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July 30, 2022

Congresswoman Gives Colleagues 1-Finger Salute [Video]

Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) gave the middle finger to her Republican colleagues as she jogged by the GOP dugout during the 87th annual Congressional Baseball Game for Charity.

According to a report, the Republican team was winning 5-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning when Sanchez “drew a leadoff walk.” As she jogged back to the Democrat dugout, she looked toward the GOP bench and flipped them the bird.

It’s not clear if something prompted the rude gesture from Sanchez, the report noted.

The congresswoman came under fire for her unsportsmanlike conduct during a charity event.

Conservative author Nick Adams called Sanchez “classless.”

“Giving the middle finger to the GOP Baseball team is hateful and divisive,” he wrote on Twitter. “Sanchez should be banned from all future Congressional baseball games and permanently stripped of all committees.”

“California Democrat Rep. Linda Sanchez gave the Republican dug out the finger right before her team got BODIED 10-0 by the GOP in the congressional baseball game,” said Newsmax host Benny Johnson. “What a nasty, disgusting slob. Perfect representation of the modern Left.”

Former North Carolina congressman Mark Walker tweeted: “Congresswoman Linda Sanchez flipping off Republicans in a charity game to support the Boys and Girls Club of DC. Sad!”

By T. Thompson
July 29, 2022

House to Unveil Legislation Banning Stock Trading in Congress After Exposure of Widespread Wrongdoing

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY…
1905: US Secretary of War William Howard Taft makes secret agreement with Japanese Prime Minister Katsura agreeing to Japanese free rein in Korea in return for non-interference with the US in the Philippines.

House Democrats are set to unveil legislation banning stock trading for members of Congress, their spouses, and senior staffers.

Both Punchbowl News and Business Insider confirmed that lawmakers intend to move forward with the legislation.

The ban would require lawmakers, spouses, and senior staff members to either put their assets in a blind trust or sell them, as reported by Punchbowl. Under the ban, lawmakers would still be able to hold mutual funds.

According to the outlet, House Democrats plan to introduce the legislation early next month, with a potential vote in September.

“We’re almost ready to move forward on this,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), the chair of the House Administration Committee, told Punchbowl.

“Public office is a public trust. It is my personal view that there should be regulation, or cessation, with respect to members and their spouses owning or trading stocks and other financial instruments,” Lofgren said in a statement to Business Insider.

“For the past months, I have been seeking to build consensus on this issue so we can move forward. Having considered substantial input from our hearing and reviewed a range of legislative proposals, I hope to release a legislative framework for public review in the coming weeks.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) publicly addressed the plan on Thursday.

“We are so close and making progress! Keep up the pressure everyone!” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter.

The news follows Business Insider’s “Conflicted Congress” report that exposed widespread violations of the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act, the outlet noted.

The “Conflicted Congress” investigation didn’t just identify dozens of lawmakers who violated the STOCK Act. It found dozens of other lawmakers whose stock market moves are directly incompatible with their public positions.

“This includes members who craft anti-tobacco policy but invest in tobacco giants and Democrats who receive plaudits from environmental groups for crafting policy aimed at combating the climate crisis — yet invest in fossil fuel companies,” Business Insider noted.

Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), has been under public scrutiny recently. According to Insider, he’s traded millions of dollars worth of stock and options across 19 companies since 2021.

When asked if her husband has ever made any trades based on information she’s given him, Speaker Pelosi said, “Absolutely not.”

By T. Thompson
July 16, 2022

Two “Aggressive” Abortion Bills Pass Through House

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY…
1940: Adolf Hitler orders preparations for the invasion of Britain (Operation Sea Lion).

The U.S. House of Representatives passed two bills aimed at protecting abortion rights on Friday, exactly three weeks after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

The Women’s Health Protection Act of 2022 passed mostly along party lines, with every House Republican and one Democrat — Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) — voting against it.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said the measure “is is strong, focused legislation to once again make the central protections of Roe v. Wade the law of the land.”

