The federal budget and tax megabill shifts hundreds of millions of dollars in health care, food assistance and other costs from Washington to states. Unlike the federal government, states have to balance their budgets, which means the cost-shift will make it harder to keep vital public services up and running. The Washington Post’s Yasmeen Abutaleb and Maeve Reston explain how state policymakers are trying to navigate this new fiscal reality:
The only way to cover expected losses, experts said, would be for states to impose higher taxes — a decision they are unlikely to make because of the political costs. Some states, in fact, are trying to cut taxes further. “It’s all coming in the context of a budget cycle right now that is the worst we’ve seen in a couple years,” [CEO of Salo Health Strategies Matt] Salo said. “There are a whole lot of things completely outside the control of state governments — tariff policy and supply chains in general and everything else that’s going on. All of those things are going to be putting a lot of pressure on state budgets.”
Adding to the problem: The federal law creates massive new paperwork requirements for Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which in turn raises costs for states:
Pennsylvania officials said determining (Medicaid) eligibility every six months instead of once a year will require its health department to increase staffing by 500 at an estimated cost of $37 million per year. They said work reporting requirements would require a staff increase of 250, costing up to an estimated $18 million per year. Even though the work requirements in Medicaid and SNAP have not yet taken effect, some states are already beginning to make cuts. In Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey (D) signed a fiscal year 2026 state budget that was $1 billion less than what she proposed in January because of uncertainty around federal funding, according to the governor’s office.
Dysfunction in New Orleans courts
People accused of murder in New Orleans often languish in jail for years before facing trial. Homicide prosecutions in the Crescent City move at a slower pace than almost anywhere else in the nation, according to an analysis by the Times-Picayune. The newspaper’s Jillian Kramer explains the many factors that contribute to courtroom dysfunction:
Some delays are unavoidable. But inside Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, hearings and trial dates routinely collapse for preventable reasons: lawyers triple-book trials, judges take last-minute vacations, evidence can’t be found. “It’s like the Wild West,” said Elizabeth Strauss, a former New Orleans prosecutor who now practices in Florida. “It’s really scary that something can be that dysfunctional and still function.”
Judges bear most of the responsibility for the anemic pace of murder prosecutions:
Some judges let homicide cases drift, unable or unwilling to hold the line. Deadlines slip; routine exchanges of evidence drag for months; trial dates hinge on a single witness’ schedule. It’s common for some judges to arrive at court late — leaving families and police officers waiting extended periods — and exit before noon. In those shortened stretches on the bench, little meaningful work gets done, records show. The result is a steady churn of continuances, or postponements, that the National Center for State Courts says is the biggest obstacle to timely, fair justice.
It doesn’t appear that reforms are on the way:
But the court as a whole has refused to adopt even simple solutions, such as calendar synchronization, dual dockets and unified case-processing rules, which experts say can have substantial impact. “There are different ways you can probe these dockets to make them work,” [Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Will] Crain said. “What you have to do first is be willing to say that what is currently being done doesn’t work.”
Black lawmakers urge AG to defend current congressional map
The Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus is asking a state judge to force Attorney General Liz Murrill to resume defending a congressional map that includes two majority-minority districts. The move comes after Murrill abandoned the state’s defense of the political boundaries that state lawmakers and Gov. Jeff Landry approved in 2024. Instead, state leaders are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to rule a key provision of the federal Voting Rights Act unconstitutional, which would allow the termination of Louisiana’s current map – and could affect how political boundaries are drawn nationwide. The Louisiana Illuminator’s Piper Hutchinson reports:
After previously defending the map, Murrill effectively switched sides and joined the white voters who challenged the constitutionality of the map once their case was scheduled for new arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court. “For purely political purposes, to assist efforts by the National Republican Party to maintain control of Congress in the 2026 mid-term elections, Attorney General Murrill has now flipped her position in the Supreme Court … and now on behalf of the State of Louisiana asserts [the map] is unconstitutional,” the Black Caucus’ petition reads.
Nurse-midwives key to better maternal outcomes
Louisiana has long been a dangerous place to be born or give birth. Michele Collins, dean and professor at Loyola University New Orleans College of Nursing and Health, writing in the Times-Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate, explains how nurse-midwives can help drive better maternal outcomes in the state:
Nurse-midwives can and should be part of the solution to the maternal-child health crisis in Louisiana. The World Health Organization released a statement in June endorsing the adoption and expansion of midwifery models of care globally. WHO’s guidance referenced the proven health benefits for both women and their babies when cared for by midwives. Two fairly new nurse-midwifery education programs in the state are answering the call, educating nurse-midwives who will serve Louisiana communities and make a difference for mothers and babies across the state.
Number of the Day
$1,063 – Average rent price per month in Louisiana, the ninth lowest in the nation. (Source: Apartments.com via The Times-Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate)