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Kinsey Highly Critical of Potential Guyana Naval Base "I want to work with this administration. I really do. But it's run by children. Untrustworthy children." Washington DC -- Senator Tabitha Kinsey made the following remarks today after news about the considerations of placing an American naval base in Guyana. "I want to work with this administration. I really do. I am a realist and a pragmatist. I am a Democrat -- one you would call 'far left' on other causes and others that certainly would not get me invited to a seat with the Bernie Sanders fan club. I am in the minority party in the Senate. My party controls the House. The White House is currently controlled by a Republican. This mix means that we will all have to make compromises and come up with new ideas to get anything done -- be it Medicare or economic growth or any number of the incredibly difficult issues that can hurt this country. Such as the issue in Essequibo. First, it's wonderful that our two amazing soldiers were both brought back home. I certainly applaud the White House for ensuring that happened, along with some semblance of peace being brought to the region. But today we learned, in the third bullet point in a press release written by the Secretary of State. I'm sure just tucking in 'creating a Navy Base in South America' underneath exciting news about possibly lithium investments in Argentina and increasing cultural exchanges in Colombia was unintentional, she says sarcastically. It's ridiculous that's how something so incredibly important was brought to the attention of the nation. We literally had a hearing about Guyana and no one from the administration mentioned the possibility of a permanent naval base in Guyana. Do you know what the worst part about this is? If the White House were to go about doing this in a transparent way, and explaining their reasons why, I could possibly support such an effort. But because they did so in such a grotesque way, it's clear that this administration is run by children. Untrustworthy children. Here are some of the other 'greatest hits' regarding this administration's response to the tensions between Venezuela and Guyana. 1) The Administration did not consider bringing a discussion about Guyana and Venezuela -- along with China and Russia, whom were also parties at play in the region -- to the United Nations. This is just a slap in the face of how diplomacy usually works. 2) The administration decided not to use the OAS as its mission. It decided to not consult at all with Canada or Mexico or Panama regarding the conflict -- Canada being a major US ally with a vibrant military, Mexico being the country where possibly millions of South and Central Americans would traverse to get to our border in case it became a hot war, Panama being the nation with the most important trade route in the world. Mind you, most of the Republican Party was out celebrating the news of the prisoner's release and gloating in the face of Canada by completely whiffing on the names of it's prime minister. The GOP, in its touting "America First" with those cute tiny American flag emojis, does not understand the economic partnership we have with Mexico and Canada. The countries we export the most goods to are Mexico and Canada. Cross-border trade is complicated and one that requires constant negotiation. Alienating nations so important to US companies -- all to get meaningless retweets on social media -- is certainly not putting 'America First.' It's immature, ridiculous and silly. 3) The administration did not consider energy interests at all -- even though Maduro's clear intentions with the region are an oil grab, US oil company employees were harmed during the conflict, and China backs Venezuela's government because of the nation's need for oil. We saw that these brief tensions resulted in a rise at American gasoline pumps -- something that that administration could not be bothered to think about. Serious -- I'm asking the White House to show maturity. There are so many things we as a country need to get done. I want to get things done. But this administration is acting more like a teenage boy interested in flexing muscles to impress a girl at the beach than it is in actually governing. Please grow up."

