.-Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>LYON COUNTY —Detectives investigating alleged inappropriate touching of students by an adult at a middle school dance in Emporia on May 12, are near the completion of their work on the case, according to Police Captain Lisa Hayes.Over 30 interviews have been conducted and several days were spent reviewing videos from inside the school.All alleged victims, their parents or guardians were given the opportunity to view the video footage with a detective at the Emporia Police Department.The investigation has revealed no probable cause to believe any adult(s) intentionally touched any students in an inappropriate manner. Probable cause has been established, however, to believe 4 juveniles made false reports to the Emporia Police Department regarding this incident.&nbsp;Police intend to propose to the Lyon County Attorney’s Office, the 4 juveniles be formally charged with Falsely Reporting a Crime.The Emporia Police Department also thanked USD 253 for their cooperation in this investigation. ----------LYON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged inappropriate touching by an adult at a middle school dance in Emporia on Friday,&nbsp;according to Police Captain Lisa Hayes.Police have conducted interviews and are reviewing security video from inside the school, according to Hayes.&nbsp; USD 253 Emporia and the alleged suspect have been cooperative with the investigation.Police expect to conduct additional interviews and ask those with 'firsthand' information and directly witnessed the incident to contact them at 620-343-4225.&nbsp;

Students accused of false reports of incident at Kan. school dance

By JENNIFER SHUTT AND&nbsp;ARIANA FIGUEROA&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>

WASHINGTON — Congress began moving the bipartisan debt limit package forward Tuesday, though frustrations with provisions in the bill could make for narrow passage in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.

<a href="https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20230529/BILLS-118hrPIH-fiscalresponsibility.pdf">Click here to read&nbsp;</a>the bill

Conservative Republicans and progressive Democrats both aired their disappointment with the agreement&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-mccarthy-say-they-have-brokered-debt-limit-deal-avert-us-default">forged over the weekend</a>, but only GOP lawmakers are looking to possibly remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker because of the deal.

U.S. House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry said Tuesday that conservative Republicans will do whatever they can to block the legislation, arguing the agreement “totally fails to deliver” on conservative priorities.

Perry, a Pennsylvania Republican, declined to directly answer questions about whether the group of about a dozen conservative lawmakers at the press conference would use the so-called motion to vacate to remove McCarthy as speaker.

“I am focused on defeating this bill,” Perry said. “What happens post that … we will decide once we’ve determined the disposition of this bill.”

Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy said there will be a “reckoning” if the debt limit package moves forward following a floor vote and North Carolina Rep. Dan Bishop indicated he may move for the floor vote to oust McCarthy as speaker.

The House is expected to vote on Wednesday around 8:30 p.m. Eastern to send the legislation to the Senate, where lawmakers need to approve the measure before Monday. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/treasury-secretary-pinpoints-june-5-earliest-date-us-debt-default">warned last week</a>&nbsp;that if the debt limit is not addressed before that date, the country would begin a default.

The House Rules Committee voted 7-6 Tuesday to advance the bill dealing with the federal debt ceiling to the full House, with two Republicans joining Democrats to oppose.

The House must vote Wednesday to approve the rule before it can move on to formally debate and vote on the bill.

In one late development, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the spending restrictions in the package would reduce deficits by $1.5 trillion over the decade, a top goal for the Republicans trying to curb the debt load.

But in a surprise that could further erode Republican support, the GOP's drive to impose&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-work-requirements-snap-medicaid-biden-66270829cfc0009ddb5f59eb12a6ba7a">work requirements on older Americans receiving food stamps</a>&nbsp;ends up boosting spending by $2.1 billion over the time period. That's because the final deal exempted veterans and homeless people, expanding the food stamp rolls by some 78,000 people monthly, the CBO said.

Democrats will be key to moving the bill through the Republican-controlled House, even if some of their members are not entirely happy with the outcome.

Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal said Tuesday the group was undergoing its whip count and determining whether to take an official position on the package.

Jayapal, a Washington Democrat, said the Republican Party “did not win any major concessions on spending” in the agreement, but said the legislation does include some provisions she is “seriously concerned about.”

Jayapal said she is in talks with the White House about how exactly the handshake agreements that aren’t included in bill text would work, especially the promise that some of the funds being clawed back will be redirected to domestic spending in the annual appropriations bills.

She also expressed concerns about the changes to work requirements for two federal safety net programs — Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — and for energy permitting.

“That is a significant problem,” Jayapal said. “I’ve said before that the United States is the only industrialized country that puts these kinds of bureaucratic red tape requirements on people who are just trying to get food for their families.”

Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, who had a heavy hand in negotiations, said during a White House press briefing Tuesday the deal “represents a compromise, which means no one gets everything that they want, and hard choices had to be made.”

Young said the agreement with House Republican leaders protects key legislative priorities of the Biden administration, such as the climate provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act.

Here’s a look at what’s in the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20230529/BILLS-118hrPIH-fiscalresponsibility.pdf">99-page bill</a>:

Debt limit:&nbsp;It would suspend the nation’s debt limit through Jan. 1, 2025, meaning whoever wins the 2024 presidential election will likely negotiate the next agreement with that Congress.

Federal government spending levels:&nbsp;The agreement would cap discretionary spending at $886.35 billion for defense and $703.65 billion for nondefense during fiscal 2024, set to begin Oct. 1. That’s about a 3% increase for defense and roughly flat funding for nondefense.

Spending levels for the following fiscal year, 2025, would be set at $895.21 billion for defense and $710.69 billion for nondefense. That would represent about a 1% boost for nondefense accounts.

Discretionary spending accounts for about one-third of federal spending while mandatory spending on programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security make up the other two-thirds.

Nondefense accounts fund the vast majority of federal departments and agencies, including Agriculture, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs, while defense funding goes predominantly to the Pentagon.

Some of the spending on nondefense programs would be paid for by moving around, or repurposing, unspent COVID-19 funding and part of the $80 billion Democrats approved last year for the Internal Revenue Service.

In order to actually achieve those spending levels, the House, Senate and Biden administration must reach agreement on all dozen of the annual appropriations bills in the months ahead.

Tax code:&nbsp;The deal doesn’t include any changes to the tax code, something President Joe Biden pushed for but McCarthy rejected.

Work requirements:&nbsp;The legislation doesn’t alter Medicaid eligibility, but it does make changes to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Changes to all three were pushed for by Republicans.

TANF recipients could experience some changes to the program on Oct. 1, 2024, while others would go into place a year later on Oct. 1, 2025.

The program now requires states to have 50% of TANF recipients working, though states can lower that threshold based on how much their caseload has fallen since 2005, according to a White House official.

This legislation would set that year to 2015, give states two years to implement the changes and “allow states to do things like spending additional TANF dollars and in exchange being able to get a lower work participation rate because of that,” according to the White House official.

SNAP’s current work requirements for many able-bodied adults extend from age 18 through 49. This bill text says it would raise the ceiling to age 51 during the current fiscal year, to age 53 during the fiscal year slated to begin Oct. 1 and to 55 during fiscal 2025.

