Barry Moore cosponsors resolution calling for end of Ukraine aid
Congressman Barry Moore was one of ten cosponsors of a controversial Ukraine Fatigue resolution introduced by Congressman Matt Gaetz calling for an end to military and financial aid to Ukraine and calling for Ukraine and Russia to reach a peace deal ending the war. “The only person earning an easier buck than Ukrainian war profiteers is Hunter Biden’s art dealer,” said Rep. Moore on Twitter. Congress should support @RepMattGaetz’s resolution and end taxpayer-funded blank checks to Ukraine.” Moore was the only member of the Alabama delegation to join the resolution calling for an end to military aid for Ukraine – which is fighting off a massive invasion by Russia. The other nine cosponsors are Rep. Andy Biggs, Rep. Lauren Boebert, Rep. Paul Gosar, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, Rep. Thomas Massie, Rep. Mary Miller, Rep. Ralph Norman, and Rep. Matt Rosendale. “President Joe Biden must have forgotten his prediction from March 2022, suggesting that arming Ukraine with military equipment will escalate the conflict to ‘World War III,’” Rep. Gaetz said. “America is in a state of managed decline, and it will exacerbate if we continue to hemorrhage taxpayer dollars toward a foreign war. We must suspend all foreign aid for the War in Ukraine and demand that all combatants in this conflict reach a peace agreement immediately.” Moore has had a history of being skeptical of military aid for Ukraine. On January 20, Moore joined a letter led by Rep. Dan Bishop and Senator J.D. Vance to President Biden’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Shalanda Young demanding a “full crosscutting report” to Congress that includes “U.S. government-wide expenditures for Ukraine and ‘countries impacted by the situation in Ukraine’ since Feb. 24, 2022.” “With an ever-growing federal budget and national debt, Alabamians deserve to know how their tax dollars are being spent – or misspent – on a war between Ukraine and Russia,” said Moore. “I am proud to join Rep. Dan Bishop and Senator J.D. Vance to demand answers and transparency from the Biden administration on these huge outlays of American taxpayer dollars.” In the 117th Congress, Moore signed a resolution led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green requesting an audit of all American taxpayer dollars sent to Ukraine. “I was in Ukraine before Afghanistan fell, and at that point in time, the parliament was extremely concerned about [American] energy policy and how we were allowing Putin to basically move the [Nord Stream 2] Pipeline and start production,” Moore said in November. “Even then, parliament saw the issue, but when I got here and started talking to other members, the same group of people here gave Trump such a hard time about a few billion dollars at the U.S. southern border.” “As fentanyl and drugs and illegals poured across our southern border, a few billion dollars, four billion, was just a little too much money,” Moore continued. “And now we are looking at $40 billion one week, $14 billion the next week with little to no oversight. Ukraine is a young democracy, and we are sending American taxpayer money over there with no oversight. It creates problems, it creates corruption, it’s not good for the American taxpayer or the American people.” Gaetz and Moore’s position is not shared by even many Republicans. Congressman Mike Rogers, who chairs the powerful House Armed Services Committee, has been a vocal proponent of military aid for Ukraine. “Now is the time for the Biden and Scholz governments to follow the lead of our U.K. and Eastern European allies – Leopard 2 tanks, ATACMS, and other long-range precision munitions should be approved without delay,” Chairman Rogers said. The United States is providing Ukraine with over $100 billion in aid – including M1 Abrams main battle tanks, Lancer anti-tank missiles, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, Stryker combat vehicles, Stinger surface-to-air missiles, Patriot surface-to-air missile systems, multiple rocket launch systems (MRLS), 155 mm Paladin self-propelled artillery systems, and other weapons. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is now asking the United States and allies to provide Ukraine with modern jet fighters, including F16s. Zelensky has been meeting with European leaders this week and appears to be close to a deal with EU members on fighter jets. There is wide speculation that in the coming weeks that Russia will launch a massive new offensive in the war. Moore is in his second term representing Alabama’s Second Congressional District. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
House passes gun control bill after Buffalo, Uvalde attacks
The House passed a wide-ranging gun control bill Wednesday in response to recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, that would raise the age limit for purchasing a semi-automatic rifle and prohibit the sale of ammunition magazines with a capacity of more than 15 rounds. The legislation passed by a mostly party-line vote of 223-204. It has almost no chance of becoming law as the Senate pursues negotiations focused on improving mental health programs, bolstering school security, and enhancing background checks. But the House bill does allow Democratic lawmakers a chance to frame for voters in November where they stand on policies that polls show are widely supported. “We can’t save every life, but my God, shouldn’t we try? America, we hear you, and today in the House, we are taking the action you are demanding,” said Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas. “Take note of who is with you and who is not.” The push comes after a House committee heard wrenching testimony from recent shooting victims and family members, including from 11-year-old girl Miah Cerrillo, who covered herself with a dead classmate’s blood to avoid being shot at the Uvalde elementary school. The seemingly never-ending cycle of mass shootings in the United States has rarely stirred Congress to act. But the shooting of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde has revived efforts in a way that has lawmakers from both parties talking about the need to respond. “It’s sickening, it’s sickening that our children are forced to live in this constant fear,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. Pelosi said the House vote would “make history by making progress.” But it’s