Gary Palmer says Republicans must come together and choose a leader who can unify the party
On Tuesday, Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) led a successful effort to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-California) as the Speaker of the House. All of Alabama’s Republican congressional delegation supported McCarthy, but under the rules of the House, McCarthy’s ouster had enough votes to succeed given the razer-thin GOP majority in the Congress. Following the removal and McCarty’s telling the Republican Caucus that he would not run again, U.S. Representative Gary Palmer (R-AL06) released a statement. “What we just experienced has never occurred in the history of our nation,” said Rep. Palmer. “For the first time, a Speaker of the House has been removed. This action is reflective of how divided our nation is, including among Republican members of the House. While I am deeply disappointed about where we are, we still must find a way to govern.” McCarthy’s ouster comes at a critical time with the 12 spending bills still not having passed either House of Congress and the federal government having to operate under a 45-day continuing resolution that McCarthy negotiated on Saturday. “Our country faces a $33 trillion debt crisis threatening the future of all Americans – those living and those yet to be born,” said Rep. Palmer. “Our border is not secure, threatening not only our economy but also our national security. As Republicans, we must find a way to come together and choose a leader who can unify our party and has the ability to address these issues head on. We have a job to do for the American people, and they deserve a unified majority focused on what’s best for the nation.” The last GOP Speaker battle was an intense affair that required 15 votes of the House before McCarthy was finally elected as the 55th Speaker. At one point, it appeared as if Congressman Mike Rogers (R-AL03) had to be restrained from attacking Gaetz after Gaetz’s faction thwarted the 14th vote to elect McCarthy as the Speaker of the House. His tenure lasted less than nine months. The Speaker Pro Tempore – Patrick McHenry (R-North Carolina), has assumed the daily duties of Speaker in the wake of McCarthy’s ouster and ahead of the GOP choosing a new leader. Palmer is in the leadership in the House as the head of the House Republican Policy Committee. He represents Alabama’s Sixth Congressional District and has already announced that he is running for re-election next year. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Robert Aderholt and Barry Moore vote against ouster of Speaker McCarthy; Terri Sewell is saddened by the move
On Tuesday, extreme elements within the House majority successfully ousted Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-California) less than 72 hours after McCarthy’s ability to craft a bipartisan compromise saved the government from a crippling shutdown. Both Congressmen Robert Aderholt (R-AL04) and Barry Moore (R-AL02) voted against the motion to vacate the House Speakership. “Today, I voted against the removal of Kevin McCarthy as the current Speaker of the United States House of Representatives,” Aderholt said in a statement. “I am certainly disappointed that Speaker McCarthy has been removed. While no Speaker is perfect, as no member of Congress is perfect, I believe that Speaker McCarthy has done the best he can in bringing conservative bills to the floor. We must remember that Republicans have one of the narrowest margins in the history of the United States House of Representatives.” “Our nation currently has many challenges, and certainly, the debt of this country, and the crisis at the border, are issues that must be dealt with,” Aderholt continued. “Republicans must find a way to work together to do the most we can do until we can grow our majority. We don’t give up because we can’t win everything today. I will never give in and never quit fighting to solve the debt problem and the disaster at the border.” Barry Moore also voted against the motion to vacate the chair and remove McCarthy as Speaker. “Congress has 41 days left to fund the government by getting the remaining appropriations bills passed — let’s not waste them,” said Rep. Moore. “If we keep our eye on the prize, we have the chance to do something that hasn’t been done in 26 years. We can fund the government through regular order with cuts to Biden’s out-of-control spending that is currently imposing a 17% inflation tax on Americans, but not if we waste time on infighting about the motion to vacate.” Moore voted against the 45-day continuing resolution on Saturday that kept the government funded. Even House Judiciary Committee Chairman and Freedom Caucus member Jim Jordan spoke in support of McCarthy. Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL07) released a statement regarding the passage of House Republicans’ motion to vacate the chair, removing McCarthy as House Speaker. “This is a sad and unprecedented day for America,” Rep. Sewell said in a statement. “Government works best when we have two functioning political parties that are willing to put people over politics. What is clear is that House Republicans are divided among themselves and have unleashed chaos, dysfunction, and extremism at every turn.” This is the first time in U.S. history that a sitting speaker has been voted to be removed. There are now essentially three factions in the House of Representatives: Democrats, mainstream Republicans, and a small faction of ultra-conservatives who are not swayed by even the majority of their own caucus. None of the three factions have enough votes to govern by themselves. “My Democratic colleagues and I remain willing to find common ground, but it is up to House Republicans to end this GOP civil war.” The Washington Post is reporting that McCarthy has told House Republicans that he will not be a candidate for Speaker of the House again. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Matt Gaetz threatens motion to vacate Kevin McCarthy, demands answers on alleged Ukraine deal