Veterans, homeless individuals and people 24 or younger who were in the foster care system when they turned 18 wouldn’t be subject to SNAP’s time limits, according to the White House.

The changes to SNAP would sunset on Oct. 1, 2030.

Energy permitting, student loan repayment

Energy permitting:&nbsp;Members of both political parties&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/overhaul-federal-permitting-part-debt-limit-deal-not-easy-it-sounds">have expressed interest&nbsp;</a>in overhauling how the federal government permits energy projects under the National Environmental Policy Act, known as NEPA.

NEPA requires federal agencies to consider the environmental effects of major federal actions, and the process can take years. Democrats have sought to speed construction for renewable energy projects, and Republicans have complained for years that the burdens of federal permitting restrict development.

The bill amends NEPA by limiting requirements on some projects and requires environmental reviews to be completed in a one- to- two-year time frame.

Separately, the White House agreed to streamline permits for the more than&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.mountainvalleypipeline.info/overview/">$6 billion Mountain Valley Pipeline</a>, a decision that has angered environmentalists and climate conscious Democrats.

West Virginia’s Sens. Joe Manchin III, a centrist Democrat, and Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican, have lobbied for the approval of the outstanding permits for the more than 300 miles of Mountain Valley Pipeline, also known as MVP, that would deliver gas from West Virginia into Virginia.

As part of the deal, the White House agreed to expedite permits for the long-disputed Appalachian natural gas pipeline, which has been on halt due to court cases brought on by environmentalists who have fought for years to prevent its construction.

Permits for the Mountain Valley Pipeline will be issued within 21 days after the debt ceiling bill is signed into law, according to the bill text. It also bars any judicial review of permits issued for the pipeline project by any government agency.

“I am pleased Speaker McCarthy and his leadership team see the tremendous value in completing the MVP to increase domestic energy production and drive down costs across America and especially in West Virginia,” Manchin, the chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources panel, said in a statement. “I am proud to have fought for this critical project and to have secured the bipartisan support necessary to get it across the finish line.”

The MVP has had more than 500 violations in state environmental laws, regulations and permit conditions,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://appvoices.org/resources/reports/MVP_Report_2023_AppalachianVoices.pdf">according to a report</a>&nbsp;by the environmental group Appalachian Voices.

COVID-19 funds:&nbsp;The agreement rescinds, or claws back, about $28 billion in some of the unspent federal funding that was approved during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Federal student loan repayment pause:&nbsp;The bill would codify the end of the pause on federal student loan repayments by August and bar the administration from reinstating a pause on repayments unless approved by Congress.

The Biden administration<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/11/27/student-loan-repayment-pause-extended-by-white-house-amid-legal-battles-over-relief-plan/">&nbsp;announced last year</a>&nbsp;its plans to resume requiring repayments on student loans either after the Supreme Court’s decision on the administration’s student debt cancellation policy or 60 days after June 30.

A pause on student loan repayments was first enacted in 2020 by the Trump administration due to the coronavirus pandemic, and later extended by the Biden administration.

The Biden administration’s one-time student debt cancellation has been a target for Republicans.<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/24/biden-student-debt-relief-plan-revoked-in-u-s-house-vote/">&nbsp;Last week</a>, the House voted to overturn the policy that would cancel up to $20,000 in federal student loan debt for borrowers who qualify. The Senate is expected to vote on the resolution of disapproval this week, where if passed, it would block the policy. The White House has vowed to veto it.

Internal Revenue Service funding:&nbsp;The agreement would allow Congress to pull $10 billion during fiscal 2024 and another $10 billion during fiscal 2025 from the IRS to pay for other domestic spending initiatives, according to the White House.

The money would come from the $80 billion boost to the IRS that Democrats approved last August as part of their signature climate change, health care and tax package known as the Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA.

The $20 billion claw back provision is not in the bill text, which only includes a $1.39 billion rescission to that IRS funding.