Kinsey Goes on Nationwide Tour to Discuss The $100 Billion Energy Industry Industry Giveaway in PROSPER "Our energy companies are doing better than they ever have in history. Why do the Republicans want you to give them $100 billion?" Senator Tabitha Kinsey recently conducted a tour of several states to explain why the Republican's inclusion of a $100 billion giveaway to the oil-and-gas industry is a bad idea. "America is the world's leading producer of oil. We're the leading producer of natural gas. We literally produce more oil and natural gas than any other country on earth. Our biggest energy companies make hundreds of billions in profits per year. Why are the Republicans so desperate to give these companies $100 billion -- and to do so in a way without any checks or balances? There is literally no reason for this idea. There is no defense of this idea. It's completely inexplicable. The GOP wants to give $100 billion to the industry that needs it the least." Her tour took her to the following cities: Portland, Maine Louisville, Kentucky Des Moines, Iowa Savannah, Georgia Raleigh, North Carolina

“I am dumber for even having to consider a $100 billion handout to the energy industry.” Kinsey comments on energy giveaway included in PROSPER Act. Senator Tabitha Kinsey made the following remarks about the PROSPER Act. “Out of the many thousands of things in PROPER that make zero sense, perhaps the most insane and ridiculous is the $100 billion giveaway to oil and gas companies. The American oil and gas industry is doing quite fine. There are something called ‘facts’ that I know the Republicans don’t really enjoy using anymore, if they ever really did. But here are some to back up my claim. 1) The United States is the biggest producer of oil in the world. The United States is also the biggest producer of natural gas in the world. Our energy companies are doing quite fine on their own. This is from the EIA, our agency that provided such numbers. 2) In 2022, that last year we have data available, the world’s biggest energy companies combined to make $219 billion. Again, this is all pretty easy to confirm. (https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/big-oil-doubles-profits-blockbuster-2022-2023-02-08/) And I say this as a Senator in a state where natural gas production is a huge part of our economy. Pennsylvania is the second biggest producer of natural gas in the United States. While I know we have to soon get to a carbon free planet, I know that is not going to happen immediately, and we need to consider the jobs and livelihoods impacted by that change. But giving $100 billion without any sort of checks and balances to energy companies is not needed nor is it good for anyone. This entire bill is ridiculous and I am dumber for having to even consider a $100 billion handout to the energy industry.”

"We need more places for people to live if we want to make housing more affordable." Kinsey Amendment Will Add Badly Needed Housing Supply to Ease Pricing Crush Today, Senator Tabitha Kinsey offered an amendment to the Creating Homeownership Act of 2025. This bill would create the "Qualified Office Conversion Tax Credit" offering a tax credit of 20 percent of expenditures accrued when an empty office building is converted into residential and mixed use properties. The amendment would also require a portion of any residential development to incorporate affordable housing. "Earlier this year, CNBC had an excellent report about the main driver of the housing and rental price crunch, which it the lack of supply. There's a huge demand for housing but not enough housing units to match. At the same time, the pandemic radically changed how Americans work as millions now work from home as opposed to the office. This has created large vacancies in office buildings throughout the country. There has been a push in many places to convert those emptied office buildings into housing. However, it's a really expensive task. My amendment to the Creating Homeownership Act of 2025 would offer a 20% tax credit for the expenses accrued to convert an office of empty cubicles into a vibrant apartment building. This will also have the added benefit of bringing more individuals into downtown areas, allowing the businesses and restaurants in those neighborhoods to thrive. And these won't just be for 'luxury lofts' with infinity pools available only to a handful. To get this tax credit, you have to set aside a large chunk of the residential units to affordable housing. The more supply, the more we can alleviate prices. And reducing the expenses to make these conversions is a great incentive to help make this happen. This is a common sense amendment. It should be accepted without hesitation."

Senator Kinsey Drums Up Support For Saving Hospitals In Rural America Act Over the past two weeks, Senator Tabitha Kinsey has gone on a whirlwind tour across America to discuss the dire state of rural hospitals in America, how her Saving Hospitals In Rural America Act bill will help alleviate the pressures these facilities face, and why the PROSPER Act is so dangerous to the healthcare needs of rural Americans. "It's a shame that so many hospitals in rural parts of America aren't just struggling, but closing. This denies badly needed care to millions of Americans. The Saving Hospitals In Rural America Act bill will start programs to bring young doctors to rural facilities, increase access for mental health and substance abuse treatment in rural communities and also changing reimbursement formulas to allow these institutions breathing room to operate. In addition, the PROSPER Act has in it a measure that would ensure that rural hospitals carry more debt, placing so many at risk of closure. Saving money shouldn't cost lives." Her tour included stops in: Penobscot Valley Hospital - Lincoln, Maine Murray Calloway County Hospital - Calloway County, Kentucky Clarinda Regional Medical Center - Clarinda, Iowa Jenkins County Medical Center - Millen, Georgia Outer Banks Hospital - Nags Head, North Carolina

