US House 11 , CD3 DFL

Phillips Leads Resolution to Honor and Support the United States African Development Foundation

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) introduced a bipartisan resolution supporting the United States African Development Foundation’s 40 years of tireless and effective community development work. The initiative is co-led by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Global Human Rights, and Subcommittee Chairwoman Karen Bass (D-CA) is an original co-sponsor. A similar resolution passed the Senate unanimously earlier this year.

Created in 1981, the USADF is an independent federal agency dedicated to sustainable development, uplifting underserved communities, and strengthening connections with local leaders on the African continent. With its commitment to community-led, grassroots projects – and it’s 100% African staff – the USADF has made a unique impact in conflict-affected areas, and the Center for Global Development has ranked the agency as one of the most efficient providers of foreign aid in American government.

“The U.S. African Development Foundation is a one-of-a-kind agency and a model for how our foreign assistance programs should function,” said Rep. Phillips. “This important resolution will underscore our continued commitment to the work of USADF as it inspires economic prosperity, offers sustainable development solutions, and furthers the United States’ foreign policy interests in Africa. Here’s to another 40 years of partnership!”

Pelosi announces select committee to investigate Jan. 6 Capitol riot

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Thursday that she will create a House select committee to investigate the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Why it matters: The creation of a single Democratic-controlled special committee, which will consolidate several House investigations, comes after Senate Republicans blocked a bill that would have established a bipartisan 9/11-style commission.

While Republicans would have had equal control over the blocked 9/11-style investigative commission, it’s unlikely they will have the same leverage over the House select committee investigation. Continue reading.

House to take big step on eliminating Trump-era rules

The House is gearing up for votes this week to undo three Trump-era rules, using a special legislative tool to repeal some of the previous administration’s agency actions.

Democrats will draw on the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to take aim at rules governing methane regulations, lending practices and employment discrimination cases.

The three resolutions, which made it through the Senate on simple majority votes that included Republicans crossing the aisle on two of the measures, all have a good chance of clearing the House. Continue reading.

Rep. Phillips’ (CD3) Statement on Senate Filibuster of “For the People Act”

WASHINGTON, DC — Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) issued the following statement after Senate Republicans voted to prevent debate on S.1, the For the People Act:

“Today the Senate blocked the For the People Act, and despite repeated good-faith attempts to forge a bipartisan voting rights package, refused to even consider Senator Manchin’s compromise proposal. Our founding fathers never envisioned a government so unprincipled, so self-interested, and so unresponsive to the American people it is sworn to serve. If the minority believes that archaic procedure relieves it of its duty to deliberate and legislate, it’s time to modify the filibuster to ensure those who stand in the way of democracy cannot do so by simply raising a hand.”

Mo Brooks snared by local paper over Alabama’s Confederate holidays — after he voted against Juneteenth

Rep. Mo Brooks, R-AL, provided a reminder this week of why intellectually challenged politicians are best served by not trying to explain their votes.

Brooks was one of just 14 Republicans to oppose the overwhelmingly bipartisan bill that made Juneteenth a federal holiday this week. When he tried to explain why, it just made matters worse.

The QAnon-friendly congressman (and Alabama U.S. Senate candidate) feebly tried to make his vote about money, as reported at Al.com: Continue reading.

Fox News now has a conspiracy theory that vindicates both Matt Gaetz and Donald Trump

Fox News personality Tucker Carlson on Friday returned to his debunked conspiracy theory that it was actually the FBI — not Trump and his supporters — who were responsible for the January 6th insurrection.

After Carlson interviewed Glenn Greenwald, the host wondered if maybe the FBI set up not just Donald Trump supporters, but also Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).

“It does kind of make you wonder about Matt Gaetz, actually. Remember Matt Gaetz? He was engaged in child sex trafficking,” Carlson said with a mocking voice. Continue reading.

Matt Gaetz investigation intensifies as feds turn their attention to ‘tight-knit Central Florida political scene’

Amid the federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), prosecutors have also focused their attention on the Central, Fla., political scene. Since investigators gained the cooperation of Gaetz’s ally former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg, they have reportedly been able to accelerate their investigative probe, according to ABC News.

In May, Greenberg entered a guilty plea on 6 out of 33 charges including stalking, sex trafficking, wire fraud, identity theft, and conspiracy to bribe a public official. As part of his plea deal, there is speculation he could provide prosecutors with evidence and a testimony that could compromise the Florida lawmaker.

In addition to interviewing a number of women who met Gaetz through Greenberg, investigators have also issued a new round of subpoenas and target letters. The investigation has also led to a probe into the political scene; one that Gaetz and Greenberg are very familiar with. Continue reading.

GOP increasingly balks at calling Jan. 6 an insurrection

A growing number of Republican lawmakers are refusing to say that the Jan. 6 insurrection was actually an insurrection.

Nearly two dozen GOP House members voted against legislation this week that would award Congressional Gold Medals to police officers who defended the Capitol that day, in part because it describes the mob of then-President Trump’s supporters who were trying to stop Congress from ratifying the 2020 election results as “insurrectionists.”

“They were protesting. And I don’t approve of the way they protested, but it wasn’t an insurrection,” said Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.). Continue reading.

GOP Congressman: FBI ‘participated’ in insurrection to ‘entrap’ harmless protestors and ‘frame the MAGA movement’

U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) is demanding the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Dept. of Justice tell Congress what they know about their own alleged “participation” in Donald Trump’s January 6 insurrection, which led to at least seven deaths. Gohmert falsely claims the attack on the U.S. Capitol – which in reality was an attempted coup designed to overturn a free and fair election – was instead a “monumental entrapment scheme used as a pretext to imprison otherwise harmless protestors” and used to “frame the entire MAGA movement as potential domestic terrorists.”

News organization The Recount calls Gohmert’s assertions “a bullshit baseless conspiracy theory.”

The Texas Republican congressman, explained on Thursday on the floor of the House that his “friend,” Fox News white supremacist host Tucker Carlson “covered this last night,” called the conspiracy theory “really disturbing… because we don’t like to see government agents stirring up trouble or find that there are criminal acts that would not likely have occurred had not the federal government been participating.” Continue reading.

Greene claims Capitol riot ‘ruined’ all the work she did to throw out Biden votes

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene complained that the Jan. 6 riot undid her work to overturn millions of votes cast for Joe Biden.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) complained on Tuesday that the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol “ruined” her attempt to throw out millions of votes in the presidential election that were cast for Joe Biden.

Appearing on “War Room: Pandemic,” a program on the right-wing Real America’s Voice network hosted by disgraced former Donald Trump campaign manager Steve Bannon, Greene said she was “very upset” by the events of the day.

“I worked hard. I led an effort and worked very hard to object to Joe Biden’s Electoral College votes for six states. I worked my tail off and the riot at the Capitol – or, you know, whatever you want to call it – guess what? It ruined it. So it ruined my job, it ruined all of us, there was many of us involved in this, and it ruined our ability to object,” she said. Continue reading.

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