-The Associated Press contributed to this report

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685494918057.png" alt="U.S. House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry said Tuesday that conservative Republicans will do whatever they can to block the legislation." />
 <figcaption>U.S. House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry said Tuesday that conservative Republicans will do whatever they can to block the legislation.</figcaption>
 </figure>By JENNIFER SHUTT AND&nbsp;ARIANA FIGUEROA&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON — Congress began moving the bipartisan debt limit package forward Tuesday, though frustrations with provisions in the bill could make for narrow passage in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.<a href="https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20230529/BILLS-118hrPIH-fiscalresponsibility.pdf">Click here to read&nbsp;</a>the billConservative Republicans and progressive Democrats both aired their disappointment with the agreement&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-mccarthy-say-they-have-brokered-debt-limit-deal-avert-us-default">forged over the weekend</a>, but only GOP lawmakers are looking to possibly remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker because of the deal.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">CBO’s Estimate of the Budgetary Effects of H.R. 3746, the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 <a href="https://t.co/k8rMbCevVk">https://t.co/k8rMbCevVk</a>&mdash; CBO Cost Estimates (@USCBOcostest) <a href="https://twitter.com/USCBOcostest/status/1663683359535513600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>U.S. House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry said Tuesday that conservative Republicans will do whatever they can to block the legislation, arguing the agreement “totally fails to deliver” on conservative priorities.Perry, a Pennsylvania Republican, declined to directly answer questions about whether the group of about a dozen conservative lawmakers at the press conference would use the so-called motion to vacate to remove McCarthy as speaker.“I am focused on defeating this bill,” Perry said. “What happens post that … we will decide once we’ve determined the disposition of this bill.”Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy said there will be a “reckoning” if the debt limit package moves forward following a floor vote and North Carolina Rep. Dan Bishop indicated he may move for the floor vote to oust McCarthy as speaker.The House is expected to vote on Wednesday around 8:30 p.m. Eastern to send the legislation to the Senate, where lawmakers need to approve the measure before Monday. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/treasury-secretary-pinpoints-june-5-earliest-date-us-debt-default">warned last week</a>&nbsp;that if the debt limit is not addressed before that date, the country would begin a default.The House Rules Committee voted 7-6 Tuesday to advance the bill dealing with the federal debt ceiling to the full House, with two Republicans joining Democrats to oppose.The House must vote Wednesday to approve the rule before it can move on to formally debate and vote on the bill.In one late development, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the spending restrictions in the package would reduce deficits by $1.5 trillion over the decade, a top goal for the Republicans trying to curb the debt load.But in a surprise that could further erode Republican support, the GOP's drive to impose&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-work-requirements-snap-medicaid-biden-66270829cfc0009ddb5f59eb12a6ba7a">work requirements on older Americans receiving food stamps</a>&nbsp;ends up boosting spending by $2.1 billion over the time period. That's because the final deal exempted veterans and homeless people, expanding the food stamp rolls by some 78,000 people monthly, the CBO said.<h2>Concern among progressives</h2>Democrats will be key to moving the bill through the Republican-controlled House, even if some of their members are not entirely happy with the outcome.Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal said Tuesday the group was undergoing its whip count and determining whether to take an official position on the package.Jayapal, a Washington Democrat, said the Republican Party “did not win any major concessions on spending” in the agreement, but said the legislation does include some provisions she is “seriously concerned about.”Jayapal said she is in talks with the White House about how exactly the handshake agreements that aren’t included in bill text would work, especially the promise that some of the funds being clawed back will be redirected to domestic spending in the annual appropriations bills.She also expressed concerns about the changes to work requirements for two federal safety net programs — Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — and for energy permitting.“That is a significant problem,” Jayapal said. “I’ve said before that the United States is the only industrialized country that puts these kinds of bureaucratic red tape requirements on people who are just trying to get food for their families.”Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, who had a heavy hand in negotiations, said during a White House press briefing Tuesday the deal “represents a compromise, which means no one gets everything that they want, and hard choices had to be made.”Young said the agreement with House Republican leaders protects key legislative priorities of the Biden administration, such as the climate provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act.<h2>Debt limit, tax code, work requirements</h2>Here’s a look at what’s in the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20230529/BILLS-118hrPIH-fiscalresponsibility.pdf">99-page bill</a>:Debt limit:&nbsp;It would suspend the nation’s debt limit through Jan. 1, 2025, meaning whoever wins the 2024 presidential election will likely negotiate the next agreement with that Congress.Federal government spending levels:&nbsp;The agreement would cap discretionary spending at $886.35 billion for defense and $703.65 billion for nondefense during fiscal 2024, set to begin Oct. 1. That’s about a 3% increase for defense and roughly flat funding for nondefense.Spending levels for the following fiscal year, 2025, would be set at $895.21 billion for defense and $710.69 billion for nondefense. That would represent about a 1% boost for nondefense accounts.Discretionary spending accounts for about one-third of federal spending while mandatory spending on programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security make up the other two-thirds.Nondefense accounts fund the vast majority of federal departments and agencies, including Agriculture, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs, while defense funding goes predominantly to the Pentagon.Some of the spending on nondefense programs would be paid for by moving around, or repurposing, unspent COVID-19 funding and part of the $80 billion Democrats approved last year for the Internal Revenue Service.In order to actually achieve those spending levels, the House, Senate and Biden administration must reach agreement on all dozen of the annual appropriations bills in the months ahead.Tax code:&nbsp;The deal doesn’t include any changes to the tax code, something President Joe Biden pushed for but McCarthy rejected.Work requirements:&nbsp;The legislation doesn’t alter Medicaid eligibility, but it does make changes to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Changes to all three were pushed for by Republicans.TANF recipients could experience some changes to the program on Oct. 1, 2024, while others would go into place a year later on Oct. 1, 2025.The program now requires states to have 50% of TANF recipients working, though states can lower that threshold based on how much their caseload has fallen since 2005, according to a White House official.This legislation would set that year to 2015, give states two years to implement the changes and “allow states to do things like spending additional TANF dollars and in exchange being able to get a lower work participation rate because of that,” according to the White House official.SNAP’s current work requirements for many able-bodied adults extend from age 18 through 49. This bill text says it would raise the ceiling to age 51 during the current fiscal year, to age 53 during the fiscal year slated to begin Oct. 1 and to 55 during fiscal 2025.Veterans, homeless individuals and people 24 or younger who were in the foster care system when they turned 18 wouldn’t be subject to SNAP’s time limits, according to the White House.The changes to SNAP would sunset on Oct. 1, 2030.<h2>Energy permitting, student loan repayment</h2>Energy permitting:&nbsp;Members of both political parties&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/overhaul-federal-permitting-part-debt-limit-deal-not-easy-it-sounds">have expressed interest&nbsp;</a>in overhauling how the federal government permits energy projects under the National Environmental Policy Act, known as NEPA.NEPA requires federal agencies to consider the environmental effects of major federal actions, and the process can take years. Democrats have sought to speed construction for renewable energy projects, and Republicans have complained for years that the burdens of federal permitting restrict development.The bill amends NEPA by limiting requirements on some projects and requires environmental reviews to be completed in a one- to- two-year time frame.Separately, the White House agreed to streamline permits for the more than&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.mountainvalleypipeline.info/overview/">$6 billion Mountain Valley Pipeline</a>, a decision that has angered environmentalists and climate conscious Democrats.West Virginia’s Sens. Joe Manchin III, a centrist Democrat, and Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican, have lobbied for the approval of the outstanding permits for the more than 300 miles of Mountain Valley Pipeline, also known as MVP, that would deliver gas from West Virginia into Virginia.As part of the deal, the White House agreed to expedite permits for the long-disputed Appalachian natural gas pipeline, which has been on halt due to court cases brought on by environmentalists who have fought for years to prevent its construction.Permits for the Mountain Valley Pipeline will be issued within 21 days after the debt ceiling bill is signed into law, according to the bill text. It also bars any judicial review of permits issued for the pipeline project by any government agency.“I am pleased Speaker McCarthy and his leadership team see the tremendous value in completing the MVP to increase domestic energy production and drive down costs across America and especially in West Virginia,” Manchin, the chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources panel, said in a statement. “I am proud to have fought for this critical project and to have secured the bipartisan support necessary to get it across the finish line.”The MVP has had more than 500 violations in state environmental laws, regulations and permit conditions,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://appvoices.org/resources/reports/MVP_Report_2023_AppalachianVoices.pdf">according to a report</a>&nbsp;by the environmental group Appalachian Voices.COVID-19 funds:&nbsp;The agreement rescinds, or claws back, about $28 billion in some of the unspent federal funding that was approved during the COVID-19 pandemic.Federal student loan repayment pause:&nbsp;The bill would codify the end of the pause on federal student loan repayments by August and bar the administration from reinstating a pause on repayments unless approved by Congress.The Biden administration<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/11/27/student-loan-repayment-pause-extended-by-white-house-amid-legal-battles-over-relief-plan/">&nbsp;announced last year</a>&nbsp;its plans to resume requiring repayments on student loans either after the Supreme Court’s decision on the administration’s student debt cancellation policy or 60 days after June 30.A pause on student loan repayments was first enacted in 2020 by the Trump administration due to the coronavirus pandemic, and later extended by the Biden administration.The Biden administration’s one-time student debt cancellation has been a target for Republicans.<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/05/24/biden-student-debt-relief-plan-revoked-in-u-s-house-vote/">&nbsp;Last week</a>, the House voted to overturn the policy that would cancel up to $20,000 in federal student loan debt for borrowers who qualify. The Senate is expected to vote on the resolution of disapproval this week, where if passed, it would block the policy. The White House has vowed to veto it.Internal Revenue Service funding:&nbsp;The agreement would allow Congress to pull $10 billion during fiscal 2024 and another $10 billion during fiscal 2025 from the IRS to pay for other domestic spending initiatives, according to the White House.The money would come from the $80 billion boost to the IRS that Democrats approved last August as part of their signature climate change, health care and tax package known as the Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA.The $20 billion claw back provision is not in the bill text, which only includes a $1.39 billion rescission to that IRS funding.-The Associated Press contributed to this report

Debt limit deal hits turbulence in Congress as leaders prep for vote

KANSAS CITY —A judge sentenced a Kansas City-area man to 20 years in prison for a 2021 knife attack of a woman in an Independence, Missouri, public park, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

The defendant&nbsp; 30-year-old Ronald L. Thompson pleaded guilty to Assault 1st Degree as part of a plea agreement. The judge sentenced the to 20 years in prison on the Assault 1st conviction.