By Casey Harper | The Center Square U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy worked with Democrats to fund the government with just hours to spare on Saturday, but that move may cost him his role as speaker. Now, Congress has bought itself about 45 more days to once again fund the government or face a shutdown, but possibly replacing a House speaker in that time would dramatically complicate that effort. U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who has been McCarthy’s most outspoken critic, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday that he will file a motion to vacate McCarthy this week. Gaetz and some other Republicans have been adamant about no longer passing short-term spending resolutions and returning to the traditional method of passing a budget via 12 separate appropriations bills. “I think we need to rip off the Band-Aid,” Gaetz said. “I think we need to move on with new leadership that can be trustworthy.” However, Gaetz said before the motion on Monday that he wanted answers from McCarthy concerning an alleged “secret side deal on Ukraine” the Speaker made with President Joe Biden. “I rise to raise a question,” Gaetz said from the House floor Monday. “What was the secret side deal on Ukraine? House Democrats and President Biden have said that as Speaker McCarthy was asking Republicans to vote for a Continuing Resolution to take up the plus-up Ukraine money, that the Speaker of the House was actually cutting a side deal to bring Ukraine legislation to this floor with President Biden and House Democrats.” Gaetz went on to suggest those answers could help rally support for his anti-McCarthy effort. “There may be other votes coming today or later this week that could be implicated by the answers to these questions,” Gaetz continued. “Members of the Republican party might vote differently on a motion to vacate and if they heard what the Speaker had to share with us about his secret side deal with Joe Biden on Ukraine. I’ll be listening. Stay tuned.” McCarthy was narrowly elected as Speaker after more than a dozen votes as several conservative House Republicans held out, demanding concessions from leadership. One of those concessions was that a single disgruntled member could file a motion to remove McCarthy as Speaker. McCarthy has managed to avoid that motion so far, but the near shutdown of the government drew even more scrutiny of the Speaker and at least one Republican threatening to file the motion to remove McCarthy. On Friday, McCarthy put forward a Continuing Resolution that cut spending, bolstered the border, and kept the government open for another 30 days. A cadre of more than 20 Republicans voted against the measure, effectively killing it since no Democrats would support the spending cuts and border policies. The failure of that attempt raised concerns that the government would in fact partially shut down at midnight Sunday morning. But McCarthy called lawmakers back to work Saturday and passed a bipartisan “clean” 45-day extension, meaning current spending levels were extended with some funding for disaster relief. The Senate quickly approved the measure, and Biden signed it just before midnight. Notably, that measure omitted more funding for Ukraine in its war against the Russian invasion, a war that Republicans have become increasingly less willing to fund. After Gaetz’s ongoing opposition to McCarthy, some Republicans have discussed trying to oust him from his position. Gaetz is currently being probed by the ethics committee, and the findings of that inquiry could theoretically drum up the 2/3 support needed to oust a sitting lawmaker. The probe reportedly centers around allegations of public corruption, sexual misconduct, and drug use. Gaetz fired back in a fundraising post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday afternoon. “They want to expel me from Congress for holding [Speaker McCarthy] to his own word,” Gaetz said. “They want me gone so they can spend your money and destroy our country without a battle. Help me fight back. Every little bit counts. Join my team. Fight with me.” Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Congress passes deal to keep government funded
On Saturday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution (C.R.) to keep the U.S. government funded and avoid a crippling government shutdown. President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan C.R., giving both houses of Congress another 45 days to finish their 12 funding bills for the 2024 fiscal year, which began on October 1. U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville blamed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) for not bringing the bills to the floor for regular order. “I am glad that the government is not going to shut down. But this is no way to run a government. This entire spectacle up here never should have happened,” Sen. Tuberville said. “This Clown Show in Washington needs to learn how to govern. That means passing 12 appropriations bills, which a bipartisan group of Senators on the Appropriations Committee did a long time ago. But Chuck Schumer and the Democrats who run Washington don’t want to do that. We cannot lurch from crisis to crisis anymore. We need to finally get to regular order and govern like adults.” Sen. Katie Britt (R-Alabama) blamed President Biden for a lack of leadership. “After completely unnecessary political fire drills, ultimately both chambers were able to come together not only to keep the federal government open but reject President Biden’s misguided supplemental request,” said Sen. Britt. “Now, we will be able to pay our troops, the Border Patrol, and Capitol Police and help our neighbors in Florida and the people of Hawaii recover. We will continue the critical fight for border security while we work to pass responsible appropriations bills through regular order. In the coming weeks, I’ll work with my colleagues to advance spending measures that are judicious, strategic, transparent, and accountable.” Both Houses of Congress were working on a bipartisan C.R. to keep the government funded. The House of Representatives passed theirs Saturday afternoon in a 335 to 91 vote. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) then announced that the Republicans in the Senate would be withdrawing their support for the Senate bill and instead be backing the House bill. Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL07) voted for the bipartisan 45-day C.R. “While I remain frustrated that my Republican colleagues have brought us to the brink of a costly and devastating government shutdown, I am grateful that Speaker [Kevin] McCarthy has finally chosen to work with Democrats at the last minute to extend government funding,” said Rep. Sewell. “While this measure is not perfect, it avoids deep cuts that House Republicans attempted to push through earlier this week and provides critical disaster relief funding that communities in Alabama depend on.” The House version of the C.R. was then voted on and passed by the Senate on Saturday night. The government is funded, but no deal has been reached on federal spending or addressing the crisis on the U.S. southern border. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Congress passes stopgap funding bill, avoiding shutdown
By Dan McCaleb | The Center Square President Joe Biden late Saturday night signed a stopgap funding bill that will temporarily keep the federal government open. The president’s signature came shortly after Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, with a midnight Saturday deadline looming before a partial government shutdown, brokered a deal with Democrats on what he called a “clean funding bill.” The measure, which will keep the federal government open into mid-November, includes $16 billion in disaster relief funding but no additional financial aid for Ukraine, according to several national media outlets. It passed the House, 335-91, and then moved to the Senate, where it passed 88-9. “I just signed a law to keep the government open for 47 days. There’s plenty of time to pass Government funding bills for the next fiscal year, and I strongly urge Congress to get to work right away,” Biden tweeted. “The American people expect their government to work. Let’s make sure it does.” The brokered deal could have significant implications for McCarthy. The more conservative members of the House Republican caucus opposed the measure, and U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz told CNN Sunday that he will try to remove McCarthy from his leadership post this week. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Tommy Tuberville addresses potential government shutdown; “What a mess we are in”
On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) spoke with the Alabama press about the growing possibility that Congress will not get a budget passed in time to prevent a government shutdown at midnight on Saturday. “What a mess we are in,” Sen. Tuberville said. “I don’t like shutdowns. No Republican wants to shut the government down. Senator [Susan] Collins and Senator Pattie Murray of the Appropriations Committee did their job. They want regular order, and so do I. Regular order means that you have 12 bills, and you do each one of them individually. We haven’t done that in a long time. It is time for the Senate to have an amendment process on each one of these bills. It gives everybody an opportunity to express their thoughts, but (Senate Majority Leader) Chuck Schumer, he doesn’t want to do that. He is doing everything he can to prevent the Senate from acting on any of these bills. That will eventually lead to a shutdown if we’re not careful. You have got to remember Chuck Schumer controls the floor, so this will be a Schumer shutdown. If a continuing resolution gives us time to consider all 12 of these bills, then I am for it, but we will have to see what the House does also.” Tuberville responded to a reporter’s question about criticism of the Senate by Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-California). “It is hard to compare both the House and the Senate, to be honest with you,” Tuberville said. “They have got different personalities over there – as me. I didn’t vote for a supplemental for Ukraine. We are spending somewhere around $260 million a day, somewhere in that range in Ukraine. We are spending it for their farmers, helping them plant their crops. We are spending it for their borders when we have farmers here who need money. We have a border that needs to be shut down. There is a lot of things going on behind the scenes. I am real interested in how McCarthy handles this. He has got not just a division between Democrats and Republicans but also division in his own caucus, so we will see what happens. We have done our 12 bills over here. We have got them out of committee. If we would do them one at a time like Chuck Schumer should, I think we could really encourage the House to do the right thing, but right now, we are in the middle of the road with no way to get this thing going.” Sen. Tuberville and Sen. Katie Britt (R-Alabama) both have cosponsored legislation to end the repeated government shutdowns and force Congress to pass the budget. Tuberville was asked about why that legislation did not pass. “First of all, there is a lot of people up here that when they do a budget, they just want to jam this thing full of pork, and that has gotten us $33 trillion in debt,” Tuberville responded. “We need to spend what we need to spend. Take care of all of our bills. Get that done. Take care of the American taxpayers, but we need an opportunity to tell everybody: OK, here is the deal: we run