Tag: U.S. House

Democrats demand repeal of ‘obscene’ tax cut for millionaires that GOP buried in previous COVID relief bill

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A group of 120 Democratic members of Congress is calling on their party’s leadership to ensure that a tax break for millionaires that Republicans quietly buried in an earlier coronavirus relief package is repealed in upcoming aid legislation, arguing the rollback would free up hundreds of billions in revenue which could be used to help struggling families.

Led by Reps. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) in the House and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) in the Senate, the coalition of lawmakers sent a letter to Democratic leaders on Tuesday demanding the reversal of “costly tax breaks for so-called ‘net operating losses’ that Republicans tucked into the CARES Act,” a $2 trillion relief measure that former President Donald Trump signed into law last March.

“These special-interest giveaways will confer over 80 percent of the benefits to just 43,000 taxpayers, each earning at least $1 million per year,” reads the letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). “We urge you to repeal these unwarranted tax cuts, as HEROES and HEROES 2.0 proposed and President Biden has recommended. This would save over $250 billion, which should be repurposed to help Americans who have lost income due to the pandemic and its economic fallout.” Continue reading.

House GOP leader McCarthy backs Liz Cheney and Marjorie Taylor Greene

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House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy declared on Wednesday that he supports keeping Rep. Liz Cheney in her leadership role and opposes stripping Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee seats at this time, sources familiar with his closed-door remarks told Axios.

Why it matters: In keeping Greene, McCarthy risks public condemnation and fuels a Democratic effort to remove her through a House vote. In standing with Cheney, he also risks alienating himself from pro-Trump Republicans who remain a potent part of the Republicans’ base.

  • McCarthy (R-Calif.) made his declarations at the outset of a much-anticipated meeting of House Republicans.
  • He then outlined his positions in a statement issued to the media. Continue reading.

House votes to impose fines of up to $10,000 on lawmakers who flout security screening

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The House voted Tuesday night to penalize lawmakers who seek to bypass the security screening measures that have been enacted in the wake of the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, with members facing a $5,000 fine for the first offense and $10,000 each time thereafter.

The measure passed on a 216-to-210 vote, with all but three Democrats present voting in favor and all Republicans present voting “no.”

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Rules Committee, defended the move in an impassioned floor speech in which he blasted the “elitist mentality” of those who have ignored the screening procedures, imploring his fellow lawmakers to recognize that “the rules apply to us, too — and it’s time all of us acted like it.” Continue reading.

Senate Republicans move against ‘nutty’ House member in widening GOP rift

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A growing number of Republicans took sides Tuesday in a brewing House battle over the shape of the GOP after the Donald Trump presidency, amplifying pressure on Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy as he decides this week whether to sideline conspiracy theorists and secure a place for anti-Trump voices in party leadership.

Leading the charge was Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who made an unusual detour into the other chamber’s affairs by denouncing the extremist rhetoric of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene while offering a gesture of support for Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House GOP leader, who voted last month to impeach Trump.

He was joined Tuesday by several other Republican lawmakers, as well as pillars of the conservative establishment, who together warned that sidelining Trump critics from the party while tolerating purveyors of social-media-driven paranoia would spell long-term disaster — a “cancer for the Republican Party and our country,” as McConnell put it. Continue reading.

How Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, promoter of QAnon’s baseless theories, rose with support from key Republicans

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As Marjorie Taylor Greene entered a runoff last year to be the Republican nominee for a U.S. House seat in Georgia, her opponent sounded the alarm. He warned top party officials that she had made several dangerous, baseless claims, and that she would tear apart the GOP if she won.

But Greene’s widely reported comments about the radical ideology of QAnon and other matters had not stopped a coterie of top Republicans from urging her to run for the seat representing a deeply conservative district in north Georgia, and then issuing fervent endorsements.

Greene was “exactly the kind of fighter needed in Washington to stand with me against the radical left,” declared Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. Debbie Meadows, who ran an influential political action committee and whose husband, Mark Meadows, became Trump’s chief of staff, gushed, “We cannot wait to welcome her to Congress.” Continue reading.

House to vote on impeaching Trump Wednesday

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A trio of House Democrats close to leadership on Monday introduced a single article of impeachment against President Trump, charging him with inciting a mob of his supporters to carry out a violent attack on the Capitol in a bid to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory.

The article, co-authored by Reps. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Ted Lieu (Calif.) and Jamie Raskin (Md.), states that Trump engaged in high crimes and misdemeanors by “willfully inciting violence against the Government of the United States.” 

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told rank-and-file Democrats on a private call Monday afternoon that the impeachment vote will be held on Wednesday.  Continue reading.

‘Covid can kill’: Lawmakers issue fresh warnings about virus after death of Rep.-elect Luke Letlow

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Rep.-elect Luke Letlow’s coronavirus death this week has been met with shock and grief from fellow lawmakers, offering another stark example of the lethality of a pandemic that has killed more than 340,000 Americans.

Letlow, 41, died Tuesday at a hospital in Shreveport, La., succumbing to the virus just days before he was to be sworn in Sunday after winning a runoff vote this month for Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District. The Republican was set to succeed his former boss, Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-La.), who did not run again after three terms.

Letlow, whose office announced that he had tested positive on Dec. 18, is the highest-ranking U.S. politician to die of the coronavirus. Continue reading.

Window quickly closing for big coronavirus deal

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Congress is quickly running out of time to cut a year-end deal on a big coronavirus relief package, with only a matter of days left before the next funding deadline.

Lawmakers have been holding talks for weeks but are struggling to close the gap on the biggest issues — state and local aid and legal protections for businesses from coronavirus lawsuits — even as pressure grows for more resources to prevent a sustained spike in COVID-19 cases and cities reimpose restrictions.

There’s now growing skepticism about the prospects for a sweeping agreement. With the clock ticking, lawmakers are warning there are too many moving parts and too many competing factions. Continue reading.

House approves defense policy bill despite Trump veto threat

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The House easily approved the annual defense policy bill Tuesday, defying President Trump’s repeated veto threats.

The bill was approved in a 335-78 vote. That’s above the two-thirds vote needed to override a veto, but some Republicans could switch their vote if it comes to overriding the president.

Overall, 140 Republicans voted “yes” and 37 Democrats voted “no” on Tuesday, with Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel (N.Y.) voting present. Continue reading.

Phillips Measure to Support Gold Star Families Included in Defense Bill, Headed to President’s Desk

Eight Phillips Defense Bill amendments pass through Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY2021, including the bipartisan “Cheryl Lankford Memorial to Improve Assistance for Gold Star Spouses and Other Dependents” amendment by Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03). The amendment will help keep bereaved military families from slipping through the cracks and ensure Gold Star dependent children can easily access the benefits they are owed.

“As a Gold Star Son, my gratitude to our servicemembers and their families is immeasurable,” said Phillips. “Gold Star Families have made unimaginable sacrifices, and we must do everything we can to deliver all benefits they are owed. Gold Star Families deserve our respect and support, and I am glad this amendment will soon be signed into law.”

Phillips voted for final passage of  NDAA in the House on December 8, 2020, which included eight of his amendments aimed at modernizing our national security, stabilizing international relationships, and preparing for the next global crisis, and supporting our veterans and their families: 

Continue reading “Phillips Measure to Support Gold Star Families Included in Defense Bill, Headed to President’s Desk”