Good morning, it’s Wednesday, March 19, 2025. In today’s edition, GOP seeks to bar SNAP recipients from spending on candy; Idaho moves to ban vaccine mandates; visits from Canadians plummet:
Top Stories
PUBLIC HEALTH: Republicans in at least 15 states are seeking to bar low-income residents from using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program aid to buy candy and soft drinks. Lawmakers are quoting Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who have both called on states to nix sales of unhealthy foods through the SNAP program. (Pluribus News)
MORE: An Idaho House committee has advanced legislation expanding a ban on vaccine mandates from public entities and businesses. The bill would bar those entities from requiring proof of “medical intervention,” including vaccine status. Parents could enroll students in schools without having to share vaccine status. (Boise State Public Radio)
IMMIGRATION: The Idaho House approved legislation to end food assistance and prenatal care for undocumented immigrants. The bill would also end crisis counseling, immunizations and public health treatments for those in the country without authorization. (Idaho Reports)
DISASTER RESPONSE: The Idaho House Resources and Conservation Committee unanimously approved legislation allowing the governor to use state firefighters to combat wildfires on federal lands, then seek repayment in court. The bill’s sponsor said state agencies can act faster than the feds. (Idaho Reports)
EDUCATION: The Texas Senate has approved legislation to allow school districts to provide students with time to pray during school hours. The Senate gave initial approval to another measure that would require the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms. (Texas Tribune)
HOUSING: The Maryland House of Delegates has approved a bill prohibiting landlords from establishing policies to discriminate against potential renters based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, marital status, sexual orientation and gender identity, among other classes. (WYPR)
GUN POLITICS: The Alabama legislature has given final approval to a measure banning Glock switches and other conversion devices that allow semi-automatic weapons to convert to machine guns. Gov. Kay Ivey (R) is expected to sign the bill after she backed it in her State of the State address. (Associated Press)
LGBTQ RIGHTS: An Ohio appeals court has ruled the state’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors is unconstitutional. The three-judge panel overturned a Franklin County judge who ruled the law should take effect last year. The law bars doctors from prescribing hormones, puberty blockers or gender reassignment surgery for minors. (Columbus Dispatch)
In Politics & Business
PENNSYLVANIA: Voters near Pittsburgh will cast ballots in a special election that will determine which party controls the state House on Tuesday. The House is deadlocked at 101-101; Democrat Dan Goughnour is favored in the McKeesport-based seat, which came open when Rep. Matt Gergely (D) died unexpectedly in January. (Associated Press)
MASSACHUSETTS: State Sen. Peter Durant (R) says he will decide “relatively shortly” whether to mount a challenge to Gov. Maura Healey (D) in 2026. Durant has been a chief critic of the Healey administration’s migrant shelter policies. (MassLive)
MICHIGAN: Conservative commentator Tudor Dixon (R) is considering runs for governor or U.S. Senate in 2026. Dixon, the GOP’s gubernatorial nominee in 2022, lost to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) by a 10-point margin. She would join three other Republicans in the GOP primary, while U.S. Rep. John James (R) ponders his own bid. (Detroit News)
CRIME BLOTTER: Minnesota Republicans are calling on Sen. Justin Eichorn (R) to resign after his arrest Monday for allegedly soliciting a minor for prostitution. He was arrested by Bloomington police after arriving for a meetup with what he thought was a 16-year old. (MPR News)
By The Numbers
$6.2 billion: The shortfall California’s Medi-Cal program faces this year, $2.8 billion above the previous shortfall. Nearly 15 million state residents are covered under the state Medicaid program. (CalMatters)
Half a million: The decline in land crossings between Canada and the United States in February, compared to the same period last year. It’s the first hint of a larger decline in Canadian tourism in the U.S. as the Trump administration targets our neighbor to the north with tariffs and annexation threats. (Maine Public Radio)
Off The Wall
A Pennsylvania man was detained at Newark Liberty International Airport after he was found with a live turtle in his pants. TSA officials said they were used to seeing concealed knives or weapons, but it was the first time they had come across a live animal smuggled in someone’s pants. The turtle, TSA officials said, was unharmed. (Associated Press)
David Rush, who holds the most concurrent Guinness World Records, has set a new one after juggling in all 63 U.S. national parks. Rush’s sons have applied for recognition as the youngest brothers to earn Junior Rangers badges at each of the parks, a journey that took them five years to complete. (UPI)
Quote of the Day
“When you get a call from the governor, or anyone around them, in this sort of context, it’s a message-sender.”
— An unnamed Republican lobbyist, reporting phone calls from allies of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) urging them not to back U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R) for governor in 2026. First Lady Casey DeSantis (R) is keeping the door open for her own bid for the office. (NBC News)