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☆ US Republicans expect no votes on stopgap this week as shutdown looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

One lawmaker said a Republican policy of waiting three days before voting on legislation left little time to act this week. House Republicans are due to focus the agenda for the week on passing their own partisan appropriations bills for 2024. The Senate has passed three appropriations bills in a package known as a minibus. While the Senate legislation enjoys strong bipartisan support, the House has passed only partisan Republican measures opposed by Democrats. Only one category of appropriations legislation, covering military construction and veterans benefits, has passed both chambers in markedly different forms.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Nathan Howard, Joe Biden, David Morgan, Stephen Coates Organizations: Republican, U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, . House, Representatives, Republicans, Democratic, Democrats, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Israel, Ukraine

McConnell said he is aligned with Biden's “comprehensive approach” to funding Ukraine, Israel and other regions, but Republicans are “very serious” about including the border changes. “What we saw from Senate Republicans is not a serious piece of legislation," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. House Republicans are veering dramatically from the agreement Biden and McCarthy struck earlier this year to set spending levels. House Republicans are cutting money for most departments except the Pentagon, while the Senate also boosts defense and has shifted some resources. The House Republicans spent most of last month struggling to elect a new speaker before settling on Johnson.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, ” Johnson, “, Johnson, Joe Biden's, ”, Chuck Schumer, I've, Mitch McConnell, Kentucky, Biden, Janet Yellen, McConnell, Karine Jean, Pierre, Donald Trump, Sen, Patty Murray, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Chris Murphy, Conn, McCarthy, Kelly Armstrong, Kevin Freking, Seung Min Kim, Mary Clare Jalonick Organizations: WASHINGTON, Republican, Ukraine, Russia, New, Republicans, GOP, Democrats, Senate, Senate Republican, U.S ., Pentagon, Freedom Caucus, Associated Press Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Asia, Pacific, Russia, U.S, Mexico, Kyiv, Johnson, North Dakota

Republican Senator Roger Marshall said: "Time is of the essence and it's imperative that the Senate not delay delivering this crucial aid to Israel another day," he said. The House bill would provide $14.3 billion for Israel as it responds to a deadly Oct. 7 attack by Islamist Hamas militants, but also cut the same amount of money from the IRS. "Our allies in Ukraine can no more afford a delay than our allies in Israel," said Senator Patty Murray, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee. The White House had said Biden would veto the House bill. Senate leaders are writing their own supplemental funding bill and hope to introduce it as soon as this week.

Persons: Kevin Wurm, Roger Marshall, Joe Biden, Patty Murray, Biden, Patricia Zengerle, Alistair Bell Organizations: U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, Senate, Republican, Russia, Republicans, Jewish State, Internal Revenue Service, IRS, Democrats, Democratic, Democrat, White, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Israel, Ukraine, China

The Senate, which Democrats control 51-49, has also been struggling to pass bills funding the government through Sept. 30, adding to calls for a stopgap "continuing resolution" to avert a shutdown. Further complicating matters is a Republican majority so narrow that House Speaker Mike Johnson can afford to lose no more than four party votes on legislation Democrats oppose. "He hasn't decided how that would be structured - if that would happen," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, the No. 2 Republican, told reporters in the U.S. Capitol on Friday. The House passed two of three Republican spending bills on their agenda last week, covering congressional operations and the environment.

Persons: Leah Millis, We've, Tom Cole, Hakeem Jeffries, Jeffries, Mike Johnson, Jeff Lewis, Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, hasn't, Steve Scalise, Frank Lucas, Jason Lange, David Morgan, Richard Cowan, Scott Malone, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S . Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Congress, Republicans, Democratic, House Democratic, Republican, Caucus, University of California, Capitol, Fox News Sunday, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Los Angeles

☆ The nonstop sparring match between Justice Samuel Alito and Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Joan Biskupic | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

CNN —Justice Samuel Alito is the tip of the spear for conservatives challenging the Biden administration during oral arguments at the Supreme Court. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar is the Biden administration’s top lawyer at the court, defending the policies that are the source of much of Alito’s consternation. “I think our best example historically is the Customs Service,” Prelogar responded. The Biden administration was backing admissions practices that considered students’ race as a factor in admissions to achieve campus diversity. “No, Justice Alito,” Prelogar said.