“A woman’s health decisions are her own to make, not to be dictated by far-right politicians,” Pelosi continued. “[House Democrats] will continue fighting ferociously to defend Americans’ fundamental freedoms and ensure the central holdings of Roe v. Wade become the law of the land.”

Meanwhile, the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act of 2022 passed with three House Republicans voting in favor. The measure prohibits “the provision of interstate abortion services, and for other purposes,” according to its text.

Both bills now head to the Senate.

“Democrats are once again doubling down on their efforts to nationally enshrine abortion at the expense of democratically passed state laws, our Constitutional order, and the natural, pre-political right to one’s own life,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) told The Daily Wire.

Roy called the passage an “aggressive action” that is meant to “appease the most radical, profit-driven elements of the abortion industry.”

“It only strengthens the argument for federal action to protect this fundamental right for our unborn fellow Americans,” he said.

By T. Thompson
March 10, 2022

Pelosi Suffers ‘Heartbreaking’ Defeat on Capitol Hill

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY…
1783: USS Alliance under Captain Barry fights and wins last naval battle of US Revolutionary War off Cape Canaveral.

House Democratic leaders were forced to remove billions of dollars in coronavirus relief funding from a $1.5 trillion government package — a move that allows for the passage of the larger package but leaves the future of pandemic relief uncertain. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) confirmed the news in a Dear Colleague letter, wherein she called the defeat “heartbreaking.”

“Because of Republican insistence — and the resistance by a number of our Members to making those offsets — we will go back to the Rules Committee to remove COVID funding and accommodate the revised bill,” Pelosi wrote.

“We must proceed with the omnibus today, which includes emergency funding for Ukraine and urgent funding to meet the needs of America’s families.”

“It is heartbreaking to remove the COVID funding, and we must continue to fight for urgently needed COVID assistance, but unfortunately that will not be included in this bill.”

Though Pelosi largely blamed Republicans, The Hill reports, members of her own party ultimately forced her hand.

After a tumultuous morning of internal negotiations, lawmakers proposed to offset $15.6 billion in new pandemic relief by rescinding unspent COVID-19 funds sent to certain states as part of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief bill one year ago.

“I’m not going to tolerate that,” Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) said. “If they can pull that out, we might be able to move forward.”

“This deal was cut behind closed doors. Members found out this morning, this is completely unacceptable,” said Rep. Annie Craig (D-MN) shortly after leaving Pelosi’s office.

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Democrats yank COVID relief after revolt by own members

By T. Thompson
January 1, 2022

Congresswoman Carjacked at Gunpoint

Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) was carjacked at gunpoint in broad daylight in Philadelphia.

According to her spokesperson Lauren Cox, Scanlon wasn’t harmed in the incident.

“Congresswoman Scanlon was carjacked at gunpoint in FDR Park following a meeting at that location. The Congresswoman was physically unharmed,” Cox said in a statement.

“She thanks the Philadelphia Police Department for their swift response, and appreciates the efforts of both the Sergeant at Arms in D.C. and her local police department for coordinating with Philly PD to ensure her continued safety,” the statement said.

Delaware State Police said five suspects were apprehended in Newark, Delaware, after finding them inside Scanlon’s Acura MDX in a parking lot. The names of the suspects were not made public.

“I’m appalled to learn of this violent crime that was perpetrated against my friend and colleague, Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon,” Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement.

“Everyone deserves to feel safe in our city, and sadly, as we know, that hasn’t always been the case this year. It’s disheartening, and quite frankly infuriating, that criminals feel emboldened to commit such a reckless crime in the middle of the day in what should be a place of tranquility and peace—one of Philadelphia’s beautiful parks,” he continued.

The incident comes amid a notable spike in Philadelphia crime, with police citing at least an 80% uptick in carjackings in 2021.