"Saving Money Shouldn't Cost Lives" Senator Kinsey visits Bucktail Medical Center in Clinton County to Introduce the Saving Hospitals In Rural America Act. South Renovo, Pennsylvania -- Pennsylvania Senator Tabitha Kinsey appeared today outside of Bucktail Medical Center in South Renovo, Clinton County to introduce the Saving Hospitals In Rural America Act. Her remarks: “Thank you everyone! It’s always a pleasure when I get to visit the Pennsylvania Wilds, which are a truly spectacular part of the state. And even though I’m a city girl at heart, I want you all to know that the concerns of the residents of the rural parts of our state are front-and-center. That’s why I’m here today to announce my first piece of legislation -- the Saving Hospitals in Rural America Act, something i have worked closely with my good friend from Hawaii Senator Kamaka. The Bucktail Medical Center is an example of a major problem facing rural Americans -- the perilous state of its hospitals. Just two years ago, the managers of this facility resorted to setting up a GoFundMe to raise money to keep the place open. That’s galling. This is the only hospital here in Clinton County. Without it, the residents of the area would have to travel well over 30 minutes to receive emergency care -- and that’s in the best of weather conditions. Bucktail is not alone. Over 130 rural hospitals have closed since 2010. There are hundreds that are on shoestring budgets, seeing specialists and departments forced to close. Approximately 60 percent of areas classified as what one could describe as a “doctor desert” are located in rural parts of the country. Plus, in places like Bucktail County, the population is older. People are on fixed incomes. Opportunities for high wages are limited compared to urban areas. All of those factors makes health care so much more of a challenge here than elsewhere. The SHIRA Act -- I apologize for the acronym, but it’s apparently all the rage in Washington -- would accomplish many things. Its first primary goal is to make sure these hospitals gain a foothold financially speaking. Hospitals like Bucktail rely on reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid for their sources of revenue. As such, there are multiple tweaks that would increase the reimbursement rates for services and procedures conducted at rural hospitals. In addition -- and, honestly, this one is all Senator Kamaka -- the bill would allow for rural hospitals to use Department of Agriculture resources to refinance their debt, allow for more money to pay for operating expenses and build reserve funds and to finance upgrades for telehealth services and computing needs. SHIRA will also make it easier for health centers and rural health clinics to provide telehealth services for patients. Another fix sounds minor but it’s not. We have in this country what are called “Critical Access Hospitals” that receive special designation to rural hospitals that meet certain specifications and allows them to receive higher reimbursement rates and other financial benefits from Medicare. But there’s a rule that states CAHs can’t be located within a 35 mile drive of another hospital. As it turns out, the hospital in Lock Haven is about 28.5 miles from Bucktail. This means Bucktail can’t get this boost in funding even though, on a day with good weather, it will take you close to 45 minutes to get to Lock Haven from here. This technicality really does hurt the finances of small hospitals, and there’s absolutely no rhyme nor reason for it to exist. This bill will get rid of this dumb rule and allow states to determine CAHs on their own -- especially if it’s located in a doctor desert in an area with a high number of low-income Medicare and Medicaid recipients and they’ve shown a few years of financial losses in a row. Also, one reason why many places are “doctor deserts” is because it’s incredibly hard to recruit residents and doctors to come here. After all, medical school is expensive and wages are higher in cities. So one possible fix -- this bill would require the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a pilot program where the government will repay medical school loans up to $200,000 for clinicians to work at a “doctor desert” facility for five years. I think that’s going to be a good fix, personally, but it doesn’t hurt to test anything out. And we also have an eye on bringing services for mental and behavioral help, in addition to substance abuse, to rural areas. There are counties all over this country where there is not one licensed psychiatrist. This bill would place a priority for the Department of Agriculture to steer grant money to services that provide these kinds of treatments in lacking rural areas. There’s also ensuring permanent funding under the Department of Agriculture to provide technical assistance and training for employees at facilities like Bucktail. Now, unfortunately, I do have some bad news. Recently, the Republicans introduced the PROSPER Act, which includes several ‘reforms’ to Medicare designed to save money. I became so alarmed about one of these reforms specifically because, if enacted, it will ensure the closure of places like Bucktail Medical Center all across the country. People will literally die as a result. Here’s how. A three-month hospital stay can very well cost a Medicare user without supplemental insurance $60,000 in out-of-pocket costs. Older people on fixed incomes who don’t have that type of savings’ face no choice. They can’t pay those bills. Because of that, hospitals have to take on this debt. Medicare reimburses hospitals a certain percentage of that “bad debt” to defray those costs. The PROSPER Act would reduce the amount Medicare will pay to hospitals for these debts. While it may seem like a trivial issue, this will be awful for rural hospitals, since so many are in financial peril. Even the slightest loss in revenues can very well lead to more hospitals resorting to GoFundMe campaigns to stay open -- or, simply, just closing like so many others have over the years. Hopefully, my Republican colleagues will start to understand the problem that you face here in Clinton County, and all across this country. It’s awful to try and score points by boasting about how much money you’re saving when you’re actually taking money away from places that desperately need it. Saving money should never cost lives. Thank you!”

