Attorney General Liz Murrill is asking the Louisiana Supreme Court to intervene on a lawsuit challenging a misleading tax amendment on the March 29 ballot. The move comes after a state judge refused to halt the legal challenge on Wednesday. The Times-Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate’s Alyse Pfeil reports on the state’s argument to quash the suit:

The office of Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry, the defendant, argued the case should be tossed because it’s too close to the election and because the plaintiffs don’t have grounds to sue under Louisiana law. But district court Judge Louise Hines on Wednesday said the plaintiffs had the right to sue and have a full hearing on the preliminary injunction they are asking for. “How do you ensure that your rights are being respected as a citizen without having a vehicle to do that?” said Hines in explaining why the court should consider the challenge.

While the judge, plaintiffs and defendants all acknowledge that Amendment 2 will appear on ballots later this month, the key issue is what happens if the proposal passes: 

The judge said that what remains at issue is the effect Amendment 2 would have should it pass. “We’re past whether or not people can vote on it. It’s the validity of the votes,” Hines said. In a statement, [plaintiff attorney William] Most said that the lower court’s decision on Wednesday to let the lawsuit proceed “recognized a core truth: that rules calling for transparency in elections are not unenforceable words on a page; they are critical pillars of a functioning democracy.”

Mike Johnson’s constituents fear Medicaid cuts

House Speaker Mike Johnson played a key role in advancing a budget blueprint that would cut $880 billion, largely from the Medicaid program that serves people with low incomes and disabilities. The proposal would be catastrophic for one-third of Johnson’s constituents, who are enrolled in the federal health care program. Melanie Zanona and Susan Kroll of NBC News report on the perceived disconnect between Johnson’s actions in Washington and the well being of his constituents back in Louisiana. 

Pastor Leroy McClelland, who lives in Johnson’s southwestern Louisiana district and volunteers at a local food bank, said he is dependent on Medicaid and food stamps after having suffered several medical issues and would be in a serious “bind” without government assistance. He added that he’s far from alone in those struggles. “People can’t do without it,” McClelland told NBC News outside the food bank. “So I would tell them [Congress] to help us out. Help us. People are hurting out here. And you may be from Louisiana, but you’re the House speaker. Cross the aisle. Work together to do whatever you got to do. That’s my message.”

Trump cuts squeeze farmers and food banks

President Donald Trump has terminated two Biden-era policies that paid farmers to provide fresh and minimally processed foods to schools and food banks. The move could have dire economic consequences for farmers, who rely heavily on loans to finance operations, and reduce access to healthy foods for low-income families. The New York Times’ Julie Creswell and Linda Qiu report on the reaction from program participants:

Some participants, however, expressed surprise that the programs were suddenly scrapped, saying they seemed to intersect with many of the Trump administration’s priorities. The administration has vowed to support farmers and to encourage Americans to eat healthier foods, and to empower states to oversee and distribute the funds. “These were programs that had Republican support in many states,” said Katie Nixon, board president for the Kansas City Food Hub, an organization that connected local farmers like Ms. [Liz] Graznak with community programs and schools.

Going backwards on TANF

The Trump administration has nixed pilot programs in five states aimed at improving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs. TANF provides states with federal block grants that are supposed to be used, in large part, to provide basic cash assistance and employment services for low-income families with children. Nick Gwyn of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities explains how this move will hinder progress:

The Trump Administration’s backsliding on TANF innovation is particularly concerning given that House Republicans are considering cutting TANF’s block grant funding (which has been frozen since TANF’s creation in 1996) and making its process-oriented work requirements even stricter, which would further limit TANF’s ability to help families become self-sufficient. TANF now provides income assistance to only about 1 in 5 families living in poverty, leaving many millions of children without needed help for food, rent, diapers, and other necessities. And its very modest cash benefits ($549 a month in the median state in 2023) are at or below 60 percent of the poverty line in every state.

Number of the Day

85% – Median hourly earnings of U.S. women as a percentage of men’s median earnings among all workers. The gender pay gap has slightly narrowed over the past two decades. (Source: Pew Research Center)