According to court records, police responded on Dec. 23, 2021 to Mill Creek park on N. River Blvd. in Independence after a caller to police dispatch reported a woman was screaming for help in the park. 

The woman was saying she had been stabbed. An officer located the woman who had suffered cuts and a laceration to her neck. She named her attacker.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685392008964.png" alt="Thompson" />
 <figcaption>Thompson</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A judge sentenced a Kansas City-area man to 20 years in prison for a 2021 knife attack of a woman in an Independence, Missouri, public park, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.The defendant&nbsp; 30-year-old Ronald L. Thompson pleaded guilty to Assault 1st Degree as part of a plea agreement. The judge sentenced the to 20 years in prison on the Assault 1st conviction.According to court records, police responded on Dec. 23, 2021 to Mill Creek park on N. River Blvd. in Independence after a caller to police dispatch reported a woman was screaming for help in the park. The woman was saying she had been stabbed. An officer located the woman who had suffered cuts and a laceration to her neck. She named her attacker.

Man sentenced for knife attack on woman at KC-area park

FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating three suspects in connection with an alleged robbery.

Just before midnight Saturday, police were dispatched to the 2600 block of N. Main Street in Garden City and met with a delivery driver who had just been robbed, according to a media release.

Officers learned that the victim was delivering pizza to a residence and upon arrival, three individuals forcefully took the food and the victim’s belongings.

Through the investigation, police identified&nbsp;Alicia Cisneros, 30, Joshua Rincones, 37, and Frankie Rivera, 29, as being involved in the robbery. 

They were subsequently located and taken into custody.

Rincones and Rivera are being held on a requested charge of Robbery. Cisneros is in custody on requested charges of Robbery, Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685454256477.png" alt="Rincones-photo FInney County" />
 <figcaption>Rincones-photo FInney County</figcaption>
 </figure>FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating three suspects in connection with an alleged robbery.Just before midnight Saturday, police were dispatched to the 2600 block of N. Main Street in Garden City and met with a delivery driver who had just been robbed, according to a media release.Officers learned that the victim was delivering pizza to a residence and upon arrival, three individuals forcefully took the food and the victim’s belongings.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685454312397.png" alt="Rivera-photo Finney Co." />
 <figcaption>Rivera-photo Finney Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Through the investigation, police identified&nbsp;Alicia Cisneros, 30, Joshua Rincones, 37, and Frankie Rivera, 29, as being involved in the robbery. They were subsequently located and taken into custody.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685454148092.png" alt="Cisneros-photo Finney Co." />
 <figcaption>Cisneros-photo Finney Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Rincones and Rivera are being held on a requested charge of Robbery. Cisneros is in custody on requested charges of Robbery, Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Three accused of robbing southwest Kan. pizza delivery driver

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A man died in an accident just before 11a.m. Tuesday in Sedgwick County.

Emergency crews responded to the 2800 Block W. Keywest Court where a bulldozer and the operator, went into the water while working, according to a social media report from the Wichita Fire Department.

Rescue teams worked in and on the water with divers and equipment. The bulldozer and operator were located 30 to 40 feet out. EMS attempted CPR, but the operator was  pronounced dead. It is not known if the worker had a medical related incident, according to emergency crews.&nbsp; Authorities released no additional details including the name of the victim Tuesday afternoon.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685488483385.png" alt="Photos courtesy Wichita Fire Department" />
 <figcaption>Photos courtesy Wichita Fire Department</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A man died in an accident just before 11a.m. Tuesday in Sedgwick County.Emergency crews responded to the 2800 Block W. Keywest Court where a bulldozer and the operator, went into the water while working, according to a social media report from the Wichita Fire Department.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685488214978.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Rescue teams worked in and on the water with divers and equipment. The bulldozer and operator were located 30 to 40 feet out. EMS attempted CPR, but the operator was pronounced dead. It is not known if the worker had a medical related incident, according to emergency crews.&nbsp; Authorities released no additional details including the name of the victim Tuesday afternoon.

Man dead after bulldozer collapse into Kansas lake

BRYAN, Texas (AP) — Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes entered a Texas prison Tuesday where she could spend the next 11 years for overseeing a blood-testing hoax that became a parable&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elizabeth-holmes-fraud-theranos-prison-silicon-valley-9552b17d0c03f81c71b53fb4a994462b">about greed and hubris in Silicon Valley.</a>

Holmes, 39, could be seen from outside the prison’s gates walking into the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elizabeth-holmes-federal-prison-camp-bryan-texas-e5d4d3980ee6c3e6dfd0987a2d35b90d">federal women’s prison camp located in Bryan, Texas</a>, wearing jeans, a brown sweater and smiling as she spoke with two prison employees accompanying her.

The minimum-security facility — where the federal judge who sentenced Holmes in November recommended she be incarcerated — is about 95 miles (150 kilometers) northwest of Houston, where she grew up aspiring to become a technology visionary along the lines of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

As she begins her sentence, Holmes is leaving behind two young children — a son born in July 2021 a few weeks before the start of her trial and a 3-month old daughter who was conceived after a jury&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elizabeth-holmes-trial-theranos-ceo-fb79a29d3c426a5cadee7ec5734b6f24">convicted her on four felony counts of fraud and conspiracy</a>&nbsp;in January 2022.

She was free on bail up until Tuesday, most recently living in the San Diego area with the children's father, William “Billy” Evans. The couple met in 2017 around the same time Holmes was under investigation for the collapse of Theranos, a startup she founded after dropping out of Stanford University when she was just 19.

While she was building up Theranos, Holmes grew closer to Ramesh, “Sunny” Balwani, who would become her romantic partner as well as an investor and fellow executive in the Palo Alto, California, company.

Together, Holmes and Balwani promised Theranos would revolutionize health care with a technology that could quickly scan for diseases and other problems with a few drops of blood taken with a finger prick.

The hype surrounding that purported breakthrough helped Theranos raise nearly $1 billion from enthralled investors, assemble an influential board of directors that include former Presidential cabinet members George Shultz, Henry Kissinger and James Mattis and turned Holmes into a Silicon Valley sensation with a fortune valued at $4.5 billion on paper in 2014.

