The Johnson - Schumer Congress Thread

[Kathandira]

Seems infidelity may have happened—hard thing for any SO to heal from, let alone a family with children.

Lauren Boebert's ex comes to her defense after theater groping video, saying his unfaithfulness 'broke her down'

Guess she should have not worn such revealing clothes..................

[Breccia]

I think I figured out why McConnell is freezing up. He doesn't have anything better to do.

So there are 12 appropriation bills that need to be passed to avoid a government shutdown, including defense -- you know, the thing you'd think would fly through a GOP House without incident, even though it had a bunch of pro-life amendments stapled to it.

Well, the Freedom Caucus...hold on.

“I’m not a member of the burn-it-all-down caucus anymore,” Ms Greene, of Georgia, said, according to The Hill.

Sorry, the Burn It All Down Caucus voted against it.

Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Dan Bishop (R-N.C.), Ken Buck (R-Colo.), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.)) and Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) — all members of the right-wing Freedom Caucus — voted against the measure as well.

Norman and Biggs told Axios their votes were geared toward forcing Republican leadership to provide clarity on the total spending levels of all 12 GOP appropriations bills.

"They're throwing one bill out that they've plussed up, and we don't even know what the top-line numbers for the entire package" are, Biggs said. "They should be holding stuff back until we all know what the top line is."

"I want to have a real numbers. I don't want smoke and mirrors," Norman said.

The big picture: House Republicans have passed just one of the 12 appropriations bills so far, just two weeks before federal funding runs out on Sept. 30.

I kind of hate to say this, but...yeah, I actually think they have a point. We got burned by the tax cut for the rich (and other things) because it was passed without any actual real numbers used, and after Trump passed it the deficit widened -- even before COVID. If you're in the party of smaller government, knowing all 12 pieces before voting on them actually makes sense.

How odd it is to see the Burn It All Down Caucus, while still leading the country into a shutdown caused by the Republican Party, actually have a policy. If anything, it brings up why the other 200+ GOP members passed it on what I assume are the sole grounds of "we want to push pro-life onto every American".

And, of course, yet another McCarthy fail. It should surprise nobody that the guy who had the most embarrassing Speaker election since cars were invented is having difficulty getting Republicans to vote on a defense budget that is pro-life.

[Gorsameth]

I think I figured out why McConnell is freezing up. He doesn't have anything better to do.

So there are 12 appropriation bills that need to be passed to avoid a government shutdown, including defense -- you know, the thing you'd think would fly through a GOP House without incident, even though it had a bunch of pro-life amendments stapled to it.

Well, the Freedom Caucus...hold on.



Sorry, the Burn It All Down Caucus voted against it.



I kind of hate to say this, but...yeah, I actually think they have a point. We got burned by the tax cut for the rich (and other things) because it was passed without any actual real numbers used, and after Trump passed it the deficit widened -- even before COVID. If you're in the party of smaller government, knowing all 12 pieces before voting on them actually makes sense.

How odd it is to see the Burn It All Down Caucus, while still leading the country into a shutdown caused by the Republican Party, actually have a policy. If anything, it brings up why the other 200+ GOP members passed it on what I assume are the sole grounds of "we want to push pro-life onto every American".

And, of course, yet another McCarthy fail. It should surprise nobody that the guy who had the most embarrassing Speaker election since cars were invented is having difficulty getting Republicans to vote on a defense budget that is pro-life.

?? We all knew the tax cut was going to balloon the deficit.
It was all over the place.

And they wouldn't have to do 12 separate appropriations bills to keep the government open if they did their F*** job to begin with and actually passed a budget.

[Breccia]

I am not the president's lawyer. I will add I am not Congress' prosecutor. The Justice Department works for the American people

-- AG Garland, to Congress' face

Yeah, the "But Hunter Biden!" inquiry is off to a catastrophic start for the party desperate to project their own criminal actions onto someone else. Garland basically replied to every question with "No, we didn't do that" especially flat-out refuting all accusations that the DoJ took direction from Biden.

He also reminded everyone who conveniently forgot that Weiss was appointed by Trump, therefore, any issues that, say, cultists have with Weiss not just declaring Hunter Biden illegal and starting bombing his house are problems they should have addressed last expansion pack. There remains no evidence, other than yelling "Biden!" into your phone, that President Joe Biden took any money to change policy, or I guess in this context cheated on his taxes or bought a gun while high.

