Florida sues company tied to Dem congresswoman over $5M COVID overpayment
If the government puts a decimal point in the wrong place and overpays you by $5 million, what would you do with it? In the case of one Florida business, it may have been cashing the check and loaning money to help their CEO get elected to Congress.
It’s a decision which left the business in trouble with the law.
Florida is suing healthcare services company Trinity Health Care Services, which the state paid to register people for COVID-19 vaccinations.
Except instead of paying the planned amount of $50,578.50… Florida paid them $5,078,500.00.
And now, the state wants the money back, alleging the company took the money despite knowing it was an overpayment.
But the money may help explain a years-long mystery about how a congresswoman’s ethical report showed a massive jump in funding from 2020 to 2021.
Reporter Jacob Rubashkin with the non-partisan newsletter Inside Elections noted Trinity’s then-CEO, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, loaned herself $6.2 million to fund a congressional campaign. Chefilus-McCormick has served as a Democratic member of the House since 2022.
In the case against Trinity, the state is asking for the company to cover state costs including damages and attorney’s fees. The company did not comment to a USA Today affiliate in Tallahassee when they broke the news about the lawsuit.
Cherfilus-McCormick faces a separate, unrelated investigation by the House’s independent Office of Congressional Ethics, which is looking at whether she failed to report possibly illegal payments to a political action committee and other possible misuses of campaign funds.
Major deal brings fighter jets to Maryland, gives DC old Commanders stadium
Now that Congress has pushed forward a must-pass federal spending bill, a unique deal in Maryland is cleared for takeoff. The Maryland Air National Guard is preparing to absorb the 121st Fighter Squadron from the DC Air National Guard. In exchange, the nation’s capital will become the new owners of the Washington Commander’s former football stadium.
The multifaceted deal also provides millions of dollars to help rebuild Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed in March, killing six workers.
According to Maryland Air National Guard Brig. Gen. Drew Dougherty, the deal marks a “historic moment” to secure future flying missions for his team, which was due to take on an exclusively cyber role.
“This transition is the first step in delivering a path where we can maintain our highly experienced pilots and maintainers, positions that are critically manned across the total force.”
Statement by Maryland Air National Guard
The Maryland unit will now assume the F-16 fighter jets’ mission: be ready for around-the-clock deployment.
At the same time, the pending transfer gives D.C. control of the federally owned land surrounding the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium—where Washington’s NFL franchise played between 1961 and 1996—for nearly 100 years.
However, while the deal could help officials lure the Commanders from Maryland back to D.C., the new land ownership doesn’t guarantee that D.C. can build a new stadium. Instead, the district and the Commanders must negotiate an agreement before construction can begin.
Government shutdown looms as House votes against latest funding bill
A government shutdown looms nearer after the House rejected a bill that would have kept it funded into March. And drones are now banned in parts of New York and New Jersey after a spate of mysterious sightings. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Dec. 20, 2024.
House votes against latest stopgap bill aimed to avoid government shutdown
The House rejected a stopgap bill Thursday, Dec. 19, that would have kept the government running. The vote came ahead of a potential shutdown starting at midnight Saturday, Dec. 21, when lawmakers head home for the holidays.
The bill fell short of the needed two-thirds majority to speed up its passage. More than three dozen Republicans joined 197 Democrats in voting against it. Republicans split with each other on how the bill handles government spending.
“Three hundred and thirty billion dollars. Congratulations. You’ve added to the debt since you were given the majority again on Nov. 5,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said.
Roy voted against the bill.
He added, “It’s embarrassing. It’s shameful. Yes, I think this bill is better than it was yesterday in certain respects. But to take this bill, to take this bill yesterday and congratulate yourself because it’s shorter in pages but increases the debt by $5 trillion, is asinine.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said on the House floor, “The deal on the table will keep the government open for the American people and if you guys so choose to shut it down, it will be on you but not the Republican Party.”
She added, “We will not be going back to the table. This deal stands as it is. So let you go back home on Christmas and explain to your people why you shut down the government because we won’t be doing it.”
The latest spending bill, known as a continuing resolution, is a quickly amended bill tailored to the liking of President-elect Donald Trump and his top ally Elon Musk.
Musk postedrepeatedlyonX condemning the original bill. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., worked on it with bipartisan support from Republicans and Democrats.
However, when both Musk and Trump opposed the bill, that guaranteed most House Republicans would vote against it and forced Johnson to craft a new bill.
