Category: US House

‘Dreamers’ advocates turn up heat on Senate after Biden meeting

Roll Call Logo

House Democrats help in push on bill to help undocumented immigrants

House Democrats and immigrant advocates are ramping up calls for the Senate to pass legislation that would provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.

The measure, which passed the House in March, would grant permanent legal protections to around 3.4 million undocumented immigrants called “Dreamers,” as well as many Temporary Protected Status holders and Deferred Enforced Departure recipients. But the Senate has not indicated when, if at all, it plans to vote.

The bill would likely face steep odds in that chamber, where 10 Republican votes are needed for a filibuster-proof majority unless Democrats manage to weave immigration provisions into a possible budget reconciliation bill, an option many lawmakers are backing. Continue reading.

Democrats push tax hikes on wealthy over infrastructure ‘user fees’

Roll Call Logo

Hearings this week could also expose divisions within party

Top Democrats argue voters would prefer tax increases on a small group of wealthy individuals and corporations to pay for infrastructure spending over broad-based “user fees” that would take a bigger chunk out of lower-income voters’ wallets.

That’s despite Senate Republicans putting transportation fees on the table as well as new taxes on electric vehicle drivers who don’t currently pay into the Highway Trust Fund. But President Joe Biden pledged not to raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000, and Democratic leaders are anxious to protect vulnerable members facing tough midterm challenges.

Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., said his constituents weren’t troubled by Biden’s proposals to raise taxes on the top 1 percent of households and corporations, which would be an easier sell than increasing gasoline or other user fees. Continue reading.

Amid threats to members, House to vote on new security

Associated Press Logo
U.S

WASHINGTON — Colorado Rep. Jason Crow, a former Army Ranger who served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, says it took time for him to stop constantly scanning his environment for threats when he returned from war 15 years ago. But after the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, he says he’s picked the habit up again. 

Crow was trapped with several other members of Congress in the upper gallery of the U.S. House that day while a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters tried to beat down the doors to the chamber and stop the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.

Crow says he never would have thought “in a million years” he’d be in that situation in the Capitol, but some of his old training has since kicked in, like looking in his rear-view mirror and assessing if people around him might be carrying a gun. Like almost every other member of Congress, his office has received threats against his life. Continue reading.

Chamber of Commerce draws fire after a risky bet on Democrats

Washington Post logo

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s biggest business lobby, is encountering challenges on multiple fronts as it seeks warmer relations with Democrats after years of lockstep loyalty to Republicans — a strategic shift that is souring relations with some GOP allies on Capitol Hill and alarmingsome members and state affiliates.

The blowback from Republicans threatens to further upend the Chamber’s longtime status as the most potent corporate lobby in Washington, just as the Biden administration pushes a sweeping agenda that includes significant tax hikes on big businesses and a raft of new regulations. And it comes amid a broader rift between corporate leaders, who have become more outspoken advocates of some progressive causes, and a Republican Party that increasingly sees political advantage in attacking business executives.

In recent months, the Chamber has been the object of sharp attacks by leading conservatives. Sen. Tom Cotton (Ark.) called it a “front service for woke corporations.” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) called it “confused.” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) was so irked by the Chamber’s decision to endorse 23 freshman House Democrats for reelection last fall that he said he doesn’t even want its endorsement anymore. Continue reading.

Gaetz associate pleads guilty

The Hill logo

Joel Greenberg, an associate of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), pled guilty to six federal crimes on Monday, including sex trafficking of a minor and bribery, and has entered into a plea deal with prosecutors to cooperate in the Justice Department’s investigation into Gaetz.

Greenberg, a former Seminole County, Fla., tax collector, is at the center of the legal investigation looking into Gaetz and allegations against him involving sex crimes.

Greenberg admitted, as part of his plea deal, that he recruited women for commercial sex acts and paid them more than $70,000 between 2016 and 2018, sometimes sending money through digital payment services like Venmo. Continue reading.

Chuck Todd clashes with Dan Crenshaw over GOP fraud claims: ‘Why should anybody believe a word you say?’

Washington Post logo

Days after House Republicans ousted Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) from her leadership position for challenging former president Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Tex.) on Sunday insisted that the conflict doesn’t interest most Americans.

Instead, he argued, voters want to hear about border security, inflation, and the gas crisis. “These are things that affect people, not this internal drama,” Crenshaw said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

But host Chuck Todd pushed back, noting that Trump continues to make baseless claims that the election was stolen — a view that many GOP leaders have declined to challenge or openly embraced. Continue reading.

Lawmakers bicker over how to go after tax cheats

The Hill logo

Lawmakers are debating President Biden’s pitches to strengthen tax enforcement against high-income individuals and businesses as Congress considers different ways to pay for infrastructure legislation.

Democrats and Republicans both say they want to narrow the gap between taxes paid and the amount owed, suggesting that going after tax cheats could garner bipartisan support as a potential revenue stream.

But Republicans have become increasingly critical of the details in Biden’s proposal, a sign that hurdles remain to reaching an agreement on enforcement. Continue reading.

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s vapid gender politics

Washington Post logo

For a truly bizarre two-minute viewing experience, you might click on the latest artifact of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s fixation on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In a since-deleted video, which CNN preserved and resurfaced Friday, the Georgia Republican crouches outside the office of the New York Democrat and delivers a monologue into her mail slot.

The video, which was apparently recorded in 2019, shows Greene accusing Ocasio-Cortez of wearing a “diaper” and saying she should come out of the office like a “big girl,” but the weirdest part — and trust me, this is saying something — is when Greene announces to the mail slot, “I’m a woman! I’m a female business owner! I’m proud to be an American woman!”

What is the meaning of these sentences? Continue reading.

Capitol riot fuels debate over domestic terror laws

The Hill logo

The White House’s focus on rising domestic extremism has sparked a debate over whether the U.S. needs new laws to fight it, with some groups concerned that such measures could lead to over surveillance of communities of color and infringe on First Amendment rights.

The Jan. 6 riot that overran the Capitol and left multiple people dead has prompted the Biden administration and Democrats in Congress to prioritize white supremacists and various right-wing anti-government extremists as a top national security concern.

It’s still unclear how much momentum is behind any potential new domestic terrorism statute or what it would ultimately look like, but lawmakers’ focus on the issue is already prompting debate about whether such legislation is needed and if it could do more harm than good. Continue reading.

Republicans’ conflicting message: Embracing Trump election lie is key to prominence, just stop asking us about it

Washington Post logo

The Republican Party’s contorted response to Donald Trump’s false claim that the election was stolen was on stark display as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy stood in the White House driveway.

McCarthy (R-Calif.) had helped engineer the ouster Wednesday of Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) as the No. 3 House Republican leader for saying former president Trump’s claim of a stolen election was a lie. Yet he insisted later that day, “I don’t think anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election.”

In fact, the majority of Republicans — spurred on by Trump and party leaders who for months have been spreading falsehoods and sowing doubts — say in polls that they still question the legitimacy of the election. Trump has continued to spread his lie, writing on his blog on Tuesday that he lost in “an election rigged and stolen from us.” Continue reading.