Tag: Government

Where J.D. Vance Stands On Key Issues

In his first two years in the Senate, J.D. Vance, former President Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick, has established himself as a populist voice, at times clashing with Republican leadership. But on issues like abortion, immigration and election integrity, he’s closely aligned with Trump.

By Lexie Schapitl, Ben Giles, Destinee Adams
Read the original story from npr.org, published July 16, 2024 at 5:17 p.m. ET

For more updates from the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, head to the NPR Network’s live updates page.

In his first two years in the Senate, J.D. Vance, former President Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick, has established himself as a populist voice, at times clashing with Republican leadership.

But on issues like abortion, immigration and election integrity, he’s closely aligned with Trump.

Here’s a look at where Vance stands on key issues:

Vance On Abortion

Vance describes himself as “pro-life,” but during his 2022 Senate campaign said he would like the issue to be left to the states.

“I’d like it to be primarily a state issue,” Vance said in an interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer. “Ohio is going to want to have a different abortion policy from California, from New York, and I think that’s reasonable.”

In a 2022 debate with Democratic Senate candidate Tim Ryan, Vance said he would support “a number of different exceptions” but did not specify what exactly those exceptions would be.

Earlier this month, Vance said on NBC’s Meet the Press that he supports the availability of the abortion pill mifepristone.

The anti-abortion group Students for Life Action gave Vance an A- on their “Pro-Life Generation Report Card.”

Vance On Aid To Ukraine

Vance is one of the leading congressional Republican voices against U.S. aid to Ukraine. In an April op-ed, Vance wrote that he “remains opposed to virtually any proposal for the United States to continue funding this war.”

In the same op-ed, he encouraged Biden to pursue a negotiated peace with Putin.

In September 2023, Vance was among a group of Republican senators who opposed President Biden’s request for additional Ukraine aid.

“The American people deserve to know what their money has gone to,” the senators wrote. “How is the counteroffensive going? Are the Ukrainians any closer to victory than they were 6 months ago? What is our strategy, and what is the president’s exit plan? What does the administration define as victory in Ukraine?”

John Conway, a leader of the group Republicans for Ukraine, called Vance’s selection as Trump’s running mate “a huge disappointment to all Republicans who want to see Ukraine win, Russia lose, and Putin defeated.”

“Sen. Vance has a long history of confusing free, America-loving countries like Ukraine with tyrannical, corrupt, anti-American dictatorships like Russia,” Conway said in a statement to NPR. “The establishment of the Republican Party cannot continue to ignore the millions of Republicans who value American national security and understand that Ukraine is America’s friend and Putin is America’s enemy.”

Vance On Election Integrity

In Sen. J.D. Vance, former President Donald Trump has found a fellow election denier as his running mate — one who’s already sown seeds of doubt about the upcoming presidential election.

While running for the Senate in 2022, Vance said on the campaign trail that he thought the 2020 election was “stolen from Trump.” And earlier this year, Vance told ABC News he still questions the results of the 2020 election.

“Do I think there were problems in 2020? Yes, I do,” he told George Stephanopoulos in February.

Speaking on CNN in May, Vance downplayed the severity of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, saying he was “truly skeptical” that former Vice President Mike Pence’s life “was ever in danger,” despite chants from the crowd that Pence should be hanged.

“I think politics and politics people like to really exaggerate things from time to time,” Vance said.

Vance On Immigration

Vance has taken a hard line on immigration; he has often decried a “crisis” at the southern border and called for funding and constructing a border wall.

Speaking on Fox News in June, Vance said he believes the U.S. should conduct “large-scale deportations.”

Like Trump, Vance Wants To “Drain The Swamp”

In a 2021 podcast, Vance advised Trump to, “fire every single mid-level bureaucrat, every civil servant in the administrative state, replace them with our people,” and then potentially defy the Supreme Court if the president was sued.