Of course, Garland was also asked about the Trump indictments, and he responded

Everyone in the country can see the indictments.

Simply put, this is exactly what Team Biden has been doing and will keep doing. Do your job honestly, and you have no lies to cover up and no misbehavior to explain. Garland showed up as asked and answered every question, and since the Republican Party has nothing other than rumor, innuendo, and conspiracies, he was able to dismantle everything easily.

[Gorsameth]

Its almost as if the DoJ has binders full of procedures to ensure the independence of their investigation from political motivation and interference.

Ofc Barr didn't look in them because his entire purpose was to be a political instrument and he solicitated for the job with a "please hire me mister President and I will refuse to investigate you" but other people has some integrity.

[Edge-]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/freedo...ors-are-pissed

When House Freedom Caucus members leveraged their votes this week to win a number of concessions in exchange for not immediately shutting down the government, they chose a curious place to discuss the prospective deal—a townhouse blocks away from the Capitol Building, owned by a convicted tax cheat, where the anti-spending hardliners appear to have set up an off-campus headquarters to stage their government shutdown meetings.

But the discussions on a sleepy corner of a Capitol Hill block aren’t just rattling Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s cage. The group has also disrupted its new neighbors, many of them elderly, who often cross paths with politicians and powerbrokers living blocks away from Congress. Some of the residents have complained to District of Columbia housing officials that the setup has caused a nuisance and is in violation of residential rules, arguing that the building—zoned as a home—functions exclusively as an office for business meetings and lobbying activity.

It’s unclear how legitimate that complaint is, but the neighbors flagged down a small group of reporters who were staking out the Freedom Caucus meeting Monday night to complain about the situation. What’s also unclear is who’s paying for the supposed office—a question that, depending on the answer, might present ethical complications.

In May, The Washington Post reported that the Conservative Partnership Institute—a group that features former White House chief of staff and Freedom Caucus co-founder Mark Meadows—had quietly bought $41 million worth of property in the area. However, The Daily Beast’s review of Federal Election Commission filings and congressional expense reports did not uncover rental payments to corporate entities associated with CPI or the property’s owner. According to FEC filings, the HFC-aligned House Freedom Fund PAC paid $6,500 in monthly rent to CPI, dating all the way back to late 2018. Then, the HFF stopped paying rent in January of this year, the same month the move-in purportedly began.

The actual owner of the property—a convicted felon who used an offshore bank account to dodge hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal taxes—has rented out the townhouse for years, neighbors told The Daily Beast. No one, they said, actually lives there.

Treason caucus being a nuisance to locals, using residential housing as a de-facto office building for their meetings. Oh and it's owned by a convicted felon and tax cheat.

Birds of a feather etc. etc.

- - - Updated - - -

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireSt...fter-103189389

Well, it appears Republicans will take health recommendation seriously if they think they personally impact them and they otherwise can't use it as part of their re-election campaign. Rep. Steve Scalise, undergoing treatment for his cancer, is now masking and distancing as has been part of covid protocol since very early on.

Notable because previously he was vocally a shithead piece of fuck on this topic when he didn't think it directly impacted his health: https://twitter.com/SteveScalise/sta...84132408954885

Just a reminder for the ongoing hypocrisy of Republicans, how they appear to only care for themselves, and are happy to let Americans die because they think that's just good politics.

- - - Updated - - -

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/0...tdown-00117191

Washington is reaching a consensus: the government will shut down in 10 days — and Republicans will bear the brunt of voter disgust over it.

With House GOP leadership on Wednesday again showing little progress in moving a stopgap funding bill to prevent a shutdown, officials have begun a two-pronged effort to prepare for a shutdown that seems less avoidable every day.


House Speaker Kevin McCarthy stops to speak with tourists at the Capitol, on Sept. 20, 2023. | Francis Chung/POLITICO

By KATHERINE TULLY-MCMANUS and ADAM CANCRYN

09/20/2023 04:19 PM EDT

Washington is reaching a consensus: the government will shut down in 10 days — and Republicans will bear the brunt of voter disgust over it.

With House GOP leadership on Wednesday again showing little progress in moving a stopgap funding bill to prevent a shutdown, officials have begun a two-pronged effort to prepare for a shutdown that seems less avoidable every day.