Now, there are two conflicting interests. Musk wants major government spending cuts, and while Trump agrees, he also wants to permanently suspend the debt ceiling.
The new plan lifts the debt limit, leading Trump to support the bill in a Truth Social post.
“Now we can Make America Great Again, very quickly, which is what the People gave us a mandate to accomplish,” Trump posted.
But Democrats attacked the bill over what spending Republicans chose to cut.
“The Musk-Johnson proposal is not serious, it’s laughable,” said House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. “Extreme MAGA Republicans are driving us to a government shutdown.”
The bill removed funding for a bipartisan program for pediatric cancer research, studying genetic conditions like Down syndrome and treatment options for sickle cell disease as well as cancers.
It will be on Johnson to craft a bill to secure votes from the majority of the House.
However, Johnson may not have the political leeway to rely on support from Democrats. He’ll need nearly every returning member of the House Republican caucus to vote for him next month to remain speaker.
The new Congress takes office in the new year.
New details of accused UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter’s plan emerge
Newly unsealed court documents put into perspective what led up to the deadly shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. A federal complaint shed light on 26-year-old Luigi Mangione’s “hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular.”
In a notebook found on Mangione when he was arrested, he allegedly wrote of his plans to “wack” an insurance company CEO at its investor conference. Federal prosecutors said he traveled from Georgia to New York to stalk and kill Thompson.
Magione appeared in a New York courtroom Thursday, and four new federal charges were levied against him. The charges included murder with a firearm, which is an offense punishable by the death penalty.
The hearing followed Mangione’s extradition from Pennsylvania, where police arrested him on Dec. 9, to New York.
Armed guards surrounded Mangione as NYPD officers walked him off a helicopter upon his arrival in Manhattan. New York City Mayor Eric Adams joined the walk.
“Police Commissioner [Jessica] Tisch and I all want to send a very clear and loud message that this act of terrorism and the violence that stems from it is something that will not be tolerated in this city,” Adams told the press at the site of the helicopter arrival.
Mangione already faces state-level charges in New York. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg brought charges against him Tuesday, Dec. 17, including for murder as an act of terrorism.
However, Mangione also received a hero’s welcome from protesters outside the courthouse. Thompson’s killing sparked backlash against the health insurance industry and its coverage policies.
While judges have not set any dates yet, Mangione will face state-level charges first. A federal trial will follow.
New York abolished the death penalty, meaning it’s not an option for Mangione in the state-level case. However, the death penalty can still be exercised in the federal case.
FAA temporarily bans drones in parts of New York and New Jersey
Drones are now banned in parts of New York and New Jersey — at least for the time being. It comes amid an investigation into multiple mysterious sightings over the last month that set off fear and speculation.
In a statement, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the Federal Aviation Administration’s bans are “purely precautionary.” Meanwhile, the FAA’s restrictions in New Jersey are largely aimed at limiting drone flights over power stations and infrastructure.
The FAA implemented emergency flight restrictions across New Jersey, prohibiting drone operations until Jan. 17, 2025, for “special security reasons.” Unless operators obtain special government clearance, the directive bans uncrewed aircraft within a one-nautical-mile radius of designated areas and up to 400 feet in altitude.
The FAA designated areas such as Camden, Jersey City, Elizabeth and South Brunswick as “National Defense Airspace.”
Violators may face severe penalties, including interception, detention, certificate revocation and potential criminal charges. In extreme cases, authorities are authorized to use “deadly force” against drones posing an “imminent security threat.”
These restrictions follow a surge in unexplained drone sightings across New Jersey and nearby states that began in mid-November. Federal agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Defense (DOD), received over 5,000 reports of drone activity.
Dow Jones snaps worst losing streak in 50 years
The Dow Jones Industrial Average snapped its worst losing streak in 50 years Thursday. The losing streak lasted 10 days.
During the losing streak, the market wiped out all of its post-election gains. The Dow ended Wednesday down 2.5% from when Trump won the election.
Also on Wednesday, Wall Street’s fear gauge, the CBOE Volatility Index, had its second-biggest percentage spike in history. The VIX shot up 74% after the Federal Reserve shared its outlook for the coming year.
On Wednesday, the Fed cut its benchmark interest rate for a third time in 2024, which was widely predicted.
Feeling the holiday blues?
The holidays are often called “the most wonderful time of the year,” but the season can bring about sadness and stress for many. This -emotional shift, commonly known as the “holiday blues” or seasonal affective disorder (SAD), can affect millions of people across the country.