Vance’s words sound like a “winning message,” Caroline Sunshine, deputy communications director for the Trump campaign, told NPR’s Morning Edition.

Poll Workers Needed In Lead Up To November Election

West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner has teamed up with the county clerks, the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission and other states for National Poll Worker Recruitment Day on Aug. 1.

The West Virginia Secretary of State is asking for volunteers heading into the 2024 General Election. 

Secretary Mac Warner has teamed up with the county clerks, the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission and other states for National Poll Worker Recruitment Day on Aug. 1.

Having an adequate number of poll workers to staff polling places on and before Election Day can ensure voters receive the assistance they need at the polls. Currently there are 1,704 voting precincts throughout West Virginia, which requires more than 8,000 poll workers. 

West Virginia law states that the county executive committee for each of the two major political parties may nominate one qualified person for each team of poll clerks for the election.

“Poll workers are critical to facilitating the election process and instilling confidence in voters,” Warner said. “To ensure that we have accessible, safe and accurate elections, we need to fully staff every polling place with trained poll workers.”

Specific duties vary by location, but election workers usually set up and prepare the polling location, welcome voters, verify voter registrations and issue ballots. Poll workers also help ensure voters understand the voting process by demonstrating how to use voting equipment and explaining voting procedures. 

Poll workers in West Virginia must be registered voters. Individuals who volunteer to be poll workers in their home county are paid an amount set by the county commission for their services. 

“Being a paid poll worker is a great way to participate in our democracy right here in West Virginia,” Warner said. “The most secure way to cast a confidential election ballot, free and clear of any undue influence or intimidation, is to do so at a polling place staffed by trained poll workers selected by the political parties. Ensuring there are enough poll workers to assist voters is always a priority for the Secretary of State’s Office and the county clerks.”

Registered West Virginia voters who would like to learn more about becoming a poll worker for the upcoming Nov. 5 General Election should complete the Poll Worker Application on or before Aug. 1.

For more information on elections in West Virginia, including voter registration and absentee ballots, contact your local county clerk or visit the West Virginia Secretary of State’s website at GoVoteWV.com.

Trump Names Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance As Vice Presidential Running Mate

Republican Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, who once called former Donald Trump “America’s Hitler” but is now one of his most vocal supporters in Congress, has been named Trump’s 2024 vice presidential pick.

By Stephen Fowler
Read the original story at npr.org, published July 15, 2024 at 3:13 p.m. ET

Follow NPR’s live blog on the RNC for updates, analysis, fact checking and color from the convention.

Republican Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, who once called former Donald Trump “America’s Hitler” but is now one of his most vocal supporters in Congress, has been named Trump’s 2024 vice presidential pick.

Ahead of the official nomination of the vice president in Milwaukee on the first day of the Republican convention, Trump posted on Truth Social that we was choosing Vance.

“As Vice President, J.D. will continue to fight for our Constitution, stand with our Troops, and will do everything he can to help me MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” Trump said in a two-part post.

Vance was born in Middletown, Ohio and served in the Marine Corps for four years after graduating high school in 2003. He graduated from The Ohio State University and Yale Law School before becoming an investment banker in California. He rose to national prominence in 2016 with his widely read — and widely criticized — memoir Hillbilly Elegy, which detailed his white working-class upbringing and the hollowed-out Rust Belt beset by addiction, poverty and despair.

In a 2016 interview with NPR, Vance said he was leaving the Bay Area to return to Ohio and do nonprofit work to target opioid addiction that was prevalent in his community growing up. “It’s obviously very personally important to me and it’s something my family has struggled with and dealt with,” he said on NPR’s All Things Considered. “And I felt, you know, frankly a little bit of responsibility now that I’ve been given this platform by the success of the book to go and try to do at least a little something to help out.”

Vance used his platform to start Our Ohio Renewal, a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization that focused on education, addiction and other “social ills” he mentioned in his memoir. The organization shuttered in less than two years with few accomplishments.

