Tommy Tuberville says Farm Bill should be for farmers, not welfare
On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) spoke on the Senate floor about the Democrats’ version of the Farm Bill, which he said will cost $1.5 trillion because it prioritizes welfare and climate change over American farmers and producers. “This is the first trillion-dollar Farm Bill in our nation’s history,” Sen. Tuberville said. “The enormous price tag of the bill is driven by an 84% increase in SNAP, or federal nutrition assistance, and a 58% increase in conservation programs. In other words, a huge increase in welfare and climate spending.” “Most of this new spending does not offer support of our farmers,” Tuberville continued. “The $559 billion increase in SNAP funding was done directly by the Department of Agriculture through updates to the Thrifty Food Plan. In other words, nobody in Congress voted for this. The $35 billion in conservation funding was done through the Inflation Reduction Act of last year. Democrats are pushing through priorities that cater to climate activists and lead Americans to become dependent on welfare benefits. Approximately 82% of the upcoming Farm Bill goes to SNAP, commonly known as food stamps. 4% goes to conservation.” Tuberville expressed concern about the rapidly rising national debt. “Just yesterday, we hit $33 trillion in debt for this country,” said Tuberville. “Yeah, I said that — $33 trillion. That will be picked up, this tab, by our grandkids and their kids. The whole purpose of the Farm Bill is supposed to be to help farmers. What an idea. Yet, seven out of every eight dollars— again, seven out of eight dollars—in the Farm Bill is for something else. Our farmers depend on crop insurance, commodity programs, such as the Agriculture Risk Program (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program, and disaster programs to help them deal with difficult crop yields, markets, and rising input costs. Farmers can’t control the weather or the price, and that’s the reason they need help. We have to remember farmers put food on the table, but there’s a lot of people that don’t understand that. These are some of the hardest-working people in America. And they have too little to show for it.” Tuberville is Alabama’s voice on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Coach Tuberville is committed to supporting Alabama’s farmers and producers. Sen. Tuberville spoke with farmers during Farm Bill listening sessions across the state. He heard the concerns of peanut, cotton, and soybean farmers who are struggling in Joe Biden’s economy due to high input costs – particularly fertilizer, fuel, seed, and ag chemicals. Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, and HELP Committees. He was elected in 2020 and comes up for re-election in 2026. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Steve Flowers: Democrats indictment plan has made Donald Trump GOP nominee and maybe next President
In early April, I wrote that “Democrats give Trump a lifeline.” It was at that time that a Democratic district attorney in an overwhelmingly Democratic New York venue had indicted Donald Trump in a political ploy to disarm in some way, politically. There is an old saying that you can indict a potato or a ham sandwich. The legal threshold for getting a grand jury to offer a writ of indictment only requires that there is a scintilla of evidence that there may be a crime or misdemeanor. Therefore, a prosecutor can orchestrate an indictment. It looks like the Democrat’s plan is to replay the 2020 election in the courts, which is destroying Americans’ trust in their judicial system. They are making the courts a theatrical comedy political show. It used to be off-limits to use the courts to indict a person for political reasons. Make no mistake about it, all of these trumped-up indictments are just that, orchestrated political ploys. The Democrats have politically used the judicial system to indict Donald Trump – unbelievably, four times in four different Democratic venues with Democratic judges and Democratic juries. The last two plays are in slam-dunk Democratic clubhouses. The third indictment is in Washington D.C., which is 96% Democratic. The fourth is in Fulton County, Atlanta, Georgia, which is 80% Democratic. There will never be a conviction upheld by a superior unbiased appeals court. It would also take six years of appeals to get resolved, and by that time, Trump and Joe Biden might not be here, and if they are here, may not know they are here. The 2024 race will long be over and forgotten. These political indictments are designed and orchestrated to derail Trump in 2024. Make no mistake about it, these charades are politically motivated but not for the reason you think. Most would assume that the Democrats wanted to bloody Trump in order to beat him in the General Election next November against Biden. Not so. They want him to be the Republican nominee because he will be easy to beat, and they know that. This courtroom ploy is playing out with the Republican base with such anger and outrage that it is making Trump a martyr. Indeed, as late as March, polls showed that Trump could not be elected president under any circumstances. He was probably not going to be the Republican nominee. He had dropped to 25% among Republicans with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at 40% without DeSantis even being in the race. After every indictment, the sensationalism was met with glee by the liberal media. However, it was met with more glee by one, Donald Trump. It not only gave him a political lifeline, it essentially assured him the Republican nomination. The latest polls reveal Trump has a demanding lead in the GOP horserace. He is sitting on 54% vote to DeSantis’s 15%, and the rest of the dwarfs are at 5% or less. Trump will more than likely carry Alabama, overwhelmingly in our March 5 GOP Primary. All six of our current Republican Congressmen have endorsed him, as well as our Senior Senator, Tommy Tuberville, who, by the way, is probably Trump’s closest and most loyal ally in the U.S. Senate. Trump was met by enthusiastic, energetic enthusiasm when he spoke to a record-breaking crowd of Alabama Republicans at their summer dinner in Montgomery on August 4. Folks, the Democratic plan to make Donald Trump the Republican nominee has been successful. They have used Democratic courts to orchestrate his nomination. However, they may have overplayed their hand. There is such a thing as “piling on,” to use a football analogy. Every time one of these indictments comes down, it makes it look more and more frivolous and political. It has become viewed by Republicans as over the top and hitting below-the-waist politics. They may be making some Independent voters reconsider their distaste for Donald Trump. In addition, every time one of these ploys comes down, Trump raises tons of money. The Democrats may have succeeded in making Trump the nominee they wanted. However, they may have gone too far. They may elect him President. During Trump’s visit to Montgomery, when he spoke to the GOP faithful following the third indictment out of Washington D.C., you could tell he was delighted with the latest pile-on. He gleefully told the audience, “One more indictment, and they will make me President.” He may be right. Then the fourth indictment came down, and his polls and fundraising took off again. He would like nothing better than to hold a rally outside each courtroom next year. If political prosecution is the Democrat’s gameplan, they may have overplayed their hand. We will see. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column is seen in over 60 Alabama newspapers. Steve served 16 years in the state legislature. He may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
Chairman John Wahl votes in favor of RNC amicus brief supporting ballot access for Donald Trump
Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl voted for the Republican National Committee to weigh in on recent legal challenges to keep former President Donald Trump off the 2024 ballot with an amicus brief supporting ballot access for the former President. During a specially called meeting, the RNC Executive Committee approved the motion to file an amicus brief in support of the former President in cases including Colorado and other states. Liberal groups are trying to disqualify Trump, citing the 14th Amendment grounds. The anti-Trumpers argue that his actions on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021, amounted to staging an insurrection – which would preclude him from being a candidate for federal office. “Donald Trump has not been indicted, tried, or convicted on a charge of insurrection or rebellion,” said Wahl. “This is just another outlandish attempt by leftist groups to use our justice system for their own political agenda. I think it’s important that the Republican Party take a stand, and I am proud that the RNC is pushing back against this liberal nonsense. Democrats should be more concerned about the issues facing the people of America and how struggling families will be able to make ends meet instead of trying to misuse the 14th Amendment to disqualify their political rivals. This case is far bigger than Donald Trump; it’s about political fairness and the constitutional principles that this nation was founded on. If these organizations are allowed to succeed, the precedent would have the potential to impact all candidates and Americans for generations to come. Under the 5th Amendment, we all have the presumption of innocence, and the misuse of the 14th Amendment could completely undo that basic fundamental right. The original intent of our founding fathers is worth fighting for, and the Republican Party is committed to standing strong on this important issue.” In addition to Colorado, disqualification efforts are being mounted in numerous other states, including Minnesota, Virginia, Michigan, and Connecticut. Section 3 of the 14th Amendment says a candidate is disqualified if the person “engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States” or had “given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof,” unless granted amnesty by a two-thirds vote of Congress. This was passed immediately after the Civil War to prevent former Confederates from regaining their voting rights and ability to serve in the government. Former Vice President Mike Pence (R) spoke out against removing Trump from the race. “I always think these questions should be left to voters,” Pence said Tuesday during a Fox News Digital interview as the former vice president greeted customers at a bakery in a working-class city in New Hampshire, the state that votes second in the Republican presidential nominating calendar. Trump was recently the keynote speaker at ALGOP’s Summer Dinner fundraiser – the most successful fundraiser in ALGOP history. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Tommy Tuberville asks Admiral Lisa M. Franchetti to keep politics out of the military
On Thursday, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) challenged Admiral Lisa Franchetti to keep politics out of the military “as much as you can,” and to instead focus on winning wars. “As we discussed, I’m continuously talking to our Joint Chiefs and our leadership about politics,” Sen. Tuberville said. “We talk about politics. And I would hope that when you take over your new role, and I’m excited for you, that you keep politics out as much as you can. I know you’ll have to deal with it some, but [keep it] out of the military as much as we possibly can – leave it to us politicians.” Tuberville said the “military is a team, and we’ve got to win.” “I coached football for a long time,” Tuberville said. “I coached teams, put them together. And I had football players. I did have different races or wealth or religions, and I would never try to divide that group and put them in certain categories to where other groups say, “What are we doing? Why are we separating this?” Because our military is a team. We’ve got to win. There’s no second place in war. There’s a first place.” Tuberville expressed misgivings about a Vice Admiral who held a party just for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender sailors on a ship. “We got one [Vice] Admiral that recently had a party on a ship for the lesbian, gay, and transgender group,” said Tuberville. “Now, listen, I’ve got gay friends – I have no problem. But we are building a team here, a team of people that’s got to fight together, do things together. They had a party, cut a cake, all these things. And to me, again, we’re going to need everybody. Men, women, everybody of every association because we’re a volunteer force. We want people who love this country, that’ll