Licensed adult psychiatrist Dr. Patrice Mann said the holiday blues are due to several factors. They include social pressures, disruptive routines and financial strain.
“Things like having a bunch of holiday events on the calendar, not to say we don’t look forward to them oftentimes, but they take a toll on us,” says Dr. Mann. “You’re up late, interacting with a lot of people, and that’s not everyone’s nature.”
Grief and seasonal depression can also complicate these feelings. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, seasonal depression affects millions of Americans every year, but many may not even realize they have it.
Symptoms of holiday blues and seasonal depression can include a persistent low mood, loss of interest in activities and changes in eating or sleeping habits. If these symptoms last more than two weeks, Dr. Mann said it could indicate a more serious depressive episode. In such cases, seeking professional help is important.
Dr. Mann recommended several self-care strategies to help manage both the holiday blues and seasonal depression. She suggested getting tested for vitamin D deficiency and taking supplements during winter. Vitamin D plays a vital role in mood and energy levels.
She also advised getting as much sunlight as possible during the shorter winter days. Light therapy boxes can mimic outdoor sunlight if natural sunlight isn’t available. Using them for 20 to 30 minutes in the morning can help trick the brain and improve mood.
For those experiencing grief during the holidays, Dr. Mann encouraged reflecting on personal needs and communicating with trusted friends or family members. She also recommended incorporating new social activities into your routine and checking in with yourself after attending events.
For those supporting others through grief, it’s important to recognize that everyone processes emotions differently. Dr. Mann suggested engaging in activities with those less open about mental health, such as cooking or playing games, to help create a comfortable environment for them to express themselves.
While the holiday season brings unique challenges, small steps can make a big difference. Prioritizing self-care, maintaining routines and reaching out for support are important practices to help manage holiday stress.
If you or someone you know is struggling, remember that professional help is available. The National Suicide Hotline is available 24 hours a day by calling 988.
Musk or Trump? Media divided over who killed the gov’t spending bill
The initial government spending package aimed at preventing a government shutdown failed late Wednesday, Dec. 18. The 1,500-page bill was scrapped as lawmakers began to reassess their options.
The collapse of the spending bill prompted a mix of explanations from news outlets.
Left-leaning media outlets
Left-leaning outlets largely pointed to Elon Musk as the driving force behind its failure.
MSNBC: “‘Unelected President Musk’: Elon posts 70 times trashing GOP bill, Trump caves.”
Daily Beast: “Democrats Troll ‘Vice President’ Trump as Musk Calls the Shots.”
NBC News: “Elon Musk leads charge to kill spending bill meant to avert government shutdown.”
Right-leaning media outlets
Meanwhile, right-leaning outlets suggested both Musk and President-elect Donald Trump played significant roles in a broader revolt within the Republican Party.
The New York Post: “Bloated federal funding bill is scrapped after Trump-boosted revolt, Rep. Scalise confirms.”
Fox News: “House GOP leaders scramble for Plan B after Trump, Musk lead conservative fury against spending bill.”
Washington Examiner: “Scalise confirms spending deal is ‘dead’ after mass GOP revolt.”
Musk made his opposition clear, posting more than 100 times on X by the end of Wednesday. The bill had been under pressure as lawmakers raced against a 72-hour deadline to bring it to a vote.
That effort came to an abrupt halt after Vice President-elect JD Vance met behind closed doors with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., for roughly an hour.
Musk wasn’t the only one publicly opposing the spending package. Trump and Vance released a joint statement urging Republicans to reject the bill.
Trump also posted his opposition on Truth Social. Both Musk and Trump both posted online that any Republican who voted for the package should be voted out of office when their term is up.
Vivek Ramaswamy, who will partner with Musk in leading Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), also opposed the bill. Ramaswamy said he read the entire 1,500 pages overnight on Tuesday, Dec. 17, before criticizing it on Wednesday morning.
Prominent House Republicans, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas and Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., joined the growing list of GOP lawmakers who opposed the bill.
They argued it was too bloated during a time when Republicans had vowed to prioritize reducing government waste, particularly under Trump’s second term.
Musk’s involvement in DOGE has given him a powerful voice in the political sphere, a voice the Republican Party, including Trump, have embraced.
As the shadow Pres-Elect, Elon Musk is now calling the shots for House Rs on government funding while Trump hides in Mar-a-Lago behind his handlers.