But in Trump’s world, past statements are almost never fatal if overwritten by present and future actions. Vance has morphed into a key Trump ally since taking office, and an omnipresent surrogate during his New York hush money trial.

In the aftermath of the assassination attempt against Trump at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday, Vance blamed President Joe Biden for the attack. “Today is not just some isolated incident,” Vance wrote on Twitter. “The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

Trump has called him a “genuine convert” to his cause, and if the former president is the founder of the current GOP’s “America First” agenda that attacks Democrats and the federal government, then Vance has positioned himself as the heir apparent for picking up the Make America Great Again mantel for future generations.

Vance’s selection doesn’t explicitly widen Trump’s appeal to a broader range of voters but signals a doubling down on the former president’s dire vision of an America that is under attack and a country that is unlikley to exist if he does not win. In a recent Fox News interview, Vance said he was once critical of Trump, but his time in office proved him wrong. “It’s about the success of Trump’s presidency,” Vance said in a Fox News interview that was part of a series profiling potential VP picks. “But I also think his presidency revealed, at least to me, how corrupt the media was. It taught me a very important lesson about how the media lies.”

Justice Calls For Unity After Trump Assassination Attempt

Gov. Jim Justice called for the nation to set aside political tensions after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

News of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump Saturday sent shock waves across the nation, including the residence of Gov. Jim Justice.

Justice said during a virtual press briefing Monday he “never dreamed” of such an attack, and that Trump’s survival marked “a miracle right in front of our eyes.”

“How could the bullet have missed his head?” he asked. “Unbelievable, the blessing we saw.”

Justice offered words of support to Trump, who he described as “a really dear friend,” and to the family of Corey Comperatore, the Pennsylvania resident who was killed during the shooting.

Throughout the briefing, the governor also urged the nation to set aside political tensions.

“From the standpoint of our politicians, we’ve got to amp down the rhetoric. We’ve got to get back to where we’re respecting one another, whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, whatever it may be,” Justice said.

Justice also expressed criticism of President Joe Biden’s leadership, and said the country has come to tolerate too much violence.

“Frankly, I do not agree with the path that President Biden has set us on. It seems like the violence is just amped up all over the place all the time,” he said. “The more our judges just let people go right back on the streets automatically, the more we condone, the more we’re going to have.”

Overall, crime rates are down in the last few years according to FBI statistics, with murder down more than 12 percent from 2022.

The governor ended his briefing with a prayer for the nation, and reaffirmed his commitment to attend this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee — without “one ounce of fear,” he added.

Morrisey Appeals Block Of Transgender Athlete Ban To SCOTUS

Morrisey had already announced his intention to appeal the decision when it was handed down in April. 

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn an appeals court decision that blocked a West Virginia law. 

House Bill 3293, known as the Save Women’s Sports Act, was signed into law by Gov. Jim Justice in 2021 and prohibits transgender students from participating on girls’ athletic teams or sports where competitive skill or contact is involved.

Morrisey had already announced his intention to appeal the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia decision in BPJ vs West Virginia State Board of Education when it was handed down in April. 

The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of West Virginia, Lambda Legal and Cooley LLP challenged the law on May 8, 2021, on behalf of Becky Pepper Jackson, a now 13-year-old middle school transgender girl who would be kicked off her middle school’s girls’ cross country and track and field teams if the law were enforced.

During the press conference Thursday, he called the law “plain common sense.”

“This is about preserving the integrity of women’s sports, we must protect our young women,” Morrisey said. “And that’s because this is a case about fair play.”

He went on to say that when biological males compete and win in a women’s event, female athletes lose their opportunity to shine.

“This isn’t fair on any level, boys have a competitive advantage,” Morrisey said. “They’re bigger, they’re faster, they’re stronger whether or not they’ve gone through puberty or not. Many major athletic organizations are recognizing that and passing rules limiting biological boys and men to men’s sports.”

