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Mid-Day Digest · February 17, 2026

“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”

THE FOUNDATION

“Those gentlemen, who will be elected senators, will fix themselves in the federal town, and become citizens of that town more than of your state.” —George Mason (1788)

IN TODAY’S DIGEST

EXECUTIVE NEWS SUMMARY

The Editors

Jesse Jackson dies: Longtime civil rights/leftist activist Jesse Jackson has died at the age of 84. Jackson, a disciple of Martin Luther King Jr., turned his civil rights activism into political activism, twice seeking the Democrat presidential nomination in the 1980s. A gifted orator, Jackson was often celebrated for his rhetorical gamesmanship, as he regularly demonized Republicans as not just wrong but evil. An example of his cutting rhetoric came during a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the civil rights movement, when Jackson infamously called America the “land of the free and the home of genocide.” He went on, “We are, at our foundation, born in sin and shaped in iniquity.” In 2017, Jackson revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and since then, he made far fewer public appearances.
Man identifying as woman murders two in Rhode Island: Less than a week after one of the deadliest school attacks in Canadian history, another man wearing a dress has gone on a rampage. Robert Dorgan, who was calling himself Roberta Esposito, killed his ex-wife and son and critically injured three others at a high school hockey game on Monday in Rhode Island. He killed himself when a Good Samaritan intervened. Someone believed to be Dorgan’s daughter said on video that he “shot my family” and “he’s dead now.” Some reports also show that Dorgan’s wife had left him after he began “transitioning.” Leftmedia outlets are inevitably tripping over themselves with pronouns and gender identifiers.
Trump insists FEMA step in even though Democrats are defunding FEMA: The collapse of the Potomac Interceptor sewage system has released over 300 million gallons of wastewater into the Potomac River since January, threatening an “ecological disaster.” Residents in the area have been warned to avoid contact with the river, including recreational activities, and to keep their pets away. Authorities say that drinking water is unaffected and is expected to remain safe. E. coli is a serious threat from this spill and will remain so as the spring thaws previously frozen bacteria. President Donald Trump addressed the issue last night, blaming Maryland Gov. Wes Moore for gross mismanagement and directing federal authorities to step in. Trump said FEMA will play a key role in the response, despite being currently defunded by Democrats.
School teacher killed by illegal fleeing ICE: Linda Davis of Savannah, Georgia, was on the street on a day when her school was closed for a planning day for her special education class. Guatemalan citizen and illegal immigrant Oscar Vasquez Lopez was also on the street that day because Joe Biden refused to enforce immigration law. In 2024, a judge issued a final order of removal, but Lopez was not removed. After ICE agents attempted to arrest Lopez on Monday, he fled in a car despite not having a valid driver’s license, performed a reckless U-turn, ran a red light, and collided with Davis’s car, ending her life. In a press release on the event, ICE highlighted that Lopez was egged on to evade arrest by such prominent Democrats as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Karen Bass, and Gavin Newsom, all of whom have issued guidance on how illegals can avoid deportation.
Frey’s sanctuary costs Minneapolis $200M: Minneapolis Democrat Mayor Jacob Frey likes to talk about how much he cares for the residents of his city as he blasts federal law enforcement for wreaking havoc and threatening the lives of citizens. However, when it comes to the actual price of Frey’s “care,” it looks much more like abuse when measured by the cost of his sanctuary policies on the city’s law-abiding, legal residents. Not only did Frey encourage lawlessness against ICE, costing the lives of two residents, but his pandering has led to lost revenue for small businesses. A recent report found that Minneapolis businesses lost more than $200 million in revenue due to Frey’s push for anti-ICE activism. Had he simply cooperated with the federal government in arresting the worst of the worst illegal aliens, businesses likely would have profited, especially with fewer criminals roaming the streets.
Judge to Trump: Put back the slavery exhibit: U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe ordered the Trump administration to restore a slavery exhibit to the historic Philadelphia mansion that was George Washington’s workplace and home while he served as president. The DOJ argued, “As with any national park or museum, reasonable minds might differ about what to display in the limited space available. But this is fundamentally a question of Government speech.” Rufe likened the removal of the exhibit to “the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell’s 1984.” She explained that the federal government “does not” have “the power it claims — to dissemble and disassemble historical truths when it has some domain over historical facts.” The removal of the display was tied to President Trump’s order last year to remove from government property radical ideology passed off as history that “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living.”
Trump’s tax rates yield 11% higher returns: Filing taxes this year won’t be as painful for most Americans. On average, thanks to President Trump and the Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act — which zero Democrats voted for — Americans will get an average tax refund that’s 11% higher than last year’s. The average tax return so far this year is $2,290. Those seeing the biggest returns are the top 10% of households, i.e., those who pay the most in taxes. However, the tax savings will affect all Americans, and because lower-income households generally file their taxes earlier than wealthier taxpayers do, this benefits the nation as a whole. With Democrats harping on affordability, Trump and Republicans can point to these tax returns as evidence that their economic policies are working for the American people.
Rent prices dropping across the country: Americans are paying less for their monthly rent, and the reason is not at all surprising. The administration reports that three million illegal immigrants have left the country since the start of Trump’s second term. Vice President JD Vance commented in a speech that fewer people means lower housing prices: “It’s very, very simple economics.” Top economists agree that the outflow of immigrants is driving down housing costs. Some are desperate to spin lower costs for Americans as a bad thing, pointing out that landlords who relied on illegal renters are being left in the lurch. Southern and Southwestern cities, including Atlanta, Phoenix, and Raleigh, have seen the sharpest decline in rent prices. Monthly rent has now declined for six months straight, reaching its lowest level since 2022 and down 6.2% from the peak that year.
Maxwell’s naturalization fraud: Documents released by the DOJ reveal that Ghislaine Maxwell lied on her naturalization application when acquiring U.S. citizenship 20 years ago. Court documents indicate that Maxwell is a British national with French citizenship who also became an American citizen in 2002. But as The Daily Caller reports, “Maxwell answered ‘no’ to two key questions on her application for naturalization: whether she’d committed criminal acts in the past or ‘procured anyone for prostitution.’” Since she was convicted of trafficking underage girls for prostitution for Epstein from 1994 to 2004, this is grounds for denaturalization. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, any naturalized citizen may be subject to denaturalization if they committed fraud or misrepresentation during the application process. The number of processed denaturalization cases is only about 11 annually. The Trump administration is attempting to increase that number to 100-200 per month.

Headlines

Schumer embraced ID laws to counter fraud in the 1990s, but now calls voter ID “Jim Crow 2.0” (Washington Times)
U.S. and Iran sit down for talks under growing shadow of Trump’s military threat (CBS News)
A defector explains the remote-work scam helping North Korea pay for nukes (WSJ)
Britain’s diminished military sinks to alarming levels (Washington Times)

The Executive News Summary is compiled daily by Jordan Candler, Thomas Gallatin, Sterling Henry, and Sophie Starkova. For the archive, click here.

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FEATURED ANALYSIS

Thune Promises a SAVE Vote

Douglas Andrews

Being a U.S. senator doesn’t seem too awfully complicated, does it? Mostly, you talk and you vote, right?

Last week, though, Senate Majority Leader John Thune introduced two more activities into the senatorial mix: hemming and hawing. Specifically, the melancholy Dakotan seemed to be soliloquizing about what to do with perhaps the most important piece of legislation that Republicans have proposed in a generation — namely, the SAVE Act, which recently passed the House 218-213, with Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar providing a smidgen of bipartisan support.

In a republic, nothing is more critical than free, fair, honest, and trustworthy elections. Nothing. And the SAVE Act checks those boxes in spades: first, by requiring would-be voters to prove their citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections; and second, by requiring certain forms of photo ID in order to cast a ballot.

Which is why I wondered: Why does Thune seem weak-kneed about holding the Democrats’ feet to the fire on an issue that enjoys 95% support from Republicans and 71% support from Democrats? Indeed, I wondered like Gunnery Sergeant Hartman wondered: What is your major malfunction, John?

No, Thune doesn’t need to nuke the Senate’s filibuster, but he does need to force a vote and thereby force the Democrats to stake and continually defend their positions — between now and the midterms — against proof of citizenship and photo ID. And then he needs to force the Democrats into an honest-to-goodness talking filibuster, a traditional filibuster like the one former Klansman and longtime Democrat Robert Byrd used to block the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“Remember,” said Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee, “the talking filibuster is best understood as the filibuster. Historically, senators have been required to speak in order to filibuster. You shouldn’t be able to have the benefits of the filibuster without doing the work of the filibuster, and that means speaking.”

Hear, hear!

Talk about an awful hand. Here’s Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer trying to defend his position against a piece of drive-by journalism from CNN’s Jake Tapper, who pointed out, “About 83% of the American people, including a majority of Democrats, support voter ID laws.”

“Well, yeah, the voter ID laws that, uhh, first, each state can have its own voter ID laws, and some do, and some don’t. But secondly, what they are proposing in this so-called SAVE Act is like Jim Crow 2.0. They make it so hard to get any kind of voter ID that more than 20 million legitimate people, mainly poorer people and people of color, will not be able to vote under this law. We will not let it pass in the Senate. We are fighting it tooth and nail. It’s an outrageous proposal that is, you know, that shows the sort of political bias of the MAGA Right.”

Got that? The “MAGA Right” is politically biased toward honest elections.