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Congresswoman carjacked at gunpoint, 5 in custody

By T. Thompson
December 21, 2021

This Is a Real F—king Problem’: Vulnerable Democrats Worried About Midterms

House Democrats vulnerable in the upcoming 2022 midterm elections are worried about their chances, alleging that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s strategy is hurting their reelection chances more than it’s helping.

Six members of the DCCC recently vented their frustrations to POLITICO under the condition of anonymity.

“This is a real f—king problem,” one member said.

According to the outlet, their complaints fell into three categories.

1. Focusing on the wrong issues

The overall consensus was there’s been too much focus on former President Donald Trump and not enough on “pocketbook issues.” Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe relied heavily on anti-Trump rhetoric and lost the gubernatorial race. But DCCC Chair Sean Patrick Maloney (N.Y.) is still leaning into the ineffective strategy.

“This is crazy to me that the DCCC is rolling out a playbook that they know doesn’t work and that they encouraged people in 2018 not to use,” said the member who used the f-word to describe the situation.

Additionally, vulnerable Democrats think their party should steer clear of abortion as a campaign issue.

“We should leave it up to Planned Parenthood and all the reproductive organizations to get in there and support candidates that are pro-choice and leave it at that,” the pro-choice member said. “I’m not going to go out there and start bashing people for being pro-life. It would be a big mistake in my district.”

2. Cornering them on policy

According to POLITICO’s Rachael Bade: 

Former DCCC Chair Cheri Bustos (Ill.), who represented a Trump district, was known for pushing back on leadership in private in order to protect vulnerable members from tough votes. But Maloney has taken the opposite tack: In August, as Speaker Nancy Pelosi was trying to corral moderates to vote for a $3.5 trillion budget, the DCCC infuriated members by threatening to withhold campaign money from them if they opposed the resolution. (The DCCC denied this.)

Maloney continued to side with leadership this fall when vulnerable members wanted Pelosi to allow a standalone vote on the infrastructure bill. He went after Rep. Josh Gottheimer (N.J.) on Twitter for criticizing Pelosi for “breach[ing] her firm, public commitment” to do so.

Another member said outside liberal groups spent millions of dollars on ads pressuring at-risk House Democrats to support Build Back Better in the fall. The members “pleaded” with the DCCC to get the groups to ease up, but they refused. POLITICO noted that the committee says it’s illegal for them to tell an outside group how to spend money.

3. General problems with the DCCC chair

“What’s problematic is not only is he pushing the wrong strategy. … The biggest problem is that he’s attacking front-line members for taking a different perspective,” the first lawmaker said. “If you want to win purple and red seats, you have to distance yourself from other Democrats. He is a part of this ‘party purity’ march that is just going to ensure that we are deep in the minority.”

Several Democrats suspect that Maloney is trying to leverage his position to climb the political ladder at their expense.

“I think Sean Patrick’s ‘leadership’ — and please use air quotes on that — at the DCCC is the reason why we should not have elected colleagues running that organization,” the first member said. “Because it’s not about protecting the majority; it’s about Sean Patrick Maloney. … We’ve got a vanity project.”

The DCCC has denied the allegations against Maloney.

“We agree completely, this election will be won on our record of results, not by talking about Trump,” said DCCC spokesperson Chris Hayden. “That’s why Chairman Maloney has been fighting like hell to pass the president’s transformative agenda, which enjoys supermajority support in swing districts.”

Source:

Vulnerable House Dems to DCCC: You’re jeopardizing our reelection

By T. Thompson
December 18, 2021

House Approves Omar-backed Bill to Combat ‘Islamophobia’

The House passed legislation that seeks to combat “worldwide” Islamophobia in response to Rep. Lauren Boebert’s (R-CO) controversial remarks last month against Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).

The measure passed 219-212 along party lines.

Debate on the House floor over the bill came to a halt after Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) made comments met with audible gasps in the chamber, calling Omar anti-Semitic.