fight together when things get tough. And I would just hope that you would spread that around in the Navy. Once you get in, go, “Hey, let’s build a team – don’t build individual groups.” What’s your thoughts on that?” “Senator, I enjoyed our meeting the other day, so thank you again for your time,” Admiral Franchetti answered. “Sir, I’ll say for the last thirty-eight years, I’ve been focused on building teams that can fight and win our nation’s wars. I’m focused on warfighting, warfighters, and winning. And that’s what our military needs to be focused on. And if confirmed, that is the focus I will bring to our Navy every day.” “Yep. What I’m saying is, you’re the head coach now,” Tuberville said. “There ain’t nobody to look to after you now. You’re the person who’s going to get the credit and blame. And I know you can do the job. I’m looking forward to it. But I would just… the experiences I’ve had over the years if we ever start trying to divide into groups within a team atmosphere, which our military is a team, we’re going to have huge problems down the way. And we have problems in our country right now. And I would hope that we don’t continue to divide.” Admiral Franchetti is currently the Vice Chief of Naval Operations. She is awaiting confirmation to serve as Chief of Naval Operations. Adm. Franchetti is one of the nominees affected by Sen. Tuberville’s hold on promotions in response to President Joe Biden’s controversial taxpayer-funded abortion policy. Sen. Tuberville has repeatedly urged Sen. Chuck Schumer to either bring promotions, like Adm. Franchetti’s, to the floor or to get DoD to drop the policy. Tuberville’s critics claim that the military holds are creating chaos in the military and hurting readiness. A charge that Tuberville denies. Tommy Tuberville is a career teacher, football coach, and sports broadcaster who, in 2020, unseated incumbent U.S. Sen. Doug Jones (D-Alabama) in a landslide election. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Katie Britt condemns Biden Administration decision to allow Iranian President to visit the U.S.
On Monday, the Biden Administration announced that it will allow Iranian President Ebrahim Raisa to enter the United States for the United Nations General Assembly meeting. U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) released a statement critical of the decision. “This disgraceful decision is the latest in a long line of dangerous appeasement by the Biden Administration,” Sen. Britt said. “Just two days ago, Iran reportedly expelled several senior International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors from the country. Now, President [Joe] Biden is sending a clear message to the world that the United States of America tolerates terrorism. On the very same day that the Biden Administration hands $6 billion to the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, the President chooses to allow the unapologetic leader of this ruthless regime into our country. This weakness endangers our national security, insults the Americans and allies struck by Iranian-backed terrorism across the globe, and abandons oppressed people in Iran who hunger for liberty, peace, and safety. We achieve peace through strength, not placation. The safety and security of all Americans is gravely imperiled by President Biden’s continued blunders on the global stage,” said Senator Britt. Five Americans who were freed by Iran as part of a prisoner exchange deal arrived in Qatar on Monday. The five American dual citizens were falsely convicted and imprisoned in Iran. They are now on their way home. The deal cost $6 billion in seized oil sales and the release of five Iranians convicted of nonviolent crimes. Sen. Britt opposed that deal on the grounds that paying out funds for hostages simply encourages bad actors to take more hostages. Britt said that the deals with Iran are appeasement. Last week, Senator Britt joined a group of four Republican colleagues in sending a letter reproaching President Raisi’s visit last month to the home of Asadollah Assadi. Assadi was sentenced to twenty years in prison by Belgium for his role in a bomb plot. The letter expressed concern over President Raisi’s record of publicly tolerating terrorism and continued threats against American officials and urged the Biden Administration to deny visas to President Raisi and his staff at UNGA. Joining Senator Britt in sending the letter were U.S. Senators Rick Scott (R-Florida), Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and Ted Budd (R-North Carolina). To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Tommy Tuberville and colleagues introduce the Secure the Border Act of 2023
U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) on Friday joined U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Alabama), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and fifteen other U.S. Senate colleagues in introducing the Secure the Border Act of 2023 to combat the border crisis. This bill is the Senate companion to legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year, commonly known as H.R. 2, which would resume construction on the wall at our southern border, tighten asylum standards, criminalize visa overstays, increase the number of Border Patrol Agents, defund non-government organizations receiving tax dollars to help traffic illegal immigrants throughout the country and prohibit the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from using its app to assist illegal immigrants. “The crisis at our southern border gets worse with each passing day under Joe Biden’s watch,” said Sen. Tuberville. “Americans are tired of sending taxpayer dollars to help other countries secure their borders while leaving the floodgates open at ours. We are losing people every day to fentanyl and other deadly drugs that are pouring across the border. This madness must stop. I’m proud to join my Senate colleagues to introduce this legislation, and hope those on the other side of the aisle will help us address this severe national security issue.” “We have to acknowledge the problem before we can solve it, but President Biden hasn’t even been willing to do that,” Sen. Britt said. “With a record number of Americans dying from fentanyl poisoning, record deaths among migrants attempting to cross the border, record profits by the cartels, and a record amount of people on the terrorism watchlist apprehended at the border, there is no doubt that this is a crisis unlike which we have ever seen.” “Under Joe Biden, we have a wide-open southern border,” Sen. Cruz said. “The Biden Border Crisis has created the largest illegal immigration crisis in our nation’s history. Biden’s open borders are an invitation for the cartels to brutalize children, to assault women, to overrun our communities with illegal aliens, and to flood this country with narcotics and fentanyl that kill over 100,000 people per year. This bill would stop the Biden Border Crisis dead in its tracks by building the wall, ratcheting up asylum standards, increasing the number of Border Patrol Agents, and implementing effective border security policies.” Joining Senators Tuberville, Britt, and Cruz in the legislation are Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R- Kentucky), Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), and U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), JD Vance (R-Ohio), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri), Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee), John Kennedy (R-Louisiana), John Hoeven, (R-North Dakota), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ted Budd (R-North Carolina), Steve Daines (R-Montana), and Presidential candidate Tim Scott (R-South Carolina). The Secure the Border Act enacts effective border security solutions, including: · Requiring the Department of Homeland Security to resume border wall construction. · Increasing the number of Border Patrol Agents. · Tightening asylum standards by restricting asylum to only aliens who present at ports of entry and by requiring aliens to prove they are “more likely than not” to qualify for their asylum claim. · Narrowing DHS’s power to unilaterally grant parole to illegal aliens. · Criminalizing visa overstays by making the first offense a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and the second offense a felony punishable by up to a $2,000 fine and up to two years imprisonment. · Stopping NGOs from using tax dollars to transport or lodge illegal aliens and provide illegal aliens with lawyers. · Restricting DHS from using its CBP One app to welcome illegal aliens into the country. · Requiring employers to use E-Verify. · Ensuring CBP has access to the criminal history databases of all countries of origin and transit so that CBP is aware of the criminal history of illegal aliens encountered at the southern border. Sen. Tuberville supports common-sense policies that strengthen our border and national security, like building the wall and reinstating the Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as the Remain in Mexico policy. With Democrats controlling the Senate, it is unlikely that they will allow this legislation to go to the floor, and if it did pass Congress, it is unlikely that President Biden will sign it. Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, and HELP Committees. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Federal Courthouse in Tuscaloosa to be renamed for Richard Shelby
The U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building in downtown Tuscaloosa will be renamed on Friday, September 15, for former U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Alabama). A ceremony will be held at 2:00 p.m. on September 15 inside the courthouse at 2005 University Blvd. to officially rename it the Richard Shelby Federal Building and Courthouse. Shelby, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, and other officials and dignitaries are expected to attend. L. Scott Coogler is the Chief U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Alabama. “Many years before construction began on the Tuscaloosa Federal Building and Courthouse in December 2009, Senator Shelby foresaw how important this building would be, not only to the federal court system but also to the citizens of Alabama,” said Judge Coogler. Shelby was honored by the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce during their annual awards banquet in February. “As he has done with so many other worthy causes that have benefitted the state of Alabama, Senator Shelby worked tirelessly to secure funding for this building,” Coogler added. “Without question, this building should bear his name.” President Joe Biden signed the legislation to rename the federal building in March 2022. The Courthouse houses the U.S. District and Bankruptcy courts, including courtrooms and support spaces, the U.S. Probation Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Senator Katie Britt’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the General Services Administration, and the Social Security Administration. The Alabama Legislature and Gov. Ivey honored Shelby with a special joint meeting of the Legislature in the historic 1859 House Chamber, where he served as a state legislator. Ivey said, “We are here today, honoring a friend to all of Alabama. To Richard Shelby, I say welcome home. We are honored to have you back.” “He is the state’s longest-serving Senator at 36 years,” Ivey said. Ivey said that out of all the great senators the state of Alabama has had, they have been “eclipsed by Senator Shelby.” Ivey praised Shelby for having steered hundreds of millions of dollars in engineering and sciences funding to Alabama colleges and universities, as well as Redstone Arsenal, the Port of Mobile, and other projects across the state. “We wish you the best, and we proudly welcome you back to our sweet home Alabama,” Ivey concluded. Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth said Shelby “should be forever known as Alabama’s greatest builder.” “Perhaps the most important and lasting thing that Richard Shelby has built is his legacy,” Ainsworth said. “His legacy will be felt long after Richard Shelby and all who gather in this room have passed by generations of Alabamians not yet born.” Shelby was a city prosecutor for the City of Tuscaloosa. He then became a special assistant Alabama Attorney General. He represented Tuscaloosa in the Alabama State Senate District from 1970 to 1978. In 1978, he was elected to represent Alabama’s Seventh Congressional District. He served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1986, he was elected to the U.S. Senate. He served six terms in the Senate, ending his decades of public service in 2022. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Border Patrol email: Plan to mass release illegal border crossers from crowded facilities
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody on Tuesday published an internal Border Patrol email her office obtained that provides guidelines to release foreign nationals being held at Customs and Border Patrol processing centers because they are at near full capacity, at full capacity or are already over capacity. President Joe Biden and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas “have become so brazen that they are now implementing mass-release quotas for immigrants surging into our country,” Moody said. “As a federal judge already recognized, these releases are unlawful, yet the Biden administration is ordering Border Patrol to release even more immigrants into the interior.” Moody is referring to a lawsuit Florida brought against the administration and won. Despite Mayorkas claiming that the border is closed and secure, a record number of people are being processed through ports of entry using the new CBP One App. As a result, processing centers, where individuals, some families, and unaccompanied minors are held within a certain timeframe, as they are processed to be released into or removed from the country by federal agents, are at capacity. With the majority of agents pulled from the field tasked with processing record numbers of people, officials have expressed concerns to The Center Square that an unknown number of criminals are illegally entering undetected between ports of entry. This also could be why significantly fewer gotaways are being reported than in previous months. With nearly 20,000 people currently in custody at CBP processing centers in the nine southwest sectors, Border Patrol agents were given a new directive on how to release even more people into the U.S., according to an email sent to agents obtained by Moody’s office. The redacted email states it is from the Acting Deputy Chief, Law Enforcement Operations Directorate, at U.S. Border Patrol Headquarters. The name on the letter is redacted, but the acting deputy director of this office is Ricardo Moreno, according to official records. The email was sent on Aug. 8, 2023, to all Border Patrol field chiefs and field deputies as a follow-up to a call to discuss how to “bring in-custody numbers to manageable levels.” “Unfortunately, after leveraging all consequences to include referrals to ERO [Enforcement and Removal Operations], the rate of daily encounters continues to surpass the daily permanent bookouts and the in-custody numbers continue to rise creating significant risks to agents and detainees. This level of detention numbers has also resulted in increased manpower requirements impacting border security efforts,” the email states. In addition to this, as of Sept. 11, “BP agents were instructed to reward and release over 6,500 illegal aliens who had committed a crime and crashed our lawless border. 6,500 in one day. Do the math. Joe Biden is destroying this country,” the National Border Patrol Council, the union representing Border Patrol agents, said on X. This is also in addition to CBP ERO agents continuing to apprehend and process for removal violent criminals, including murderers, rapists, child sex offenders, and others. According to preliminary data The Center Square obtained from a Border Patrol agent, over 215,000 illegal foreign nationals were apprehended or reported evading capture at the southwest border alone last month. The data only includes what is reported by Border Patrol agents. It excludes Office of Field Operations data. So far this month, according to preliminary data, Border Patrol agents have apprehended nearly 76,000 illegal border crossers and reported over 12,300 gotaways. The station with the heaviest traffic is in Eagle Pass, Texas, with nearly 10,000 people apprehended so far this month. Ajo, Arizona, is not far behind with over 7,700 people apprehended. Brownsville, Texas, Tucson, Arizona, and Santa Teresa, New Mexico, are also among the busiest stations this month. Santa Teresa’s station, located roughly 30 miles west of El Paso, Texas, reported more gotaways than apprehensions, nearly 4,300 compared to over 3,700, respectively. The Border Patrol email “is further proof of the disastrous cycle created by [President] Biden’s intentional destruction of our border with Mexico,” Moody said. “Biden cuts resources, opens the border, and then releases detainees while claiming there is not enough detention capacity to prevent the unprecedented flood of migrants entering the country because of his terrible policies. With every passing day it is becoming more obvious that the border crisis is being intentionally orchestrated by the Biden administration. We will continue to do everything in our power to push back and let the American people know what Biden is doing.” The email Moody obtained from CBP redacted the actual release quotas “for unexplained reasons.” Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Tommy Tuberville says Joe Biden impeachment “needs to happen”
On Wednesday, U.S Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) said that although he does not like impeachment, “it needs to happen” after a meeting with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) with Jordan and Congressman James Comer (R) presented some of the evidence that they have collected against President Joe Biden. On Tuesday, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-California) ordered the House to open up an impeachment inquiry. Tuberville said he was “shocked” by the evidence against President Biden and his son – Hunter Biden. “I just came from a meeting with Congressman Jim Jordan and Congressman James Comer. For the first time here in the Senate, most of us just sat down and listened as they laid out the case against President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden,” said Sen. Tuberville. “You know, I am absolutely shocked by the scale of the allegations and the strength of the evidence. We ought to be ashamed. Our media ought to be ashamed. Our institutions should be ashamed of what has gone on for the last four years without being investigated. I commend Speaker McCarthy for moving forward with an impeachment inquiry. You know, I don’t like impeachments – it holds back our country. But in this case, it needs to happen. The American people deserve the truth.” McCarthy directed the committees to open the impeachment inquiry into President Biden on Tuesday. The inquiry will center on whether Biden benefited from his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings and other issues. “These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction, and corruption, and warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives,” Speaker McCarthy told reporters on Tuesday. “That’s why today, I am directing our House committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. We will go wherever the evidence takes us.” During Donald Trump’s presidency, House Democrats impeached President Trump twice, including once in the waning days of Trump’s administration. President Trump’s efforts to launch an investigation into Hunter Biden’s ethically questionable business dealings – particularly his drawing a check from Ukrainian gas giant Burisma were largely ignored, even by the FBI. When Trump asked the President of Ukraine to investigate the Bidens, then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-California) rushed through an impeachment process against not Biden, but President Trump. Both times that Trump was impeached, the Senate didn’t have the votes to remove him. Three Presidents have been impeached by the House of Representatives, but none were ever removed from office. If the Republican-controlled House impeaches Biden, it is hard to imagine a scenario where a Democrat-controlled Senate would vote to remove Biden in the midst of an election year. Earlier in the day, Tuberville told reporters that the American people “were tired of impeachments” and that the impeachment “isn’t going anywhere in the Senate.” Alabama Today, and to our knowledge – the rest of the media – have not seen the evidence that Republicans claim they have gathered against Joe Biden. That said, it is hard to imagine impeachment being seriously considered by Senate Democrats. Given that they hold a 51 to 49 edge in the Senate, it is hard to imagine any realistic scenario where the President is convicted by the Senate – particularly with the election less than 14 months away. Tuberville was elected to the Senate in 2020. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
General David Allvin tells Tommy Tuberville that aging aircraft is hurting military readiness
On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) questioned Air Force Vice Chief of Staff General David Allvin during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Armed Services. Allvin said that the increasing age of airplanes means they are down for repairs and maintenance for longer periods, so the Air Force has fewer aircraft available to fly at any given time. “One thing that has concerned me since I’ve been here for three years and even before that, we decided to build a new tanker, and we still are not in rapid deployment of that,” Sen. Tuberville said. “And it kind of concerns me that we just can’t overcome problems like that within this committee. But that being said, politics continues to take over. One thing I wanna talk about is I’ve had several calls over the last six, seven months from generals in the Air Force. In recent years, our sorties have decreased to one point five a month, and the Chinese have increased theirs to around four a month. Now, being from a coaching background, I know practice makes perfect. What’s your thoughts about that? We’ve got to be ready to fight, and one point five sorties a month doesn’t sound like a whole lot to me. And you’d know more than me.” General Allvin responded: “Well, Senator, reps and sets. That is important. And so, ensuring our readiness be able to meet the challenges certainly one of our priorities. One of the challenges that we have along with that is with our flying hours program, which is you don’t have flying hours, you can’t put the pilots in the cockpits. The challenge is we continue to have these legacy systems, so we only have so many dollars to spread across. And when you have reduced aircraft availability rates because they’re old, and they’re finding new and interesting ways to break, and they break for longer periods of time, and they stay in depots for longer periods of time. That removes them from the ability to be able to be flown. So that’s one of the challenges that we have. Also, with some of the maintainers that we want to maintain these new aircraft, we need those Wiley KG maintainers to keep fixing the old ones. So, some of that skill set that we’re looking for seasoned maintainers to transition to some of these fifth-generation platforms have not been available to us. And as they say, you want a ten-year maintainer; it takes ten years to build that. So if we can’t have access to those because they’re still maintaining the legacy platforms, and also those legacy platforms have supply chain issues, all those sorts of things that make it just less efficient. Which is another reason, as we are looking to manage the readiness of today and the readiness of tomorrow, that we have that challenge to be able to meet….meet the needs while still being able to advance to the modernization that we need.” “So you’re saying this is not a policy, this is a cost problem, an airplane problem, maintenance problem?” Tuberville asked. “This is not a policy that we have to cut back to one point five sorties a month. Are you saying that?’ “Senator, what I would say is where policy could help is as we try and pursue our modernization strategy, if we could have less restrictive language that will allow us to…..to move that along, we will continue to try and manage best the risk of maintaining the current legacy platforms and moving into the new platforms,” Gen. Allvin said. “So you being in the Air Force and….and being around it for a long time, how many sorties do we need a month to really be prepared to fight somebody like China?” Tuberville asked. General Allvin answered, “Senator, there’s a great phrase in the weapons school that says, “It depends.” And I know that’s not a satisfying answer, but if I could maybe talk about what it may depend on. We have revalidated throughout our Air Force over the past eighteen months. We have revalidated what we call our mission-essential tasks. Moving from twenty, thirty years of counter-VEO fights, understanding the nature of the environment in which we’re gonna need to