There is the official side of government, where the Biden administration’s Office of Management and Budget has been working with agencies to make contingency plans for when funding runs out. And there is the political arena, where party operatives are focused on a different goal: inflicting maximum pain on their Republican adversaries and seeking to pin them with blame for an interruption in federal services and paychecks for government workers.

While both sides will inevitably throw blame at the other, Republicans are feeling a keen sense of apprehension that their party will suffer badly should a shutdown transpire.

“We always get the blame,” said Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), a senior appropriator. “Name one time that we’ve shut the government down and we haven’t got the blame.”

Republicans are on track to shut down the government and are doing a whole lot of "not very much" to change course.

And they know they'll be blamed for this, too, because it is their fault. For once, Politico has a surprisingly apt headline -

Republicans resigned to being the villains in the inevitable government shutdown

[Shadowferal]

Hmm...rumor is Gaetz will run for Governor for FL.
Just a hunch, but his behavior seems to me that he...well, "Speaker of the House" I think is nearer to the moment.

[Edge-]

https://twitter.com/justinbaragona/s...74006655930374

WHY WOULD JOE BIDEN SAY THIS? WAS IT POLICY?!

Ah....

IT WASN'T I HAVE THE DOCUMENTS HERE, PIPE DOWN PEOPLE OBJECTING TO MY CONSPIRACY THEORIES MY CHAIRMAN HAS MY BACK

I'm glad Republicans got to throw their little performative temper tantrums on TV so they could try to book their Fox News slot later about how they TOTALLY PWNED GARLAND SAVAGELY

Republicans are still adamant they have ALL THIS BULLETPROOF EVIDENCE AND THEY KEEP SHOWING IT PUBLICLY and just can't figure out why nobody and no law enforcement take them seriously.

[Edge-]

Also, fun fact, Troy Nehls was fired from the Texas police for destroying evidence.

https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-co...hls-police.pdf

Huh, legit. How perfect for the modern Republican party.

[Breccia]

I'm glad Republicans got to throw their little performative temper tantrums on TV

I especially like the call to impeach Garland based on...(turns page)...nothing. Not even a claim of improper conduct. Just "impeach Garland".

[diller]

Seems infidelity may have happened—hard thing for any SO to heal from, let alone a family with children.

The wast majority of people critizing her aren't doing it because what she did, they are doing it because she's a complete hypocrite white trash that pretends to care about 'values' while being a cheap skank herself.

Unsurprising that you are sympathetic to her situation.

[Shadowferal]

Bipartisan House group unveils alternate short-term spending plan amid GOP turmoil

The Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of 64 House lawmakers, endorsed a framework to avert a government shutdown that provides an alternative to the internally divisive short-tem stopgap being formulated by House Republicans. It also comes as Republicans reported major progress in reworking their continuing resolution framework on Wednesday evening, with some conservative lawmakers moving to support the plan in part due to the threat of moderate Republicans working with Democrats to force an alternative. The government shutdown deadline is Sept. 30.

The Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of 64 House lawmakers, endorsed a framework to avert a government shutdown that provides an alternative to the internally divisive short-tem stopgap being formulated by House Republicans.

It also comes as Republicans reported major progress in reworking their continuing resolution framework on Wednesday evening, with some conservative lawmakers moving to support the plan in part due to the threat of moderate Republicans working with Democrats to force an alternative. The government shutdown deadline is Sept. 30.

The Problem Solvers Caucus agreement released late Wednesday would extend government funding at current levels through January 11, 2024, to give Congress more than three months more to agree on regular appropriations – much longer than the Oct. 31 target that Republicans are eyeing.

“It’s about commonsense governing over extremism — and it’s the way Washington should work,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), co-chair of the caucus, said in a statement.

“With divided control of Congress, solutions to issues as critical as funding the federal government demand a two-party solution, with compromises agreed to by both sides,” caucus co-chair Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) added in a statement.

It includes an agreement to pass full-year fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills at the spending caps agreed to in the “Fiscal Responsibility Act” debt limit increase bill that Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) negotiated with President Biden. The House has marked up appropriation bills below that figure, as conservatives press GOP leaders for an even lower topline, while the Senate’s appropriations bills have exceeded that target.

Along with extending government funding into next year, it would approve Biden’s supplemental funding request for about $24.1 billion in additional funding for Ukraine – a measure not included in the House GOP plan as many Republicans balk at providing extra assistance.

