Who Said That

Mississippi state Sen. Angela Burks Hill. She was one of four Republicans who voted against a bill that would cut taxes by $326 million, mainly by reducing the state’s flat income tax rate from 4 percent to 2.99 percent. Although the bill would cut income and grocery taxes, it would increase the tax on gasoline to pay for infrastructure. The Mississippi Senate will have to reconcile its version with a deeper income tax passed by the House. (Mississippi Today — Feb. 24, 2025)

Virginia Democratic state Rep. Alfonso H. Lopez. He sponsored a bill allowing the state to buy Oak Hill, which was President James Monroe's 1,240-acre estate in Loudoun County. The estate's woners want to sell the landmark to the state to become a park. The state Senate rejected Lopez's proposal however. He warns the valuable property could be turned into housing in the outer D.C. suburb. (Washington Post — Feb. 21, 2025)

Bellflower, Calif., City Manager Ryan Smoot, on proposals in the wake of the Los Angeles fires to allow architects and engineers working on small residential construction projects to "self-certify" their plans and start construction immediately, as Smoot’s city in southeast Los Angeles County has been allowing for a decade. A proposal before the Los Angeles City Council would allow self-certification, though the city would still inspect the projects during and after construction. (CalMatters — Feb. 14, 2025)

Federal biologist Ben Vizzachero, who recently found out he is among the roughly 3,400 U.S. Forest Service workers who were laid off by the Trump Administration. Vizzachero warns that as a result of the firings, national forests and the areas around them will be more vulnerable to fires, landslides and other natural disasters. (Los Angeles Times — Feb. 16, 2025)

Khanika Harper, on how it feels to be a wedding officiant for inmates at the The Missouri Department of Corrections. Harper is a former psychiatric nurse; through her work, she met the partners of incarcerated men who wanted to get married but couldn’t find an officiant who would perform the ceremony inside a prison. She decided to get ordained, and has since married more than a dozen couples inside the state’s correctional facilities.. (The Marshall Project — Feb. 14, 2025)

Arkansas state Sen. Mark Johnson. He represents Conway, which is home to Arkansas PBS, but he voted in favor of a bill abolishing its board in part because the Arkansas PBS Foundation lobbied him to vote against it, objecting to its potential mix of public and private funds for the purpose. The state Senate voted in favor of legislation to eliminate both the PBS board and the board that oversees the state library, citing concerns about mismanagement. (Wisconsin Examiner — Feb. 16, 2025)

Wichita Mayor Lily Wu. Wu leans libertarian and notes that there are always going to be more demands on government than it can provide. With her city facing a structural deficit, Wu says the city must prioritize its most urgent needs before it can consider funding programs that would be nice but not necessary to have. (Governing Feb. 18, 2025)

Sen. Patty Murray after the Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to his post as Health and Human Services secretary on Thursday. The final vote was 52-48, with Sen. Mitch McConnell, a polio survivor, becoming the only Republican to vote against Kennedy. Sen. Murray cautioned Republicans that accepting Kennedy's nomination could lead to compromising their principles. (TNS — Feb. 13, 2025)

Wyoming state Rep. Jacob Wasserburger, who sponsored a bill that would exclude unhealthy food items like soda and candy from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). He argues that SNAP should be used for nutritious foods, not items that contribute to health problems like obesity. (Stateline — Feb. 12, 2025)

Laurie Daiger, a 73-year-old woman in Washington State, whose credit card was repeatedly charged for political donations without her awareness. Daiger had donated to President Trump's campaign, but had not realized she had been charged repeatedly by Elect Common Sense, a political action committee associated with Bill Spadea, a GOP candidate for governor in New Jersey. Donors are sometimes misled by fine print that leads to recurring charges. (Politico — Feb. 10, 2025)