fight in the future. We’ve revalidated those tasks. Understanding how what we do on those tasks tells us how many sorties we’re gonna need. We’re also moving into a world where – when I was flying, if you’re in a simulator, you weren’t getting that much training. You need to actually be flying. The advancement of the synthetic environment and the ability to work in some of the key mission areas without actually being in the cockpit changes that equation as well. So I would say – I do believe we could fly more and be better. But to give you a precise amount, I think, would be probably folly because there are other elements with respect to mixing with the live virtual construction environment that will help offset the need for pure airborne flying.” General Allvin is currently the Vice Chief of Staff for the Air Force. He is awaiting confirmation to become Chief of Staff for the Air Force. Gen. Allvin is one of the nominees affected by Sen. Tuberville’s holds on promotions in his feud with President Joe Biden over the department’s policy of funding travel and additional paid time off for service members and their dependents seeking an abortion. “Thank you for what you do,” Tuberville told Allvin. “I wish they’d bring you to the floor today. I’d vote for you to be confirmed. Hopefully, that happens in the near future. Thank you very much.” Tuberville is refusing to give unanimous consent on hundreds of senior-level military promotions. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) could bring the promotions to the floor one at a time to get this matter resolved. He has chosen not to do that, arguing confirming the promotions one at a time could take weeks. The Congressional Research Service released a memo stating
Steve Flowers: Of course, the Space Command decision was political
In my July 19, 2023 column, my prediction was that Democratic President Joe Biden would keep the heralded space command headquarters in Colorado rather than allow it to be moved to Alabama. Biden made the Colorado decision ten days later. Why? It is very simple. Biden is a Democrat running for reelection for President as a Democrat. Colorado is a blue Democratic state. Alabama is a ruby-red Republican state. Of course, the decision to keep the facility in Colorado was political. The only reason that the federal military officials even considered moving the Space Command from Colorado to Huntsville, Alabama, over two years ago was because of our omnipotent senior senator, Richard Shelby. When Shelby spoke, generals and presidents listened. Senator Richard Shelby was Chairman of the United States Senate Appropriations Committee. He wrote the federal budget. There is an old adage that those who control the gold make the rules. In this regard, Shelby was more powerful than the President, whether it be Donald Trump or Biden. Shelby told the Generals that he wanted the Space Facility in Huntsville. Therefore, they made the announcement that it would be moving to Alabama. The bottom line is the only reason there was any consideration towards moving the facility from Colorado to Alabama was Richard Shelby, and the only reason that it will not be moving is because Shelby is gone. I knew at the time of the announcement that the Space Command headquarters might move to Alabama, that if Shelby did not get it actually moved before he retired it would probably never happen. Folks, you are just beginning to see the impact Senator Shelby’s retirement means to the state of Alabama. Our two freshman senators, Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt, fought valiantly and commendably for Huntsville, but they are essentially irrelevant in the process. It is all about seniority in Washington. Tuberville’s two and a half years in the Senate places him 93 out of 100 in seniority. Young Katie Britt has the makings of being one of our greatest U.S. Senators, along with giants Richard Shelby, Lister Hill, and John Sparkman. However, currently, Katie’s eight months in the Senate places her 99 out of 100 in seniority. Furthermore, Tuberville and Britt are in the minority party in the U.S. Senate. Democrats have a majority in the Senate along with a Democratic President. Some liberals have implied that Tommy Tuberville was the reason for the decision because of his feud with the Biden Administration over the abortion policy in the military. That is not the reason. They are actually flattering Tuberville. With his lack of seniority, he is not that relevant in the decision-making process. However, his being a rabid right-wing Trump Republican surrogate certainly did not help the matter. Huntsville should not feel so badly about the Biden Administration leaving Space Command in Colorado. It was crumbs compared to what Shelby loaded Huntsville up within the last decade anyway. This Space Command deal is more for prestige than it is for jobs and dollars. Shelby brought most of the high-tech and aerospace dollars in the country to Huntsville, which is what matters. Much more importantly, he moved most of Washington to Huntsville, including the FBI Headquarters. Folks, that is real power. It is unlikely that Alabama or any other state in the nation will ever see the power wielded by Richard Shelby in the nation’s history. Yes, Colorado got to keep the Space Command name because of politics. However, lest people forget, Huntsville has grown into one of the premier high-tech defense places in America because of politics. In the post-Depression era of the 1930s, Huntsville was a sleepy cotton town of 20,000. Our two U.S. Senators during the 1940s through 1960s were icons Lister Hill and John Sparkman. They were giants of the Senate, who were New Deal FDR allies with seniority, prowess, and class. John Sparkman brought the Redstone Arsenal and Wernher von Braun to Huntsville, and the rest is history. Over the years, I have told Huntsville’s brilliant Mayor, Tommy Battle, who has been an integral part of Huntsville’s explosive growth, they should name their city Sparkmanville. Given Shelby’s powerful sustaining of what Senator Sparkman began 70 years ago, maybe Sparkman/Shelbyville should be the Rocket City’s new name. It’s all about politics, folks. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. Steve served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
John Hendrickson: Is former Vice President Mike Pence’s view on conservatism correct?