It increasingly seems like we’re in for 4 years of an unelected oligarch running the country by pulling on his puppet’s strings. https://t.co/bVaMuxUPW0
However, some Democrats have criticized Musk’s influence. New York Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman posted on X, calling Musk the “shadow president-elect” for the Republican Party. Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders accused Republicans of being more beholden to Musk than to the American people.
Johnson defended the bill when he introduced it. He told Fox News, that reducing government waste would have to wait until the new Congress in January 2025.
He called the situation an “impossible position” and argued that passing the bill was necessary to prevent a shutdown. However, by late Wednesday, Johnson was back at the drawing board.
Johnson’s initial support for the bill sparked questions within his own party about whether he was the right leader for the House.
Trump weighed in on this as well, stating that as long as Johnson “acts decisively and tough” and “eliminates traps set by Democrats,” he would “easily remain Speaker.”
Government funding bill gives Congress a raise, sets new rules on ticket sales
Congressional leadership released a 1,500-page spending bill to keep the government open through March 14. The legislation was supposed to be a simple continuation of funding while lawmakers negotiate a package that will cover all of 2025.
The drawn-out negotiation process led to everyone wanting a piece of the pie. The bill now includes dozens of add-ons, many of which have nothing to do with government funding.
“They got a bunch of garbage they want to pass,” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., told reporters.
The bill contains $100 billion in disaster relief for hurricane recovery in the Southeast and $30 billion in aid for farmers. Those items are just a drop in the bucket of the massive bill.
As Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, pointed out, in the less than 45 days since the election, lawmakers added $330 billion in deficit spending.
“We’re profoundly unserious on spending,” Roy said.
A raise for members of Congress
Lawmakers are giving themselves a raise for the first time since 2009 by restarting cost of living adjustments. Members currently make $174,000 a year.
According to Investopedia, “a family of four with both adults working needs about $135,000 in income before taxes to make ends meet in Washington, D.C.”
Here’s the catch: Members of Congress have to maintain two households, one in D.C., the other in their home state. That’s not easy considering D.C. is the ninth most expensive city in the country, behind Los Angeles and ahead of Boston.
“If you’ve never given members of Congress a raise, for 14 years they haven’t had a raise, then you can only attract people like me who made enough money in a prior line of work who can afford to come here,” Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., said on C-SPAN.
New rules for ticket sales
The continuing resolution includes new rules for ticket issuers like Ticketmaster and StubHub. The bill requires them to “clearly and conspicuously” display the total price of the ticket and an itemized list of the base price and fees. There’s a similar provision for hotel room prices.
RFK Stadium revitalization
There’s also a measure to transfer the 174-acre RFK stadium campus to the District of Columbia. The federal government currently controls the unused land.
The city wants to knock down the rusting stadium and build a new one. The new stadium will be surrounded by apartments, office buildings, shops and restaurants.
The city hopes to bring the Washington Commanders back to D.C.
Other policy provisions include restrictions on U.S. capital investment in China.
There are also five year extensions for special trade programs with Haiti and Africa. Those include duty-free access for apparel and textile products.
Ramaswamy says DOGE will scrutinize Rivian loan and CHIPS Act awards
Department of Government Efficiency co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy is going to put President Joe Biden’s “last-minute spending spree” under a microscope. He claims the funding awarded months before a power transition is inappropriate and will receive special scrutiny.
“Anybody who’s offering recommendations, you should always have a skeptical lens to look at what are their motivations for making that recommendation,” Ramaswamy said about conflicts of interest during CNBC’s CFO Council Summit Wednesday, Dec. 4. “I say that’s the best advice I’d give the public: Always be skeptical when somebody’s making a recommendation.”
During a Q&A at the event, Ramaswamy said he doesn’t believe the loan to Rivian will be paid back.
The loan in question will be used to build a factory in Georgia. It won’t be finalized until both the Energy Department and Rivian sign off on the contract. The New York Times reported it is expected to happen before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The DOE said its “Loan Programs Office provides attractive debt financing for high-impact, large-scale energy infrastructure projects in the United States.”
Ramaswamy says no program will escape DOGE, including “last minute [Inflation Reduction Act], CHIPS Act, and countless other federal spending sprees authorized under Biden.”
Those pieces of legislation are two of the biggest passed during the Biden administration. After Trump won the presidential election, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo spoke on the administration’s race against the clock.