Tim Shanahan, a literacy expert and professor emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago, speaking about a study investigating the efficacy of a “Core Knowledge” curriculum. Core Knowledge is a curriculum based on the idea that children who know more facts tend to be able to read better. In the study, 20 schools were assigned to replace some “read aloud” time with units on plants, farming and Native Americans. The results found that the children who received the Core Knowledge lessons did better on tests of the topics and words taught in the lessons, compared to children who were not given the Core Knowledge lessons. (The Hechinger Report —Feb. 10, 2025)

A Florida Republican, discussing the possibility that Casey DeSantis will run to replace her husband Ron next year, when the governor is term-limited. Rep. Byron Donalds, a close ally of President Trump, has openly talked about running, but many donors and GOP operatives are hoping that Casey DeSantis will run and say that scenario is becoming increasingly likely. Last year, she said, “When people start talking about, ‘Oh, you know, you should run,’ that’s because Gov. DeSantis is a rock star and that’s because people are so proud of everything that he’s done for this state.” (NBC News)

Kentucky state Sen. David Yates. He supported the personal income tax cut approved by legislators on Wednesday but warned that if income taxes keep getting cut and revenues decline, other forms of taxes will have to increase. (Associated Press)

Dr. James Williams, arguably America’s leading expert on the firing squad. He has testified in courtrooms across the U.S. about the effectiveness of the firing squad as a method for executions (always on the side of prisoners, never the state). In an interview with The Marshall Project, Williams explained how he got started in this line of work: “A friend in the firearms community introduced me to death row public defenders, and I had the right resume: I had trained police and military on how to shoot more effectively … I also dealt with countless gunshot wounds as an emergency room doctor. In 2016, some men on death row were thinking about asking for the firing squad, but wanted to know what would happen when the bullets hit their body. I met with two of them. I felt a sense of privilege, to meet them face-to-face as human beings and say they do not need to fear a prolonged and painful death as they might with a lethal injection. I said, in effect, ‘You’ll be OK. I mean, you’ll be dead, but you’ll be OK.’” (The Marshall Project – Feb. 4, 2025)

Indiana state Sen. Rick Niemeyer. He’s sponsored a bill to require farms that confine animals for feeding to have an additional inspection every five years. Farm groups complained that this would raise costs for them, but Niemeyer said their neighbors have concerns about pollution and smell. He said he recognizes that odors are part of livestock farming, but the “magnitude of manure” can be “tremendous.” (Indiana Capital Chronicle)

Kate Bauer, executive director of the American Association of Birth Centers. She was referring to a new Florida law that allows C-sections to be performed outside of hospitals. The policy was pushed by a private equity group that owns birthing centers and argued this would expand access to care. Bauer warned that birth centers would not be able to provide the same level of care if interventions are necessary. (Stateline)

Idaho state Rep. Bruce Skaug. The Republican lawmaker has introduced legislation that would allow the governor to veto ballot initiatives approved by voters, arguing that they don’t always get the same amount of information that legislators receive before passing bills. Initiatives that pass with more than two-thirds of the vote could not be vetoed, but supporters of the initiative process called the proposal a slap in the face of voters. (Idaho Capital Sun)

Luz Ramos, whose donut shop was saved by selling Trump donuts. Ramos was on the verge of closing her shop in Edinburg in the Rio Grande Valley, but the day after the election she began selling donuts covered in red frosting with the word "Trump" in white icing. After she announced the debut of the Trump donut on Instagram, customers flocked to the store and it’s been profitable ever since. (Texas Tribune)

Former Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota. He was referring to Gov. Tim Walz’ prospects at home after running as the Democratic candidate for vice president last year. Over the past couple of years, Walz’ profile was enhanced by a flurry of ambitious spending and policy bills. Following last fall’s elections, however, legislative control if Minnesota is divided, meaning many of the governor’s priorities have little chance to pass. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