If you think Joe Biden got all 81 million of those votes in 2020 on the up-and-up, and if you tend to tsk tsk about those 315,000 improperly cast ballots in Georgia’s Fulton County, then the SAVE Act probably isn’t your cup of meat. But if you think the Democrats have been cheating at elections since long before Republican Norm Coleman was cheated out of an ObamaCare-deciding Senate seat in 2008 by Felons for Franken, if you think the Democrats have been cheating since even before Lyndon Johnson stole his way to a Senate seat in 1948, then the SAVE Act is for you.

By the way, here’s a handy list of everyday “Jim Crow” activities that routinely call for a photo ID: getting on a plane, renting a car, checking into a hotel or motel, buying beer or booze or cigarettes or certain kinds of cough medicine, gaining access to most office buildings and government buildings, going to a bar, applying for Medicare or Medicaid or Social Security benefits, applying for unemployment benefits or food stamps, buying a gun, getting a hunting license or a fishing license, obtaining a marriage license, going to a casino, renting an apartment, taking out a mortgage, opening a bank account, buying a cellphone, picking up a prescription, donating blood, adopting a pet, picking up a package at the post office, and gaining admittance to an NAACP convention.

Thune thus has a golden opportunity to expose the Democrats once again, this time for their implausible and racist claims that black and brown people simply aren’t capable of obtaining a photo ID.

And the stakes couldn’t be higher. Free and fair elections are at stake, of course — specifically, the November midterms. If the Democrats flip just a few House seats, they’ll get the gavels, the purse, the legislative agenda, and the power to subpoena witnesses and hold impeachment hearings — just as they did during Trump’s first term. And if that happens, you can kiss the Trump agenda goodbye. Ergo, Thune’s handling of the SAVE Act will have a direct impact on the Trump agenda — which is the agenda that the American people voted for so resoundingly in 2024.

So if you appreciate a good economy, low inflation, high affordability, cheaper gas, more take-home pay, closed borders, safer streets, and a strong America, you’d better have a plan to vote, and so should every like-minded person you know. Because the final two years of Trump’s administration are most definitely on the ballot.

Happily, Thune seems to have come around, at least partly. “We will have a vote,” Thune said yesterday. “We will make sure that everybody’s on the record, and if they want to be against ensuring that only American citizens vote in our elections, they can defend that when they have to go out and campaign against Republicans this fall.”

Still, Thune so far seems reluctant to force the Democrats into a real filibuster. But were the tables turned, I can guarantee the Democrats wouldn’t be reluctant. They’re like rust. They never sleep. For example, let’s compare Thune’s lack of urgency to the Democrats’ recent electoral actions in Virginia, where they’re proposing to turn one of the nation’s most accurately representative congressional districting maps into a spectacularly imbalanced 10-to-1 advantage for Democrats.

Remember: Thune has never been a pro-Trump Republican, an America First Republican. He came up through the Republican ranks at the hip of Mitch McConnell, who’s the most ardently and reflexively anti-Trump Senate Republican this side of Lisa Murkowski. The American people, and especially the good people of South Dakota, need to hold Thune’s feet to the fire on the SAVE Act and force the Democrats to very publicly and very painfully deny the overwhelming will of the American people.

Thune claims that requiring the Democrats to conduct a legitimate filibuster to stop the SAVE Act might have unforeseen consequences, including the risk of an endless amendment process, which he says could force Republicans in vulnerable seats to make difficult votes.

Okay, I’ll bite: Name one single issue, Senator, that more than 70% of Republican voters support and that the Republican Senate conference is against. One single issue. I’ll wait.

The truth is, a forced filibuster is exactly the kind of political power move Mitch McConnell would have made back when he supported his party’s president rather than opposed him. Back when he wouldn’t let Barack Obama fill Antonin Scalia’s Supreme Court seat with Merrick Garland or any other leftist.

At this moment, with President Trump’s second term and his entire agenda in the balance, we don’t need a go-along, get-along Senate majority leader. We don’t need a reluctant supporter of Donald Trump’s agenda.

We need more than a talker. We need a street fighter, a throat puncher.

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MORE ANALYSIS

Nate Jackson: Presidential Wannabe AOC Face-Plants in Munich — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez didn’t offer coherent answers to virtually any question, revealing that she’s nowhere near ready for the White House.
Emmy Griffin: Roblox Is a Cesspit for Assassination Fantasies and Predators — The huge online gaming platform that targets children is rife with entrapment and other dangers.
Michael Swartz: With SNAP Limits, Prices Drop — Deflationary pressure has come from an unusual source: As states limit the items food stamps can buy, prices for some of those items fall.
Jack DeVine: The U.S. Presidency — It’s a brutal job. Sure, the perks are great, but the world is watching, the pressures are incessant, and the future of our nation rides on your every decision.
Gregory Lyakhov: America’s Largest Teachers Union Targets ICE Instead of Academic Failure — The American Federation of Teachers appears more focused on activism than on advancing classroom instruction and student achievement.

Reader Comments

Editor’s Note: Each week we receive hundreds of comments and correspondences — and we read every one of them. Click here for a few thought-provoking comments about specific articles. The views expressed therein don’t necessarily reflect those of The Patriot Post.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

For more of today’s columns, visit Right Opinion.

BEST OF VIDEOS

AOC Says Rubio Is Wrong About the Spanish Origin of Cowboys — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is going viral due to her performance at the G7 Security Summit in Munich, Germany, where she made a handful of incorrect statements.

SHORT CUTS

The BIG Lie

“We have this bloated agency now … that’s dedicated to just taking people off our streets without any cause.” —New York Gov. Kathy Hochul regarding ICE

Make It Make Sense

“FEMA is incredibly important and, I will admit, is operating pretty well under this president. … But ICE is out of control.” —Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear explaining his support for a government shutdown

Nailed It!

“Um, you know, I think that this is such a, you know, I think that this is a um — this is, of course, a, um, very long-standing, um, policy of the United States and I think what we are hoping for is that we want to make sure that we never get to that point, and we want to make sure that we are moving in all of our economic research and our global positions to avoid any such confrontation — and for that question to even arise.” —Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) when asked if the U.S. should commit troops to defend Taiwan

Who Wants to Tell Her?

“[Nicolás Maduro] canceled elections. He was an anti-democratic leader. That doesn’t mean that we can kidnap a head of state and engage in acts of war just because the nation is below the equator.” —Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who evidently needs a map

For the Record

“The gaffes by AOC are an example of what happens when a politician never faces real scrutiny in the press. He or she gets lazy and sloppy and then chokes on the big stage. The same thing happened to Harris.” —Laura Ingraham

Political Futures

“Britain does not need tinkering, minor reform around the edges. … It needs restoration. Full-scale restoration. A restoration of courage. A restoration of responsibility.” —British MP Rupert Lowe launching Restore Britain, a new political party

Upright

“We are bound to one another by the deepest bonds that nations could share, forged by centuries of shared history, Christian faith, culture, heritage, language, ancestry, and the sacrifices our forefathers made together for the common civilization to which we have fallen heir.” —Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Good Questions

“Are we living as though freedom has a purpose? Have we remembered that liberty is not merely the absence of restraint, but the opportunity to align ourselves with truth? Have we treated freedom as a gift to steward — or as an entitlement to consume?” —Tony Perkins

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TODAY’S MEME

For more of today’s memes, visit the Memesters Union.

ON THIS DAY in 1817, the first public streetlight powered by gas was lit in Baltimore, Maryland, after artist Rembrandt Peale brought the idea from England. Today, gaslighting is commonplace.

“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”

Senator Bill Hagerty Weighs in on the SAVE Act – “The American Public are Broadly in Support of Showing Voter ID” (VIDEO) | The Gateway Pundit

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Senator Bill Hagerty Weighs in on the SAVE Act – “The American Public are Broadly in Support of Showing Voter ID” (VIDEO)

News anchors discussing current events with city skyline and American flags in the background.

Senator Bill Hagerty was on “Sunday Morning Futures” with host Maria Bartiromo to talk about the SAVE Act, which will require voters to present ID for federal elections.

“The House on Wednesday passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or the SAVE America Act, in a vote 218 to 213,” Bartiromo said.

“The bill now heads to the Senate, where Democrats are vowing to block it using the filibuster. The Republicans seem to have at least 51 votes,” Bartiromo continued.

“Do you believe John Thune will bring the SAVE Act to the floor, and what about this standing so-called talking filibuster scenario. Will that be enough for you to pass the SAVE Act in the Senate now that you have 50 votes, thanks to Susan Collins’ support over the weekend?” Bartiromo asked.

“I want to first of all applaud Susan Collins for coming on board. That gives us the votes necessary to do it, if we can get it to the floor,” Hagerty said.

Senator Hagerty explained that voter ID is largely favored by American citizens.

“The American public are broadly in support of showing voter ID. It’s at north of 80 percent issue for the American public,” Hagerty said.

“Who are the Democrats in the Senate representing? Over 70 percent of Democrats want this, yet we don’t have a single Democrat that will support it,” Hagerty continued.

“They are so detached from reality, it’s just amazing,” Hagerty commented.

“What the SAVE Act does is very simple. It simply requires what we require here in my home state of Tennessee. It codifies that to demonstrate that you are indeed an American citizen in order to vote,” Hagerty said.

Senator Hagerty explained that one of the main reasons Democrats in the Senate don’t support voter ID is that they supported the open border, which resulted in millions of illegals entering the United States. Their plan was to sow chaos into the elections.

“It seems like it should be a no brainer, but the reason that it’s not is because the Democrats of the Biden Administration flooded this country with tens of millions of illegal aliens. They want chaos in the elections. They want no voter ID,” Hagerty said.

“We are looking at the talking filibuster. It’s something that has not been used in a long, long time. It’s a complicated process, but I think we are going to look at every way we possibly can to get this to the floor to defeat the Democrat’s obstructionism,” Hagerty continued.

“And you also said you are right now examining this talking filibuster?” Bartiromo asked.

“Yes, we are looking at it. We’ve gone through it as a conference, and now that we have Susan onboard, I think we are going to be laser focused on this and any other method that we can utilize to get this on the floor,” Hagerty said.

“I think what we will have, if we actually implement it, is a higher turnout in elections because people will have more confidence that the election and their vote is gonna be sacred, it’s gonna be safe and we are gonna have voter integrity,” Hagerty explained.

Watch:

Today, exclusively on @SundayFutures with @MariaBartiromo, Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty @BillHagertyTN spoke about Democrats vowing to filibuster the GOP-Backed Voter ID Bill. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/2yy6vpvQb2
— SundayMorningFutures (@SundayFutures) February 15, 2026

The post Senator Bill Hagerty Weighs in on the SAVE Act – “The American Public are Broadly in Support of Showing Voter ID” (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

House Speaker Mike Johnson Calls out Democrats – “The Democrats Just Want to Subsidize the Broken System” (VIDEO) | The Gateway Pundit

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House Speaker Mike Johnson Calls out Democrats – “The Democrats Just Want to Subsidize the Broken System” (VIDEO)

Male news anchor discussing current events on Fox News set with city skyline background.

House Speaker Mike Johnson was on “Fox News Sunday” with host Shannon Bream to talk about the Republican agenda in the House. He also criticized Democrats for their lack of vision and the wasted time during the recent government shutdown.

“The shutdown is over since the last time we talked, but now you have nine appropriations bills that have to get through the House and Senate to the President’s desk by January 31st,” Bream said.

“In this environment, how in the world do you get nine of the more complex bills done with 17 to 20 workdays?” Bream asked.

“The good news is our appropriators in the House and the Senate, in bipartisan fashion, have been working on appropriations bills, you know, the whole year, so they are virtually done,” Johnson said.

“There is a little disagreement between the Senate and the House versions of some of the bills,” Johnson said.

Speaker Johnson explained that even when Congress is not voting, they are still working behind the scenes to get the necessary work done.

“We can certainly get that done in the amount of time that’s still on the calendar. Just because we don’t have legislative voting days, it doesn’t mean Congress isn’t working,” Johnson explained.

“We are returning to regular order. The way this is supposed to work. You know, Congress hasn’t done this for many years,” Johnson said.

The Speaker also explained that during the shutdown, House members were able to spend more time in their districts, which gave them the opportunity to connect with their constituents.

“They had some of their best work of their careers during the shutdown because they were in their districts with their constituents helping them navigate through the chaos of the shutdown that the Democrats created,” Johnson said.

“The Democrats in Congress voted 16 times to keep the government closed to bring on the longest shutdown in US history,” Johnson continued.

“It was all for naught. They got nothing out of it,” Johnson said.

Johnson also put the blame on the Democrats for the problems in regard to healthcare. He reminded the viewers that the Democrats are the ones who widely supported Obamacare.

“The moral bankruptcy was the Democrats who wrecked American healthcare. Remember in 2010, they created the unaffordable care act. It did exactly the opposite of what they promised. Premiums have risen dramatically,” Johnson explained.

“The Democrats just want to subsidize the broken system. They want to spend taxpayer dollars and dump it onto the broken system,” Johnson continued.

Watch:

WATCH: @SpeakerJohnson tells Fox News Sunday that Epstein is the Democrats' "entire game plan". pic.twitter.com/GN86VwiSSl
— Fox News Sunday (@FoxNewsSunday) November 16, 2025

The post House Speaker Mike Johnson Calls out Democrats – “The Democrats Just Want to Subsidize the Broken System” (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Week in Review · November 10-14, 2025

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“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.

Where we stand: The Patriot Post’s operating budget is sustained by a small percentage of our readers. For nearly 30 years, our team of editors and staff has relied completely on the generosity of Patriots like you to keep the message of Liberty loud and clear. Please take a moment to sustain our mission into 2026. From each of us here, our sincerest thanks for your support. —The Patriot Post Editorial Team

Visit our archive for more analysis commentary.

Catch up on the latest news headlines with our executive summary.

VIDEOS

Bye, Nancy

Ben Shapiro on Tucker Carlson, Nick Fuentes, and Zohran Mamdani

How ObamaCare Broke Health Insurance

‘Resilient Citizens’ With Dr. Chris Ellis

See our extensive curated video library for more!

QUOTES
Straight From the Horse’s Mouth
“I think that there is no reason to surrender now.” —Sen. Richard Blumenthal on the government shutdown
Projection
“[Republicans] are deliberately trying to make the shutdown as painful as possible. These are nihilists that we’re dealing with.” —Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT)
“Trump is in charge of the White House. He’s actually speaker of the House these days, as he alleges himself. And he’s pretty much in control of the Senate. He could stop this shutdown right now. … He’s choosing to inflict the most pain possible.” —Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
Useful Idiot
“You cannot put on the American people that Democrats were the one that were hurting people, making this plight.” —actor Dylan Douglas
The BIG Lies
“The last 41 days have exposed the depths of Trump’s cruelty. He shut the government down longer than any president in American history. He took innocent kids, veterans, and federal workers as political hostages — all because he refuses to fix the healthcare crisis.” —Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
“We have waged a battle on behalf of the American people. First of all, Donald Trump and Republicans are the ones who shut the government down.” —House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)
“Trump is actively working to withhold SNAP funding — forcing families to food banks across the country.” —Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)
Delusions of Grandeur
“I certainly believe that … the overwhelming majority of Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, have waged a valiant fight over the last seven weeks.” —Rep. Hakeem Jeffries
Intraparty Squabbles
“I can’t explain it because, to be frank, to me, it makes absolutely no sense. I am completely perplexed by [these] developments.” —Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) on reopening the government
“Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced.” —Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA)
“Working people want leaders whose word means something.” —Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)
“To my mind, this was a very, very bad vote.” —Sen Bernie Sanders (VT)
“Pathetic.” —California Governor Gavin Newsom
“I’m not coming in to punch anybody in the face, but I’m not pleased that, in the face of this invasive species that is Donald Trump, who’s completely changed the rules of the game, that we’re still playing by the old rules of the game.” —Gov. Gavin Newsom
Save Our Democracy — by Ending It!
“There’s obviously been this repeating phenomenon where a handful of Democrats crosses over and works with Republicans. I don’t know that you can save our democracy if [Democrats] aren’t united moving forward.” —Sen. Chris Murphy
Spin Doctor
“The Republican Party has done such a good job propagandizing that if you need anything from the government, you’re a lazy piece of s**t … when really the parasites and the parasitic people in the country are the billionaires.” —podcaster Jennifer Welch
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
“Tuesday was nice, but we’ve got a lot of work to do. And your task is going to be not to impose litmus tests. We had Abigail Spanberger win and we had Zohran Mandani win, and they are all part of a vision for the future.” —Barack Obama
Finger to the Wind
“I say this as a Democrat: We need to own up to the fact that we ceded that ground. We walked away from this crisis of men and boys.” —Gov. Gavin Newsom
“Hello, Gavin? It’s the High-Speed Rail Calling”
“There’s not one goal the state of California has ever set that we haven’t achieved and did so early.” —Gov. Gavin Newsom
Theater of the Absurd
“They killed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Incredibly shortsighted. It’ll hurt mostly rural communities. Maybe that’s their intention. There’ll be news deserts.” —documentary filmmaker Ken Burns
Lack of Self-Awareness Award
“Conservatives are living in a completely different information world than liberals.” —CNN’s Abby Phillip
Village Idiots
“To get [crossdresser Bad Bunny] to want to be a part of our game, I think, is amazing. … I think the [NFL halftime] show’s going to be amazing. … We do everything we can to avoid politics. … This is about bringing people together.” —Dallas Cowboys executive vice president and chief brand officer Charlotte Jones
“Oz has always been a queer place. A safe space for queer people, for every different color of the rainbow, for everybody. Read the L. Frank Baum books. It’s the truth. You’re safe with us. We love you so much. The gayer, the better.” —singer and actress Ariana Grande
Hot Air
“Pets have a pretty sizable climate impact. But not all carbon…pawprints…are created equal. So if you’re looking to get a pet, which ones emit the least? And if you’ve already got one, how do you make sure it has the smallest foot (or paw) print?” —Associated Press
Belly Laughs of the Week
“I was aware of [Donald Trump’s] strategy. … I understood the game that was being played. And I made a decision that I wasn’t gonna get played. … Three-dimensional chess!” —Kamala Harris
“Jasmine Crockett is actually what the Democrats should be leaning into. Because she is a phenomenal messenger.” —radio host Charlamagne

For more insightful quotes, see our Short Cuts.

“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.

Congress Prepares To Pivot From Doing Nothing Because Of The Shutdown To Doing Nothing Because They’re Congress | Babylon Bee

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Image for article: Congress Prepares To Pivot From Doing Nothing Because Of The Shutdown To Doing Nothing Because They’re Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C. — With the end of the government shutdown in sight, the United States Congress was reportedly preparing to pivot from doing nothing because of the shutdown to doing nothing because they’re Congress.

“Yea or nay, it doesn’t really matter,” since Senator Elizabeth Warren. “I’m still going to complain about the weather and randomly shout ‘RACISM!’ instead of listening to my constituents.”

In a 60-40 vote, the Senate advanced a funding bill on Sunday evening, bringing the federal government one step closer to being reopened. Lawmakers were now mentally preparing themselves for being unable to blame the shutdown for their lack of action.

“I don’t know what the American people are really expecting,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. “We’re still not going to do anything. That’s why I voted no, at least that way people would blame the shutdown and not us directly.”

But not all politicians were ready to avoid work simply because they are Congress, as some have principles they simply refuse to violate.

“I fought really hard to reopen the government while also simultaneously keeping it closed because I hate spending money,” Senator Rand Paul said. “It adds trillions to the debt and makes people expect us to work, which I don’t like. As a libertarian, so I think the government should never do anything, ever.”

At publishing time, the government shutdown continued after Representative Thomas Massie introduced a bill requiring a balanced budget to reopen the government, something no party was willing to support.

A Babylon Bee subscriber contributed to this report. If you want to pitch your own headline ideas to our staff, click here to check out all of our membership options!

What happens when a politically divided family sit down for a “peaceful” dinner?

https://babylonbee.com/news/congress-prepares-to-pivot-from-doing-nothing-because-of-the-shutdown-to-doing-nothing-because-theyre-congress/

700,000 Ineligible SNAP Recipients Purged After USDA Uncovers Widespread Food Stamp Fraud

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11-03-2025 • https://www.zerohedge.com, by Tyler Durden

Rollins said that the Trump administration sent letters to all governors prohibiting illegal aliens from accessing benefits, with a historic request for state data to be audited alongside the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). She said only 29 states cooperated, primarily red and some blue states.

She said her team and DOGE found some of the most shocking fraud ever, resulting in the purging of 700,000 ineligible recipients since the president’s inauguration, and arrested 118 individuals.

Some of the key findings she unveiled in the interview:

SNAP spending surged nearly 40% under Biden, linked to $100 billion in expenditures.

Thousands of ineligible illegals used EBT cards; one individual claimed benefits in six states.

About 5,000 deceased recipients were still receiving aid.

Political activist Mike Netter noted on X, “These states are stonewalling because they know the fraud is massive. When you hide the books, it’s never to protect the honest folks—it’s to cover up the rot. Meanwhile, the states that did cooperate are already exposing exactly the kind of abuse the left swears doesn’t exist.”

Rollins called for major reforms to ensure food stamps reach truly vulnerable Americans, not illegal aliens who abuse the system and act as a net drain on public resources.

Also on Sunday, Benny Johnson told Newsmax’s Rob Finnerty in a video posted on X (see here) that if tens of millions of Americans were willing to stand in line for an experimental Covid vaccine, they can just as well stand in line for to reapply for food stamps.

“My thought is shut it all down. Force everyone to reapply with American citizenship. Crack down on what is available on these programs – take the junk food off – and you’ll see the number of people applying for these programs collapse. Force them to cook their own food,” Johnson told Finnerty.

BREAKING: Obama Judge Orders Trump Admin to Fund SNAP Benefits Amid Schumer Shutdown | The Gateway Pundit

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BREAKING: Obama Judge Orders Trump Admin to Fund SNAP Benefits Amid Schumer Shutdown

Judge John McConnell ruled against the Trump administration's freeze on federal grants on Jan. 31, but he is now being accused of having a conflict of interest in the case.

A federal judge ordered the Trump Administration to continue paying SNAP benefits amid the government shutdown.

Today is day 31 of the Schumer Shutdown and the funds for food stamp benefits were set to begin drying up on November 1.

More than 40 million Americans rely on SNAP benefits and the $5 billion emergency fund was not enough to cover the program for November.

Unions and nonprofit groups filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Agriculture earlier this week ahead of the November 1 cutoff.

US District Judge John McConnell, an Obama appointee, ordered Trump on Friday to use the emergency funds for the SNAP program.

CNBC reported:

A federal judge in Rhode Island on Friday blocked the Trump administration from ceasing to pay SNAP benefits that help feed 42 million Americans during the U.S. government shutdown.

The oral ruling by Judge Jack McConnell came a day before the administration was set to cut off that food stamp assistance.

A Justice Department lawyer argued during a hearing that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program did not exist anymore because there were no congressionally appropriated funds for it as a result of the shutdown.

The lawyer, Tyler Becker, also argued it was the administration’s discretion whether to use $6 billion in contingency funds already set aside by Congress to continue issuing SNAP benefits.

McConnell, in his ruling granting a temporary restraining order to plaintiffs who sued to maintain the benefits, told the administration to use those funds to maintain at least some of the SNAP benefits normally paid.

A separate federal judge in Massachusetts ruled the USDA has the power to fund SNAP benefits.

Judge Indira Talwani also an Obama appointee, stopped just short of issuing a Temporary Restraining Order and said she will hold a hearing on Monday.

“No later than Monday, November 3, 2025, Defendants shall advise the court whether they will authorize at least reduced SNAP benefits for November and, if so, their timeline for determining whether to authorize only reduced SNAP benefits using the Contingency Funds or to authorize full SNAP benefits using both the Contingency Funds and additional available funds,” the judge wrote.

The post BREAKING: Obama Judge Orders Trump Admin to Fund SNAP Benefits Amid Schumer Shutdown appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

House to Vote on Averting Govt. Shutdown | IFA

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The House hopes to vote today on a continuing resolution that would fund the government through September. While some hardliners oppose passing a continuing resolution, the President is calling on lawmakers to pass the bill now and hammer out significant budget cuts later. What do you think of this plan?

From Fox News. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is gearing up for a vote on Tuesday on a bill, which, if approved, will avert a partial government shutdown during the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s term.

Do you want state prayer alerts?

Given the lack of support from Democrats, Johnson is betting Republicans can muscle through largely by themselves on the 99-page piece of legislation that would keep federal agencies funded until Sept. 30.

Congress must act to avoid a partial government shutdown by Friday, March 14. Despite dozens of conservative defections on continuing resolutions over the past two years, Trump on Saturday called for Republicans to unite to support the bill.

“The House and Senate have put together, under the circumstances, a very good funding Bill (‘CR’)! All Republicans should vote (Please!) YES next week,” Trump wrote on TRUTHSocial. “Great things are coming for America, and I am asking you all to give us a few months to get us through to September so we can continue to put the Country’s ‘financial house’ in order. Democrats will do anything they can to shut down our Government, and we can’t let that happen.” …

Still, some Republicans have already signaled they would not support the CR.

“I’m not voting for the Continuing Resolution budget (cut-copy-paste omnibus) this week,” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., posted to X on Sunday. …

In a call with reporters on Saturday, House Republican leadership aides outlined how the bill provides for $892.5 billion in discretionary federal defense spending, and $708 billion in non-defense discretionary spending. …

It includes an additional $8 billion in defense dollars in an apparent bid to ease national security hawks’ concerns, while non-defense spending that Congress annually appropriates would decrease by about $13 billion.

There is also an added $6 billion for healthcare for veterans.

The White House has requested additional spending in areas that were not present in the last government funding extension, known as “anomalies.” Among the anomalies requested by Trump and being fulfilled by the bill is added funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). …

The bill does not cover the majority of government spending, including Social Security and Medicare. Funding for those two programs is on autopilot and not regularly reviewed by Congress. …

What do you think of this bill and the Republicans’ strategy? Share your thoughts and prayers below.

(Excerpt from Fox News. Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America – Mike Johnson, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=151760197)

Source: https://ifapray.org/blog/house-to-vote-on-averting-govt-shutdown/

Republicans Prepare Plan C to Avoid Government Shutdown — Will Include Three Separate Bills | The Gateway Pundit

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Republicans Prepare Plan C to Avoid Government Shutdown — Will Include Three Separate Bills

In a last-ditch effort to prevent a government shutdown, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) and Republican leaders are advancing a new strategy involving three separate bills.

This move comes after previous Schumer-Johnson and Trump-endorsed proposals failed to secure sufficient support.

According to FOX News host Harris Faulkner, Republicans are working on Plan C to avoid a government shutdown.

The proposed plan divides the spending package into three distinct components:

Short-Term Federal Funding: A measure to extend funding for federal agencies for three months, maintaining government operations until March 14.
Disaster Relief: Allocation of over $100 billion to support disaster-stricken areas, addressing immediate needs arising from recent natural calamities.
Farm Aid: Provision of $10 billion in assistance to farmers, ensuring stability in the agricultural sector amid ongoing economic challenges.

Harris Faulkner: We’re making news now on that situation with the possible government shutdown.

Republicans now are strategizing in different ways to force lawmakers to pass a spending bill, a CR, Continuing Resolution, before tonight’s deadline.

Sources are telling Fox News, House Republican leaders are expected to present three bills. One, a clean funding CR. Two, disaster relief. You know how many storms we’ve had, hurricanes, so on and so fourth, and three, a farm aid. You know I’m a big component for that. I want there to be a farm czar when Trump gets into office.

And they want a handshake agreement on acting on the debt limit and spending cuts next year. They want to break out those emergency portions of that giant bill that came in from Democrats, that 1,500 plus page bill that got shrunk last night to 116 pages and still could not pass.

They want to break off the farm aid and the storm bill, basically the emergency funding for people, and have that passed separately. Put those priorities first. One Republican lawmaker also is telling Fox they will be on the Hill all night long. The deadline, 11:59:59, they’ll go beyond that to try to get this done.

The Gateway Pundit has received confirmation from House GOP sources that votes are not expected until later today, possibly midnight.

Video via Midnight Rider.

The post Republicans Prepare Plan C to Avoid Government Shutdown — Will Include Three Separate Bills appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Chuck Schumer Demands Return to Bloated 1,500-Page Spending Disaster, Threatens Government Shutdown (VIDEO) | The Gateway Pundit

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Chuck Schumer Demands Return to Bloated 1,500-Page Spending Disaster, Threatens Government Shutdown (VIDEO)

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is at it again. Schumer is demanding Congress reinstate a bloated, 1,500-page spending bill packed with wasteful pet projects, or else the federal government will shut down.

This tantrum comes as conservatives push for responsible, transparent spending reforms that prioritize taxpayers over the swamp’s insatiable appetite for pork.

“If the House put our original agreement on the floor today, it would pass, and we could put the threat of a shutdown behind us,” Schumer said.

“Our agreement would keep the government open, provide emergency aid for communities battered by hurricanes and other natural disasters, support our seniors, support our doctors, nurses, rural hospitals, and protect our farmers from the dairy cliff. As I said, the only, only way to get anything done is through bipartisanship.”

“It’s time to go back to the original agreement we had just a few days ago. It’s time the House votes on our bipartisan CR. It’s the quickest, simplest, and easiest way we can make sure the government stays open while delivering critical emergency aid to the American people,” said the delusional Senator on the 1,500-page spending disaster.

WATCH:

What’s in the 1,500-Page Spending Disaster?

Schumer’s pet project includes a $69,000 annual pay increase for members of Congress, bringing their salaries to $243,000.

Here are just a few examples of the absurdities buried in the massive bill:

$900 million earmarked for a new football stadium in Washington, D.C.
Provisions to fund 12 new biolabs
72 pages of “Pandemic Preparedness and Response” policy
Renewal of the embattled Global Engagement Center (GEC), accused of coordinating censorship campaigns under the guise of combating misinformation.

Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) accused Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), along with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) of secretly negotiating a bloated $1.7 trillion spending bill behind closed doors for nearly three months.

Lee revealed that the controversial legislation had been in the works for 85 days without the public’s knowledge, an act he characterized as an affront to transparency and accountability.

“Schumer, McConnell, Johnson, Jeffrey—the firm. They did this. Okay, McConnell and Schumer cooked this up for the last 85 days in secret, dropped it on everybody Wednesday, and this is where we are. Yes, it has failed. It’s failed miserably because the American people are awake,” said Lee.

The Gateway Pundit has received confirmation from House GOP Sources that votes are not expected until later today, possibly midnight.

The post Chuck Schumer Demands Return to Bloated 1,500-Page Spending Disaster, Threatens Government Shutdown (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

JUST IN: Trump says “If There is Going to be a Shutdown of Government, Let it Begin Now, Under the Biden Administration” – Puts Pressure on GOP to Solve Looming Shutdown | The Gateway Pundit

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JUST IN: Trump says “If There is Going to be a Shutdown of Government, Let it Begin Now, Under the Biden Administration” – Puts Pressure on GOP to Solve Looming Shutdown

President Trump released a statement early this morning, calling on Republicans to ensure that the government does not shut down after his January 20 inauguration and solve the looming government shutdown situation.

“If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under ‘TRUMP,’” Trump said. “This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!”

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/113685244784643200/embed

This comes as the House of Representatives is scheduled to convene at 10 AM today to vote on a spending bill closely aligned with President-elect Donald Trump’s directives. Last night, the House voted against a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government funded, with Republicans citing spending levels and an increased debt limit.

President Trump, however, sought to rally Republican lawmakers, emphasizing the long-term benefits of the plan. In a Truth Social post Thursday evening, he promised significant spending cuts through reconciliation next year, stating, “The United States will cut Hundreds of Billions of Dollars in spending next year through Reconciliation!”

Last night’s bill came to the floor after a disastrous 1,547-page continuing resolution was rejected by the MAGA base, and House Speaker Mike Johnson was called out for negotiating an America Last funding bill. As The Gateway Pundit reported, President Trump endorsed the bill, saying it’s “VITAL to the America First Agenda,” and called on all members of Congress to vote in favor.

Still, 38 Republicans voted in opposition Thursday night.

All but two Democrats voted against the bill, claiming that “President Musk” forced them to scrap the old CR and arguing that “The bill that is before us today is just part of an effort to shut down the government.” However, the bill would have continued funding the government as well as disaster relief, the military, and farmers. Unlike Republicans, the Democrats didn’t have any concerns about government spending and instead just pushed bogus excuses to justify their partisan opposition to the Trump-backed CR.

Vice President-elect JD Vance fired back at House Democrats last night following the failed vote, saying they “would rather shut down the government and fight for global censorship bullsh*t”— a reference to the 1,547-page CR, which included renewal of the embattled Global Engagement Center censorship program.

WATCH: “They’d Rather Shut it Down to Fight for Their Global Censorship Bullsh*t” – JD Vance Slams Democrats for Voting Against CR

The Trump Transition Team also said in a statement last night,

Nearly every single House Democrat just voted against government funding and to shut down the government.

These 197 Democrats voted against keeping the government open, disaster relief, and aid for farmers.

As Vice President-elect JD Vance said, Democrats “asked for a shutdown and I think that’s exactly what they’re going to get.”

The Gateway Pundit will provide updates on today’s House proceedings.

The post JUST IN: Trump says “If There is Going to be a Shutdown of Government, Let it Begin Now, Under the Biden Administration” – Puts Pressure on GOP to Solve Looming Shutdown appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

8 Reasons Congress Deserves Raises | Babylon Bee

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Is there any group of people that work harder than Congressmen? No. No there is not. And yet, these poor, industrious public servants often don’t get raises, sometimes for years.

Well, we’re compassionate for the less fortunate here at The Babylon Bee, so we’ve put together this list of the eight best reasons that members of Congress deserve a hefty raise right away:

It was a rough year for insider trading: It’s been a difficult time for many in Washington.
Ukraine kickbacks might be ending in a couple months: Congress should get a little raise to help them through these unprecedented times.
The costs of coke orgies are through the roof nowadays: A simple bump in pay will help Congressmen maintain their simple coke orgy lifestyle.
Their jobs are much harder than those lazy bums at the Supreme Court: Those people have time to star in Broadway productions, for goodness’ sake.
Some people (we don’t know who) passed insane spending bills that caused inflation: Whoever did this to us is terrible. But either way, Congress needs more money to survive in this economic crisis that some unknown culprits caused.
Their approval rating is probably super high: Raises should be tied to job performance, and it’s clear that Congress is doing a really good job performance.
If they don’t get raises, they’ll take bribes instead: A great point.
It costs, like, $45,000 to go to the movies now: Even lowly public servants like Congressmen should be able to afford the simple pleasures in life.

Are you convinced that the good people in Congress are getting cheated out of well-deserved raises? If you’re not, you should be. Call your representative now and demand he give himself a raise.

NOT SATIRE:Congress Unveils Sneaky Plan: Seize Your Savings, Pin It on Trump

The swamp creatures are hard at work!

With Trump back in the White House, Democrats and their trusty sidekicks — the RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) — have launched a new retirement plan: Your Savings, Their Pockets.

Their genius strategy?

Step 1: Block Trump’s cabinet picks.

Step 2: Scream “Democracy is dying” on cable news.

Step 3: Laugh while your 401(k) burns to the ground.

They’ve already set the stage with a system designed to keep your money exactly where they want it — trapped in their volatile markets, funding their bad ideas, and safely out of your hands.

But Trump threw a wrench in their master plan with one thing they hate most: a tax-free, penalty-free loophole that gives you a way out. It’s like garlic to these financial vampires. Of course, they’re plotting to close it. The RINOs are sharpening their pens, the Dems are crafting their media spins, and your savings are caught in the crossfire.

But there’s a way to shield yourself before it’s too late.

Our Wealth Defense Guide reveals three powerful strategies to shield your money. Don’t wait until it’s too late — grab your free Wealth Defense Guide NOW.

Click Here to Get Your Free Wealth Defense Guide NOW >>

Kamala Harris is out of a job, but luckily we’ve got ten great career options just for her.

Which job should she choose?

https://babylonbee.com/news/8-reasons-congress-deserves-raises/

Senator Mike Lee Exposes Schumer, McConnell, Johnson, and Jeffries for Secretly Crafting $1.7 Trillion Spending Bill Over 85 Days to Sneak Through Before the Holidays | The Gateway Pundit

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Senator Mike Lee Exposes Schumer, McConnell, Johnson, and Jeffries for Secretly Crafting $1.7 Trillion Spending Bill Over 85 Days to Sneak Through Before the Holidays

In a fiery appearance on Jesse Watters’ Primetime, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) pulled back the curtain on what he calls a “historic betrayal of the American people.”

Lee accused Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) of secretly negotiating a bloated $1.7 trillion spending bill behind closed doors for nearly three months.

Lee revealed that the controversial legislation had been in the works for 85 days without the public’s knowledge, an act he characterized as an affront to transparency and accountability.

Senator Lee predicted dire consequences for those involved, specifically targeting Speaker Mike Johnson’s hold on power.

Lee even floated unconventional candidates for Speaker of the House: entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and tech billionaire Elon Musk.

Jesse Watters:
Wait, so you’re saying… Hold on, just back up. You’re saying these four people—you’re saying Jeffrey, Johnson, McDonald…

Mike Lee:
Schumer, McDonald, Johnson, Jeffrey—the firm. They did this. Okay, McDonald and Schumer cooked this up for the last 85 days in secret, dropped it on everybody Wednesday, and this is where we are.

Yes, it has failed. It’s failed miserably because the American people are awake. They have access to X, they have access to Watters’ World, they have access to information and to apps that will help quickly digest this information.

This does not work. It’s a historic moment. It’s fallen apart. As a result, somebody’s going to have to lose their job over this. I don’t think the Speaker is going to remain in power—that’s my prediction.

I’m not in the House, but if I’m correct in that—and I think I am—we need bold new leadership, outside leadership, and I think it needs to be a Doge Speaker. It needs to be either Vivek Ramaswamy or it needs to be Elon Musk.

Look, I was over here a couple of weeks ago. House and Senate Republicans for a Doge, D-O-G-E, caucus meeting. I’ve never seen—we’re like herding cats, Republicans on Capitol Hill—I’ve never seen so much attention, so much respect for two people in our entire caucus, in the Senate and in the House.

Jesse Watters:
You’re officially nominating, right here on Jesse Watters’ Primetime, either Vivek or Elon to be House Speaker. It doesn’t have to be a politician; it could be anyone. Can they be Speaker? Do they want that job?

Mike Lee:
I don’t know. Look, I’m a little bit skeptical. Elon is busy—he’s got 54 companies that he’s running and trying to get to the moon. I suspect Vivek is a little bit more open to it than Elon. I’ll take either one of them. Vivek, Elon, if you’re watching, please sign up. America needs you.

Jesse Watters:
All right. Well, I don’t think Johnson likes you now. Next time you guys see each other walking through the halls of Congress, he’s probably going to kick you in the leg.

Mike Lee:
He is a good man. He’s a friend. He’s been a friend for a long time—a great person. He’s lost control of this. I don’t know how he can remain in power. We need Elon or Vivek as Speaker.

WATCH:

https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1869923044400992582

The post Senator Mike Lee Exposes Schumer, McConnell, Johnson, and Jeffries for Secretly Crafting $1.7 Trillion Spending Bill Over 85 Days to Sneak Through Before the Holidays appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Mid-Day Snapshot · December 19, 2024

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“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.

THE FOUNDATION

“Were we directed from Washington when to sow, and when to reap, we should soon want bread.” —Thomas Jefferson (1821)

IN TODAY’S DIGEST

EXECUTIVE NEWS SUMMARY

Douglas Andrews, Thomas Gallatin, & Jordan Candler

Inflation, interest, and everyone’s retirement: The economy, which has yet to get hot under Bidenomics, is cooling. The rate of inflation continues to stubbornly remain above the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%, ticking up to 2.7% in November. The Fed is now estimating that inflation won’t hit the 2% target until 2026. Despite this, the Fed moved forward on Wednesday with an interest rate cut, the third this year, dropping it to between 4.25% and 4.5%. The job market has also cooled, but consumer confidence has remained high, with sales rising 0.7%, slightly above the forecasted 0.6%. Furthermore, October’s sales numbers were revised to 0.5% from 0.4%. “The U.S. economy has been remarkable,” Fed Chair Jerome Powell optimistically stated. “If you look around the world, there is a lot of slow growth and continuous struggle with inflation. So I feel very good about where the economy is.” That said, the markets have been sliding, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average on a 10-day losing streak, the longest since the 1970s. That is not good for the retirement accounts of millions of Americans.
SCOTUS to rule on TikTok ban: On the one hand, it’s undeniably Communist Chinese spyware. On the other hand, it’s a hugely popular platform among young Americans. Place a dollop of First Amendment protection on top, and you get a sense of our nation’s current TikTok tug-of-war. Yesterday, the Supreme Court announced that it’ll hear TikTok’s last-ditch challenge to a law that could ban the social media app in the U.S. The company claims the ban violates the First Amendment. Even Donald Trump, who launched his political career with tough talk on China, is conflicted: “I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” he said Tuesday. The High Court will hear arguments on January 10, and barring a ruling that the law is unconstitutional, the ban would begin on January 19, the day before Trump takes office. If the president-elect wants to save TikTok in the U.S., he’ll likely need to engineer a divestiture deal between the app’s parent company, ByteDance, and any number of potential American buyers.
A secret Senate border deal? Beware Republican senators bearing border-related legislation. That’s the clear message the American people sent to Washington when they resoundingly returned Donald Trump to office. We mention this as Axios is reporting that a “small, bipartisan group of senators have been quietly sketching out a possible new border deal for early 2025.” Our porous southern border and the illegal immigration it invites is Trump’s foremost priority, and Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin’s involvement in the group indicates that this will be a much tougher Republican negotiating team than the appeasement-minded one headed by his Oklahoma colleague, James Lankford, earlier this year. The product of that negotiation was a deal so bad that Republicans ran away from it en masse as soon as its contents became clear. Mullin described the discussions this time around as “very” serious and its details “very secret.” As for the Senate’s 60-vote procedural hurdle, Axios reports that the plan of top Senate Republicans is to “move quickly on a border package, using the budget reconciliation process” to get around a potential Democrat filibuster.
Appeals judge boots Fani Willis from Trump’s Georgia case: On the lawfare front, a Georgia appeals court judge this morning disqualified Fulton County DA Fani Willis and her team from prosecuting Donald Trump in the Left’s RICO-infused election interference case against him. The decision is based on the much-publicized misconduct of Willis, who nonetheless refused to remove herself from the case. As the court’s ruling stated: “Accordingly, we reverse the trial court’s denial of the appellants’ motion to disqualify DA Willis and her office. As we conclude that the elected district attorney is wholly disqualified from this case, ‘the assistant district attorneys — whose only power to prosecute a case is derived from the constitutional authority of the district attorney who appointed them — have no authority to proceed.’” What happens next with the case is unclear, but Trump has a suggestion: “The case has to be thrown out because it was started corruptly by an incompetent prosecutor. … Therefore, the case is entirely dead. Everybody should receive an apology, including those wonderful patriots who have been caught up in this for years.”
Trump threatens to fire work-from-home federal employees: Last week, we called attention to the Six Percenters — the tiny total of federal employees who, according to a report by Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst, show up to work in the office full-time. Good on them, but what about the other 94% who either split in-office time with telework or telework full-time? As it turns out, they may soon have a decision to make. As Just the News reports, “Donald Trump blasted federal ‘work from home’ policies Monday, calling them ‘ridiculous’ and stirring up pushback from federal employee unions. ‘If people don’t come back to work, come back into the office, they’re going to be dismissed,’ [said] Trump.” How he’d carry out such a massive house cleaning is unclear, but Trump isn’t the only one who’s fed up with work-from-homers. “AT&T will require its employees to report full-time to their offices five days a week … starting in January,” reports The Washington Times, adding that the telecom giant joins “Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Tesla and other companies in ending the hybrid and remote work schedules installed during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Teamsters strike against Amazon: This morning, workers went on strike at various Amazon locations nationwide. Following Amazon’s rejection of a bargaining request, the Brotherhood of Teamsters warned last week that “thousands of Amazon workers who organized with the Teamsters” would engage in the “largest strike against Amazon in American history.” Indeed, 10,000 workers are participating, potentially negatively impacting package delivery just days before Christmas. “If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed,” argued Teamster head Sean O’Brien, who added that Amazon “ignored” the Teamsters’ “clear deadline.” Amazon spokesman Kelly Nantel disputed that characterization: “For more than a year now, the Teamsters have continued to intentionally mislead the public — claiming that they represent ‘thousands of Amazon employees and drivers.’ They don’t, and this is another attempt to push a false narrative.” Worse, she added, “The Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal.” She pointed out that Amazon has increased its starting wage for workers by 20% and also noted that the base salary was increased in September to $22 an hour.
Rand Paul blocks drone control bill: Amidst all the recent drone hysteria in New Jersey, Senate Democrats pushed a bill granting state and local authorities greater power to regulate drones. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer argued the law was needed because the federal government is limited in its ability to respond to all these drones on its own. “The most logical thing to do is say let the localities have the authority,” Schumer stated. However, Kentucky Republican Rand Paul rejected that excuse, noting that the federal government has repeatedly insisted that the drones don’t pose a threat; therefore, why would state and local authorities need to be empowered to do something? Paul blocked the bill, arguing, “This is not just about security. It’s about unchecked government overreach. It’s about capitalizing on fear.” Paul further contended that this bill is an excuse for an opportunistic power grab unless an actual problem is clearly identified that would justify granting more regulatory power to state and local authorities.
House to release Gaetz report: The House Ethics Committee voted to release its investigative report on former Congressman Matt Gaetz. He resigned his seat after being nominated by Donald Trump for attorney general but subsequently withdrew after reports that the Ethics Committee was about to publicly release its years-long investigation into allegations of his having sex with a minor and illicit drug use. Following his withdrawal, the committee hit pause on releasing the report. Democrats on the committee immediately cried foul, with Susan Wild accusing Chairman Michael Guest of having “betrayed the process.” Now that the committee has agreed to release the report, that means at least one Republican has sided with the Democrats. Gaetz responded, “I was charged with nothing: FULLY EXONERATED. Not even a campaign finance violation. And the people investigating me hated me. Then, the very ‘witnesses’ DOJ deemed not-credible were assembled by House Ethics to repeat their claims absent any cross-examination or challenge from me or my attorneys. I’ve had no chance to ever confront any accusers. I’ve never been charged. I’ve never been sued.” Gaetz also asserted that he “NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18.”