“I’d like to have, really, almost all the money obligated by the time we leave,” Raimondo told Politico at the time. “That’s the goal. And I certainly want to have all the major announcements done as it relates to the big, leading-edge companies, and that’s our goal, and we’re working as hard as we can to make it happen.”
Ramaswamy took issue with the commerce secretary’s plan.
Biden’s Commerce Secretary @SecRaimondo says Jan 20 is “a clear deadline” for pushing $$ out the door: “I’d like to have really almost all of the money obligated by the time we leave.” This is highly inappropriate: they’re accelerating spending ahead of the transition of power. https://t.co/K3igDStJXS
“This is highly inappropriate,” he posted on X. “They’re accelerating spending ahead of the transition of power.”
In most cases, the funding has already been appropriated as part of large legislation or in funding to agencies that disperse the money. Only Congress has the authority to change appropriations. It remains unclear what authority DOGE would have to claw back those funds. On Thursday, Dec. 5, Ramaswamy and Musk pitched DOGE to lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
On Wednesday, Ramaswamy compared Biden’s spending to a company firing an executive, who in their final days, approved budgetary items that hadn’t been doled out.
DOGE gains bipartisan interest, new billionaires joining initiative
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, are rallying support for President-elect Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. The bipartisan interest in DOGE underscores growing momentum for cutting federal spending and increasing accountability in government operations.
Khanna told CNN that Democrats are open to collaborating with DOGE to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in the defense budget. He pointed to the Pentagon’s repeated audit failures and proposed expanding competition among major defense contractors.
“We need to address inefficiencies that hurt taxpayers and national security,” Khanna said.
AP Images
On the Republican side, Ernst has pitched $2 trillion in savings through reforms such as consolidating federal office space, reducing payments to the United Nations and adjusting the composition of pennies to save production costs.
Ernst also announced the formation of a Senate DOGE Caucus to work alongside Musk and Ramaswamy.
“It’s long past time to put the federal government on a permanent diet,” Ernst said in a statement.
DOGE has also drawn support from a growing roster of private-sector leaders, including Marc Andreessen, Bill Ackman,and Travis Kalanick. These Silicon Valley and Wall Street heavyweights will assist with technical challenges such as data collection on federal employees and identifying inefficiencies.
Critics, however, have raised concerns about the transparency and oversight of DOGE, given its reliance on private-sector volunteers rather than traditional government officials.
Elon Musk, now leading the Department of Government Efficiency, is targeting the military’s costly F-35 fighter jet program. Musk called manned fighter jets outdated, arguing that drones are the future of warfare and a smarter investment for national defense.
Musk’s comments, made on his social media platform, X, took aim at the F-35 program, which is over $180 billion above budget and more than a decade behind schedule.
Calling it the “worst military value for money in history,” Musk advocated for replacing expensive, piloted jets with swarms of low-cost, AI-driven drones.
While his remarks caused Lockheed Martin’s stock to fall by 3%, they have sparked debate over whether the F-35 is an indispensable weapon or an outdated relic of 1990s defense planning.
Getty Images
The F-35, developed by Lockheed Martin, is the most advanced fighter jet in the U.S. arsenal but has faced criticism for its steep costs and technical issues. Despite its troubled history, over 1,000 jets have been delivered, and in training scenarios, the F-35 demonstrated a 20-to-1 kill ratio against enemy aircraft.
Musk dismissed the program’s stealth technology, saying it is increasingly vulnerable to modern AI and infrared detection systems.
If Musk succeeds in steering the Pentagon toward drones, Silicon Valley companies like Anduril, Shield AI and Palantir could see major opportunities. Meanwhile, defense industry giants like Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Raytheon may face disruptions to their traditional business models.
Musk’s vision has drawn criticism and support, leaving the future of U.S. airpower at a crossroads as defense spending for 2024 already tops $840 billion.
Republicans feel good about the economy now that Trump has won
For the first time in four years, Republicans are feeling good about the economy. Economically speaking, only one thing has changed.
There’s a distinct difference in reports of consumer confidence along political lines since President-elect Donald Trump was declared the winner of the presidential election.
The latest consumer sentiment survey from the University of Michigan out Friday, Nov. 22, shows Republicans are feeling pretty peachy about economic expectations moving forward while sentiments from Democrats took a dive. It’s a mirror image of what happened after the 2020 election when President Joe Biden beat out President Donald Trump.
The latest data point confirms other sentiment surveys since Trump was declared the winner on Nov. 6.