Persons: Samuel Alito, Biden, He’s, Elizabeth Prelogar, Alito, Prelogar, Ronald Reagan, George H.W, Bush, George W, Sandra Day O’Connor, ” Prelogar, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan, Robert Mueller, Joe Biden, –, ” Alito, “, ”, John Roberts, Roberts, I’m, It’s, ” Alito interjected, ’ Jeffrey Wall, Trump, …, Wall, We’re, Justice Alito, Juliet, Friar Laurence, Brett Kavanaugh, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Friar, Taylor Swift, Friar Lawrence, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, Supreme, Princeton, Yale Law School, Department of Justice, Emory University, Harvard Law School, Miss, ahs, Senate, Republicans, Democrats, Consumer Financial, Federal Reserve System, Customs Service, Biden, FDA, OSHA, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, Harvard, University of North, America, United States, Fair, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Verona Locations: Trenton , New Jersey, New Jersey, Boise , Idaho, Miss Idaho, University of North Carolina, America, ”, Verona, Washington

☆ A tide of election worker resignations raises alarms ahead of 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Fredreka Schouten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —A wave of departures by election officials in key states risks adding new stress to the nation’s election system ahead of next year’s presidential contest, voting rights groups and several state election chiefs warn. The growing alarm over the resignations and retirements comes as officials say election workers continue to face a barrage of threats and harassment and partisan interference in their duties, first ignited by false claims of a stolen White House election in 2020. In King County, Washington – which includes Seattle – Julie Wise, the county election director, recalled receiving a letter over the summer with a rant about elections. Election watchdogs say more action is needed – including boosting federal funding and extending a federal law that criminalizes the release of restricted personal information about federal workers to cover election officials. Brinson Bell began tracking the departures when she became the state’s election chief that year.

Persons: Joe Biden, ”, Adrian Fontes, Pennsylvania –, Republican Al Schmidt, “, Nick Penniman, Schmidt, Donald Trump’s, ” Schmidt, Seattle – Julie Wise, Wise, ’, ” Penniman, Meagan Wolfe, Trump, Wolfe, there’s, Roy Cooper, Critics, Karen Brinson Bell, Brinson Bell, Kathy Holland, Holland, –, Brinson, ” Adam Byrnes, he’s, ” Byrnes, Fontes, ” Fontes, that’s Organizations: CNN, Democrat, Republican, US Justice Department, National Conference of State Legislatures, Committee, ” Workers, GOP, supermajorities, Gov, North Carolina State Board, Emory University, “ Locations: Arizona, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, King County , Washington, Seattle, In Wisconsin, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Alamance County, Swain County, Georgia

☆ Student-loan borrowers struggling with repayment need more help than what the Education Department has offered — and they might not get it
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Education Department is strengthening oversight by withholding pay from one servicer, MOHELA. AdvertisementAdvertisementPresident Joe Biden's Education Department made one thing very clear this past week: Student-loan companies cannot get away with bad behavior. It's unclear at this point how withholding pay from a servicer would impact its operations, and whether the impact would trickle down to borrowers. AdvertisementAdvertisementWith Republicans holding a majority in the House, it's unlikely Federal Student Aid will see boosted funding in the upcoming year. Buchanan noted that he's still determining how exactly withholding pay would impact operations and added that he's "not making any excuses for the mistakes here."

Persons: —, Joe Biden's, MOHELA, Scott Buchanan, Jared Bass, Bass, servicers, Buchanan, he's, It's, it'll Organizations: Education Department, Service, Joe Biden's Education Department, Department, Federal Student Aid, Student Loan, —, Education, Center, American Progress, Federal, Aid

☆ Can Humanities Survive the Budget Cuts?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Anemona Hartocollis | More About Anemona Hartocollis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The state auditor of Mississippi recently released an eight-page report suggesting that the state should invest more in college degree programs that could “improve the value they provide to both taxpayers and graduates.”That means state appropriations should focus more on engineering and business programs, said Shad White, the auditor, and less on liberal arts majors like anthropology, women’s studies and German language and literature. Those graduates not only learn less, Mr. White said, but they are also less likely to stay in Mississippi. More than 60 percent of anthropology graduates leave to find work, he said. “If I were advising my kids, I would say first and foremost, you have to find a degree program that combines your passion with some sort of practical skill that the world actually needs,” Mr. White said in an interview. (He has three small children, far from college age.)