But it all blew up after serious dangerous flaws in Theranos' technology&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/theranos-has-struggled-with-blood-tests-1444881901">were exposed in a series of explosive articles in The Wall Street Journal</a>&nbsp;that Holmes and Balwani tried to thwart. Holmes and Balwani, who had been secretly living together while running Theranos, broke up after the Journal's revelations and the company collapsed. In 2018, the U.S. Justice Department charged both with a litany of white-collar crimes in a case aimed at putting a stop to the Silicon Valley practice of overselling the capabilities of a still-developing technology — a technique that became known as “fake it 'til you make it.”

Holmes admitted making mistakes at Theranos, but steadfastly denied committing crimes during seven often-fascinating days of testimony on the witness stand during her trial. At one point, she told the jury&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-health-elizabeth-holmes-027bb063c784b99034e0a9840cb03a08">about being sexually and emotionally abused by Balwani</a>&nbsp;while he controlled her in ways that she said clouded her thinking. Balwani's attorney steadfastly denied Holmes allegations, which was one of the key reasons they were tried separately.

Balwani, 57, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ramesh-balwani-theranos-verdict-d9fb19f13a1c930a6ff091dff10a0b5d">convicted on 12 felony counts of fraud and conspiracy</a>&nbsp;in a trial that began two months after Holmes' ended. He is currently serving&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elizabeth-holmes-technology-business-crime-sentencing-d3ce3925bbe9e82708054730d4dcf75c">a nearly 13-year sentence</a>&nbsp;in a Southern California prison.

Maintaining she was treated unfairly during the trial, Holmes sought to remain free while she appeals her conviction. But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elizabeth-holmes-prison-theranos-fraud-conviction-46471e11f615b8ce16114c22551477aa">that bid was rejected by U.S. District Judge Edward Davila,</a>&nbsp;who presided over her trial, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elizabeth-holmes-theranos-prison-e1f8ebdd48455d7e0c87f450d665a404">the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals,</a>&nbsp;leaving her no other avenue left to follow but the one that will take her to prison nearly 20 years after she founded Theranos.

Attorneys representing Holmes did not immediately respond when contacted by The Associated Press for statement on Tuesday.

FPC Bryan, a minimum-security prison camp located encompasses about 37 acres (15 hectares) of land and houses about 650 women — including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fraud-park-city-7b2be37b6ef11f380077726c919ec9ef">“Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Jennifer Shah</a>, who was sentenced earlier this year to 6 1/2 years in prison for defrauding thousands of people in a yearslong telemarketing scam.

Most federal prison camps don’t even have fences and house those the Bureau of Prisons considers to be the lowest security risk. The prison camps also often have minimal staffing and many of the people incarcerated there work at prison jobs.

According to a 2016 FPC Bryan inmate handbook, those in the Texas facility who are eligible to work can earn between 12 cents and $1.15 per hour in their job assignments, which include food service roles and factory employment operated by Federal Prison Industries.

Federal prison camps were originally designed with low security to make operations easier and to allow inmates tasked with performing work at the prison, like landscaping and maintenance, to avoid repeatedly checking in and out of a main prison facility. But the lax security opened a gateway for contraband, such as drugs, cellphones and weapons. The limited security has also led to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-prisons-prison-breaks-business-c1979d6ad6e7b3531968dab0e61eb22d">a number of escapes</a>&nbsp;from prison camps.

In November, a man incarcerated at another federal prison camp in Arizona&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/prisons-arizona-tucson-government-and-politics-319595c5a1a393f0734641443dd46df4">pulled out a smuggled gun</a>&nbsp;in a visitation area and tried to shoot his wife in the head. The gun jammed and no one was injured. But the incident exposed major security flaws at the facility and the agency’s director&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/prisons-arizona-tucson-protocols-government-and-politics-3239362e75ad9a6c9a81f1a53210ad13">ordered a review of security</a>&nbsp;at all federal prison camps around the U.S.