In a Morning Consult survey, which shows five-day moving averages, there’s been an immediate shift in political lines since Trump won. As soon as Trump won, Republicans moved from negative into positive territory regarding the economy. However, Democrats slid from more positive to closer to the negative threshold.
Consumer sentiment has historically been a key indicator of the health of the economy. Consumer spending makes up two-thirds of the country’s economic growth, and people spend money when they’re feeling good about economic conditions, so businesses look at consumer sentiment to see how fast the wheels are turning.
In recent years, though, this measure has gotten increasingly political, as this election shows. That may make it a less reliable look at true economic conditions.
Overall, consumer sentiment measured by the University of Michigan is up slightly in November and up 17% over the past year, but sentiment is still far from its pre-pandemic levels. Expectations for the economy are up more than 35% in the past year, likely driven at least in part by lowering inflation.
Senators seek to protect minor league baseball pay with Fair Ball Act
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., introduced new legislation Wednesday, Nov. 20, aimed at strengthening pay protections for minor league baseball players. The Fair Ball Act would pair back an exemption in the Save America’s Pastime Act (SAPA) that allows Major League Baseball to avoid wage and overtime laws.
The proposed act would allow SAPA’s wage exemption to stay in place as long as minor league players are collectively bargained. In the absence of a union agreement, players would be entitled to minimum wage and overtime pay.
“While I commend MLB for voluntarily recognizing the unionization of Minor League Baseball Players in 2022, it is time to rollback SAPA in deference to the gains made by that historic unionization,” Durbin said in a statement.
The battle over minor league pay
For years, minor league players struggled under the league’s antitrust exemption, which allowed MLB to pay them less than minimum wage. In 2014, former players filed a class action lawsuit against the MLB, claiming the league violated the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and state minimum wage and overtime laws. Those players said they worked 50 to 60 hours per week and weren’t paid for work done during camps outside of the regular season. Lower-level minor leaguers were making as little as $5,000 a year.
Around this time, the MLB lobbied for the Save America’s Pastime Act to protect minor league pay practices from legal action. Lawmakers introduced the bill in 2016 as the lawsuit was making its way through the courts. It didn’t get much support at first but eventually made it into 2018’s omnibus spending package.
“It was snuck in on page 1,967 of the bill in the dark of night,” said Garrett Broshuis, a former minor leaguer and lawyer behind the lawsuit. “Most of the congressmen and congresswomen didn’t know it was in there when they were voting for it.”
The MLB eventually settled the lawsuit in 2022. The league agreed to pay minor league players $185 million in restitution. As a result, roughly 24,000 minor leaguers who played from 2009 to 2022 were eligible for payments that averaged roughly $5,000.
That same year, minor league players made history by joining the MLB Players Association, getting union representation for the first time. The MLBPA then agreed to a five-year labor contract that significantly increased salaries and confirmed players would be paid for off-season work.
Under the terms of the deal, minimum salaries for players in rookie complex leagues jumped from $4,800 to $19,800. Meanwhile, Triple-A players’ minimum salaries doubled from $17,500 to $35,800.
Despite bargaining, the exemption still exists
While the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) gives minor leaguers a better wage, the law on the books, the Save America’s Pastime Act, said the MLB doesn’t have to abide by the nation’s minimum wage and overtime laws.
The Fair Ball Act, which is co-sponsored by Sens. Richard Blumenthal-D-Conn., Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., aims to stop the MLB from using the previous legislation to strong-arm the union and players when they enter negotiations after the 2027 season.
“It would do this by ensuring MLB has a continued interest in maintaining a CBA—which would trigger the exemption from federal wage and hour laws for Minor League players in deference to the CBA—and would prevent MLB from using SAPA’s broad exemption as leverage during the next round of CBA negotiations,” Durbin said in a statement about the legislation.
Sen. Durbin’s passion for baseball stretches decades
The MLBPA said its more than 6,000 members expressed their “full support for the Fair Ball Act.”
“For decades, the living and working conditions faced by Minor League ballplayers were indefensible,” MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark wrote in a letter to Durbin. “Whether in the form of poverty-level wages, substandard living conditions, or inadequate food and nutrition (to name just a few), Minor Leaguers were treated as secondclass citizens instead of the world-class athletes that they are.”
The MLB has not commented on the bill. With just weeks left in the congressional session and a major spending bill to pass before Dec. 20, it’s unlikely to get much traction before the next Congress.