out of money at the end of September every year. We have got all year long – eight, nine months to put these bills together and get it passed. I think we need a bill that says we run up to a time restraint, which, at the end of this week, we are basically done. We do not go home. We stay here seven days a week until we get a budget passed for the American citizens and the taxpayers of this country. There is no reason that we need to keep kicking this can down the road and give people up here an opportunity to jam-pack this thing full of pork with things that we shouldn’t spend money on, but take care of the people of this country. That is what we are here for.” Alabama Today asked why the Alabama Legislature can pass two budgets months ahead of the same deadline and roll a surplus over into the next fiscal year while Congress having a budget crisis is almost expected. “Yea, you know there has been a lot of shutdowns,” Tuberville admitted. “A lot of people say this is a terrible thing to do to shut the government down, but sooner or later, we need to wake up and say we are $33 trillion in debt. But we have got to be more competent on understanding what we can and we can’t spend money on. Every year, we just bump it up. If you look at what happened after 2019 in COVID, there is trillions of dollars that we spent then that we don’t need to spend now, but the Democrats want to leave it in the budget. It makes no sense. We should go back to the 2019 budget and look and see where we are at, but you have so many people up here from different states that say, hey, let’s push it all the way to the end where we have to do a budget so we can do whatever we need to do. That’s the reason we want to get to regular order. Really, the Senate Appropriations Committee did their job. Susan Collins really pushed the Republicans to get this done the right way. They are done. We are done with the Senate version. We just can’t get it to the floor where Chuck Schumer will vote on them one at a time. He wants to control this process because he wants to get pork in there for New York. He wants to spend more of the taxpayer money than we should, so it is unfortunate that we have got people who try to do things to benefit themselves rather than the country. That is what we are seeing now. We are $33 trillion headed to 34.” Tuberville was elected to the Senate in 2020 – defeating
Republicans kick off President Joe Biden’s impeachment inquiry
By Casey Harper | The Center Square U.S. House Republicans launched the first impeachment inquiry Thursday into President Joe Biden, who faces an array of allegations around bribery and financial impropriety related to personal business dealings spearheaded by his son, Hunter Biden. Republicans say they have significant evidence to back allegations that Hunter Biden received more than $20 million from several overseas entities in China, Ukraine, Russia, and more. Hunter also faces gun and tax-related legal difficulties. The impeachment inquiry, though, forces Republicans to focus on how much President Biden, in particular, was involved and benefited from these alleged dealings as Democrats argue the evidence is lacking. “Evidence reveals that then-Vice President Joe Biden spoke, dined, and developed relationships with his family’s foreign business targets,” House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said in his opening statement, referring in part to testimony from IRS whistleblowers and long-time business associate of Hunter Biden, Devon Archer. “These business targets include foreign oligarchs who sent millions of dollars to his family,” Comer added. “It also includes a Chinese national who wired a quarter of a million dollars to his son.” The wire in question from a Chinese national broke headlines this week and added further weight to the allegations against the president. Comer said this week that multiple wire transfers from Chinese nationals listed the president’s home address in Wilmington, Delaware, as the beneficiary address. “This happened when Joe Biden was running for President of the United States. And Joe Biden’s home is listed as the beneficiary address,” Comer said. “To date, the House Oversight Committee has uncovered how the Bidens and their associates created over 20 shell companies – most of which were created when Joe Biden was Vice President – and raked in over $24 million between 2014 to 2019. “We’ve also identified nine members of the Biden family who have participated in or benefited from these business schemes,” Comer added. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who launched the impeachment inquiry earlier this month, referenced those wire transfers when speaking with reporters ahead of the hearing. “While Joe Biden was running for president and told, and his attorney told too, that they received no money from China, we now know that yes, it came from Beijing,” McCarthy said. “It came from Jonathan Li, and the address on the wire is Joe Biden’s address. And then you find out, how did he meet this Jonathan Li? Well, he took Hunter Biden on Air Force Two when he went to China, and then Hunter had him meet the vice president then. “The vice president … he wrote letters of recommendation for his children too,” McCarthy added. The House Ways and Means Committee also released documents and communications earlier this week, including one with Hunter Biden “bragging in a 2017 email to a Chinese business executive that he negotiated a contract for $10 million per year for ‘introductions alone.’” Democrats remained steadfast during the hearing, arguing that there is no evidence against President Biden, specifically. U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the ranking member on the committee, called it “preposterous,” and a “fairy tale.” “They’ve got nothing on Joe Biden,” Raskin said, arguing that former President Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani sparked this “conspiracy theory.” They also pointed to the indictments facing former President Donald Trump, who faces 91 charges across several states and from the federal government for his handling of classified documents, alleged ‘hush money’ payments to an adult film star, and his role in allegedly working to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. “It’s scandalous to use impeachment to establish a counterfeit moral equivalence between President Biden, an honorable public servant who has never been indicted or convicted of anything in his career of more than 50 years in public life,” Raskin said. “…and Donald Trump, a twice impeached president who’s recently been found in court to have sexually abused and defamed a woman and fraudulently inflated the value of his real estate properties…” Democrats also blasted Republicans for focusing on impeachment when the federal government is just days away from shutting down if Congress does not pass a new spending measure. “They are wasting time and taxpayer dollars in an illegitimate impeachment inquiry when we’re about 48 away or so from an extreme MAGA Republican government shutdown, and this is what they’re focused on?” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Congress faces looming government shutdown
By Casey Harper | The Center Square Lawmakers are scrambling to avoid a partial government shutdown this week. Funding for the federal government runs out at the end of September, Saturday at midnight, and lawmakers are still far from getting agreement on a deal that President Joe Biden can sign into law. In the House, Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has been unable to persuade enough conservative Republicans to back his push for a Continuing Resolution, a temporary funding measure to buy time. McCarthy may have to work with Democrats to get enough votes on a C.R., but that could jeopardize his position as Speaker. McCarthy won the speakership after a grueling series of votes, and House Republicans have been adamant that they can vote to remove McCarthy at any time. Senate Democrats have already begun shifting blame onto House Republicans and McCarthy, pointing out House Republicans had time to pass individual spending bills but did not get them done in time. “I’ve never seen a group that is as hellbent on a shutdown as these crazy MAGA Republicans, that small group,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told CNN, referring to holdout House Republicans. Schumer is working on passing a temporary funding measure that can be sent to the House and give Republicans a tough choice: let the government shut down or pass the Senate’s hard-to-stomach version of the spending measure. Ukraine funding in particular has become a divisive issue that could kill any funding bill. Democrats and many Republicans support it, but a growing contingent of Republicans say taxpayers should no longer keep sending the large sums overseas. McCarthy has blasted some of the holdouts, for whom Ukraine funding has been a sticking point. “This is a whole new concept of individuals that just want to burn the whole place down,” McCarthy told reporters last week. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are unlikely to favor any measure McCarthy can get passed that appeases conservative Republicans. While many essential government services would continue operating, many others across a range of federal agencies would be paused if the government shuts down. Democrats in the past have blasted Republicans for threatening the paychecks of those employees, though they will get back pay once the government reopens. The shutdown would affect over 2 million civilian employees and military members. “Nearly a hundred thousand of my constituents won’t get paid during a shutdown. It’s a disaster for Northern Virginia,” Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., wrote on social media. “They have families who depend on them, and they don’t deserve this. Republicans must honor the Speaker’s agreement with the President, and prevent a shutdown.” Former President Donald Trump, who has emboldened some Republican holdouts with his support, argued to Republicans that Biden would be blamed if the government shut down. “The Republicans lost big on Debt Ceiling, got NOTHING, and now are worried that they will be BLAMED for the Budget Shutdown,” Trump wrote on social media Sunday evening. “Wrong!!! Whoever is President will be blamed, in this case, Crooked (as Hell!) Joe Biden!” “WE NEED NEW, & REAL, REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE, NOT A CLONE OF MITCH, & WE NEED IT NOW!!!” Trump added. Meanwhile, fiscal experts warn that the federal government’s continued debt spending is unsustainable and will continue to have major consequences for taxpayers. Earlier this month, news broke that the U.S. national debt surpassed $33 trillion, the highest ever. The U.S. Congressional Budget Office released earlier this month its estimate of the federal deficit 11 months into the fiscal year. That deficit hit about $1.5 trillion. At the same time last year, the deficit was under one trillion dollars. As The Center Square previously reported, within a few years the cost of interest payments on the national debt will soon cost taxpayers more than spending on national defense. In fact, interest payments on the national debt are on pace to become the largest expense for the federal government. A key impact of that debt spending is higher inflation, which has soared in recent years and spiked again in August. Debt spending is offset in part by printing more money, increasing the money supply and inflation as a result. Food and gas prices in particular have risen. The U.S. Department of Agriculture projects food prices will continue to rise through 2024. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Shutdown inches closer as U.S. House GOP fails to pass defense bill, lawmakers exit D.C.