Headlines

Senate passes $895 billion defense bill (The Hill)
Tulsi Gabbard’s chances of getting confirmed in jeopardy (Newsweek)
George Stephanopoulos signs new deal with ABC News amid Trump lawsuit turmoil (Los Angeles Times) | Stephanopoulos “apoplectic, humiliated” over defamation suit settlement (NY Post) | Was repeatedly warned not to use word “rape” by producer but said it anyway (NY Post)
Biden-Harris admin green-lights electric vehicle mandate for a dozen states (Washington Free Beacon)
Biden posts his worst approval rating yet (Not the Bee)
Supreme Court to hear case over Planned Parenthood Medicaid funding (Roll Call)
Montana Supreme Court backs youth plaintiffs in groundbreaking climate trial (MPR)
U.S. life expectancy rose significantly last year, hitting highest level since pandemic (NBC News)
“Black Widow,” who murdered three ex-lovers, freed in Biden’s clemency spree (Washington Free Beacon)
20-year-old Carlsbad man accused of coordinating attack with Madison school shooter (CBS 8)
Manhattan man pleads guilty to helping establish secret Chinese police station in NYC (AP)
Chinese military adds hundreds of missiles to arsenal (Washington Times)

For the Executive Summary archive, click here.

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FEATURED ANALYSIS

Congress Gives Drunken Sailors a Bad Name

Nate Jackson

The budget bill that is dead on the House floor isn’t the problem; Congress is the problem.

Congress’s budgeting process has been badly broken for 50 years, and it arguably started with the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. According to National Review’s editorial board, “Congress has never actually passed an entire budget on time according to its rules.” Instead, we get increasingly consequential battles over massive bills that no one has time to read but without which the government will shut down.

The results are inexcusable, infuriating, and destructive.

In 1974, the $475 billion federal debt reached a postwar low of 24.6% of GDP. The current debt, at $36.2 trillion, is about 123% of GDP. Fox News reports, “The federal government’s budget deficit in the recently concluded fiscal year also totaled $1.834 trillion, ranking the third largest in U.S. history.” Servicing the debt now costs more each year than the Pentagon’s budget.

House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing some well-deserved criticism for the latest budget bill disaster, a 1,547-page monstrosity that contained the usual eye-popping doozies. It was released Tuesday, leaving little time before Friday night’s shutdown deadline. Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna artfully compared it to “a certain sandwich that’s made of feces.”

Johnson promised in September that there would be no more of this legislative malfeasance, and yet here we are again — more malfeasance and more promises to do things differently next time. “By doing this [now],” Johnson explained, “we are clearing the decks, and we are setting up for Trump to come in roaring back with the America First agenda. That’s what we’re going to run with gusto, beginning January 3, when we start the new Congress when Republicans again are in control.” He added that fiscal conservatives will “finally do the things that we’ve been wanting to do for the last couple of years.”

Like the battered woman listening to the drunk guy ask to be let back in the house, we’ve heard that one before.

Still, calling Johnson the best speaker Democrats have ever had and other similar criticism is overwrought and unfair given what he has to work with — a tiny majority that isn’t exactly unified. Of some Republicans, Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie quipped that they’d “rather run over their own mom with a car than to vote to cut spending.” Massie also became the first Republican to say he’ll “vote for somebody else” as speaker come January. Meanwhile, this fractured 219-211 GOP majority must combat a unified Democrat-controlled Senate and Democrat president.

Arguably, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer bears more blame than Johnson does. “The GOP House actually passed nearly half of appropriations bills this year,” notes the Wall Street Journal editorial board, “and Susan Collins and Patty Murray passed almost all the Senate bills through the Appropriations Committee. But Mr. Schumer refused to bring them to the floor. He wants the end-of-year jam session when everyone wants to leave for Christmas, and he prevailed again.”

To that point, Schumer gloated that he was “pleased” with the measure being “free of cuts” to spending “while also securing Democratic priorities.”

This bill is inexplicable and inexcusable, but Johnson is only one player in a half-century history of gross dereliction of duty and violation of constitutional oaths. Course correction will take a long time.

Today is a great day to start. Thanks to Donald Trump, JD Vance, Elon Musk, and Vivek Ramaswamy, it might begin to happen.

The four men joined forces to defeat this awful spending bill. Their campaign began with Musk’s X post early Wednesday: “This should not pass.” He later added, “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!”

Likewise, Trump took to social media to inveigh against “the ridiculous and extraordinarily expensive Continuing Resolution, PLUS.”

Within hours, the deal had all but collapsed, and Republicans are returning to the drawing board.

Trump and Vance aren’t exactly spending hawks, mind you. “Republicans want to support our farmers, pay for disaster relief, and set our country up for success in 2025,” the duo said in a statement, adding that they want “a temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS combined with an increase in the debt ceiling.” Later, Trump said “the smartest thing” Congress could do would be to “get rid of” the debt ceiling entirely. “It doesn’t mean anything, except psychologically,” he added.

Musk isn’t quite on the same page with them, however. Musk demanded, “No bills should be passed [by] Congress until Jan 20,” and he criticized the exact spending provisions touted by the president- and vice president-elect.

Other Republicans totally rejected attaching the debt ceiling to this deal at the last minute. Representative Mike Rogers huffed, “It’s complicated enough without that.”

Regardless, the deal’s collapse leaves Congress once again scrambling to stave off a shutdown before midnight tomorrow. That’s precisely how Democrats want it.

Follow Nate Jackson on X/Twitter.

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MORE ANALYSIS

Douglas Andrews: A Criminal Investigation of Liz Cheney? — A newly released House report has plenty of disturbing findings.
Emmy Griffin: KBJ on Broadway: Peak Leftist Privilege — Ketanji Brown Jackson makes her Broadway debut while conservative SCOTUS justices live in fear of assassins.
Thomas Gallatin: The Nation’s Basic-Skill Malaise — Americans’ literacy and math skills continue to diminish.
Samantha Koch: The Goal: Go Viral. Period. — The sad stories of two women — one who indulges herself with treats at home, and who debased herself with 100 partners in a day.

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BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

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PODCAST

Latest Podcast PopCon #75: MaryThis Christmas season, Netflix has released “Mary” — its take on the life of the mother of Jesus. With Joel Osteen (Protestant) as executive producer and D.J. Caruso (Catholic) as director, one might draw certain conclusions about where the film could take this story. Join Thomas, Sterling, and Andrew as they explore the life of Mary.

BEST OF VIDEOS

15 Venezuelan Gang Members Arrested — An apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, went viral a few weeks ago due to the same type of activity from the same type of people who have just been arrested.
Is Social Media Making Young Teens More Violent? — Tristan Harris discusses Australia’s social media ban for kids, the Wisconsin school shooter, and young people finding assassination “acceptable.”
A New Theory on George Floyd’s Death — A judge allows Derek Chauvin to have George Floyd’s heart examined.
‘You Can’t Make This Cat Walk Backwards, Professor’ — Senator John Kennedy grills Dr. Benjamin Keys, professor at Wharton, over his leftist views on climate change.
Can We Tax Our Way to Equality? — Is income inequality our biggest social problem? If we take more from the rich and give more to the poor, can we solve it?
Islam Taught Her to Hate Christians. Then She Became One. — Lily Meschi shares her testimony of coming to Christ after growing up Muslim and surviving an abusive, arranged marriage.

SHORT CUTS

Demagogues

“The Founders themselves created a path to amend our Constitution, to keep it a living document, to be adapted as future generations and circumstances and times require. For the Electoral College, that time has come. Unfairly, less populated states have outsized influence, and in effect, the votes of their residents count more than the residents of a state like New York.” —New York Governor Kathy Hochul (Actually, the Founders disagreed with the concept of a “living document,” which is why the threshold for amending the Constitution is so high. Moreover, giving less populated states an equal voice was the entire point.)

“I’ve got news for Donald Trump: USPS isn’t for sale. It’s a public good that’s supposed to serve Americans in every corner of the country — not boost some billionaire’s bottom line.” —Senator Elizabeth Warren

A Broken Clock Is Right Twice a Day

“[Trump] will always reward weakness with more humiliation, and that includes foreign leaders like Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who went to Mar-a-Lago last month to kiss the ring.” —”The View” co-host Joy Reid

Clown World

“Well, that’s news to me. It’s good news. What has it been, 10 years, 14 years with no COLA, no change at all? I think it’s about time.” —Senator Dick Durbin upon being informed that the stopgap spending bill gives him a pay raise

For the Record

“Ever seen a bigger piece of pork?” —Elon Musk on the stopgap spending bill

“How can this be called a ‘continuing resolution’ if it includes a 40% pay increase for Congress?” —Elon Musk

“The bill could have easily been under 20 pages. Instead, there are dozens of unrelated policy items crammed into the 1,547 pages of this bill. There’s no legitimate reason for them to be voted on as a package deal by a lame-duck Congress.” —Vivek Ramaswamy

The BIG Lie

“We’ve been working, I don’t know, before DOGE was DOGE. … We’ve been doing civil service reform in this state. … California’s been a leader in that space.” —California Governor Gavin Newsom

Belly Laugh of the Day

“The next four years will determine whether the incoming administration builds on our economic progress. If it does, then 10 or even 50 years from now, U.S. economic leadership will be even stronger than it is today.” —Joe Biden

Insight

“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy.” —Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

And Last…

“Men and women are designed as perfect complements to one another. Whether it’s feminism or the ‘red-pill, alpha male’ movement, pitting them against one another is only setting our society up for failure.” —Isabel Brown

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MEMES & CARTOONS

For more of today’s memes, visit the Memesters Union.