“Let’s face it: Aside from the attempts to placate an anti-Semitic member of this chamber, all that’s really happening here is that House Democrats are deflecting from the real issue confronting the House of Representatives, and that is that the maker of this bill has no business sitting on House committees has no business in this chamber,” Perry said.

“American taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to pay terrorist organizations, organizations that the maker of this bill is affiliated with, like the one that’s an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terror-financed case in the United States of America’s history.”

Perry also took issue with a lack of a definition for “Islamophobia” in the bill, arguing that it would be “made up” based on individuals’ “political proclivities.”

“And by intentionally leaving the definition blank in this bill, the gentlelady and my friends on the other side of the aisle are creating an office in our State Department that will likely spew anti-Semitic hatred and attack Western ideas throughout the world under the farce of protecting Islam,” he said.

House Democrats immediately launched a formal objection and requested that Perry’s remarks be stricken from the record.

“He called her a terrorist!” said Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI). “We can’t let this go.”

The House parliamentarian later found that Perry made inappropriate remarks that were “not in order” with House rules.

The bill, which Omar is a lead author of, “requires the U.S. State Department to create a Special Envoy for monitoring and combating Islamophobia and include state-sponsored Islamophobic violence and impunity in the Department’s annual human rights reports.”

The legislation now heads to the Senate.

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House Democrats pass bill to combat Islamophobia in support of Omar

By T. Thompson
October 28, 2021

Democrats infighting amid stalled bills: ‘It’s the effing progressives’

President Joe Biden told Congressional Democrats that he wanted an agreement on the provisions of the reconciliation bill and to sign the infrastructure bill before he leaves for an international trip on Thursday. However, it looks as though that may be a problem as moderate and progressive Democrats continue to butt heads.

“Here’s the thing,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) said. “The president looked at us in the eye and he said, ‘I need this before I go represent the United States in Glasgow.”

On Tuesday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said they could be “hours” away from a deal, although one did not come. “We’re not doing everything today,” Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.VA.) said Wednesday.

“It’s the effing progressives,” one moderate Democrat reportedly told Fox News.

However, progressive Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) blamed the moderates.

“It seems to me almost every sensible progressive revenue option that the President wants, that the American people want, that I want, seems to be sabotaged,” Sanders said.

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Democrats explode in frustration over stalled reconciliation spending spree: ‘It’s the effing progressives’

By T. Thompson
October 21, 2021

Manchin speaks bluntly on party switch rumors: ‘It’s bulls—t’

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.VA) curtly dismissed rumors that he’s considering leaving the Democratic Party as “bulls—t.”

“It’s bulls—t,” Manchin said when asked about a recent report claiming he’s told “associates” he’s actively thinking about leaving the party. 

“I have no control of rumors, guys. No control of rumors,” Manchin said.

The report from Mother Jones claimed that Manchin would leave the Democrats if President Joe Biden persisted in passing a $3.5 trillion reconciliation package.

Manchin reportedly grew exasperated with questions over the report, raising his voice when asked a second time.

“I can’t control rumors, and it’s bulls—t, bulls—t spelled with b, u, l, l, capital b!”

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Manchin on party switch: ‘It’s bull—-‘

By T. Thompson
October 17, 2021

Democrat challenge to Trump border wall dismissed by Supreme Court

The Supreme Court dismissed a House Democrat challenge to former President Trump’s diversion of military funding for a wall on the US-Mexico border.

The Biden administration requested the high court to dismiss a lower court ruling which found House Democrats had standing to sue over border wall funding. The executive branch argued that the move would “open the courthouse doors to a sweeping range,” of confrontations.

The Supreme Court dismissed the case as moot, avoiding a rare legal battle over the Appropriations Clause of the Constitution. House Democrats initially argued Trump usurped their authority by redirecting the funds.

House Democrats argued the validity of their suit, citing “remarkable circumstances.”

“The executive branch provides no reason to think that anything like the scenario here is likely to play out again,” the group argued.

Source:

Supreme Court dismisses House Democrats’ challenge to Trump border wall moves

By T. Thompson
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