Dan Collins, an attorney representing former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan. Collins made his comment, referring to his client’s indictment, during his closing argument in Madigan’s trial for corruption. Madigan, a Democrat, faces numerous counts of misusing his office for personal gain. Collins sought to shift blame for various corrupt schemes onto a former Chicago alderman who testified against Madigan, saying the speaker was just trying to help. (The Center Square – Jan. 28, 2025)

Bruce Tarr, Republican leader of the Massachusetts Senate. Tarr was objecting to the budget proposal released by Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, which calls for a 7.4 percent spending increase. Tarr said increased spending and bonding in areas such as infrastructure and higher education may be popular but argued that stagnating revenues mean the commonwealth should not be taking on so many additional obligations. (WCVB – Jan. 26, 2025)

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe. At the same time the Republican was elected to his post last November, voters approved an abortion rights amendment, enshrining reproductive rights in the state constitution. Kehoe had said during the campaign that although he opposed the amendment he would abide by the constitution, but emphasized nonetheless he will seek ways to protect unborn life. (Missouri Independent – Jan. 24, 2025)

Arizona GOP state Rep. Alexander Kolodin. On Wednesday, a committee approved his bill that would require the governor to answer questions from legislators in a televised session once a month. Borrowing the idea from the British Parliament, Kolodin said it would offer an opportunity for the public to become more informed about policy debates at the state level. (KJZZ – Jan. 10, 2025)

Emil Bove, acting deputy attorney general. Bove wrote in a memo that the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution requires state and local officials to comply with federal immigration regulations, including the Trump administration’s plans to deport large numbers of undocumented immigrants, or they will face prosecution. Democratic officials are certain to challenge Bove’s argument on both jurisdictional and policy grounds. (Washington Post – Jan. 22, 2025)

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. At the end of his first day in office, President Trump announced via social media that he’d fired Lance Bottoms from her position on the President’s Export Council. Bottoms said she’d already submitted her resignation on Jan. 4, effective Monday. “Of all of the things happening in the world, not sure why I am on Donald Trump’s mind at 1:30 am, following his Inauguration, but I count it as a badge of honor,” Bottoms wrote on social media. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution – Jan. 21, 2025)

Indiana GOP Gov. Mike Braun. The new governor released a budget proposal that would increase school spending by 2 percent a year, but would likely lead to funding cuts for districts due to his desire to trim property taxes. Braun suggested districts save their money now in case of that eventuality. Braun also directed his cabinet heads to find 5 percent savings on average in their departments. (Indiana Capital Chronicle – Jan. 16, 2025)

Marla Luckert, the chief justice of the Kansas Supreme Court. Luckert delivered a State of the Judiciary speech on Wednesday before the Legislature, saying lack of access to legal representation is an “all-out crisis” that threatens to undermine faith in the judicial system as a whole. Rural areas are particularly short of attorneys, with a third of those who practice in rural counties over the age of 60. (Kansas Reflector – Jan. 15, 2025)

Melissa Hortman, Democratic leader of the Minnesota House. After the November election, the chamber was tied. One seat won by the Democrats is vacant, so Republicans currently have a one-seat majority. Democrats boycotted Tuesday’s opening session, depriving the chamber of a quorum. Republicans decided to proceed, installing one of their own as speaker. The contentious situation will likely be sorted out by the state supreme court. (NPR – June 14, 2025)

Georgia GOP Gov. Brian Kemp. The governor’s education spending proposal would fully fund the state’s K-12 funding formula and provide additional funding for school safety, mental health counseling, technical education and transportation, and facilities and equipment. "I made a promise to hardworking Georgians that we would make all of our children a priority in this state, and we are doing that once again today,” Kemp said. (WAGA – Jan. 13, 2025)

A resident of Corpus Christi, Texas. Last November’s city council election resulted in a tie between incumbent Everett Roy and former councilmember Billy Lerma. Both received 1,916 votes in a runoff election, as verified by a recount. To determine the winner, the two candidates drew numbered beads from a box, with Roy drawing a 3 to Lerma's 2. (Texas Tribune – Jan. 10, 2025)