For more of today’s cartoons, visit the Cartoons archive.

“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.

Pork City: Johnson Tries To Ram Through Insane Funding Package | ZeroHedge

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Speaker Mike Johnson, (R-LA), has unveiled a 1,547-page government funding bill that has Republicans seeing red – and not just because of the looming Friday midnight shutdown deadline. Packed with disaster relief, farmer aid, and a Christmas stocking full of legislative surprises, the short-term spending bill has set off a firestorm within Johnson’s own party.

The bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR), keeps the federal government funded through March 14, buying Congress a little breathing room. But in classic Capitol Hill fashion, the measure is loaded with provisions unrelated to basic spending – and House conservatives are furious, according to Punchbowl News.

$100 billion in disaster relief for hurricane-hit states.
$30 billion in economic assistance for farmers.
Restrictions on U.S. capital investment in China, a win for GOP hawks wary of Beijing’s influence.
A delay in the implementation of a “beneficial ownership” database meant to curb money laundering until 2026.
The transfer of RFK Stadium to the District of Columbia, clearing the way for a shiny new Washington Commanders stadium.
The relocation of an Air National Guard fighter squadron from D.C. to Maryland.
Even the American Music Tourism Act of 2024 got squeezed in

They’ve also given themselves a pay raise through the resumption of the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA):

Since 2009, Congress has blocked COLA for lawmakers by inserting language into annual spending bills. While other federal employees receive regular pay increases, members of Congress have deliberately frozen their own salaries for over a decade.

The new CR, however, quietly amends language in a prior bill that blocked the member COLA, effectively clearing the way for a pay raise. As Bloomberg Government’s Jack Fitzpatrick first reported, the provision appears on page 15 of the 1,547-page bill and doesn’t state the pay increase explicitly.

Currently, members of Congress earn $174,000 annually—a substantial sum compared to the average American salary, but one that lawmakers argue no longer reflects the cost of serving in office. If COLA adjustments had been in place, their 2024 salaries would reach $243,300, according to a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report.

Proponents of the raise have long argued that failing to adjust lawmakers’ pay discourages qualified individuals from running for office, leaving Congress increasingly dominated by the independently wealthy. Critics counter that any raise, however justified, would appear tone-deaf at a time of mounting national debt and economic strain for everyday Americans.

GOP Hardliners Demand Concessions

Johnson’s problems began Tuesday, when he sounded out hardliners on the House Rules Committee – Reps. Chip Roy (TX), Thomas Massie (KY), and Ralph Norman (SC) – to gauge their support for the bill. Unsurprisingly, the trio demanded a price for their cooperation:

Adherence to the 72-hour rule to review the bill before voting.
Spending offsets to counter the new funding.
Restrictions on selling off border wall materials.

Johnson hasn’t agreed to these conditions, leaving him with little choice but to bring the CR to the floor under suspension of the rules, which requires a two-thirds majority for passage. A floor vote is expected Thursday, giving the Senate barely 24 hours to clear the bill before the clock strikes midnight Friday.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said he had “hoped to see @SpeakerJohnson grow a spine,” but “this bill full of pork shows he is a weak, weak man.”

I had hoped to see @SpeakerJohnson grow a spine, but this bill full of pork shows he is a weak, weak man.

The debt will continue to grow. Ultimately the dollar will fail. Democrats are clueless and Big Gov Republicans are complicit.

A sad day for America.

— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) December 18, 2024

“It’s silly to pretend this is just a skinny CR,” one GOP staffer told Punchbowl News. “It’s a three-month spending bill with ornaments hanging all over it.”

Meanwhile, conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus (HFC) are fuming at the bill’s scope and the speaker’s handling of the process. And GOP moderates are frustrated by the party’s inability to settle on a clean solution. Johnson, for his part, has no easy out – having opted for neither a clean CR nor a comprehensive omnibus spending package, and instead delivering a stopgap bill stuffed with unrelated provisions. Some hardliners are already withholding public support for Johnson ahead of his January 3 re-election bid for speaker, signaling that his light-handed leadership style may be backfiring.

Even Elon Musk has weighed in, voicing his displeasure online.

This bill should not pass https://t.co/eccQ6COZJ4

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2024

Johnson has also pissed off the Ways and Means Committee, chaired by Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO), over two trade programs: the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and a program granting duty-free access to U.S. markets for Haitian apparel exports. While Smith was close to a deal to extend both programs for five years, Johnson allowed the Haiti trade program into the CR while leaving AGOA on the cutting-room floor.

With the shutdown deadline looming, Johnson has little time to spare. The House is expected to vote on the bill Thursday, but with opposition mounting from conservatives, passage under suspension of the rules is far from certain. If Johnson can’t corral enough votes, the federal government risks shutting down just as lawmakers prepare to leave town for the Christmas holiday.

For example, as X user @TexasLindsay_ notes:

The 1,547 page federal spending bill has so many outrageous things in it, it’s hard to know where to begin – but it without a doubt should NOT pass as-is. But a great example of why we need @doge more than ever to reel in the governments insane spending & redundancies.

Highlights:

1. $8 BILLION—For Emergency Relief for damage caused by a cargo ship to the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, MD and 20 surrounding counties, including reconstruction of the bridge.

2. A section regarding our health agencies – has a lot of red flags – and appears to aim to limit what the new HHS Secretary (@RobertKennedyJr) can and cannot do:

“The Secretary may not revise the Vaccine Injury Table to include a vaccine for which the Centers for Disease Control &!Prevention has issued a recommendation for routine use in children or pregnant women until at least one application for such vaccine has been approved… Upon such revision of the Vaccine Injury Table, all vaccines in a vaccine category on the Vaccine Injury Table, including vaccines authorized under emergency use… shall be considered included in the Vaceine Injury Table and they also added “CLARIFICATION—Notwithstanding… an injury or death related to a vaceine administered at a time when the vaccine was a covered countermeasure subject to a declaration under section 319F-3(b) SHALL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR COMPENSATION under the Program.”

3. Drinking Water Infrastructure Risk & Resilience Budget simply struck through their previous budget amount and just doubled their budgets across the board and updated the year(s)—because why not just double it.

From the bill:
—in paragraph (4), by strike: “$5,000,000′ and inserting “$10,000,000′;
—in paragraph (5) strike “$10,000,000′ and insert “$20,000,000′;
—in paragraph (6)—strike “$25,000,000′ and insert “$50,000,000”; & strike “2020 and 2021” and inserting “2026 and 2027”.

4. $3.5 BILLION— For Capital Improvement & Maintenance [p. 81]

5. $2.5 BILLION—For Nat’l Forest Maintenance, which designates $75,000,000 “for the construction or maintenance of shaded fuel breaks in the Pacific Regions” —a cool $75 mil for shady gas breaks.

6. The Department of Commerce added language that will make them exempt from the “Freedom of Information Act” [p. 269]

(A federally funded government agency—especially one overseeing Commerce should not be granted exemption from public transparency via FOIA. Unacceptable.)

7. $30.7 BILLION—Ag Research: Various research projects, including many viewed as low priority/redundant with a need for scrutiny to improve efficiency.

8. $1.5 BILLION—Economic Development Admin: criticized for funding projects with low economic return or favoritism. (Orwellian title FTW)

Source: Pork City: Johnson Tries To Ram Through Insane Funding Package

LifeAlert Buttons To Be Installed At Every Congressional Seat | Babylon Bee

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the fallout of Senator Mitch McConnell’s fall and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi’s hospitalization in Luxembourg, the United States Congress passed a bipartisan bill requiring LifeAlert buttons to be installed at every congressional seat.

According to representatives who proposed the bill, the new measure is a “helpful precaution” for the sake of the 80% of Congress who are nearing the age of 100.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Representative Marco Rubio. “We’ve been neglecting the elderly in this country for far too long — no more so than here in Congress. But this new measure ought to add some level of security for those of our members who suffer some form of a medical emergency on a near-daily basis. It was either this or we move all legislative sessions to the Shady Acres Nursing Home just outside of town.”

Other members of Congress were relieved by the news. “It’s nice to know help is only the push of a button away,” said Senator Chuck Grassley, 91. “The next time one of us suddenly falls to the floor or goes catatonic in the middle of a sentence, we can get paramedics here quickly. It makes sense to provide such an accommodation to the room filled with some of the most powerful decision-makers in the world.”

Other proposed improvements for Congress include a parking lot for all of the congressional motorized scooters and complimentary temporary dentures in case a legislator leaves theirs at home.

At publishing time, all Senate business had to be postponed for the day after 14 lawmakers had pressed their LifeAlert buttons due to medical emergencies.

Visit California, and get a little glimpse into the future of any socialist nation!

See why California is so amazing!

https://babylonbee.com/news/lifealert-buttons-to-be-installed-at-every-congressional-seat/

IN TODAY’S DIGEST

EXECUTIVE NEWS SUMMARY

Headlines

FEATURED ANALYSIS

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Reader Comments

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

BEST OF VIDEOS

SHORT CUTS

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IN TODAY’S DIGEST

EXECUTIVE NEWS SUMMARY

Headlines

Patriot Fund Update

FEATURED ANALYSIS

MORE ANALYSIS

Don’t Miss Alexander’s Column

Reader Comments

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

PODCAST

BEST OF VIDEOS

SHORT CUTS

MEMES & CARTOONS

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GOP Hardliners Demand Concessions

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