Morrisey said Jackson “displaced” hundreds of West Virginia student athletes by winning or having podium finishes at a recent track and field event.

“More and more girls are being displaced, and more and more opportunities are being taken away,” he said. “Tens of thousands of West Virginia student athletes shouldn’t have to wait for a fair shot to compete. And we’re seeing a process here, more and more displacement.” 

The Supreme Court last year declined to take the case when Morrisey asked. That was before the Fourth Circuit ruled that the law violated Title IX protections for gender equality in school sports.

Morrisey said at least two Supreme Court justices have expressed an interest in hearing similar cases. He said he expects to hear back as soon as October on whether the court will docket the case to be heard next year.

Income Taxes Cut 4 Percent, Justice Planning Special Session For Further Cuts

Gov. Jim Justice said Wednesday that personal income taxes in West Virginia will be reduced by 4 percent beginning in 2025. He said he will call a special session of the West Virginia Legislature this year to discuss further cuts.

West Virginia residents are expected to receive a 4 percent reduction to their income taxes in 2025, with more cuts potentially on the horizon.

While announcing the cuts at a virtual press briefing Wednesday, Gov. Jim Justice said he plans to call a special session of the West Virginia Legislature this year to discuss further reductions.

“Don’t stop at 4 percent,” he said. “I mean, for crying out loud, let’s bump this thing another 5 [percent].”

The cuts were automatically triggered by a 2023 law, which reduces state income taxes each year the state collects more revenue than it did in 2019, with adjustments for inflation.

The state surpassed its own estimates for revenue collections in the latest fiscal year, with a surplus of more than $826 million.

The state collected 12 percent less revenue this fiscal year than last. But it still surpassed figures from 2019, according to reports from the West Virginia State Budget Office, a staff agency for the governor that oversees budgetary information.

The tax reduction rate will be finalized in August, but Justice said he does not anticipate changes to the figure before then.

Justice said his ultimate goal is “getting rid” of state income taxes, which he has made a focal point of his administration. Signed by Justice, the 2023 law also sliced personal income taxes by more than 21 percent — the largest reduction in state history.

In 2023, Gov. Jim Justice celebrated the signing of the largest tax cut in state history with Senate President Craig Blair (left) and Speaker of the House Roger Hanshaw (right).

Photo Credit: Will Price/WV Legislative Photography

Critics of the cuts say reduced state revenue means less money for infrastructure and social services. The cuts also come as Justice pursues a flat budget for the state, which means avoiding any year-by-year increases in government spending.

“Reduced state investment” means “school districts are facing unprecedented layoffs, with many paring back course offerings, shuttering services for students with learning and behavioral needs and closing schools,” Kelly Allen, executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy (WVCBP), wrote in an op-ed last week.

Even some state lawmakers from Justice’s own party have pushed back against the cuts. Senate Finance Chairman Eric Tarr, R-Putnam, told MetroNews earlier this month that the loss of state revenue from income taxes could require “bloody” reductions to state spending.

But Justice has maintained that reducing income taxes stands to benefit every day West Virginians and increase the dollars they can pour back into the state economy as consumers.

On Wednesday, he also denounced Tarr’s assertion that income tax cuts could hurt residents, and described the WVCBP as “liberal and crazy as crazy can be.”

“We know we can do this. Well then, why don’t we do it? Why in the world don’t we do it?” Justice said. “It’s the people’s money. It’s not our money.”

Justice also noted that the new cuts, paired with an additional 5 percent reduction from state lawmakers, would bring the state roughly one-third of the way toward meeting his goal of eliminating personal income taxes altogether.

While Justice still has several months left to call a special session of the Legislature, he would have to do so before his successor assumes the role of governor in January.

Justice did not provide a specific date for the special session Wednesday, but repeatedly emphasized his commitment to doing so.

“I’m calling everybody back in,” he said. “I want them to be able to do another 5 percent.”

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