Congress Catch-All

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" ... As the utter chaos that erupted as lawmakers struggled to write a year-end bill to fund the government demonstrated, the GOP has a tenuous grip on the House. President-elect Donald Trump has a penchant for chaos. And Republicans are at odds over a long list of issues, beginning with whether they should take up tax first this year or immigration.

After weeks of negotiations, it looks like they’ll begin with the border. ..."

[As for the tax bill, there is a lot still for the GOP to negotiate amongst themselves, for starters, to "cover" the $4 Trillion price tag.]

"... [Senate Finance Chair] Crapo says extending current policy, like the tax cuts from Trump’s first term that are set to expire at the end of this year, shouldn’t cost anything. Nor should what he calls “pro-growth” provisions — leaving only new ideas that don’t do much for the economy needing offsets.

... Republicans have already offered a long list of possibilities: higher tariffs, increasing the college endowment tax, cutting green energy credits, rescinding IRS funding, cutting other government spending, among many others.

There’s a chicken-and-egg quality to the debate though, because it’s hard to know how much they need to raise when they haven’t decided how much to spend. And lawmakers will be subject to furious lobbying by those worried they’re on the menu.

... If Republicans decide not to worry too much about the price tag, one way to paper over the projected hit to the deficit would be to change the yardstick used to measure the cost of their plans.

Normally, bills are compared to what’s in the law now, which would require taking account the cost of extending the expiring tax cuts. But Crapo wants to instead compare it to current policy, which would mean extending them would appear to cost nothing.

That would sidestep the need for big payfors and make it easier to extend the provisions for a long time. ..."

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So just pretend that tax cuts cost nothing and you are generating magical thinking amounts of income from tariffs and POOF no problemo. We'll be ROLLING in dough.
 

"...But with $437 billion in personal wealth and a political funnel in America PAC, he’s also begun to directly shape the makeup of the legislative body.”

“Now there are Musk-backed lawmakers on committees that oversee transportation, space, artificial intelligence, social media, defense spending and other areas that directly affect Musk’s companies. The billionaire has promised more to come ahead of the 2026 midterm elections."
 

"...But with $437 billion in personal wealth and a political funnel in America PAC, he’s also begun to directly shape the makeup of the legislative body.”

“Now there are Musk-backed lawmakers on committees that oversee transportation, space, artificial intelligence, social media, defense spending and other areas that directly affect Musk’s companies. The billionaire has promised more to come ahead of the 2026 midterm elections."
I wonder if that $437 B figure includes the compensation that was voided by the Delaware judge.
 


Would be beyond lame for Congress to claim they cannot certify the election due to snow. Good lord.
 


Would be beyond lame for Congress to claim they cannot certify the election due to snow. Good lord.

Oh, they'll certify him all right. None of them wants to offend Dear Leader and his allies (like Musk) unnecessarily over something like this, so I'm sure they'll have enough votes on hand to certify him as the winner.
 


Would be beyond lame for Congress to claim they cannot certify the election due to snow. Good lord.

The good news is that even if there aren't enough Pubs to have a majority, there will be enough Dems in attendance to meet the need for a quorum and those Dems will do the right thing by certifying the election.

I would be much more worried about shenanigans if Harris had won and Pubs thought they could somehow either delay certification or something worse.
 
Some dangerous people have crossed the border, so there is an aspect of Russian roulette if we continue to let it happen.
 
Some dangerous people have crossed the border, so there is an aspect of Russian roulette if we continue to let it happen.
The past few decades of violence in the USA, mass killings etc, including the NOLA incident, have shown that the USA grows its own dangerous people very effectively. Dangerous people crossing the border won't amount to jack squat.
 

NO democrat should vote yes on this legislation until each and every one of them has read EVERY ... SINGLE ... WORD ... of the package. Plus, let's have an amendment-o-rama. How much do you wanna bet that this mega maga bill will be dropped days before consideration with zero input from Democrats.
 
NO democrat should vote yes on this legislation until each and every one of them has read EVERY ... SINGLE ... WORD ... of the package. Plus, let's have an amendment-o-rama. How much do you wanna bet that this mega maga bill will be dropped days before consideration with zero input from Democrats.
Will be very surprised if it’s days. Try hours.
 
"... The president-elect said he is open to pushing his legislative agenda through Congress with either a single large bill or two separate bills, weighing in on an issue that has been a point of debate for lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Trump is expected to visit Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

“I like one big, beautiful bill,” he said, adding that two bills would move a “little bit quicker.” ..."

 


"... The House previously passed the bill in March by a vote of 251-170, with 37 Democrats voting in favor. The bill was expected to pass again with bipartisan support.

... The bill will need 60 votes to advance through the upper chamber. Even with the Republicans' new 53-vote majority, it could prove difficult to court the necessary Democratic support to advance it.

So far, only one Democrat, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, is reportedly co-sponsoring the bill, which is being led in the chamber by Sens. Katie Britt, R-Ala., and Ted Budd, R-N.C. It is unclear whether there will be requisite Democratic support to clear the Senate. ..."


"This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain certain non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. The bill also authorizes states to sue the federal government for decisions or alleged failures related to immigration enforcement.

The bill can be found here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7511

Summary:

"Under this bill, DHS must detain an individual who (1) is unlawfully present in the United States or did not possess the necessary documents when applying for admission; and (2) has been charged with, arrested for, convicted for, or admits to having committed acts that constitute the essential elements of burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting.

The bill also authorizes state governments to sue for injunctive relief over certain immigration-related decisions or alleged failures by the federal government if the decision or failure caused the state or its residents harm, including financial harm of more than $100. Specifically, the state government may sue the federal government over a

  • decision to release a non-U.S. national from custody;
  • failure to fulfill requirements relating to inspecting individuals seeking admission into the United States, including requirements related to asylum interviews;
  • failure to fulfill a requirement to stop issuing visas to nationals of a country that unreasonably denies or delays acceptance of nationals of that country;
  • violation of limitations on immigration parole, such as the requirement that parole be granted only on a case-by-case basis; or
  • failure to detain an individual who has been ordered removed from the United States."
 
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