BRYAN, Texas (AP) — Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes entered a Texas prison Tuesday where she could spend the next 11 years for overseeing a blood-testing hoax that became a parable&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elizabeth-holmes-fraud-theranos-prison-silicon-valley-9552b17d0c03f81c71b53fb4a994462b">about greed and hubris in Silicon Valley.</a><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes arrives at the Texas prison where she’ll serve her 11-year sentence for overseeing a blood-testing hoax that garnered national attention.<a href="https://t.co/fhOVVYa0b0">https://t.co/fhOVVYa0b0</a> <a href="https://t.co/uNYDv7CcIA">pic.twitter.com/uNYDv7CcIA</a>&mdash; The Associated Press (@AP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AP/status/1663615507801714688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Holmes, 39, could be seen from outside the prison’s gates walking into the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elizabeth-holmes-federal-prison-camp-bryan-texas-e5d4d3980ee6c3e6dfd0987a2d35b90d">federal women’s prison camp located in Bryan, Texas</a>, wearing jeans, a brown sweater and smiling as she spoke with two prison employees accompanying her.The minimum-security facility — where the federal judge who sentenced Holmes in November recommended she be incarcerated — is about 95 miles (150 kilometers) northwest of Houston, where she grew up aspiring to become a technology visionary along the lines of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.As she begins her sentence, Holmes is leaving behind two young children — a son born in July 2021 a few weeks before the start of her trial and a 3-month old daughter who was conceived after a jury&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elizabeth-holmes-trial-theranos-ceo-fb79a29d3c426a5cadee7ec5734b6f24">convicted her on four felony counts of fraud and conspiracy</a>&nbsp;in January 2022.She was free on bail up until Tuesday, most recently living in the San Diego area with the children's father, William “Billy” Evans. The couple met in 2017 around the same time Holmes was under investigation for the collapse of Theranos, a startup she founded after dropping out of Stanford University when she was just 19.While she was building up Theranos, Holmes grew closer to Ramesh, “Sunny” Balwani, who would become her romantic partner as well as an investor and fellow executive in the Palo Alto, California, company.Together, Holmes and Balwani promised Theranos would revolutionize health care with a technology that could quickly scan for diseases and other problems with a few drops of blood taken with a finger prick.The hype surrounding that purported breakthrough helped Theranos raise nearly $1 billion from enthralled investors, assemble an influential board of directors that include former Presidential cabinet members George Shultz, Henry Kissinger and James Mattis and turned Holmes into a Silicon Valley sensation with a fortune valued at $4.5 billion on paper in 2014.But it all blew up after serious dangerous flaws in Theranos' technology&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/theranos-has-struggled-with-blood-tests-1444881901">were exposed in a series of explosive articles in The Wall Street Journal</a>&nbsp;that Holmes and Balwani tried to thwart. Holmes and Balwani, who had been secretly living together while running Theranos, broke up after the Journal's revelations and the company collapsed. In 2018, the U.S. Justice Department charged both with a litany of white-collar crimes in a case aimed at putting a stop to the Silicon Valley practice of overselling the capabilities of a still-developing technology — a technique that became known as “fake it 'til you make it.”Holmes admitted making mistakes at Theranos, but steadfastly denied committing crimes during seven often-fascinating days of testimony on the witness stand during her trial. At one point, she told the jury&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-health-elizabeth-holmes-027bb063c784b99034e0a9840cb03a08">about being sexually and emotionally abused by Balwani</a>&nbsp;while he controlled her in ways that she said clouded her thinking. Balwani's attorney steadfastly denied Holmes allegations, which was one of the key reasons they were tried separately.Balwani, 57, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ramesh-balwani-theranos-verdict-d9fb19f13a1c930a6ff091dff10a0b5d">convicted on 12 felony counts of fraud and conspiracy</a>&nbsp;in a trial that began two months after Holmes' ended. He is currently serving&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elizabeth-holmes-technology-business-crime-sentencing-d3ce3925bbe9e82708054730d4dcf75c">a nearly 13-year sentence</a>&nbsp;in a Southern California prison.Maintaining she was treated unfairly during the trial, Holmes sought to remain free while she appeals her conviction. But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elizabeth-holmes-prison-theranos-fraud-conviction-46471e11f615b8ce16114c22551477aa">that bid was rejected by U.S. District Judge Edward Davila,</a>&nbsp;who presided over her trial, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elizabeth-holmes-theranos-prison-e1f8ebdd48455d7e0c87f450d665a404">the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals,</a>&nbsp;leaving her no other avenue left to follow but the one that will take her to prison nearly 20 years after she founded Theranos.Attorneys representing Holmes did not immediately respond when contacted by The Associated Press for statement on Tuesday.FPC Bryan, a minimum-security prison camp located encompasses about 37 acres (15 hectares) of land and houses about 650 women — including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fraud-park-city-7b2be37b6ef11f380077726c919ec9ef">“Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Jennifer Shah</a>, who was sentenced earlier this year to 6 1/2 years in prison for defrauding thousands of people in a yearslong telemarketing scam.Most federal prison camps don’t even have fences and house those the Bureau of Prisons considers to be the lowest security risk. The prison camps also often have minimal staffing and many of the people incarcerated there work at prison jobs.According to a 2016 FPC Bryan inmate handbook, those in the Texas facility who are eligible to work can earn between 12 cents and $1.15 per hour in their job assignments, which include food service roles and factory employment operated by Federal Prison Industries.Federal prison camps were originally designed with low security to make operations easier and to allow inmates tasked with performing work at the prison, like landscaping and maintenance, to avoid repeatedly checking in and out of a main prison facility. But the lax security opened a gateway for contraband, such as drugs, cellphones and weapons. The limited security has also led to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-prisons-prison-breaks-business-c1979d6ad6e7b3531968dab0e61eb22d">a number of escapes</a>&nbsp;from prison camps.In November, a man incarcerated at another federal prison camp in Arizona&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/prisons-arizona-tucson-government-and-politics-319595c5a1a393f0734641443dd46df4">pulled out a smuggled gun</a>&nbsp;in a visitation area and tried to shoot his wife in the head. The gun jammed and no one was injured. But the incident exposed major security flaws at the facility and the agency’s director&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/prisons-arizona-tucson-protocols-government-and-politics-3239362e75ad9a6c9a81f1a53210ad13">ordered a review of security</a>&nbsp;at all federal prison camps around the U.S.____________

Blood-test hoax: Elizabeth Holmes begins 11-year prison sentence

WYANDOTTE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting at a Kansas home.

Just before 4p.m.,&nbsp; Monday, police responded to a shooting in the 1300 Block of North 4th Street, according to a media release. At the scene, officers found a man who had been hit by gunfire. The victim was transported to an area hospital with life threatening injuries.

Police have released no additional details and no suspect information.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting at a Kansas home.Just before 4p.m.,&nbsp; Monday, police responded to a shooting in the 1300 Block of North 4th Street, according to a media release. At the scene, officers found a man who had been hit by gunfire. The victim was transported to an area hospital with life threatening injuries.Police have released no additional details and no suspect information.

Police: Man with life-threatening injuries from gunfire at Kan.  home

SUMMERTON, S.C. (AP) — Civil rights leaders in South Carolina plan to petition the U.S. Supreme Court to rename the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision that outlawed segregation of public schools across the country.

Over the next three months, a group representing past plaintiffs and their descendants plans to file paperwork asking the high court to reorder the set of five 1954 cases that led to the Brown ruling, The Post and Courier&nbsp;<a href="https://www.postandcourier.com/columbia/news/descendants-asking-us-supreme-court-to-rename-brown-v-board-of-education-for-sc-case/article_3c6dcc1a-f8b9-11ed-9190-97327132cd1b.html">reports</a>. The group, which has teamed up with a lawyer in Camden, South Carolina, wants to replace Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka with a South Carolina case that was filed earlier but is lesser known.

Briggs v. Elliott is a South Carolina case named after Harry Briggs, one of 20 parents who brought a lawsuit against Clarendon County School Board President R.W. Elliott.

The group sees the name change as a way to restore South Carolina as the cradle of the movement to desegregate public education.

“Everyone else lays down and says you can’t do this,” said prominent South Carolina civil rights photographer Cecil Williams, who has been at the forefront of the effort.

“Many will call it crazy,” he added. “It might be laughed out of court.”

To Williams and the 20 families who signed their names to the Briggs case, it is worth the effort to try to right what they view as an injustice.

“If this country is going to ever reconcile with its history, this is a good place, upon the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education,” Williams said.

The Briggs case, filed in May 1950, was the first such case to be taken to federal court. The Brown case came nearly nine months later.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685371696718.png" alt=" Brown National Historic Site-photo courtesy National Park Service" />
 <figcaption> Brown National Historic Site-photo courtesy National Park Service</figcaption>
 </figure>SUMMERTON, S.C. (AP) — Civil rights leaders in South Carolina plan to petition the U.S. Supreme Court to rename the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision that outlawed segregation of public schools across the country.Over the next three months, a group representing past plaintiffs and their descendants plans to file paperwork asking the high court to reorder the set of five 1954 cases that led to the Brown ruling, The Post and Courier&nbsp;<a href="https://www.postandcourier.com/columbia/news/descendants-asking-us-supreme-court-to-rename-brown-v-board-of-education-for-sc-case/article_3c6dcc1a-f8b9-11ed-9190-97327132cd1b.html">reports</a>. The group, which has teamed up with a lawyer in Camden, South Carolina, wants to replace Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka with a South Carolina case that was filed earlier but is lesser known.Briggs v. Elliott is a South Carolina case named after Harry Briggs, one of 20 parents who brought a lawsuit against Clarendon County School Board President R.W. Elliott.The group sees the name change as a way to restore South Carolina as the cradle of the movement to desegregate public education.“Everyone else lays down and says you can’t do this,” said prominent South Carolina civil rights photographer Cecil Williams, who has been at the forefront of the effort.“Many will call it crazy,” he added. “It might be laughed out of court.”To Williams and the 20 families who signed their names to the Briggs case, it is worth the effort to try to right what they view as an injustice.“If this country is going to ever reconcile with its history, this is a good place, upon the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education,” Williams said.The Briggs case, filed in May 1950, was the first such case to be taken to federal court. The Brown case came nearly nine months later.