Persons: Shad White, White, Mr Locations: Mississippi

Twelve Democrats voted with 214 Republicans for the bill, and two Republicans joined 194 Democrats in objecting. Republicans have a 221-212 majority in the House, but Biden's fellow Democrats control the Senate 51-49. To become law, the bill would have to pass both the House and Senate and be signed by Biden. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on Wednesday said the IRS cuts and Israel aid in the House bill would add nearly $30 billion to the U.S. budget deficit, currently estimated at $1.7 trillion. After the vote, Johnson urged the Senate and White House to quickly approve the bill.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, Biden, Schumer, Kay Granger, Nathan Howard, Rosa DeLauro, Johnson, Patricia Zengerle, Makini Brice, Scott Malone, Mark Porter, Alistair Bell, Chris Reese Organizations: U.S . House, Republican, Internal Revenue, Republicans, Israel, Internal Revenue Service, Democratic, Senate, U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, White, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Israel, Iran, Ukraine, Taiwan, Washington , U.S, Gaza City, Kyiv, U.S, Mexico

☆ Republican Reps. Kay Granger, Ken Buck announce they won't seek reelection
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., talks with reporters before a procedural vote on the debt limit bill in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. Republican Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado on Wednesday announced he will not seek reelection next year, saying he was "disappointed" in his party, and disillusioned by political gridlock in Congress. Buck's announcement came just hours after another veteran House Republican, Rep. Kay Granger of Texas, the powerful chair of the House Appropriations Committee, confirmed she would not seek reelection next year either. Buck, 64, said he was leaving Congress in large part because he was frustrated with the direction he saw the Republican Party moving in. "Too many Republican leaders are lying to America," he said in a video announcing his retirement.

Persons: Ken Buck, Ken Buck of Colorado, gridlock, Kay Granger, Granger Organizations: U.S, Capitol, Republican, Wednesday, Republicans, Republican Party Locations: Ken Buck of, Congress, Kay Granger of Texas, Fort Worth, Buck, America

☆ US Senate to vote on spending package Wednesday -Schumer
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, U.S., October 31, 2023. The Senate is working on bipartisan bills while the Republican-controlled House is aiming for measures that will pass with only votes from the majority. KEY QUOTE"Today we will pass the first three bipartisan appropriations bills," Schumer said on the Senate floor on Wednesday. "When these bills pass, they will be the only - I underscore, the only - bipartisan appropriations bills that have passed either chamber." BY THE NUMBERSCongress must pass 12 appropriations bills to fund the government through its fiscal year.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Kevin Lamarque, Joe Biden, Schumer, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy's, Mike Johnson, Moira Warburton, Rod Nickel Organizations: Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Senate, Democratic, Republican, Republicans, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, Washington

☆ Mike Johnson tests his new power with risky gambit on Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —New House Speaker Mike Johnson is already tying Washington in new partisan knots. Johnson surprises by picking Israel funding as his first test of credibilityJohnson’s hard ball play on Israel funding came as a surprise given that some of the urgency for ending the speakership impasse last week was to swiftly clear a funding package following the Hamas attacks. The Biden administration on Tuesday formally threatened to veto the House GOP’s standalone Israel aid bill. The inclusion of the offsets could indicate that Johnson needs to placate his most hardline members even to pass a measure as popular as Israel funding. Some other Senate conservatives are also at odds with their leader, backing the decoupling of Israel and Ukraine aid.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, Joe Biden’s, Mitch McConnell, McCarthy, McConnell, Johnson, ” Beth Sanner, “, Biden, ” Sanner, Johnson’s, ’, Jared Moskowitz, ”, “ I’m, Marjorie Taylor Greene of, Rashida, Greene, George Santos, McConnell –, Donald Trump, –, Vladimir Putin, don’t, Rand Paul, he’s, ” Paul, CNN’s Manu Raju, Chuck Schumer, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Lloyd Austin, Putin, ‘ I’m Organizations: CNN, New, Washington, Republican, Republicans, stoke, Internal Revenue, GOP, Louisiana Republican, Democratic, Senate, National Intelligence, Central ”, White, Israel, National Republican, Extreme, Democrats, Jewish Democrat, “, GOP Rep, Democratic Rep, Democrat, New York Rep, titans, Taiwan, New York Democrat, US, NATO Locations: Israel, Louisiana, Ukraine, China, Russia, Washington, Gaza, Florida, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Palestinian American, Michigan, Kyiv, Kentucky, United States, Moscow, Iran, Tehran, Baltic

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — U.S. Rep. Kay Granger of Texas, the Republican chairwoman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, said Wednesday she will not seek reelection in 2024 after nearly three decades in Congress. Granger, 80, is the nation's longest-serving GOP congresswoman and was first elected in 1996. Her decision ends a barrier-breaking career that included serving as Fort Worth's first female mayor and Texas' first GOP congresswoman. Granger was among the Republicans who opposed Rep. Jim Jordan's bid to become House speaker. She said she will work with new Speaker Mike Johnson “to advance our conservative agenda" for the remainder of her term.