Former Vice President Mike Pence, in a speech before the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College and in an article in The Wall Street Journal, warned Republicans and conservatives about the danger of populism. The former Vice President argues, in echoing Ronald Reagan’s 1964 address, that it is “a time for choosing” for Republicans whether to continue to follow the “siren song” of populism or return to true conservatism. It is clear that Pence is not only drawing a line in the sand and forcing a debate over conservatism, but also distancing himself from former President Donald Trump and those who support his policies. Nevertheless, Pence fails to understand that the conservative populism he is denouncing is actually rooted within the American conservative tradition. Debates within and amongst conservatives is nothing new. The conservative movement contains various “schools of intellectual thought” over what conservatism means and how conservatives should shape public policy. Vice President Pence argues that the Republican Party must return to traditional conservatism. “If we are to defeat Joe Biden and turn America around, the GOP must be the party of limited government, free enterprise, fiscal responsibility and traditional values,” wrote Pence. Pence is defining traditional conservatism based upon the principles of limited government, free enterprise, fiscal responsibility, and traditional values. Further, he correctly notes that individual “rights come from God and nature, not from the state.” In addition, Pence argues that just “like our founders, we know the imperfect nature of men and women and that granting them unlimited power imperils liberty.” This is an important pillar of conservatism, that is, that human nature is flawed because of original sin. Pence is also correct in referencing the need for conservatives to uphold and defend constitutional principles such as federalism. Conservatives would largely agree with Pence’s definition of conservatism, but he only offers a surface view of conservatism. Pence warns about the danger of populism, and he argues that this is a political tool of progressives and he references William Jennings Bryan and the “Kingfish” Huey Long as examples. Further, Pence argues that populists within the Republican Party are a threat to limited government, traditional values, and even the Constitution. Further, these Republican populists favor abandoning “American leadership on the world stage” and “embracing a posture of appeasement in the face of rising threats to freedom.” Pence’s other indictment is that Republican populists are abandoning free enterprise. Is Pence correct that populism is not only wrong, but also rooted in liberalism and progressivism and that these Republican populists are not conservative? First, Pence needs to define what policies of the Trump administration were not conservative. Pence acknowledges that the Trump administration governed as conservatives, but now Trump has abandoned conservatism. Does this mean that the Trump America First agenda was conservative according to Pence? In 2016, President Trump campaigned on what was considered to be a new approach to conservatism. He called for restrictions on immigration, building a border wall to secure the border, a restrained foreign policy, and he was highly critical of free trade and openly called for tariffs to protect manufacturing. This agenda has been referred to as America First, conservative nationalism, and conservative populism. It also fits within the framework of the paleoconservative tradition. Nevertheless, the ideas that shaped President Trump were not new, nor were they a departure from conservatism as former Vice President Pence would suggest. In fact, President Trump was rediscovering an older conservative Republican tradition. As an example, Patrick J. Buchanan wrote that “in leading Republicans away from globalism to economic nationalism, Trump is not writing a new gospel. He is leading a lost party away from a modernist heresy – back to the Old-Time Religion.” Buchanan, during the 1990s, campaigned for the Republican nomination championing similar ideas as Trump. The conservative nationalist tradition can be traced back to the American founding. Specifically, Alexander Hamilton and the Federalists. President Calvin Coolidge even credited Hamilton and the Federalists and later the Whigs as the source of the Republican Party’s heritage. Former Vice President Pence should consider the conservatism of the 1920s. Conservatives such as Presidents Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge not only challenged progressives, but their policy agenda was based on conservative nationalism. Harding and Coolidge not only supported a restrained foreign policy, but also protective tariffs and restricting immigration. They also placed an emphasis on limiting government by reducing spending, paying down the national debt, and reducing tax rates. Harding and Coolidge actually reduced government. Vice President Pence appears to be fighting against conservative nationalism and embracing the neoconservative agenda that was embraced by President George W. Bush’s administration. Neoconservatism and the Pence-style of conservatism dominated the Republican Party before Trump. What were the results: a full retreat on the cultural war and traditional values, engaging in costly wars to promote democracy, free trade agreements which led to the devastation of manufacturing, middle-class jobs, and massive trade deficits which led to the rise of China, and uncontrolled immigration. Plus, the federal government, along with the national debt, continued to grow. It was this “traditional” conservatism that idolized and worshiped at the golden alter of democracy and free trade. Is this the conservatism that we want to return to as a nation or a movement? In fact, during the first Republican presidential candidate debate Vice President Pence resembled former President George W. Bush more than President Ronald Reagan, especially in his advocacy of sending more dollars and support to Ukraine. This foreign policy approach, along with free trade, has more in common with progressives such as Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Pence’s approach to Ukraine is Wilsonian. Pence is attempting to proclaim himself as the true heir to Reagan. When examining the legacy of President Reagan too many conservatives forget that Reagan, even with all of the free market and liberty rhetoric, often practiced a restrained foreign policy and implemented trade policies that were considered protectionist. Some even argued that Reagan was the most