Group wants court to rename landmark school desegregation case

RENO COUNTY—Two people died in an accident just after 9:30p.m. Monday in Reno County.

Two individuals were northbound on Kansas 61 on a 2007 Harley Davidson Street Glide, according to a preliminary investigation by the Reno County Sheriff's office.

 The motorcycle left the roadway at Herren Road where the K61 exit ends. The motorcycle struck a highway sign and both occupants were ejected.

When the first Deputy arrived on scene he located a female victim and began life saving measures. The second Deputy on scene located a male victim. Both victims succumbed to their injuries and were pronounced deceased at the scene by Reno County EMS.

 The driver and passenger were not wearing helmets at the time of the accident. The accident remains under investigation.&nbsp; Speed is believed to be a contributing factor, according to the Reno County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff's office has not released the names of the victims.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665405753233.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY—Two people died in an accident just after 9:30p.m. Monday in Reno County.Two individuals were northbound on Kansas 61 on a 2007 Harley Davidson Street Glide, according to a preliminary investigation by the Reno County Sheriff's office. The motorcycle left the roadway at Herren Road where the K61 exit ends. The motorcycle struck a highway sign and both occupants were ejected.When the first Deputy arrived on scene he located a female victim and began life saving measures. The second Deputy on scene located a male victim. Both victims succumbed to their injuries and were pronounced deceased at the scene by Reno County EMS. The driver and passenger were not wearing helmets at the time of the accident. The accident remains under investigation.&nbsp; Speed is believed to be a contributing factor, according to the Reno County Sheriff’s Office.The sheriff's office has not released the names of the victims.

Sheriff: Speed contributed to double-fatal Kan. motorcycle crash

WASHINGTON (AP) — The details of the deal between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-deal-biden-mccarthy-default-01657c829be119850cd65ab9ffb0626a">were released Sunday</a>&nbsp;in the form of a 99-page bill that would suspend the nation's debt limit through 2025 to avoid a federal default while limiting government spending. The deal will also end the pause on student loan repayments.

<a href="https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20230529/BILLS-118hrPIH-fiscalresponsibility.pdf">Click here to read </a>the bill

The Democratic president and Republican speaker are trying to win over lawmakers to the plan in time to avert a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-default-government-shutdown-explainer-b38474f210e519aeb3f48107ca2657ba">default that would shake the global economy</a>. But Congress will be scrutinizing and debating the legislation, which also includes provisions to fund medical care for veterans, change&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-work-requirements-snap-medicaid-biden-66270829cfc0009ddb5f59eb12a6ba7a">work requirements</a>&nbsp;for some recipients of government aid and streamline environmental reviews for energy projects.

McCarthy said the House will vote on the legislation Wednesday, giving the Senate time to consider it before June 5, the date when Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the United States could default on its debt obligations if lawmakers did not act in time.

Some hardline conservatives have expressed early concerns that the compromise does not cut future deficits enough, while Democrats have been worried about proposed changes to work requirements in programs such as food stamps.

TWO-YEAR DEBT LIMIT SUSPENSION, SPENDING LIMITS

The agreement would keep nondefense spending roughly flat in the 2024 fiscal year and increase it by 1% the following year, as well as suspend the debt limit until January 2025 -- past the next presidential election.

For the next fiscal year, the bill matches Biden's proposed defense budget of $886 billion and allots $704 billion for nondefense spending.

The bill also requires Congress to approve 12 annual spending bills or face a snapback to spending limits from the previous year, which would mean a 1% cut.

The legislation aims to limit federal budget growth to 1% for the next six years, but that provision would not be enforceable starting in 2025.

Overall, the White House estimates that the plan would reduce government spending by at least $1 trillion, but official calculations have not yet been released.

Republicans have long sought to reel back the Biden administration's efforts to provide student loan relief and aid to millions of borrowers during the coronavirus pandemic. While the GOP proposal to rescind the White House's plan to waive $10,000 to $20,000 in debt for nearly all borrowers failed to make it into the package, Biden agreed to put an end to the pause on student loan repayment.

The pause in student loan repayments would end in the final days of August.

The fate of student loan relief, meanwhile, will be decided at the Supreme Court, which is dominated 6-3 by its conservative wing. During oral arguments in the case, several of the justices expressed deep skepticism about the legality of Biden’s plan. A decision is expected before the end of June.

The agreement would fully fund medical care for veterans at the levels included in Biden's proposed 2024 budget blueprint, including a fund dedicated to veterans who have been exposed to toxic substances or environmental hazards. Biden sought $20.3 billion for the toxic exposure fund in his budget.

The agreement would rescind about $30 billion in unspent coronavirus relief money that Congress approved through previous bills. It claws back unobligated money from dozens of federal programs that received aid during the pandemic, including rental assistance, small business loans and broadband for rural areas.

The legislation protects pandemic funding for veterans’ medical care, housing assistance, the Indian Health Service, and some $5 billion for a program focused on rapidly developing the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.

Republicans targeted money that the IRS was allotted last year to crack down on tax fraud. The bill bites into some IRS funding, rescinding $1.4 billion.

The White House has said that the deal also includes an agreement to take $20 billion from the IRS over the next two years and use that money for other nondefense programs.

The agreement would expand work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps — a longtime Republican priority. But the changes are pared down from the House-passed debt ceiling bill.

Work requirements already exist for most able-bodied adults between the ages of 18 and 49. The bill would phase in higher age limits, bringing the maximum age to 54 by 2025. But the provision expires, bringing the maximum age back down to age 49 five years later, in 2030.

Democrats also won some new expanded benefits for veterans, homeless people and young people aging out of foster care. That would also expire in 2030, according to the agreement.

The agreement would also make it slightly harder for states to waive work requirements for SNAP for certain individuals. Current law allows states to issue some exemptions to the work rules on a discretionary basis, but limits how many people can be exempted. The agreement would lower the number of exemptions that a state can issue and curb states’ ability to carry over the number of exemptions they can hand out from month to month.

The agreement would also make changes to the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program, which gives cash aid to families with children. While not going as far as the House bill had proposed, the deal would make adjustments to a credit that allows states to require fewer recipients to work, updating and readjusting the credit to make it harder for states to avoid.

The deal puts in place changes in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.epa.gov/nepa">National Environmental Policy Act</a>&nbsp;for the first time in nearly four decades that would designate “a single lead agency” to develop and schedule environmental reviews, in hopes of streamlining the process. It also simplifies some of the requirements for environmental reviews, including placing length limitations on environmental assessments and impact statements.