Name: Tabitha Kinsey Media: YouTube Video Topic: The PROSPER Act/Spending freeze. The scene starts with a well-coiffed Tabitha Kinsey standing in her office. Tabitha Kinsey: One of the flagships of the PROSPER Act contains is the “Discretionary Spending Growth Control Act.” This is a rather annoying way of saying “We’re going to freeze the federal budget for a few years.” So, what does that mean? The office magically turns to the famous exterior of The White House, with Tabitha now standing in front of that. Tabitha Kinsey: Well, the federal government pays for all sorts of things -- everything from fancy new military equipment to the salaries of our Border Patrol. But freezing the federal budget places a cap on how much money it can spend on these things. And how does that affect your life? Tabitha is now standing in front of a traffic jam on a city expressway, with cars honking surrounded by the Atlanta skyline. There’s a closeup of a man in a car dressed head-to-toe in Atlanta Braves gear. Tabitha Kinsey: It means less money to pay for construction projects on federal interstates. That extra lane that was planned for the interstate going through your city? Well, that now gets stalled. That means you sit in more traffic -- and that’s not a lot of fun! Man In Car: Man! It’s already the third inning! I’m going to miss the whole game. Tabitha now stands in front of a very long line in front of gates at Charlotte International Airport. A family of four stands in the line looking absolutely miserable. Tabitha Kinsey: It means the TSA can’t hire more employees, which means you’ll have to wait in longer lines before you get through security -- making a trip through an airport somehow even more aggravating! Little Boy: Mommy, Daddy! I have to go to the bathroom! The parents sigh, knowing they’re going to have to rejoin the long line. Now Tabitha stands in front of the gated campus of the University of Kentucky, with four bro-dude looking college kids strolling about all dressed in “Big Blue” gear and white baseball caps. Tabitha Kinsey: It means less aid available for college students. One of the college kids looks at his phone and stops. College Dude: Yo, bro-skis.,, my mom and dad just texted me. They can’t afford to send me here anymore. I have to drop out. Darn. There go my dreams! Now we go back to Tabitha Kinsey standing in her office. Tabitha Kinsey: The Republicans may talk about the PROSPER Act like it’s a victory for them on the scoreboard -- The Braves fan in the car is still stuck in traffic. He pummels his hands on the steering wheel. Braves Fan: A NO-HITTER! I MISSED A NO-HITTER! NOOOOOOO!!!! Tabitha Kinsey: But it’s a loss for everyone in this country. Call your Senator today, and let them know you stand against the PROSPER Act!