And it would provide some kind of bipartisan “border security solution” with the enforcement through Dec. 31, 2024. The Problem Solvers plan did not get more specific on what a border plan would entail.

----------

Not too sure if they have the votes. If it passes, expect one of the fastest moves in the senate. (And fuck Rand Paul)

[Edge-]

https://themessenger.com/politics/mc...-spending-vote

Another day, another setback for House Republicans and Speaker Kevin McCarthy, as his right flank blocked the GOP’s massive defense spending bill for the second time this week.

House Republicans thought they were going to secure a small but much needed victory Thursday on the procedural rule needed to begin debate on the defense spending bill after a failed vote two days ago.

Reps. Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Ken Buck of Colorado, two of the five Republicans that voted against the rule on Tuesday, told GOP leaders Wednesday night they would switch their votes, which should have been enough to allow it to move forward.

But two more Republicans – Reps. Eli Crane of Arizona and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia – joined the remaining original three rule naysayers – Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Dan Bishop of North Carolina, and Matt Rosendale of Montana to vote against it.

House Rules Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., also switched his vote to no at the last minute, a procedural move so that he could bring the rule back up for a vote again later.

womp womp

Republicans continue to struggle to find a deal that they can agree to amongst themselves, much less something that the Senate will agree to. Even Senate Republicans.

- - - Updated - - -

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...ons-rcna111365

Former President Donald Trump has called on congressional Republicans to let the government shut down in a dubious effort to undermine the criminal proceedings against him.

Despite federal criminal proceedings being exempt from shutdowns, Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Wednesday evening, “A very important deadline is approaching at the end of the month,” in reference to the Sept. 30 deadline to pass a funding bill.

“Republicans in Congress can and must defund all aspects of Crooked Joe Biden’s weaponized Government that refuses to close the Border, and treats half the Country as Enemies of the State," he wrote. “This is also the last chance to defund these political prosecutions against me and other Patriots.”

Trump added: “They failed on the debt limit, but they must not fail now. Use the power of the purse and defend the Country!”

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Welp, seems the House is still taking marching orders from Donald.

[Breccia]

"and treats half the Country as Enemies of the State"

Citation needed. Last I checked, nobody was being arrested for living in Alabama or voting for DeSantis. Just actual felonies, like stealing government secrets or obstructing justice.

[Edge-]

https://www.politico.com/live-update...-week-00117363

McCarthy's Spaghetti-wall Week

Sunday night: McCarthy convened a conference call to pitch and promote a deal within the fractured party to temporarily fund the government, plus revive some conservative border initiatives. But opposition quickly mounted, to the point that the speaker clearly lacked the votes for a deal that would slash spending for most federal agencies and keep the government running for a month.

Monday: McCarthy’s ill-fated pitch emerged in full, including sweeping 8 percent cuts across domestic spending, but exemptions for veterans and defense. It included disaster aid for states rocked by flooding, storms and wildfires. A key provision that negotiators hoped would bring conservatives on board would beef up border enforcement and change asylum and immigration laws.

McCarthy even flirted with forcing his holdout members to take a vote on the emerging deal, daring them to oppose it. But that never happened — the careful constellation of priorities aimed at pleasing different corners of the House GOP still wasn't enough to get the support he needed to take action on the proposal.

Tuesday: For the second time under McCarthy’s leadership, a procedural vote was tanked by Republican discord.

McCarthy wanted to get one Republican-led spending bill across the finish line, a first step toward keeping his promise to pass all 12 standalone bills. But hardliners blocked debate, making Pentagon funding — usually an easy sell to conservatives — a casualty of the roiling battle between McCarthy and his conservative critics.

Wednesday: The sense that McCarthy is throwing legislative linguini (or Jell-O) at the wall and seeing what sticks became literal. As Olivia reported, McCarthy began throwing ideas up on a white board during an evening conference meeting and queried his members in real time if they’d back this idea or that.

GOP members exited the meeting with buoyed spirits and a plan to move forward on one single spending bill.

McCarthy’s new plan — a stopgap funding bill at the $1.47 trillion spending level with conservative immigration policies attached — also raised spirits that a GOP-led proposal to avert a government shutdown could be nigh.

Thursday: Already McCarthy's new plan is in trouble. More than a half dozen Republicans have come out against it.

