Tag: Senate GOP

Trump, GOP scramble to keep economy from derailing

The Hill logoThe sudden plunge of the U.S. stock market from record highs and a wave of alarms about a possible recession has caught President Trump and Republican leaders on Capitol Hill by surprise and sent them scrambling for proposals to restore confidence in the economy.

The strong economy has long been considered the GOP’s best argument going into the 2020 election, but it’s unclear if that will be the case this summer and fall. 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average on Monday fell by more than 2,000 points, marking the worst trading day since the 2008 financial collapse, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq composite dropped by similarly large amounts. Continue reading.

Under a Democratic president, McConnell vows a return to total obstruction

AlterNet logoIf a Democrat wins the presidential election in November, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already promised what he’ll do.

“If I’m still the majority leader in the Senate think of me as the Grim Reaper. None of that stuff is going to pass,” McConnell said while speaking to community leaders in Owensboro, Ky.

McConnell noted that if Republicans win back the House or President Trump wins reelection “that takes care of it.” But he pledged that even if Republicans lose the White House, he would use his position as majority leader to block progressive proposals…

“I guarantee you that if I’m the last man standing and I’m still the majority leader, it ain’t happening. I can promise you,” McConnell added.

Continue reading.

Bold Democracy Reform Is a Cornerstone Principle for Democrats

Center for American Progress logoH.R. 1 and the Path to Anti-Corruption and Pro-Voter Solutions

One year ago, the U.S. House of Representatives—under Democratic leadership—passed historic democracy reform legislation: H.R. 1, also known as the For the People Act. In the year since the bill’s passage, momentum for bold democracy reform has surged at the local, state, federal, and presidential levels. At a time when trust in government is near an all-time low, Americans are demanding strong solutions to curb the culture of corruption and to protect their right to vote. These pro-democracy solutions would increase the likelihood of Congress passing key policies supported by hardworking American families, such as lowering prescription drug prices, protecting clean air and water, and reducing the epidemic of gun violence, to name just a few.

Americans’ expectations for democracy reform helped trigger another significant milestone: Every major Democratic presidential candidate is now running on a promise to fight for major structural democracy reform, according to the Center for American Progress Action Fund’s analysis of candidates’ policy platforms and public statements. And, as discussed below, every Democratic elected official at the federal level supports the For the People Act, which means these reforms could become a reality in the future.

The far-reaching policy solutions in the For the People Act

H.R. 1 contains three groundbreaking pillars of reform. Each pillar includes multiple policy solutions to build a stronger democracy that will more fairly represent all people, including disadvantaged communities who often have been kept from realizing the American dream: Continue reading.

Republicans gave Trump a green light to cheat — and there’s only one way to beat his corruption: House impeachment manager

AlterNet logoOne of the House impeachment managers reflected on President Donald Trump’s acquittal — and vowed to defeat him in November.

In an op-ed for the Orlando Sentinel, Rep. Val Demmings (D-FL) blasted Republican senators for blocking testimony from John Bolton and others with first-hand knowledge of Trump’s scheme against Ukraine, and she shamed them for acquitting the president despite their private concerns about his actions.

“This is a defining moment in our history, and a challenging time for our nation,” Demmings wrote. “A thousand things have gone through my mind since the Senate voted not to call witnesses. The president’s lawyers have asked America to not believe your lying eyes and ears, to reinterpret the Constitution, and to believe the stunning argument that the president can literally cheat in an election if he ‘believes’ that his reelection would be ‘good for the country.’” Continue reading.

Senate Republicans Suddenly Call For New Biden Probe

A top GOP senator on Sunday announced new actions in a Republican-led investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter — less than 24 hours after the elder Biden’s primary victory in South Carolina.

According to CBS News, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) sent a letter to his colleagues on Sunday, saying he wanted to subpoena witnesses related to Hunter Biden’s role at the Ukrainian energy company Burisma.

Johnson, chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, and Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA) initially launched the investigation in November to back up Donald Trump at the height of his impeachment inquiry. Continue reading.

Cashing in on justice

Three Senate Judiciary members outpace colleagues in contributions from judicial nominees

Before they put on their robes, dozens of federal judges appointed during the Trump and Obama administrations made significant campaign contributions to Senate Judiciary Committee members and their home-state senators — the very people who could make or break their nominations.

And three Republican senators — Ted Cruz and John Cornyn of Texas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina — got more money than the rest of the Judiciary Committee combined. Virtually all of those contributions came from judicial nominees they ultimately backed.

Home-state senators who haven’t served on the panel also wield considerable influence on who becomes a federal judge. They’ve received significant contributions from donors who ended up on the bench. A Democrat — Bob Casey of Pennsylvania — tops that list. Continue reading.

Republican senators confront Trump administration officials as stock market drops 1,900 points in two days

AlterNet logoSenators from both parties slammed the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus amid dire warnings from health officials.

The Senate was briefed by Trump administration officials after Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the administration was “asleep at the wheel” as the country faces a “pandemic.”

Senators apparently did not get the answers they were looking for. Continue reading.

Surveillance standoff ahead as attorney general seeks ‘clean’ reauthorization

Three authorities expire on March 15

With less than three weeks left before three key surveillance authorities expire, Congress is barreling toward another standoff over an extension.

March 15 will bring the expiration of the three provisions, headlined by Section 215 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which authorizes national security agencies to collect business records.

Attorney General William Barr met with the Senate GOP at their weekly caucus lunch on Tuesday, and senators indicated he argued that Congress should reauthorize with few to no changes and the administration could just make changes it wants by using executive action.  Continue reading.

Here’s how the GOP shot itself in the foot with handling of Trump’s impeachment: conservative columnist

AlterNet logoIn a column for the conservative Bulwark, Cato Institute Vice President Gene Healy accused the Republicans of botching their defense of Donald Trump during his impeachment trial, saying they will someday be haunted by the positions they took.

Noting that the president said of his acquittal that it’s a “gorgeous word,” Healy maintained it may not pan out for Republican lawmakers in the same way.

“Whether you cheer or jeer the Senate’s refusal to convict, the more important question is, what precedent did it set? Unlike Supreme Court majority opinions, impeachment verdicts don’t explain themselves. ‘Not guilty’ can mean anything from total vindication to ‘contemptible behavior that doesn’t quite justify removal.’ A great deal turns on how senators from the president’s party explain their votes,” he wrote. “On that score, Senate Republicans sent a distressingly mixed message in the impeachment trial’s immediate aftermath. In their floor speeches explaining their votes, too few managed to clearly condemn Trump’s misuse of presidential power for personal benefit. And too many embraced novel constitutional theories, concocted by Trump’s defense team, that would license more dramatic presidential abuses in the future.”  Continue reading.