Stay up-to-date on what’s in the news with the Y’all Politics Daily Roundup.
YP – Commissioner Gipson encourages public to refrain from panic buying fuel
Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson encourages the public across Mississippi to refrain from “panic buying” fuel due to the halted operations of the Colonial Pipeline. Colonial Pipeline expects to restore operations by the end of the week.
“In the meantime,” Commissioner Gipson suggests, “The best things we can do are: 1) limit unnecessary travel; and 20 purchase fuel only as needed.”
YP – Reeves, 19 other Governors lay blame for border crisis squarely at President Biden’s feet
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves has signed on to a letter addressed to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris that calls on the two to take immediate action at the Southern U.S. border.
The letter, signed by 20 Governors, says the border is neither closed nor secure, resulting in what the Republicans call a staggering surge in recent crossings setting a 20 year high mark.
The crisis is now impacting non-border states with the Department of Health and Human Services seeking housing options for illegal immigrants being transported across the U.S. The Governors say DHHS has circumvented states by asking private organizations and non-profits to housing unaccompanied illegal minors. The letter to the President says the states do not have the resources nor the obligation to solve the border crisis and “foot the bill for the consequences of this Administration’s misguided actions.”
YP – Gov. Reeves to Fox Business on COVID: “We’re very pleased with where we find ourselves.”
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves appeared on Fox Business on Monday saying the state is doing well after lifting nearly all of the COVID-19 restrictions.
“Hospitalizations are plummeting. The total number of cases continue to decline,” Reeves said. “We’re very pleased with where we find ourselves.”
The Governor said he is focused on getting more and more Mississippians vaccinated, having over a million people fully vaccinated so far.
MSDH daily COVID-19 reporting
Today MSDH is reporting 267 more cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi, 6 deaths, and 26 ongoing outbreaks in long-term care facilities. The state's total of #covid19 cases is now 313,942, with 7,240 deaths. More on case details, vaccinations and prevention: https://t.co/YCv9xPyJDk pic.twitter.com/9JysuzronY
— Mississippi State Department of Health (@msdh) May 11, 2021
YP – Statewide campaign kicks off for Medicaid expansion via ballot initiative
A group of Mississippi doctors, nurses, patients, small business owners, non-profits, health advocates and hospitals have joined together to campaign for Medicaid expansion on the ballot.
“For too long, Mississippi has sent our tax dollars off to Washington only to watch that money go to states like California and New York to pay for their healthcare instead. That needs to change,” said Dr. John Gaudet of Hattiesburg, who filed the initiative. “As physicians, we want to bring our tax dollars home to take care of our patients here — just like Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma have all done. It’s time to let the voters decide.”
Initiative 76 is required to obtain 106,190 signatures in order to be placed on the ballot.
YP – MS Democratic Party Chair chastises Reeves for announcing end of federal unemployment benefits
On Monday, Governor Tate Reeves announced come June 12 that Mississippi would no longer participate in federal unemployment supplemental benefits offered due to COVID-19. However, not everyone was in favor of that decision.
Chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party Tyree Irving questioned the decision made by Reeves in a statement released on Tuesday…
…”Mississippi boasts one of the highest poverty rates in the United States. The decision to forgo federal dollars that would assist struggling Mississippians, at no additional cost to the State, is cold and heartless. Raising the minimum wage to a living wage or to $15.00 per hour may also be an incentive to boost the number of people seeking employment. It is my hope that Governor Reeves, along with his Republican colleagues, will focus on improving the low wages that continue to plague our State and that have caused us to lose population and growth to other Southern states.”
WLOX – Miss. House Minority Leader: People shouldn’t be blamed for taking advantage of extra fed. benefits
House Minority Leader Rep. Robert Johnson seems to be echoing the same sentiment as other Democratic state representatives, including Chris Bell and Jeramey Anderson, who called for a minimum wage increase Monday afternoon.
“Unemployment benefits are not the problem—our failure to address low wages in our state is the real issue,” Anderson tweeted.
Following in their footsteps, House Minority Leader Johnson stated Tuesday that Mississippi should raise the minimum wage first before ending the pandemic unemployment stipend.
Mississippians who are currently unemployed are receiving up to $235 weekly, plus an additional $300 from the federal government – which will come to an end in Mississippi next month.
WLBT – Rep. Thompson signs letter asking White House for briefing regarding Colonial Pipeline hack
Congressman Bennie Thompson (D, Miss.) was among many who signed a letter sent to White House Nation Security Advisor Jake Sullivan seeking more answers regarding the recent Colonial Pipeline hack.
The hack, which occurred last Friday, shut down the largest fuel pipeline in the U.S. which runs through Mississippi. As of Tuesday, state officials say the supplies are good but won’t be if people panic.
The pipeline is expected to function properly by the end of the week.
YP – Wicker Fights Federal Takeover of Elections
U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today will introduce up to nine amendments to S.1, the “For the People Act,” at a hearing of the Senate Rules Committee.
Senate Republicans are expected to introduce dozens of amendments to strip S.1 of a number of problematic provisions that would reduce election security or impose unnecessary restrictions on state elections.
“The left has branded this legislation as a way to make voting easier, when in reality this federal takeover of our elections would only make cheating easier,” Wicker said. “My amendments would protect our elections from additional fraud so that all Americans can have faith in their election system.”
YP – Hyde-Smith offers amendment to affirm state voter ID laws
U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today offered an amendment to affirm the constitutionality of state Voter ID laws as the Senate Rules Committee began its markup of S.1, the massive Democrat legislation to federalize elections.
As written, S.1 would effectively undermine all state Voter ID laws, including Mississippi’s popular and successful statute, and instead allow a person to vote without any proof of identity or residency.
“This amendment would require any ballot cast without meeting state voter ID requirements to be considered a provisional ballot. This would permit states like Mississippi to continue to enforce their Voter ID laws, which have proven successful in preventing fraud and promoting the integrity of elections,” Hyde-Smith said. “Voter ID is Constitutional, popular, and doesn’t hold any legal voter back from the polls. Instead, Voter ID functions to ensure that nobody is voting illegally.”
YP – NFIB survey: Optimism up, job openings remain high
.@nfib_ms SURVEY: Small Business Optimism Up in April but Job Openings Remain at Record Highs #business #jobs
READ MORE>> https://t.co/R6CwJdUYCX
— Magnolia Tribune (@magnoliatribune) May 11, 2021
YP – Reeves announces expansion to Hankins Lumber in Grenada
Governor Tate Reeves announced a new expansion to Hankins Lumber in Grenada, MS. Hankins Lumber is adding new sawmill operations, Hankins Timbers, to their existing business enterprise. The project is a $12.5 million corporate investment and will create 43 jobs.
“Mississippi’s agriculture industry is our state’s top economic driver, employing tens of thousands of Mississippians and contributing billions to the state’s economy each year,” Governor Tate Reeves said. “Forestry is the state’s second top commodity in this important industry, with nearly 20 million acres of forestland available to ensure companies like Hankins Timbers continue to provide job opportunities to the people of Grenada County and the entire state for years to come.”
Magnolia Tribune
