NEWS AND OPINION:
Larry Hogan — the 62nd governor of Maryland — is not done with public life in his beloved state. Mr. Hogan is running for the U.S. Senate and his campaign is — literally — picking up speed.
“Like most of you, I’m completely fed up with politics-as-usual and politicians in Washington who are more interested in arguing than getting anything done for the people. Enough is enough,” he said in a written campaign statement.
“I’m running for the United States Senate – not to serve one party – but to fix our nation’s broken politics and fight for Maryland,” Mr. Hogan advised.
To demonstrate his point, the candidate will launch a 10-day “Back to Work” bus tour of Maryland that begins Friday.
“This statewide grassroots tour will take Governor Hogan to every region across dozens of stops, beginning in Western Maryland,” the campaign said.
It’s an ambitious journey. The first two days of the tour will include visits to Garrett, Allegany, Washington, Frederick and Carroll counties.
“Our campaign is looking forward to hitting the road again and visiting communities all across the state. This statewide tour will bring us directly to the people as we work together to fix our broken politics and send a loud and clear message to Washington. Let’s get back to work!” Mr. Hogan said, again in a written statement.
Find his campaign at LarryHogan.com. Mr. Hogan, a Republican, was governor of Maryland from 2015 to 2023.
Not so healthy
President Biden had much to say about lowering the cost of health care in the U.S. on Wednesday during a White House event that also featured Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vermont independent.
Mr. Biden got down to specifics, particularly homing in on the cost of inhalers, hearing aids and prescription drugs for average Americans. He also offered criticisms of health care policy from his “predecessor” — former President Donald Trump, of course — along with Republican lawmakers.
The Republican National Committee, however, will have none of it.
“While Americans enjoyed lower prescription drug prices and historic cost transparency under President Trump, Biden’s health care dream is a nightmare for families across the country,” said Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley in a written statement.
“President Biden has tried to cut Medicare Advantage for seniors and allowed deadly fentanyl to flood our communities, all while forcing taxpayers to foot the $182 billion healthcare bill for illegal immigrants. We need President Trump back in office to put American families first.,” Mr. Whatley observed.
Here are some particulars about the costs, meanwhile.
“At the federal, state, and local levels, taxpayers shell out approximately $182 billion to cover the costs incurred from the presence of more than 15.5 million illegal aliens, and about 5.4 million citizen children of illegal aliens. That amounts to a cost burden of approximately $8,776 per illegal alien/citizen child. The burden of illegal immigration on U.S. taxpayers is both staggering and crippling, with the gross cost per taxpayer at $1,156 every year,” noted a wide-ranging analysis produced by the Federation for American Immigration Reform — a nonpartisan, public interest organization — in a report released March 8.
“Illegal aliens only contribute roughly $32 billion in taxes at the state, local, and federal levels. This means that the net fiscal cost of illegal immigration to taxpayers totals approximately $150.7 billion,” the report noted.
A visit to the border
One New York Republican is definitely a “boots on the ground” kind of lawmaker.
Rep. Elise Stefanik headed north in the Empire State on Wednesday and paid a call on the Champlain Port of Entry and Border Patrol facility. She was determined to hear directly from Border Patrol agents about the increasing surge of illegal crossings along the Canadian border with the U.S.
“The Swanton Sector Border Patrol had more illegal immigrant apprehensions in FY23 than the previous eleven fiscal years combined because of these failed Far Left open border policies,” Ms. Stefanik said in a written statement shared with the Beltway.
This Swanton Sector, by the way, stretches across 24,000 square miles — spanning the state of Vermont; Clinton, Essex, Franklin, St. Lawrence and Herkimer counties of New York; and Coos, Grafton and Carroll counties of New Hampshire.
“It is abundantly clear that our brave Border Patrol and CBP agents are in desperate need of more resources and support. While far Left Democrats continue to incentivize this crisis they created, Republicans are fighting to secure our border and ensure our agents and officers have the resources they need to keep us safe,” Ms. Stefanik said.
“The crisis at our border isn’t just at the southern border. It’s at the northern border as well. Having a champion like Elise Stefanik is incredible,” said Brandon Budlong — president of the National Border Patrol Council Local 2724 — also in a written statement.
Ivy-covered halls
Graduation Day is looming for some 2 million high school students around the nation. Is college in their future? If so, higher education could come with a hefty price tag.
“Many are facing jaw-dropping costs – in some cases, as much as $95,000. A number of private colleges – some considered elite and others middle-of-the-pack – have exceeded the $90,000 threshold for the first time this year as they set their annual costs for tuition, board, meals and other expenses,” the Associated Press reports.
And some examples? The annual cost of tuition at Wellesley College will be $92,000 this fall. The cost at the University of Southern California is $95,000, while it’s $92,000 at the University of Pennsylvania and Brown University. Dartmouth College in New Hampshire weighs in at $91,000, Boston University at $90,000.
“That means a wealthy family with three children could expect to shell out more than $1 million by the time their youngest child completes a four-year degree,” the AP said.
“Many colleges with large endowments have become more focused in recent years on making college affordable for students who aren’t wealthy. Lower-income families may be required to pay just 10% of the advertised rate and, for some, attending a selective private college can turn out to be cheaper than a state institution,” the report also noted.
Poll du jour
44% of U.S. adults “strongly disapprove” of the way the U.S. Congress is handling its job.
23% “somewhat disapprove” of the job Congress is doing.
13% neither approve nor disapprove of the job Congress is doing.
9% “somewhat approve” of the job Congress is doing.
7% are “not sure” about the issue.
3% “strongly approve” of the job Congress is doing.
Source: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,813 U.S. adults conducted March 30-April 2.
Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin, on Facebook @HarperBulletin.