Members of Congress respond to bipartisan Defense Authorization Act
With bipartisan approval, the House has passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022. The NDAA sets policy for the nation’s defense and is critical to national security. The bipartisan agreement authorized $768 billion for national security spending, which is $25 billion more than the Biden administration requested. The House passed the bill Tuesday night by a vote of 363-70 and sent it to the Senate. Rep. Mike Rogers, Lead Republican of the House Armed Services Committee, helped eliminate parts of the Act that the GOP disagreed with, including removing the provisions that would restrict the 2nd Amendment rights of servicemembers and require young women to register for the draft. During a House rules committee hearing, Rogers emphasized the need to pass the legislation, remarking, “Neither side got everything they wanted in this process,” but Rogers called it “a good bill.” “I am grateful for the work by my colleagues in the House and the Senate to craft a bipartisan and bicameral NDAA that bolsters our national security and supports our troops. This bill will prepare our military to face the ever-growing threat of China by banning them from our American supply chain and modernizing our weapon systems. In addition, this bill blocks the left’s attempt to push their social agenda through Congress by eliminating the provisions that would restrict the 2nd Amendment rights of servicemembers and require young women to register for the draft,” Rogers commented. “It also prohibits the DOD from dishonorably discharging servicemembers who choose not to take the COVID-19 vaccine, requires strong accountability measures for the Biden Administration’s debacle in Afghanistan, and provides a 2.7% pay increase for our brave servicemembers. “The FY22 NDAA is critical for Alabama’s proud defense industrial base that employs thousands. I am especially pleased to see funding for the Anniston Army Depot and increased funding for shipbuilding. “Congress has no greater responsibility than to provide for our defense and to make sure the brave Americans who wear the uniform have the best equipment and training to defend our liberty and freedom. I am proud of the role this bill plays in that vital effort,” Rogers concluded. Rep. Terri Sewell voted in favor of the NDAA. “Ensuring that our brave men and women in uniform have the resources they need to defend our nation is one of my most solemn responsibilities as a Member of Congress and one that I do not take lightly,” said Rep. Sewell. “This defense bill not only meets the needs of our servicemembers but also invests in HBCUs, combats sexual assault in the military, promotes climate resiliency, and strengthens our national security.” Barry Moore issued the following statement after voting for the NDAA. “I am thrilled Congressional leaders were able to set aside partisan politics and put forward a true national defense bill that I could proudly support,” said Moore. “As a former Guardsman, I understand the absolute necessity of supporting of our servicemembers, and while imperfect, this bipartisan bill meets that challenge. I thank Ranking Member Rogers, as well as Armed Services Committee members Brooks and Carl, for their countless hours of hard work on this legislation. “Fighting to support our men and women in uniform is my highest priority, and they will always have my unwavering support.” Gary Palmer voted in favor of the Act because some of the provisions the GOP disagreed with were eliminated. “It is critical that we continue to fund and strengthen our military, especially at this crucial time when China and Russia are ever-growing threats,” Palmer stated. “China is determined to supplant the United States as the world’s only superpower, and Russia is projecting power that threatens our Eastern European allies as a test of our resolve. I think our military must be ready to meet emerging threats. A strong military is vital to our national security and to the security of our allies. This legislation has fortunately gone through necessary changes since it was first introduced and no longer contains provisions which would infringe on our service members’ right to keep and bear arms, or would force our nation’s daughters to register for the draft. I commend the Republican Ranking Member on the House Armed Services Committee, Mike Rogers (AL-03), for succeeding on removing these and other onerous provisions from the original bill. As it now stands, the bill will provide necessary resources and stability for our military.” Congressman Robert Aderholt praised the bill and the 5% increase to the budget. “I’m pleased to see and support the revised NDAA before the House that both increases our defense funding and reverses the cuts that the Biden Administration proposed in the previous version,” Aderholt said. “It’s our job in Congress to ensure that our military is not only well funded but continues to maintain the highest standards in strength and capability.” “I would like to thank Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-03), Ranking Member on the House Armed Services Committee, for his leadership in the effort to maintain those standards. From Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville to the military shipbuilders in Mobile, our national defense will always be one of my top priorities. “The revised NDAA boosts the defense topline by $25 billion, a 5% increase over FY2021. It authorizes a 2.7% pay increase and benefits for servicemembers, reverses cuts to shipbuilding and aircraft procurement, includes all-time high investments into research and development, prohibits the Department of Defense from dishonorably discharging servicemembers that refuse the COVID-19 vaccine, mandates accountability on the Afghanistan withdrawal by demanding that the DoD recover all U.S. aircraft, and prohibits any financial support to the Taliban. I am also pleased that this final bill removed the requirement for women to register for the Selective Service.” Mo Brooks initially voted no on the Act arguing that the bill “hastens America’s suffering a debilitating insolvency and bankruptcy.” Brooks voted yes after concessions were made. “On the whole, the Conference Committee’s NDAA version strengthens national security by modernizing the resources our warfighters need to be successful when duty calls while minimizing the policy damage Socialist Democrats hoped to
Steve Flowers: Incumbency prevails in 2022 State House races
Folks, believe it or not, we are closing in on six months before next year’s election year. The primary election is set for May 24, 2022. In Alabama, all our major constitutional officers are on the ballot next year. The governor’s office is the premier race in the state, and that coveted and powerful post is set for its four-year quadrennial run. Therefore, this big political year is referred to as the gubernatorial year. Those of us who follow Alabama politics have been salivating with anticipation for a cavalcade of great races. However, the power of incumbency has devasted the big year into a yawn. All the major state offices are held by popular incumbents, who are either running unopposed or have minimal opposition. The consolation prize was that there would be the legislative races. After all, this is where the real power in the state rests. You can simply look at where the special interest and PAC money is spent to verify that fact. However, the omnipotent power of incumbency has also encroached on those races. The Alabama House of Representatives has 105 members. There are 77 Republicans and 28 Democrats. The large majority of incumbents are running for reelection – both Republicans and Democrats. The overwhelming majority of these incumbents will have no opposition. However, in the House, there will be some major changes in leadership because of retirement or moving on to new posts. Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon is not running for reelection. This has created an interesting and spirited race within the Republican Caucus ranks for Speaker. In addition, Victor Gaston of Mobile, who is Speaker Pro Tem, is also retiring. Bill Poole of Tuscaloosa, who chaired the powerful House Ways and Means Education Budget Committee, has left the House to be the State Finance Director. House Rules Committee Chairman Mike Jones of Andalusia is running for the open Senate seat of retiring Senator Jimmy Holley. Two of the freshman House members are running for statewide office. Wes Allen of Troy is running for Secretary of State, and Andrew Sorrell of Tuscumbia is running for State Auditor. In addition, Connie Rowe of Jasper is leaving the House to become an administrative assistant to Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth. Some of the veteran House members who are choosing to hang up their legislative cleats include Howard Sanderford of Huntsville, Mike Ball of Huntsville, K.L. Brown of Jacksonville, Kerry Rich of Marshall, Allen Farley of Jefferson, Harry Shiver of Baldwin, Mike Holmes of Elmore, and Becky Nordgren of Etowah. The most noteworthy retiree may be Representative Steve McMillan of Baldwin County, who is retiring after serving close to 43 years in the House. Steve has been a quiet yet very effective voice for the people of Baldwin County. They all will be missed. Some of the high profile and powerful members of the House, who will return for another four years with no or token opposition, are Steve Clouse of Ozark, Nathaniel Ledbetter of Dekalb County, and Danny Garrett, Jim Carns, David Wheeler, and David Faulkner of Jefferson. Danny Garrett has ascended to Chairman of the House Ways and Means Education. Other leaders returning are Chris Pringle, Reed Ingram, Randall Shedd, Tracy Estes, Chris Sells, David Standridge, Ginny Shaver, Jim Hill, Alan Baker, Joe Lovvorn, Chris Blackshear, Kyle South, Paul Lee, Jeff Sorrells, Rhett Marques, Steve Hurst, Joe Faust, and Margie Wilcox. The Democratic leadership will remain intact. There is an illustrious array of House Democratic leaders, including Anthony Daniels, Chris England, Laura Hall, Peb Warren, Barbara Boyd, A.J. McCampbell, Berry Forte, Dexter Grimsley, Thomas Jackson, Kevin Lawrence, Mary Moore, Juandalynn Givan, and veteran John Rogers. Two of the Democratic House veterans from Jefferson County, Louise Alexander and Merika Coleman, are both running for an open Jefferson County Senate Seat, leaving both their House seats up for grabs. There may be an increase in the number of females in the House of Representatives. It has already begun with the election of Cynthia Almond of Tuscaloosa, who was elected without opposition to replace Bill Poole. In addition, Patrice Penni McClammy won the Montgomery District 76 seat of her late father, Thad McClammy. She won with no opposition. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama papers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
January 6 panel threatens contempt vote after Mark Meadows withdraws
The leaders of the House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol insurrection are threatening to hold former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress after his lawyer said Tuesday that his client will cease cooperating with the panel. In an abrupt reversal, Meadows attorney George Terwilliger said in a letter that a deposition would be “untenable” because the January 6 panel “has no intention of respecting boundaries” concerning questions that former President Donald Trump has claimed are off-limits because of executive privilege. Terwilliger also said he learned over the weekend that the committee had issued a subpoena to a third-party communications provider that he said would include “intensely personal” information. “As a result of careful and deliberate consideration of these factors, we now must decline the opportunity to appear voluntarily for a deposition,” Terwilliger wrote in the letter. The committee’s Democratic chairman, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, and Republican vice chairwoman, Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, said in a statement that they will have “no choice” but to vote on recommending contempt charges against Meadows if he does not show up for a previously scheduled closed-door deposition Wednesday. “Tomorrow’s deposition, which was scheduled at Mr. Meadows’s request, will go forward as planned,” Thompson and Cheney said in a statement. Meadows’ decision not to cooperate is a blow to the committee, as lawmakers were hoping to interview Trump’s top White House aide about Trump’s actions during and ahead of the violent attack of his supporters. They had also hoped to use Meadows as an example to other witnesses who may be considering not cooperating as Trump has filed legal challenges to block the panel’s work. Lawmakers on the committee have blasted Meadows’ reluctance to testify, citing privilege concerns, while he is also releasing a book this week that details his work inside the White House. Thompson and Cheney said they also have questions about documents Meadows has already turned over to the panel. “Even as we litigate privilege issues, the Select Committee has numerous questions for Mr. Meadows about records he has turned over to the Committee with no claim of privilege, which includes real-time communications with many individuals as the events of January 6th unfolded,” they said in the statement. Thompson and Cheney said the panel also wants to speak to Meadows about “voluminous official records stored in his personal phone and email accounts” that could be turned over to the committee by the National Archives in the coming weeks. Trump has sued to stop the release of those records, and the case is currently pending in the U.S. Court of Appeals. The two committee leaders did not comment on Terwilliger’s claim about subpoenas to third-party communications providers. The committee in August issued a sweeping demand that telecommunications and social media companies preserve the personal communications of hundreds of people who may have been connected to the attack but did not ask the companies to turn over the records at that time. Terwilliger said in a statement last week that he was continuing to work with the committee and its staff on a potential accommodation that would not require Meadows to waive the executive privileges claimed by Trump or “forfeit the long-standing position that senior White House aides cannot be compelled to testify” before Congress. “We appreciate the Select Committee’s openness to receiving voluntary responses on non-privileged topics,” he said then. Thompson said then that the panel would “continue to assess his degree of compliance” and would take action against Meadows or any other witnesses who don’t comply, including by voting to recommend contempt charges. The House has already voted to hold longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon in contempt after he defied a subpoena, and the Justice Department indicted Bannon on two counts. In halting cooperation, Terwilliger cited comments from Thompson that he said unfairly cast aspersions on witnesses who invoke their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. A separate witness, former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, has said he will invoke those Fifth Amendment rights, prompting questions from the committee about whether he would directly acknowledge that his answers could incriminate him. Thompson said last week that Clark’s lawyer had offered “no specific basis” for Clark to assert the Fifth and that he viewed it as a “last-ditch attempt to delay the Select Committee’s proceedings,” but he said members would hear Clark out. The committee has already voted to recommend contempt charges for Clark, and Thompson has said it will proceed with a House vote if the panel is not satisfied with his compliance at a second deposition on December 16. In his new book, released Tuesday, Meadows reveals that Trump received a positive COVID-19 test before a presidential debate. He also reveals that when Trump was later hospitalized with COVID, he was far sicker than the White House revealed at the time. Trump — who told his supporters to “fight like hell” before hundreds of his supporters broke into the Capitol and stopped the presidential electoral count — has attempted to hinder much of the committee’s work, including in the ongoing court case, by arguing that Congress cannot obtain information about his private White House conversations. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Experts predict less economic growth, elevated inflation for years to come
A survey released Monday found that business experts expect prices and inflation to rise at elevated levels for years to come. The National Association for Business Economics released the results of a survey of 48 economic experts who downgraded their growth predictions and projected elevated inflation through the second half of 2023, if not later. “NABE Outlook survey panelists have ramped up their expectations for inflation significantly since September,” said NABE Vice President Julia Coronado, founder and president, MacroPolicy Perspectives LLC. “The core consumer price index, which excludes food and energy costs, is now expected to rise 6.0% from the fourth quarter of 2020 to the fourth quarter of 2021, compared to the September forecast of a 5.1% increase over the same period.” Recent Department of Labor inflation data shows the fastest rise in decades. “Nearly three-fourths of respondents – 71% – anticipate that the Federal Reserve’s preferred gauge of inflation, the change in the core PCE price index, will not cool down to or below the Fed’s target of 2% year-over-year until the second half of 2023 or later,” Coronado added. Experts do expect wages to rise as well and predict the U.S. will reach full employment likely in 2022 or 2023. The Federal Reserve has signaled it is considering interest rate changes to address inflation but has taken no dramatic steps so far. In May, the surveyed NABE experts projected 6.7% economic growth for 2021. They have since downgraded their prediction to 4.9%. Republicans have laid the blame for inflation at the feet of President Joe Biden for increased federal spending. However, he has argued his Build Back Better spending plan would address the problem, a claim critics dispute. “Inflation has gone up every month of Joe Biden’s presidency,” said Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. “This is a tax on every American.” By Casey Harper | The Center Square Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Kay Ivey draws challengers in 2022 GOP primary
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who had been considered a safe incumbent as she seeks a second full-term in office, is drawing challengers in next year’s 2022 Republican primary with candidates gambling that they can capitalize on ties to former President Donald Trump or conservative voter dissatisfaction with the pandemic and other matters. Lynda Blanchard, who was Trump’s ambassador to Slovenia, is switching from the U.S. Senate race to the gubernatorial contest, according to a copy of a campaign event invitation she tweeted. Toll road developer Tim James, the son of former Alabama Gov. Fob James, confirmed Monday that he is launching a primary challenge against Ivey. Blanchard’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the invitation that said a Tuesday campaign announcement was sponsored by the Lindy Blanchard campaign for governor. James said he is entering the race because he believes many conservative voters are “anxious” about the state’s recent political decisions. Among them, he cited a gas tax increase, a push by some Republicans to legalize casinos, a medical marijuana program, and aspects of the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic such as past mask mandates on K-12 students. “This is not who the people of this state are,” James said in a telephone interview Monday. “It’s certainly not what normal, conventional-type Republicans believe in.” James ran for governor in 2002 and 2010, when he narrowly missed making the GOP runoff, finishing about 200 votes behind eventual winner Robert Bentley. Bentley went on to win the post that year. Ivey is seeking her second full term after Bentley stepped down in 2017 amid a legislative push to impeach him. Blanchard has scheduled a Tuesday campaign event in Wetumpka. Taking on a well-funded incumbent is typically an uphill battle in a primary. James is already known to primary voters. Blanchard, a businesswoman and mother of eight, is expected to lean into her ties to Trump, who remains popular among state Republicans. “The MAGA Movement is the heart and soul of this nation. I entered the Senate race to serve Alabama’s people, and no matter what the future may bring, that will always be my main goal,” Blanchard said last month amid speculation she was switching races. Trump on Monday backed former U.S. Sen. David Perdue’s challenge to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in that state’s GOP primary next year. Trump encouraged Perdue to run after lashing out at Kemp, claiming he did not do enough to overturn Democratic President Joe Biden’s electoral victory in Georgia. It is unclear if Trump will weigh in on the Alabama race. He told Newsmax on Monday that he is looking at races but did not mention any candidate by name. “Well, I look at Alabama. It’s been a great state. I won it by record numbers, as you know. And a lot of people (are) asking for endorsements. And I’ll probably endorse people, various people at Alabama,” Trump said, noting he has already endorsed U.S. Mo Brooks in the U.S. Senate race. The primary is set for May 24, 2022. Stacy Lee George, a correctional officer and former Morgan County commissioner, is already running against Ivey. Speaking about the growing field, James noted his father used to say that “a governor’s race ought to draw a crowd.” Fob James served two terms as governor, once as a Democrat after being elected in 1978 and then as a Republican after being elected in 1994. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