by Jennifer Shutt, Alabama Reflector September 21, 2023 WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans were unable for a third time Thursday to begin debate on the Defense funding bill, throwing another wrench into Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s leadership tenure. The 212-216 vote that rejected the rule for the $826 billion Defense spending measure was unexpected, coming less than a day after House GOP lawmakers gathered in a room in the Capitol basement to broker a path forward. Arizona Rep. Eli Crane and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene switched their votes to oppose the rule, after voting on Tuesday to adopt it. Colorado Rep. Ken Buck and South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman both supported adoption of the rule on Thursday after opposing it earlier in the week. Other Republicans voting no included Andy Biggs of Arizona, Dan Bishop of North Carolina, and Matt Rosendale of Montana. The rule would have allowed the House to begin officially debating the bill and voting on nearly 200 amendments. The failed vote led McCarthy to reverse course on the schedule, with many lawmakers heading home for the weekend on Thursday instead of sticking around for votes throughout the weekend. McCarthy had said exactly one week ago, “When we come back, we’re not going to leave. We’re going to get this done.” The update to the House schedule sent around Thursday afternoon said ”ample notice will be given ahead of any potential votes tomorrow or this weekend.” The stalemate and change of plans does not bode well for efforts to approve the short-term spending bill that’s needed to stave off a partial government shutdown when the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1. McCarthy has yet to unify his members amid deep disagreements about how much the federal government should spend and what policy restrictions should be included in full-year bills as well as the stopgap measure. The ongoing dispute has ground the House chamber to a halt as McCarthy searches for a way to unify his razor-thin majority without turning to Democrats to pass a bipartisan bill. Arkansas Republican Rep. Steve Womack, a senior appropriator, said Thursday that his fellow lawmakers need to accept the Senate will re-work any partisan bills the House sends over. “Remember, this is all going to go to the Senate, so people don’t need to get real hot and bothered over where we are today,” Womack said. “It’s going to be based on what comes back and whether or not it can get to the floor.” Discussions among House Republicans, he said, are likely to become “heated” once the Senate re-works a short-term spending bill and sends it back to the House for a final approval vote. Infighting and political differences within the House Republican Conference have so far prevented GOP lawmakers from reaching agreement on their opening offer on a short-term spending bill, which is also called a continuing resolution or CR. Defense spending bill falters Before the Thursday vote, McCarthy had been somewhat optimistic the House could finally approve the rule and begin debate on the full-year Defense spending measure. Greene wrote on X that she switched her vote “because they refused to take the war money for Ukraine out and put it in a separate bill.” The rule approved 184 amendments for floor debate and votes, including one from Florida’s Matt Gaetz that would have prohibited “security assistance for Ukraine.” Crane wrote on X on Thursday that he believes votes “on CRs, omnibus bills and raising the debt ceiling should never take place.” “I’m going to do whatever I can to change the way this place works,” he wrote. Oklahoma Republican Rep. Tom Cole, chair of the Rules Committee, switched his vote on Thursday to a no vote after voting yes a few minutes earlier. The procedural maneuver allows him to bring the rule back up for a vote at a later time. The whip count error appeared to be a surprise for Defense Appropriations Chair Ken Calvert, a California Republican; ranking member Betty McCollum, a Minnesota Democrat; and staff — all of whom were seated at the tables on the House floor ready to lead debate on the measure. The Republican table held thick white binders as well as a large accordion folder, all filled with paperwork, and the Democratic table was stacked with paperwork as well. It’s highly unlikely that staff would have brought all the materials needed to debate the bill and amendments if they knew the rule vote was going to fail. ‘At least a short-term shutdown’ In addition to strong disagreement among House Republicans about the full-year spending bills, the House GOP Conference has yet to solidify a plan to pass the short-term stopgap spending bill that’s needed to hold off a funding lapse. Idaho Republican Rep. Mike Simpson, chair of the Interior-Environment spending subcommittee, said he expects there will be “at least a short-term shutdown” as the House and Senate try to reach agreement on a short-term spending bill. “That’s a lot of work to do in a very short time,” Simpson said. House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry, a Pennsylvania Republican, said Thursday that he hasn’t seen details on any new short-term spending bills that might come to the floor. “I haven’t seen the language of any additional CR,” he said. Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran, the top Republican on the Commerce-Justice-Science spending panel, said he’s “hoping the House chaos is set aside.” “I keep saying I’m not voting for another CR again, but I keep voting for them because the outcome is worse with a shutdown,” Moran said. “But this just needs to be resolved in the House. I don’t think there’s a problem in the Senate that would cause a shutdown.” Any short-term spending bill will have to be bipartisan in order to get through the Democratically controlled Senate, where at least 60 votes are needed to limit debate on legislation. That could take more time than lawmakers have before Oct. 1, he said. “Nothing about this is conducive to getting
AG Merrick Garland takes fire from Republicans
House Republicans peppered Attorney General Merrick Garland with questions during a hearing Wednesday about the probe into Hunter Biden, the president’s son. As The Center Square previously reported, two IRS whistleblowers testified before Congress that the DOJ abused its power and interfered in their inquiry into Hunter Biden’s alleged tax crimes. Notably, they testified that the investigation was slowed so that the statute of limitations could run out on some charges. Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley and Criminal Investigator Joseph Ziegler, both IRS employees with a combined 27 experience years at the agency, testified before Congress that Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf helped block investigators’ plan for an interview of the president and a search warrant of the Biden residence in Delaware. “Everyone knows why they did it,” House Judiciary Chair Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said at the hearing. “Those tax years, that… involved the president. It’s one thing to have a gun charge in Delaware. That doesn’t involve the president of the United States. But Burisma? That goes right to the White House.” Garland seemed to preempt some of these criticisms in his opening statement, saying he was not obligated to do the bidding of the president or Congress. He declined to give specific answers to many of the Republicans’ questions, including around the federal indictment of former President Donald Trump. “Our job is to pursue justice, without fear or favor,” Garland said in his opening statement. “Our job is not to do what is politically convenient. Our job is not to take orders from the president, from Congress, or from anyone else, about who or what to criminally investigate. As the President himself has said, and I reaffirm today: I am not the president’s lawyer. I will also add I am not Congress’s prosecutor.” That reference to Congress’s prosecutor is an apparent reference to Republicans’ frustrations with the DOJ for not prosecuting Hunter Biden more aggressively. House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., has released a steady stream of evidence in recent months alleging that Hunter Biden was involved in an overseas “bribery scheme” and that his father knew about it. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who kicked off an impeachment inquiry on the same issue, pointed to about 150 U.S. Treasury Department suspicious activities reports filed by the agency around Hunter Biden’s dealings as well as bank records and the testimony from IRS whistleblowers who said the Biden family and associates received around $20 million from entities in adversarial nations. Special counsel David Weiss indicted Hunter Biden earlier this month over a gun purchase he made in 2018 after his plea deal unexpectedly fell through. Hunter Biden, who is also expected to face tax charges, was ordered by a federal magistrate judge on Wednesday to appear in court at his Oct. 3 hearing. Garland has taken fire over a string of incidents where critics say the agency has wrongly weaponized its power and targeted Americans, including working with social media groups to censor American posts and allegedly being more aggressive in prosecuting conservatives and right-leaning groups. “As someone who grew up in the Soviet Union, I’m disturbed by the fact that so many hardworking Americans—including my constituents—are afraid of political persecution by our own government,” said Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind. “Unfortunately, it does not seem like AG Garland is.” House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., recently sent a letter to the National Archives and Records Administration requesting travel records for Air Force Two after allegations that Hunter Biden may have used the vice president’s plane for his overseas deals when his father held that position in the Obama administration. 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.
