With Monday fast approaching, some Mississippi Republican Party leaders will travel to Washington, D.C. to attend President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The ceremony, which has now been moved indoors due to the frigid temperatures expected Monday, will take place in the Capitol rotunda rather than on the west front of the Capitol.
Among the members of the Mississippi Republican Party, several elected officials and party officials will be present.
Mississippi GOP Chairman Mike Hurst and Executive Director Rance Bilbo will both be in attendance, Rance said.
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“Important issues like closed borders, tax cuts, energy independence and safer communities are one of the reasons many Republicans are interested in coming, and this is the first president to win the popular vote for Republicans since, I think, 2004, so, I mean, it’s a big deal and a lot of people are excited,” Bilbo said.
As for office holders, Attorney General Lynn Fitch and State Auditor Shad White will also be in attendance.
“Attorney General Fitch looks forward to attending President-elect Trump’s inauguration,” said Maryasa Lee, communications director for the Attorney General’s Office. “She remains committed to working closely with the new administration to advance important policy initiatives and, in turn, build a bright future for our state.”
White and Fitch recently fought politically over whether White could conduct a multimillion-dollar study of government waste, to which White responded by denouncing his use of the state plane to attend a championship game men’s baseball team at Mississippi State University in Omaha.
“I’m going because President Donald Trump is the greatest president of my lifetime, his team invited me and I want to support him,” White said.
Republican Governor Tate Reeves’ office did not respond to calls or messages seeking comment on his attendance at the ceremony in Washington DC as of publication time Friday. State Treasurer David McRae said he would not attend, and Secretary of State Michael Watson’s staff confirmed he would not attend.
Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and House Speaker Jason White, R-West, will not attend due to scheduling conflicts, they both said.
“President Trump’s inauguration marks the beginning of an exciting chapter for our nation,” Hosemann said. “I join my fellow Mississippians in celebrating our optimistic future under his leadership, as his vision for economic growth and support for American workers reflect the values we cherish in Mississippi.
Former Medicaid director set to oversee CMS’s Medicaid division
Former Mississippi Medicaid Division Director Drew Snyder appears to have been chosen as the next head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Medicaid division.
Snyder resigned from his post in October and joined Capitol Resources, a multistate lobbying firm based in Jackson, as leader of Health Resources LLC, its health policy arm. Capitol Resources is known for donating considerable sums to Republican leaders in Mississippi.
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Early last week, Politico reporter David Lim posted on X.com that Snyder was set to lead Medicaid under the new Trump administration. In the days that followed, media reports also reported that he had been selected for the role.
Snyder did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment by press time Friday.
Snyder led the Magnolia State’s Medicaid division for seven years under two Republican governors. He has led the program through an increase in Medicaid beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic and disenrollment of Medicaid patients over the past two years.
If he were to take the job, Snyder would also be in a position of power at a time when Mississippi’s leaders in the House and Senate are both considering how to proceed with Medicaid expansion and whether it will be a boon or a boon for Mississippi.
Hosemann and White told reporters last week that they are open to having that debate, but are hesitant to jump into Medicaid expansion this year because of speculation that Trump would reduce incentives offered to states by expansion.
Biden to issue new order that could impact Mississippians
On Friday, the White House announced that outgoing President Joe Biden intends to commute the sentences of 2,500 people serving long sentences for non-violent drug convictions.
In 2021, the Mississippi Center for Justice It is estimated that about 250 people imprisoned at that time were serving sentences of 20 years or more for nonviolent offenses, and most of them were drug offenses.
Actual numbers for the state have not been announced.
Grant McLaughlin covers the Legislature and state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.