Here is what is trending in politics around Georgia and across the nation on Wednesday.
1, Sanctuary cities can lose federal grants
The Justice Department announced Tuesday that it would no longer award grant money to so-called "sanctuary cities" unless they give immigration authorities access to jails and inform federal authorities in advance when an undocumented alien is about to be released from custody. Before cities had only to show they were not preventing communication between local law enforcement agencies and federal authorities – they were not required to inform the federal government when a prisoner was going to be released. Clayton and DeKalb counties in Georgia are considered sanctuary counties by the federal government.
2. Health care reform moves forward after tie
A tie vote, broken by Vice President Mike Pence, moved the prospect of Senate health care reform a step closer to reality Tuesday. The Senate split 50-50 on the question of moving forward with debate on a bill that would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. All 48 Democrats voted no on the bill that would replace Obamacare, as the ACA had become known. Two Republicans, Sen. Susan Collins, (Maine), and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, (Alaska), joined the Democrats in voting no. Sen. John McCain, (R-Arizona), returned to the Senate to cast a yes vote to start debate on the bill. McCain had been at home recuperating from surgery to remove a blood clot in his brain. During the procedure, doctors discovered that McCain has an aggressive form of brain cancer. Georgia's senators, Republicans Johnny Isakson and David Perdue, voted in favor of the motion to proceed.
3. First vote on amendment to health care bill fails
Late Tuesday, the Senate rejected an amendment to the Senate health care bill that would have erased tax penalties on people not buying health care insurance, cut Medicaid payments to states and decreased subsidies for consumers. Nine Republicans voted no on the proposal by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The vote was 57-43 to block the amendment. Georgia senators Isakson and Perdue voted for the bill.
4. VA funding bill voted down
A bill that would have funded a VA program that provides stop-gap medical care for veterans who can't get a timely appointment with military doctors failed Monday. The Choice program, which offers veterans federally paid medical care outside the VA, was put in place in 2014 after several veterans died waiting for medical care from a VA medical facility in Arizona. and is a priority of President Donald Trump. Lawmakers backing the funding bill said the program would run out of money by mid-August. The bill would have funneled money from other VA programs to shore up the Choice program. Isakson, the chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, has been working with House members to reach a compromise on funding the program.
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