Congress Catch-All

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nycfan said:
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People used to be elected to Congress because they saw it as an exciting place to work and they could help direct the course of the entire nation. We are now electing representatives who care so little for the grubby details of the job that they now spend most of their time trying to get on social media via outrageous statements and comments and now they're not even showing up for basic duties like voting so they can go on television. Nice work if you can get it.
 
Paine said:
Himes and AOC are both right. Most Americans don’t care about USAID, and Dems should focus their visible outrage on other issues. That doesn’t mean Dems shouldn’t use parliamentary maneuvering to block further attempts by Reps to illegally defund USAID and other agencies. Republicans will take the blame for a shutdown.
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First read I thought that said “paramilitary maneuvering” to block defunding. Gotta get my glasses checked.
 

We May Be a Month Away From Republicans Shutting Down a Government They Control​


time.com

We're 1 Month From a Government Shutdown—The Talks Are a Mess

The U.S. has roughly one month until the government runs out of money, and the talks to avoid that are a mess, writes Philip Elliott.
time.com time.com

“… What almost everyone is missing: This country has roughly one month until the government runs out of money, and things like paychecks to troops, food-inspection programs, disaster-reliefpayments, and aid to low-income families could all be caught up in a chaotic game of chicken.

Republicans could keep the lights on all on their own, but probably won’t.

“They control the House, the Senate and the presidency. It’s their government,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters last week, setting up a blame-game preamble. Jeffries is factually correct.

Even still, Republicans may end up needing a bailout from Democratic lawmakers before March 14. That gives Democrats their first real leverage in Trump’s second term, but it’s entirely unclear if they will use it or to what end. While a unified plan has yet to emerge, wisps of fight-ready ambitions are starting to move from the fringes to the mainstream, albeit more slowly than most rank-and-file Democrats would like.

… All the signs are here. The White House says it is charging forward despite federal judges tellingofficials to, at a minimum, pump the brakes. Whether it actually upends the United States’ system of checks and balances in the coming weeks will shape the budget negotiations.

If Trump and Elon Musk continue to treat the spending laws already passed by Congress as mere suggestions, there won’t be much faith that the next spending bills will bind Trump’s team to actually following the orders from Capitol Hill.

… For Democrats in particular, this all makes it harder for them to consider helping Trump’s party look responsible enough to keep the government functioning at the most basic level. …”
 
I don't get what the debate is for Democrats? Trump always caves. Thune is a newbie. Speaker Johnson is already signaling he's got to have Democrat votes. Democrats should not let a shutdown influence them from demanding everything including walking back the anti-democracy stuff Trump has done. In fact, having to endure a shutdown should be part of the plan.
 
Jeffries should offer to help Johnson avoid a shutdown, but only if Johnson instructs the chair of the oversight committee to agree to subpoena Musk and force him to testify before passing a continuing resolution.
 
BlooVooDoo said:
Jeffries should offer to help Johnson avoid a shutdown, but only if Johnson instructs the chair of the oversight committee to agree to subpoena Musk and force him to testify before passing a continuing resolution.
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Musk would ignore the subpoena so you gain nothing.
 

Republicans fret over giving Cruz broad subpoena power of key committee​

Even Republicans might have concerns about giving Sen. Ted Cruz too much power in his new role as Commerce Committee chair.


“… It puts the Texas Republican in an awkward position as he seeks to find his footing as the leader of a powerful committee with jurisdiction over some of the major issues facing Congress under a new Republican governing trifecta.

…
After nearly a month of uncertainty, GOP members of the Senate Commerce Committee met last week to discuss whether to give their chair unilateral authority to haul Big Tech CEOs before the panel, according to two people familiar with the private meeting.

Sen. Ted Cruz’s quest for such authorities has predictably frustrated Democrats, who fear it could undermine the committee’s tradition of bipartisanship. The Trump administration also made a surprise play to stop the Texas lawmaker from moving forward with his plans, anxious about his plans to go after industry with which many top government officials are quite cozy.

But one person, granted anonymity to speak candidly about the situation, indicated there is concern even among some Republicans.

“There were a variety of opinions,” the person said. “It was to take input.”

