Category: US House

Capitol Police, DC National Guard leaders need emergency authority to act, review finds

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Task force led by Honoré recommends big changes to security apparatus

As part of the review of Capitol security after the Jan. 6 attack, retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré and his task force are recommending a boost to the Capitol Police chief’s authority in times of crisis, the deployment of a mobile fencing option and an upgrade in member security, along with changes to how law enforcement agencies in the region interact.

In January, Speaker Nancy Pelosi selected Honoré, well known for coordinating relief efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, to examine improving security at the Capitol complex. 

Congressional hearings in the past two months have exposed the structure of the Capitol Police Board as inefficient and ripe for an overhaul, a sentiment shared by a bipartisan contingent of lawmakers and those who have served on the board.  Continue reading.

Report urges sweeping changes to Capitol security after Jan. 6 attack

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The U.S. Capitol Police were “understaffed, insufficiently equipped, and inadequately trained” to protect the complex from the mob attack of Jan. 6, according to security experts reviewing the rampage who are recommending nearly 900 new officers and a retractable perimeter fence.

The 13-page report, authored by a team led by Ret. Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, identifies a host of inherent flaws in the Capitol’s intelligence-gathering, communications structure and power hierarchy that hobbled efforts to repel rioters that day.

The analysts are recommending a long list of reforms to Capitol Hill security, from conspicuous infrastructure changes — like permanent but retractable fencing — to more obscure adjustments, like the adoption of a mounted unit to patrol the grounds on horses. Continue reading.

In Trump’s GOP, They Can’t Handle The Truth

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Even if you don’t like or have never seen the 1992 film, or if you judge Jack Nicholson’s acting technique as, shall we say, a bit much, you can probably recite his signature outburst from “A Few Good Men,” with appropriate volume: “You can’t handle the truth!”

Why are so many in the GOP still insisting that the presidential election was rigged and that Donald Trump, the main attraction at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference, is the “real” president? Why would a 9/11-style commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol — to avoid a repeat by the same forces who believed an election fraud lie — be a bad idea? Why all the squawking and attempts in some states to censor a social studies curriculum that presents a nuanced and complete history of a United States that has not always acknowledged the accomplishments and sacrifice of all its citizens?

Say it louder, Jack. I don’t think the Republicans present and represented at CPAC can hear you. Continue reading.

Early in Biden’s presidency, GOP shows the places they’ll go

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If you listened to the Republican Party over the past week, it might have been easy to think that the core planks of its platform were defending a deceased children’s author, a decades-old children’s toy — and a subspecies of human that went extinct 40,000 years ago.

That’s because GOP leaders have been vociferously protesting a decision to stop publishing Dr. Seuss books that include racially stereotyped images; the removal of “Mr.” from the Mr. Potato Head brand; and President Biden’s characterization of ending mask mandates as “Neanderthal thinking.”

Amid debate over one of the most expensive stimulus packages in American history and turmoil over the global pandemic, many Republicans have been focused on what they view as “cancel culture” run amok. Continue reading.

Rep. Cheney Blasts GOP Members For ‘False Statements’

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House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney is publicly criticizing more than a dozen members of her own caucus who skipped work last week and lied about it. The GOP Congress members claimed in official filings that they were absent due to the coronavirus pandemic, but they actually were attending a right-wing political convention.

“No member should be filing false statements,” the Wyoming representative told CNN on Friday. “When you get into a situation where members are signing letters, no matter if they’re Republicans or Democrats, saying that they can’t be here in person because of the public health emergency and then going someplace else, I think that raises very serious questions and I think it’s an issue that has got to be addressed.”

Thirteen House Republicans took advantage last Friday of proxy voting rules — designed to let members work from home to curb the spread of the pandemic — to attend the CPAC conference in Orlando, Florida. Continue reading.

Congresswoman drops social media report on Republicans who tried to overturn the election for Trump

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A Democratic congresswoman has just released a massive report detailing the social media posts of her Republican colleagues who tried to overturn the U.S. presidential election results.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, who represents California, posted the nearly 2,000 page Social Media Review report on her government website on Friday. The report is broken down by state and includes archived social media posts from “Members of the U.S. House of Representatives who were sworn-in to office in January 2021 and who voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election.”

According to Rep. Lofgren, following the events of Jan. 6, when thousands of Trump supporters  stormed the U.S. Capitol, she instructed her staff to put together a review of public social media posts from members of Congress who voted to overturn the election results. The report also includes social media posts that correlate with the actions of that day, as well as any postings that claimed the 2020 presidential election results were illegitimate. Continue reading.

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s delay tactics frustrate GOP

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Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s efforts to delay congressional business by forcing futile procedural votes to adjourn the House each day are disrupting committee hearings and virtual constituent meetings — and ticking off a growing chorus of Republican colleagues.

Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) had to rush out of a committee hearing with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on monetary policy. Rep. David Joyce (R-Ohio) had to step out of a video conference with an international conservation group. And Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) had to halt a Zoom meeting with local chambers of commerce from the Great Lakes region.

“Aggravated,” Wagner replied when asked by The Hill how she felt about having to vote on one of Greene’s motions to adjourn one recent morning. Continue reading.

Early in Biden’s presidency, GOP shows the places they’ll go

Washington Post logo

If you listened to the Republican Party over the past week, it might have been easy to think that the core planks of its platform were defending a deceased children’s author, a decades-old children’s toy — and a subspecies of human that went extinct 40,000 years ago.

That’s because GOP leaders have been vociferously protesting a decision to stop publishing Dr. Seuss books that include racially stereotyped images; the removal of “Mr.” from the Mr. Potato Head brand; and President Biden’s characterization of ending mask mandates as “Neanderthal thinking.”

Amid debate over one of the most expensive stimulus packages in American history and turmoil over the global pandemic, many Republicans have been focused on what they view as “cancel culture” run amok. Continue reading.

Here’s why a GOP congressman declared Trump ‘is losing it’ after latest broadside

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Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) has choice words about former President Donald Trump’s latest angry attack on Fox News’ Karl Rove and a number of other Republicans who have distanced from him. 

Shortly after Trump released his angry statement, Kinzinger took to Twitter with his response, in a post flagged by Newsweek. According to the Illinois lawmaker, Trump’s lengthy rank makes one thing clear: the former president is losing his mind. With Trump’s statement, Kinzinger tweeted, “Oh my Lord. He is losing it.”

Kinzinger’s mocking assessment of the unhinged former president came shortly after Trump turned heads with the emailed statement he sent to his supporters.While attacking Republican lawmakers who he believes betrayed him, Trump fired off at Fox News demanding that the news network fire Karl Rove. Continue reading.

The 8 most absurd reasons Republicans don’t want to pass COVID relief this time

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President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion plan is overwhelmingly popular, even among GOP voters.

Senate Republicans are preparing to oppose the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan when the Democratic majority brings it up for considerationon Wednesday. Rather than back the wildly popular pandemic relief legislation, they are inventing an array of excuses to oppose it.

The bill, proposed by President Joe Biden to fund measures to curb the pandemic and help Americans struggling economically from its devastation, passed the House early on Saturday without a single Republican vote after GOP leaders pushed their members to oppose it. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) told reporters last week that she does not expect a single GOP senator to back it either.

Here are eight of the worst arguments Senate Republicans are using to try to block the emergency bill: Continue reading.