Mitch McConnell tries to reassure colleagues about his health, vows to serve out term as Senate GOP leader
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell declared again Wednesday that he plans to finish his term as leader despite freezing up at two news conferences over the summer, brushing off questions about his health as he sought to reassure colleagues he’s still up to the job. At a weekly, closed-door lunch with fellow GOP senators on Wednesday, McConnell pointed to the statement released a day earlier by attending physician Brian P. Monahan about his health. He said he was ready to move forward with the Senate’s busy fall agenda. Monahan’s statement, released by McConnell’s office, said there was no evidence that the 81-year-old McConnell had a stroke or was suffering from a seizure disorder after he froze up and appeared unable to speak for 20-30 seconds at two different news conferences. The episodes came after the GOP leader fell and suffered from a concussion earlier this year. “I’m going to finish my term as leader, and I’m going to finish my Senate term,” McConnell told reporters, dismissing questions and requests for more detail about his medical condition. “I have nothing to add” to Monahan’s statement, he said. McConnell’s words to the press and his colleagues were his latest efforts to assuage growing concerns about his health and silence questions about whether he can continue to lead his party in the Senate. The famously private Kentucky senator has faced some criticism from colleagues for remaining quiet about the incidents and his health, which has visibly declined since the concussion. Behind closed doors, McConnell told other Republicans that his health issues are linked to his concussion. He believes that is a “plausible answer” to the questions, Texas Sen. John Cornyn said. Cornyn said McConnell “hasn’t missed a step” in terms of his cognitive abilities or ability to lead. But “physically, it’s been tougher.” “He was more transparent, which I’m glad he did,” Cornyn said of McConnell’s comments at the private lunch. “This is not his style. But I don’t think keeping things close to the vest serves his interests, and it created a lot of speculation. So I think this is a positive development.” Other Republican senators also said they were satisfied with McConnell’s explanation for the two incidents, the first in Washington in July just before the August recess and the second in Kentucky last week. “I feel really good; I’m behind Mitch, and let’s move forward,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said McConnell has ”broad support, and I think that’s known by the majority of the conference.” North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer, who had called for more transparency from McConnell, said the leader’s remarks were “a strong message. It was confident on his part. It was very direct.” Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville said that as part of his remarks to the GOP conference, McConnell touted that he’d raised $49 million for Republican Senate candidates in August. “He convinced me” of his ability to lead, Tuberville said. Still, Tuberville said the circumstances could change. “I don’t think there will be anything else said about it unless there’s another incident,” Tuberville said. “And that’s what we’re hoping.” The letter from Monahan that McConnell released Tuesday said there is “no evidence that you have a seizure disorder or that you experienced a stroke, TIA or movement disorder such as Parkinson’s disease.” TIA is an acronym for a transient ischemic attack, a brief stroke. But there was no elaboration as to what did cause McConnell’s episodes. The doctor said the assessments entailed several medical evaluations including a brain MRI scan and “consultations with several neurologists for a comprehensive neurology assessment.” “There are no changes recommended in treatment protocols as you continue recovery from your March 2023 fall,” Monahan said. Even though the majority of GOP senators have supported McConnell, some have raised questions. Republican Sen. Rand Paul, a doctor, and McConnell’s Kentucky colleague, has questioned whether the episodes were really caused by dehydration, as McConnell’s aides and the Capitol doctor have implied. After attending the lunch, Paul said he had no comment. Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said he’s concerned about the leader’s health, adding that his health issues could undermine Republican arguments that President Joe Biden, 80, is too old for another term in office. “I mean, if you’re concerned about the president’s ability to do his job, and I am, and a lot of Republicans say they are, then you’ve got to be concerned when it’s somebody from your own party,” Hawley said. The top potential successors to McConnell as leader — Cornyn, South Dakota Sen. John Thune and Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso — have stood by him. “He was very strong, sharp in the lunch today,” said Thune, the No. 2 Republican leader. “He talked a lot about not just (his health) but the other issues we’re dealing with here in the Senate. I think everybody left feeling very good about where he’s at.” First elected to the Senate in 1984 and as leader in 2007, McConnell became the longest-serving Senate party leader in January. He would have to run again for leader after next year’s elections, and his next reelection to the Senate would be in 2026. McConnell will be a central figure as Congress returns from an extended summer break to a flurry of activity, most notably the need to approve funding to prevent any interruption in federal operations by Sept. 30, which is the end of the fiscal year. Some House Republicans are willing to shut down the government at the end of the month if they are unable to enact steep spending restrictions that go beyond the agreement Biden reached with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy earlier this summer. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