unclear where the House measure will go after Wednesday’s vote, given that Republicans were adamant in their opposition. “The answer is not to destroy the Second Amendment, but that is exactly where the Democrats want to go,” said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. The work to find common ground is mostly taking place in the Senate, where support from 10 Republicans will be needed to get a bill signed into law. Nearly a dozen Democratic and Republican senators met privately for an hour Wednesday in hopes of reaching a framework for compromise legislation by week’s end. Participants said more conversations were needed about a plan that is expected to propose modest steps. In a measure of the political peril that efforts to curb guns pose for Republicans, five of the six lead Senate GOP negotiators do not face reelection until 2026. They are Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, John Cornyn of Texas, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. The sixth, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, is retiring in January. It’s also notable that none of the six is seeking the Republican presidential nomination. While Cornyn has said the talks are serious, he has not joined the chorus of Democrats saying the outlines of a deal could be reached by the end of this week. He told reporters Wednesday that he considers having an agreement before Congress begins a recess in late June to be “an aspirational goal.” The House bill stitches together a variety of proposals Democrats had introduced before the recent shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde. The suspects in the shootings at the Uvalde elementary school and Buffalo supermarket were both just 18, authorities say, when they bought the semi-automatic weapons used in the attacks. The bill would increase the minimum age to buy such weapons to 21. “A person under 21 cannot buy a Budweiser. We should not let a person under 21 buy an AR-15 weapon of war,” said Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif. Republicans have noted that a U.S. appeals court ruling last month found California’s ban on the sale of semi-automatic weapons to adults under 21 was unconstitutional. “This is unconstitutional, and it’s immoral. Why is it immoral? Because we’re telling 18, 19, and 20-year-olds to register for the draft. You can go die for your country. We expect you to defend us, but we’re not going to give you the tools to defend yourself and your family,” said Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. The House bill also includes incentives designed to increase the use of safe gun storage devices and creates penalties for violating safe storage requirements, providing for a fine and imprisonment of up to five years if a gun is not properly stored and is subsequently used by a minor to injure or kill themselves or another individual. It also builds on the Biden administration’s executive action banning fast-action “bump-stock” devices and “ghost guns” that are assembled without serial numbers. The House is also expected to approve a bill Thursday that would allow families, police, and others to ask federal courts to order the removal of firearms from people who are believed to be at extreme risk of harming themselves or others. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia currently have such “red flag laws.” Under the House bill, a judge could issue an order to temporarily remove and store the firearms until a hearing can be held no longer than two weeks later to determine whether the firearms should be returned or kept for a specific period. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Barry Moore joins lawsuit to end mask mandate for air travel
Representative Barry Moore has joined sixteen of his colleagues in a lawsuit against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The lawsuit, Massie et al v. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seeks to end the CDC’s mask mandate for individuals traveling on commercial airlines. Reports indicate the Biden Administration is extending the CDC’s mask mandate until April 18. Massie et al. v. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. The named defendants are Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rochelle P. Walensky in her official capacity as Director of the CDC, and Sherri A. Berger in her official capacity as Chief of Staff of the CDC. The lawsuit contains two primary claims: First, none of the statutes or regulations cited by the CDC for the authority to mandate that individuals wear masks on commercial airlines, conveyances, and at transportation hubs, permit the CDC to implement or enforce this mandate. Second, even if Congress had granted the CDC the authority to promulgate the mask mandate, the granting of this authority would violate a principle known as the “non-delegation doctrine.” Moore and his co-plaintiffs are asking a federal court to declare that “the mask mandate is beyond the CDC’s statutory authority or is unconstitutional.” The plaintiffs are also seeking an injunction that prohibits the CDC, or anyone acting on the CDC’s behalf, from enforcing the mask mandate. Rep. Thomas Massie argued that the CDC doesn’t have the authority to force people to wear masks on airplanes because Congress never passed a law requiring it. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not have the legal authority to force people traveling on commercial airlines to wear masks,” stated Massie. “Congress never passed a law requiring masks on commercial flights. This lawsuit targets the faceless bureaucrats who are behind the CDC’s unscientific regulation so that this illegal mask mandate can be brought to a permanent end.” Moore argued that the mandate should end immediately because it infringes on constitutional freedoms. “Government bureaucrats desperate for relevancy are waging a war against everyday American citizens and their constitutional freedoms,” stated Rep. Moore. “The unscientific mask mandate for commercial air travel should be ended immediately, and I am proud to join my friend Rep. Massie in this lawsuit to end this charade permanently.” Additional plaintiffs for the lawsuit include Reps. Thomas Massie, Rand Paul, Andy Biggs, Dan Bishop, Lauren Boebert, Andrew Clyde, Warren Davidson, Bob Good, Paul Gosar, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Brian Mast, Alex Mooney, Ralph Norman, Bill Posey, Matt Rosendale, and Chip Roy.
Barry Moore says mandatory vaccines for military is ‘reckless’
Rep. Barry Moore released a statement regarding reports that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will require all active-duty military members to receive a COVID-19 vaccination regardless of health, age, or other factors. Rep. Thomas Massie introduced legislation to prohibit a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirement for troops. At a news conference, Austin said he would consult with medical professionals to implement a new policy, reported CNN. “But we won’t let grass grow under our feet,” he stated. “The President directed us to do something, and we’ll get after it.” The U.S. military says around half the U.S. armed forces are already fully vaccinated, with the highest vaccination rates in the Navy, reported Reuters. “We have a lot of vaccines that are required for self-protection, and once this one is mandatory, I don’t think that we will have a lot of pushback. I think people will do as they’re required,” an Army official said. “It is absolutely reckless that Secretary Austin is considering a blanket mandate for active-duty military to receive a vaccine approved only for emergency use to protect against a virus with well over a 99% survival rate,” said Moore. “Our fighting men and women are disproportionately younger, healthier, and significantly less at risk from the coronavirus than the general population, and recent reports show that almost 70% of our men and women in uniform have already voluntarily taken the vaccine. Our servicemembers shouldn’t be unnecessarily forced into taking the vaccine just because overreaching politicians want to continue intervening in the private lives of the American people.”
Barry Moore supports Lauren Boebert’s call to censure Joe Biden over border crisis
Rep. Barry Moore has joined other leaders to support Rep. Lauren Boebert’s bill to censure President Joe Biden over the border crisis. According to a press release, Moore joined Boebert and other leaders in a press conference to address the resolution. Moore has visited the southern border twice this year. President Biden has not visited the border yet. Some statistics Moore emphasized in his release include: Under President Trump, there were 1,400 children in HHS custody at the border. At one point in June, there were 22,000. Over 1 million illegal aliens have been encountered by CBP since Biden took office, including a record-breaking 180,000 illegal aliens in May. Since Biden took office, CBP arrested 1,413 alien drug smugglers—up from 386 last year. Since Biden took office, CBP arrested 40 alien murderers—up from 3 last year. Since Biden took office, CBP arrested 353 alien sex offenders—up from 156 last year. Since Biden took office, CBP arrested 1,118 aliens for DUIs—up from 364 last year. In just the first four months of Biden’s term, enough fentanyl to kill every American four times over has been interdicted by Border Patrol. Moore stated, “Ensuring the integrity of our borders is one of the most fundamental duties of a president, yet President Biden has destroyed four years of progress at the border to satisfy far-left activists and cheap labor-loving globalists. His reckless determination to reverse every Trump administration policy regardless of the outcome has put every American family and our economy at risk. We must hold President Biden to account for putting politics over the people he has sworn an oath to protect.” Moore stated on Twitter, “President Biden’s dereliction of duty at our southern border is completely unacceptable. Proud to join @RepBoebert in holding Biden accountable for putting politics over the people he has sworn an oath to protect.” President Biden's dereliction of duty at our southern border is completely unacceptable. Proud to join @RepBoebert in holding Biden accountable for putting politics over the people he has sworn an oath to protect. https://t.co/hXhV1H98uQ — Rep. Barry Moore (@RepBarryMoore) June 24, 2021 The bill is supported by: American Principles Project, Citizens for Renewing America, Eagle Forum, Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), Heritage Action, and NumbersUSA. Along with Moore, 22 additional Members of Congress joined Boebert to introduce her bill including: Reps. Andy Biggs, Dan Bishop, Madison Cawthorn, Jeff Duncan, Pat Fallon, Matt Gaetz, Louie Gohmert, Bob Good, Paul Gosar, Morgan Griffith, Diana Harshbarger, Jody Hice, Ronny Jackson, Thomas Massie, Alex Mooney, Troy Nehls, Ralph Norman, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Bill Posey, Lance Gooden, Chip Roy, and Randy Weber.
Congress approves bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday; Mo Brooks and Mike Rogers voted against
The United States will soon have a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the nation. The House voted 415-14 Wednesday to make Juneteenth, or June 19th, the 12th federal holiday. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk, and he is expected to sign it into law. Juneteenth commemorates the day the last enslaved African Americans learned they were free. Confederate soldiers surrendered in April 1865, but word didn’t reach the last enslaved Black people until June 19, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to Galveston, Texas. That was also about 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Southern states. It’s the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created in 1983. “Our federal holidays are purposely few in number and recognize the most important milestones,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y. “I cannot think of a more important milestone to commemorate than the end of slavery in the United States.” Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, speaking next to a large poster of a Black man whose back bore massive scarring from being whipped, said she would be in Galveston this Saturday to celebrate along with Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas. “Can you imagine?” said the rather short Jackson Lee. “I will be standing maybe taller than Sen. Cornyn; forgive me for that because it will be such an elevation of joy.” The Senate passed the bill a day earlier under a unanimous consent agreement that expedites the process for considering legislation. It takes just one senator’s objection to block such agreements. “Please, let us do as the Senate. Vote unanimously for passage,” Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., pleaded with his colleagues. The vote comes as lawmakers struggle to overcome divisions on police reform legislation following the killing of George Floyd by police and as Republican state legislators push what experts say is an unprecedented number of bills aimed at restricting access to the ballot box. While Republicans say the goal is to prevent voter fraud, Democrats contend that the measures are aimed at undermining minority voting rights. Several members of the Congressional Black Caucus took to the floor to speak in favor of the bill. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., said she viewed Juneteenth as a commemoration rather than a celebration because it represented something that was delayed in happening. “It also reminds me of what we don’t have today,” she said. “And that is full access to justice, freedom, and equality. All these are often in short supply as it relates to the Black community.” The bill was sponsored by Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and had 60 co-sponsors. Democratic leaders moved quickly to bring the bill to the House floor after the Senate’s vote the day before. Some Republican lawmakers opposed the effort. Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., said creating the federal holiday was an effort to celebrate “identity politics.” “Since I believe in treating everyone equally, regardless of race, and that we should be focused on what unites us rather than our differences, I will vote no,” he said in a press release. The vast majority of states recognize Juneteenth as a holiday or have an official observance of the day, and most states hold celebrations. Juneteenth is a paid holiday for state employees in Texas, New York, Virginia, and Washington. Under the legislation, the federal holiday would be known as Juneteenth National Independence Day. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., said that he would vote for the bill and that he supported the establishment of a federal holiday, but he was upset that the name of the holiday included the word “independence” rather than “emancipation.” “Why would the Democrats want to politicize this by co-opting the name of our sacred holiday of Independence Day?” Higgins asked. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Mich., replied, “I want to say to my white colleagues on the other side: Getting your independence from being enslaved in a country is different from a country getting independence to rule themselves.” She added: “We have a responsibility to teach every generation of Black and white Americans the pride of a people who have survived, endured, and succeeded in these United States of America despite slavery.” The 14 House Republicans who voted against the bill were Andy Biggs of Arizona, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Ronny Jackson of Texas, Doug LaMalfa of California, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Tom McClintock of California, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Mike Rogers of Alabama, Rosendale of Montana, Chip Roy of Texas, and Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin.
Congress in standoff on virus aid, but first checks coming
Despite the urgency to act, it’s a sudden breakdown over what all sides agree is the need for federal help.
House passes $2.2T rescue package, rushes it to Donald Trump
Donald Trump said he would sign the measure immediately.
Washington set to deliver $2.2 trillion virus rescue bill
The relief can hardly come soon enough.
House Approves Measure to Restrain Trump’s Actions on Iran
This resolution is not binding and is largely symbolic.
As contributions fall, U.S. House GOP rebels blame party leaders
As he began his first re-election run in early 2013, Tea Party Rep. Thomas Massie had no trouble raising money from business interests. Then came 2015. The Kentucky Republican voted against returning Republican John Boehner of Ohio to the speaker’s job and opposed an effort by GOP leaders to avoid a standoff with President Barack Obama over immigration that threatened to shut down the Department of Homeland Security. In the first three months of 2013, Massie reported $46,000 rolling in from tobacco, trucking, health care and other industries. During the first quarter of 2015, Massie has collected just $1,000 from political action committees, which funnel contributions to candidates from business, labor or ideological interests. That money came from the conservative Eagle Forum. Massie and some other conservatives say the reason their business contributions have fallen is simple: GOP leaders are retaliating for their defiance. “Those who don’t go along to get along aren’t going to get as many PAC checks,” Massie said last week, using the acronym for political action committees. None offers concrete proof that top Republicans are behind the contribution falloff. But they say the evidence is clear. “I’m an engineer with a science background. I look at empirical evidence. If you have enough data points, you can prove something,” Massie said. Conservatives point out that leadership has targeted them before, and they cite Boehner’s removal of some rebels from coveted committee assignments. In March, an outside group allied with GOP leaders ran radio and Internet ads accusing some House Republicans who opposed efforts to end the Homeland Security impasse of being “willing to put our security at risk.” GOP leaders deny they have orchestrated an effort to deny business support to recalcitrant conservatives, arguing that they want to protect Republican-held seats. But they acknowledge that votes can have consequences with business groups whose political spending plays major roles in congressional campaigns. “If they agree with what the speaker is trying to accomplish and you don’t support the speaker, why should they support you?” said Oklahoma Republican Rep. Tom Cole, a Boehner ally. Reports filed with the Federal Election Commission show that many GOP rebels are having a harder time raising cash from corporate interests, while others are not. In a public show of disloyalty that party leaders scorn, 25 House Republicans voted against Boehner to be speaker in January, including one who voted “present.” Of the 24 expected to seek re-election next year, 15 saw their contributions from PACs fall between this year’s opening quarter and the same period in 2013. For a few who did not file reports for the first quarter of 2013, this year’s data was compared with the earliest report from their 2014 campaign. None of the 24 has received contributions yet this year from political committees run by Boehner and the other two top GOP leaders, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana, according to FEC reports. The three leaders have donated to dozens of other House Republicans, chiefly those facing tight re-elections. All except perhaps three of the 24 mutinous Republicans are in safe GOP districts and should breeze to re-election. In the first quarter of 2015, maverick Tim Huelskamp of Kansas saw his contributions from political committees fall in half from the $35,000 he reported raising during that period in 2013. He says lobbyists have told him of a “do not give list” from top Republicans that names about 35 GOP lawmakers. “Folks understood, ‘Hey, you may not get what you want if you’re helping the folks’” on the list, Huelskamp said. Leading Republicans deny such a list exists. “That is beyond conspiracy theory, because if someone was going to do the list, it would be me,” said California Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, a Boehner friend and frequent critic of his party’s insurgents. Top Republicans say campaign contributions can vary over time for several reasons, including a preference by many donors to help incumbents in tight races or freshmen as well as lawmakers’ own money-raising efforts. They note that the first quarter of a non-election year is early, with plenty of time for donations before the November 2016 election. “You can blame failure on a lot of fathers,” said Oregon Republican Rep. Greg Walden, who leads the National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOP campaign organization. Not all rebellious Republicans whose business contributions have dropped blame party leaders, and many have found ways to offset the smaller amounts they’ve raised from political committees. Of the 24 House Republicans who opposed Boehner’s re-election, half have raised more this year than they did in early 2013 and 18 have fatter campaign treasuries than they did then. Florida GOP Rep. Daniel Webster, got 12 votes for speaker in January. His political committee contributions plummeted from $38,000 in the first quarter of 2013 to $3,000 this year. But thanks to a huge jump in individuals’ donations, Webster raised $233,000 overall from January through March of 2015, nearly $100,000 more than in early 2013. He says he’s not aware of GOP leaders steering business money away from him. “I would suspect if people like the job I’m doing, they’re going to give to us,” he said. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