Agencies will be given one year to complete environmental reviews, and projects that are deemed to have complex impacts on the environment will need to be reviewed within two years.

The bill also gives special treatment to the Mountain Valley Pipeline — a West Virginia natural gas pipeline championed by Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito — by approving all its outstanding permit requests.

House Republicans passed legislation last month that would have created new work requirements for some Medicaid recipients, but that was left out of the final agreement. The idea faced stiff opposition from the White House and congressional Democrats, who said it would lead to fewer people able to afford food or health care without actually increasing the number of people in the workforce.

Also absent from the final deal is the GOP proposal to repeal many of the clean energy tax credits Democrats passed in party-line votes last year to boost the production and consumption of clean energy. McCarthy and Republicans have argued that the tax breaks “distort the market and waste taxpayer money.”

The White House has defended the tax credits as resulting in hundreds of billions of dollars in private-sector investments, creating thousands of manufacturing jobs in the U.S.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685304077425.png" alt="House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met with reporters Saturday night -photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met with reporters Saturday night -photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The details of the deal between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-deal-biden-mccarthy-default-01657c829be119850cd65ab9ffb0626a">were released Sunday</a>&nbsp;in the form of a 99-page bill that would suspend the nation's debt limit through 2025 to avoid a federal default while limiting government spending. The deal will also end the pause on student loan repayments.<a href="https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20230529/BILLS-118hrPIH-fiscalresponsibility.pdf">Click here to read </a>the billThe Democratic president and Republican speaker are trying to win over lawmakers to the plan in time to avert a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-default-government-shutdown-explainer-b38474f210e519aeb3f48107ca2657ba">default that would shake the global economy</a>. But Congress will be scrutinizing and debating the legislation, which also includes provisions to fund medical care for veterans, change&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-work-requirements-snap-medicaid-biden-66270829cfc0009ddb5f59eb12a6ba7a">work requirements</a>&nbsp;for some recipients of government aid and streamline environmental reviews for energy projects.McCarthy said the House will vote on the legislation Wednesday, giving the Senate time to consider it before June 5, the date when Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the United States could default on its debt obligations if lawmakers did not act in time.Some hardline conservatives have expressed early concerns that the compromise does not cut future deficits enough, while Democrats have been worried about proposed changes to work requirements in programs such as food stamps.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685397113834.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Here's what's in and out:TWO-YEAR DEBT LIMIT SUSPENSION, SPENDING LIMITSThe agreement would keep nondefense spending roughly flat in the 2024 fiscal year and increase it by 1% the following year, as well as suspend the debt limit until January 2025 -- past the next presidential election.For the next fiscal year, the bill matches Biden's proposed defense budget of $886 billion and allots $704 billion for nondefense spending.The bill also requires Congress to approve 12 annual spending bills or face a snapback to spending limits from the previous year, which would mean a 1% cut.The legislation aims to limit federal budget growth to 1% for the next six years, but that provision would not be enforceable starting in 2025.Overall, the White House estimates that the plan would reduce government spending by at least $1 trillion, but official calculations have not yet been released.STUDENT LOANSRepublicans have long sought to reel back the Biden administration's efforts to provide student loan relief and aid to millions of borrowers during the coronavirus pandemic. While the GOP proposal to rescind the White House's plan to waive $10,000 to $20,000 in debt for nearly all borrowers failed to make it into the package, Biden agreed to put an end to the pause on student loan repayment.The pause in student loan repayments would end in the final days of August.The fate of student loan relief, meanwhile, will be decided at the Supreme Court, which is dominated 6-3 by its conservative wing. During oral arguments in the case, several of the justices expressed deep skepticism about the legality of Biden’s plan. A decision is expected before the end of June.VETERANS CAREThe agreement would fully fund medical care for veterans at the levels included in Biden's proposed 2024 budget blueprint, including a fund dedicated to veterans who have been exposed to toxic substances or environmental hazards. Biden sought $20.3 billion for the toxic exposure fund in his budget.UNSPENT COVID MONEYThe agreement would rescind about $30 billion in unspent coronavirus relief money that Congress approved through previous bills. It claws back unobligated money from dozens of federal programs that received aid during the pandemic, including rental assistance, small business loans and broadband for rural areas.The legislation protects pandemic funding for veterans’ medical care, housing assistance, the Indian Health Service, and some $5 billion for a program focused on rapidly developing the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.IRS FUNDINGRepublicans targeted money that the IRS was allotted last year to crack down on tax fraud. The bill bites into some IRS funding, rescinding $1.4 billion.The White House has said that the deal also includes an agreement to take $20 billion from the IRS over the next two years and use that money for other nondefense programs.WORK REQUIREMENTSThe agreement would expand work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps — a longtime Republican priority. But the changes are pared down from the House-passed debt ceiling bill.Work requirements already exist for most able-bodied adults between the ages of 18 and 49. The bill would phase in higher age limits, bringing the maximum age to 54 by 2025. But the provision expires, bringing the maximum age back down to age 49 five years later, in 2030.Democrats also won some new expanded benefits for veterans, homeless people and young people aging out of foster care. That would also expire in 2030, according to the agreement.The agreement would also make it slightly harder for states to waive work requirements for SNAP for certain individuals. Current law allows states to issue some exemptions to the work rules on a discretionary basis, but limits how many people can be exempted. The agreement would lower the number of exemptions that a state can issue and curb states’ ability to carry over the number of exemptions they can hand out from month to month.The agreement would also make changes to the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program, which gives cash aid to families with children. While not going as far as the House bill had proposed, the deal would make adjustments to a credit that allows states to require fewer recipients to work, updating and readjusting the credit to make it harder for states to avoid.SPEEDING UP ENERGY PROJECTSThe deal puts in place changes in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.epa.gov/nepa">National Environmental Policy Act</a>&nbsp;for the first time in nearly four decades that would designate “a single lead agency” to develop and schedule environmental reviews, in hopes of streamlining the process. It also simplifies some of the requirements for environmental reviews, including placing length limitations on environmental assessments and impact statements.Agencies will be given one year to complete environmental reviews, and projects that are deemed to have complex impacts on the environment will need to be reviewed within two years.The bill also gives special treatment to the Mountain Valley Pipeline — a West Virginia natural gas pipeline championed by Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito — by approving all its outstanding permit requests.WHAT'S LEFT OUTHouse Republicans passed legislation last month that would have created new work requirements for some Medicaid recipients, but that was left out of the final agreement. The idea faced stiff opposition from the White House and congressional Democrats, who said it would lead to fewer people able to afford food or health care without actually increasing the number of people in the workforce.Also absent from the final deal is the GOP proposal to repeal many of the clean energy tax credits Democrats passed in party-line votes last year to boost the production and consumption of clean energy. McCarthy and Republicans have argued that the tax breaks “distort the market and waste taxpayer money.”The White House has defended the tax credits as resulting in hundreds of billions of dollars in private-sector investments, creating thousands of manufacturing jobs in the U.S.