Much effective leadership. Very unity.

Truly, Republicans are capable of governing this nation as they showcase how they're incapable of even agreeing amongst themselves.

[Breccia]

Much effective leadership. Very unity.

The article House GOP again fails to advance Pentagon funding, deepening spending crisis was published 2 hours ago. Headline says it all, but I will quote one dude:

This is nuts.

They call themselves fiscal conservatives, but they're willing to cost us hundreds of billions, if not trillions, in government growth so they can fundraise off Twitter.

-- Rep. John Duarte (R-Tehdang), one of the "yes" votes.

[Edge-]

The article House GOP again fails to advance Pentagon funding, deepening spending crisis was published 2 hours ago. Headline says it all, but I will quote one dude:


-- Rep. John Duarte (R-Tehdang), one of the "yes" votes.

Why won't they fund the military? Do House Republicans want to leave this nation vulnerable? Do they hate the military? We should ask.

- - - Updated - - -

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/...on-dress-code/

Some in the Senate are taking up the serious issues facing this nation: The Senate dress code. Manchin is circulating a proposal, and even some Democrats think this is one of the pressing issues facing the body, too, apparently.

Really, the prior configuration of the deck chairs on The Titanic was vastly superior and we should probably spend time rearranging them instead of addressing other problems like the ship sinking and whatnot.

- - - Updated - - -

McCarthy Admits Defeat - https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hou...al-gop-leaders

Sends the House home for the weekend without a deal and with vanishingly little time to make one. Courtesy Fox News link.

[Kaleredar]

Why won't they fund the military? Do House Republicans want to leave this nation vulnerable? Do they hate the military? We should ask.

- - - Updated - - -

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/...on-dress-code/

Some in the Senate are taking up the serious issues facing this nation: The Senate dress code. Manchin is circulating a proposal, and even some Democrats think this is one of the pressing issues facing the body, too, apparently.

Really, the prior configuration of the deck chairs on The Titanic was vastly superior and we should probably spend time rearranging them instead of addressing other problems like the ship sinking and whatnot.

- - - Updated - - -

McCarthy Admits Defeat - https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hou...al-gop-leaders

Sends the House home for the weekend without a deal and with vanishingly little time to make one. Courtesy Fox News link.

As I’ve said before, I’d be heartened by this implosion of the GOP if they could safely be ignored and if their hilarious incompetence didn’t mean economic peril for real, actual people.

[Paranoid Android]

Why won't they fund the military? Do House Republicans want to leave this nation vulnerable? Do they hate the military? We should ask.

Yes need that Military Industrial Complex spending. Are we getting invaded today? Tomorrow? Biggest waste of spending, my opinion. But cutting programs 8% or whatever across the board that effects everyday Americans in getting help.

So of course we can never touch our military spending and sadly they tried to single this out to get it's full spending but eff the rest.

Some in the Senate are taking up the serious issues facing this nation: The Senate dress code. Manchin is circulating a proposal, and even some Democrats think this is one of the pressing issues facing the body, too, apparently.

Really, the prior configuration of the deck chairs on The Titanic was vastly superior and we should probably spend time rearranging them instead of addressing other problems like the ship sinking and whatnot.

All right am I old on this issue? Conservative perhaps?

Idk why Schumer is relaxing laws that are basically for Fetterman. Fetterman is not special and shouldn't have exceptions.

I'm not as much as you have to look the part with suit and tie. Just now are we having someone coming with a t-shirt with "Eff Joe Biden". I know slippery slope arguments are not the best.

[Edge-]

Idk why Schumer is relaxing laws that are basically for Fetterman. Fetterman is not special and shouldn't have exceptions.

Honestly I'd argue this is more honest, the rule (not law) was mostly irrelevant anyways as there were ways around it like having one foot in the cloak room and one in the Senate to vote, something that folks like Raphael Cruz have taken frequent advantage of.

I agree, Fetterman isn't that special, that's why the rule isn't specific to him. He's just the one taking advantage of it the most.

I'm not as much as you have to look the part with suit and tie. Just now are we having someone coming with a t-shirt with "Eff Joe Biden". I know slippery slope arguments are not the best.

Fairly certain that would violate other rules of decorum and all that. Though I'm pretty firmly of the opinion that pretty much any time spent on this topic is wasted given that the only people it impacts are the 100 Senators in the US government.