Name: Tabitha Kinsey Organization: Fox News Reason: PROSPER Act *"I'm settling in nicely here in Washington, thanks for asking. The biggest shock I've had so far were my misconceptions about conservatives and Republicans. For instance, I was absolutely shocked to see in the PROSPER Act the sections that would provide for free tuition to students of four-year Historically Black Colleges and Universities specifically as well as community colleges generally. These are initiatives that I think would make even Bernie Sanders blush! It is just so incredibly shocking to me that so many of the core conservative voters in this country -- Fox News viewers such as yourselves -- believe in free tuition to people who attend wonderful colleges like Howard University, which boasts the great former Vice President Kamala Harris as perhaps its most prominent alumni. I must applaud you for being so open minded and supportive about a truly progressive, far left proposal brought forward by the Republican Party!" * "Overall, I think the PROSPER Act will dramatically rewrite the American economy in legislation not scene since the New Deal. I'll be detailing more of my concerns later about things like a budget cap, the elimination of SALT taxes, the $100 billion taxpayer funded giveaway to oil and natural gas companies without any checks-and-balances and more. I'm also very curious to hear exactly how the radical revision of the Child Tax law will 'fight inflation.' We're going to give the American consumers a lot more immediate cash in their hands. This sounds like a great thing at first. But this also means there will literally be more money being spent on a limited supply of goods and services. That's literally the formula of how inflation works. If you want to confirm what I'm saying is true, check, oh, any high school economics textbook." * "Now I'd like to talk about some fun stuff like Medicare and Medicaid. First, I know my Republican colleagues have touted about how this bill will expand Medicaid and include vision and other things they just made up. I've read the healthcare component of this bill several times. Would it establish a unified post-accute care payment system? Yep! How about those site-neutral payment policies the American people have been salivating for? Oh boy they are there! Are you sitting down for this? Today is YOUR day if you've been wanting for a bundled payment system to streamline payments processes for hospitals and doctors! And let the good times continue to roll for all my dawgz in the hizzy, as the kids apparently say, who are getting hyped about using the DECI method for the coding intensity of Medicare Advantage insurance plans! Holla if you hear me! Yes, all of that stuff is in PROSPER Act. But there is literally nothing in there about actually expanding Medicare or providing vision benefits. Anyone who says otherwise is certainly not one of my dawgs in the hizzy. * "On a more somber note, rural hospitals in America are in thoroughly bad conditions and face closure at rates much higher than medical facilities in metropolitan areas. In Pennsylvania, there are several rural counties that don't even have a hospital. People have to routinely drive hours for basic healthcare needs. The PROSPER Act will lead to the closures of more hospitals in the areas that need them the most. As anyone above the age of 65 knows, or anyone with a loved one over that age, Medicare doesn't cover fully cover healthcare costs. Here's a hypothetical situation. Take a 75-year-old woman named Margaret who lives in Clinton County in the middle of my state. There's one hospital there, and it needed a GoFundMe fundraiser to save it back in 2023. You can look that up. Margaret lives by herself and is on a fixed income with little savings and no supplemental insurance. Margaret suffers a nasty fall that results in a broken leg, broken ribs, a concussion while also exacerbating another condition. She's going to be in the hospital for months. She has to pay about $1,600 in her deductible before Medicare kicks in. Then after Day 30, she's going to pay about $400 per day in co-insurance costs. That goes up to $800 a day after Day 61 until Day 90. That's $60,000 in out-of-pocket costs for Margaret. Well, there's no way she could possibly pay that bill. So, the hospital in Clinton County has to eat that $60,000 in what's called 'bad debt' -- essentially a loss of $60,000 for the hospital. Right now, Medicare pays 65 percent of its provider's bad debt -- or in the case outline above, $39,000. Through the PROSPER Act, Medicare would pay only 25 percent of the hospital's Maggie-related debt, which is $15,000. That's a huge difference for any small rural hospital located in areas with large senior citizen populations on fixed incomes -- and especially for a hospital that literally had to use a GoFundMe to stay open. This bill is going to result in more hospitals closing, which is going to lead to more people getting less quality healthcare and, quite likely, death. * "PROSPER is also placing a really huge burden on individual states in what it intends to do with Medicaid, which as you know is federal insurance for low-income individuals and familieis.. Medicaid is a federal/state partnership. Each state sets its budget for Medicaid-related services, with the federal government paying most of the costs -- on average, about 70 percent. States pay their share through tax revenue. But one way every state -- except Alaska -- helps pay for this is by charging a tax on healthcare providers like hospitals. The PROSPER Act, through a section called 'Ending Tax Scams' for some ungodly reason, would eliminate states from these provider taxes. So, what does this mean? States are either going to have to find the money somewhere... or they're going to have to trim their Medicaid budgets. And, yes, they will cut Medicaid budgets. I mean, here I was getting excited when I read this bill and its progressive outlook on providing free higher education for all! But, don't worry, the Republican Party still found a way to make sure poor people will directly get hurt in their legislation anyways!"

All updates here.