Historically, the Commerce Committee chair’s ability to issue subpoenas to compel outside witness testimony has required sign-off from the ranking member or a vote by the full committee. Cruz, who took control of the gavel in January, has been seeking a change to the committee rules to allow the chair free rein to subpoena witnesses without buy-in from committee members. …”
 
www.nbcwashington.com

Florida congressman investigated for alleged DC assault as police probe their own handling

D.C. police confirm they are investigating an alleged assault by Florida Rep. Cory Mills, a Republican representing a district northeast of Orlando, calling it an active criminal investigation.
www.nbcwashington.com www.nbcwashington.com

Florida congressman investigated for alleged DC assault as police probe their own handling​

Rep. Cory Mills, of Florida, is being investigated after an alleged assault of a woman in The Wharf area. The Metropolitan Police Department confirms internal affairs also is investigating how the department handled the case, which did not end in an arrest​

 
www.independent.co.uk

North Carolina Republican heckled by angry constituents as another town hall erupts

‘You have nothing to say but lies,’ the angry constituent shouted at Representative Chuck Edwards
www.independent.co.uk www.independent.co.uk
A man who identified himself as a veteran heckled a Republican congressman on Thursday as yet another GOP town hall event descended into chaos.

The action erupted as Representative Chuck Edwards held a town hall in Asheville, North Carolina on Thursday evening. The lawmaker was speaking to constituents about voting yes on the House budget resolution when the crowd started booing.


“And you wonder why folks don’t want to do town halls anymore?” Edwards quipped.

In response, a man in the crowd stood up, identified himself as a veteran and began shouting at the lawmaker.

“You have nothing to say but lies,” the man yelled, as his fellow audience members laughed and cheered. “You’re lying. I’m a veteran, you don’t give a f*** about me.”

“You don’t get to take away our rights,” the man continued as security guards approached him.

Four officers surrounded the man, leading him from his seat as he continued his profanity-laden rant.

“F*** you,” he yelled as the officers walked him out. He continued to shout while walking out of the auditorium, accompanied by continued cheer and applause.
 
Not sure why Mike Johnson picked this hill to die on -- kind of bizarre stand to take, TBH.

politicalwire.com

Mike Johnson Defeated Over Proxy Voting

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) prevailed in a high-stakes rules showdown against Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), paving the way for the House to allow proxy voting for new and expectant parents, Punchbowl News reports. Nine
politicalwire.com politicalwire.com

"... Nine House Republicans joined with all Democrats on a rule vote, which sought to table Luna’s discharge petition to allow proxy voting for new and expectant mothers and new fathers to vote by proxy. ..."

----
Why is anyone against proxy voting for new and expectant parents in Congress?
 
www.nytimes.com

Johnson Fails to Kill Bipartisan Measure to Allow Proxy Voting for New Parents

The speaker tried to use an unprecedented parliamentary maneuver to deny a bipartisan majority the chance to hold a vote on their proposal to allow new parents to vote remotely in the House.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

Johnson Fails to Kill Bipartisan Measure to Allow Proxy Voting for New Parents​

The speaker tried to use an unprecedented parliamentary maneuver to deny a bipartisan majority the chance to hold a vote on their proposal to allow new parents to vote remotely in the House.

"...In using strong-arm tactics to try to block the measure, Mr. Johnson was attempting an extraordinary use of the speaker’s power to prevent the chamber from even considering a measure backed by half its members. But he failed to peel off enough Republican votes to block the proposal, instead receiving a public rebuke at the hands of members of both parties.

The showdown on the House floor was a capstone of a long-running fight over the rights of new parents in Congress.

... There is no maternity or paternity leave for members of Congress, who can take time away from the office without sacrificing their pay but cannot vote if they are not physically in the Capitol. Proponents of the change have called it a common-sense fix to modernize Congress, where more women and more younger members serve now than did 200 years ago.

... But Mr. Johnson has adamantly opposed them at every turn, arguing that proxy voting is unacceptable and unconstitutional, even though the Supreme Court refused to take up a Republican-led lawsuit challenging pandemic-era proxy voting rules in the House. ..."
 
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