Kristi Noem Cowed By Sheriffs Into Retreating From Latest Anti-Immigrant Broadside -

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it didn’t take too kindly to the immigration policies of hundreds of municipalities across the country. It posted a list of “sanctuary cities,” jurisdictions that allegedly limit information-sharing and other forms of cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Unfortunately for the administration, the list, off the bat, sparked more confusion than fear. Several locations were in deeply Republican areas; some local officials disputed that they could meet any reasonable definition of “sanctuary city.”

But the death blow to the list came over the weekend, when the National Sheriffs’ Association put out a jeremiad demanding that the list be removed and that Secretary Kristi Noem issue “an apology to the Sheriffs and the American people.”

The sheriffs knew how to ensure that the issue hit close to home for for the DHS secretary. Sure, the list “violated the core principles of trust, cooperation, and partnership with fellow law enforcement.” But let’s be serious about what really matters: “DHS has done a terrible disservice to President Trump and the Sheriffs of this country,” the statement reads.

By Sunday, the list was no longer active. Noem does not appear to have issued an apology. She did tell Fox News host Maria Bartiromo that “some of the cities have pushed back” after Bartiromo asked why she could not see the list anymore.

— Josh Kovensky

‘Waste, Fraud And Abuse’ = Quietly Repeal Obamacare

We have been covering the ways in which the cuts to Medicaid included in the House-passed reconciliation package would kick millions off their health care coverage, leaving many completely uninsured.

Many of the changes House Republicans shoved into the bill directly target the Medicaid expansion population — the group that received eligibility for health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion.

Despite Republicans’ well-worn rhetoric around addressing “waste, fraud and abuse,” the changes add up to a back handed GOP effort to repeal Obamacare as we know it — a goal congressional Republicans loudly tried and failed at dozens of times before, including during the first Trump administration. Since then, the repeal efforts have been more quiet, and even though House Republicans are not saying they are repealing the ACA, the cuts they are implementing will deal a substantial blow to it.

The Congressional Budget Office is estimating that if the House bill becomes law, 7.6 million fewer people would be enrolled in Medicaid and 3.1 million fewer would be enrolled in plans offered on the Obamacare marketplaces in the next decade.

At the same time, private insurers and state officials are warning of chaos in the insurance markets due to changes and Medicaid cuts included in the House GOP bill, according to Politico.

The changes could lead to higher premiums for people who shop for coverage in the marketplaces, and leave brokers and state officials with very little time between when the law could be enacted and when open enrollment starts in fall to adapt to the new regime.

— Emine Yücel

Win Some, Lose Some

Also in Noem-related news, a victory for the Secretary of Homeland Security.

A candidate with the MAGA stamp of approval, right-wing historian Karol Nawrocki, narrowly won a runoff in Poland’s presidential election Sunday. Noem had visited Poland last month for the country’s first CPAC and endorsed Nawrocki, a highly unusual move for a Cabinet official. (Noted 2020 election-theft co-architect John Eastman also spoke at the event.)

The Polish president doesn’t have many powers, but can veto legislation, setting him up to impede the agenda of the more pro-Europe and pro-Ukraine Prime Minister, Donald Tusk.

— John Light