Persons: Kay Granger, Granger, ” Granger, Worth's, Lockheed Martin, Jim Jordan's, Mike Johnson “ Organizations: — U.S . Rep, GOP, Lockheed Locations: Texas, Kay Granger of Texas, Fort Worth

Palestinians conduct search and rescue operations at the site of Israeli strikes on a residential building, in the central Gaza Strip October 31, 2023. REUTERS/Ahmed Zakot Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - The United States has made "real progress" in the last few hours in negotiations to secure a safe passage for Americans and other foreigners who wish to depart the Gaza Strip, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday. So far, traffic at Rafah has reopened one way allowing aid trucks to go slowly into Gaza. "We would hope that any agreement to get any individuals out would also unlock the possibility of American citizens or their families and other foreign nationals coming out," Miller said. "We're working with various parties to try to facilitate their departure from Gaza.

Persons: Ahmed Zakot, Matthew Miller, Miller, Qataris, Israel, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Simon Lewis, Humeyra Pamuk, Daphne Psaledakis, Jasper Ward, Chris Reese, Howard Goller Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, United, U.S . State Department, Thomson Locations: Gaza, United States, U.S, Rafah, Egypt, Jasper

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks in Tel Aviv, Tuesday Oct. 17, 2023, after an overnight meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Blinken told a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing the status quo of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas being in charge of the densely populated enclave could not continue, but Israel did not want to run Gaza either. Between those two positions were "a variety of possible permutations that we're looking at very closely now, as are other countries," Blinken said. It may involve international agencies that would help provide for both security and governance," Blinken said. "We have had very preliminary talks about what the future of Gaza might look like," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a briefing.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jacquelyn Martin, Blinken, Joe Biden's, Matthew Miller, Humeyra Pamuk, Simon Lewis, Steve Holland, Costas Pitas, Stephen Coates, Chris Reese Organizations: Israeli, Rights, Palestinian, United Nations, Bloomberg, U.S, Department, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, United States, Gaza, Israel, U.N, Washington

☆ Anti-war protesters interrupt Sec. Blinken's testimony on Capitol Hill
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Christian Nunley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailAnti-war protesters interrupt Sec. Blinken's testimony on Capitol HillAnti-war protesters repeatedly interrupted Secretary of State Antony Blinken's testimony on Capitol Hill during a Senate hearing. The Secretary of State spoke before the Senate Appropriations Committee to call for more funding for Israel and Ukraine. The protesters called for a cease-fire in Israel before being removed by police.

Persons: Antony Blinken's Organizations: Capitol, State Locations: Israel, Ukraine

Mr. Johnson, the Louisiana Republican who has personally voted against sending military aid to Kyiv, released a $14 billion aid bill for Israel on Monday. But Mr. Johnson spurned that request, in an acknowledgment of how toxic funding for Ukraine has become among Republicans. agents,” Mr. Johnson said. “Instead of advancing a serious proposal to defend Israel, defend Ukraine and provide humanitarian aid, this House G.O.P. My guess is you can get Ukraine aid passed, probably as a stand-alone bill here.

Persons: Mike Johnson’s, Biden, Johnson, Biden’s, Fox News’s, ” Mr, Chuck Schumer, Mr, Kevin McCarthy, Thomas Massie of, Marjorie Taylor Greene, “, ’, Ms, Greene, —, Steven Ellis, MacGuineas, Mitch McConnell of, ”, Schumer, McConnell, Oksana Markarova, I’ve, Johnson’s, Susan Collins of, “ I’m, Josh Hawley, Let’s, Hawley, McConnell “, let’s, Patty Murray, Antony J, Blinken, ” Zach Montague Organizations: Senate, Louisiana Republican, Internal Revenue Service, Israel, Fox, Democratic, Republicans, United, Taxpayers, Federal Budget, Biden, Republican, University of Louisville, Ukraine, Mr Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Louisiana, Kyiv, Taiwan, United States, New York, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, America, Kentucky, Ukrainian, Susan Collins of Maine, Gaza, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Washington, Russia, Iran

☆ Blinken Says US, Others Exploring Options for Future of Gaza After Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

Blinken told a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing the status quo of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas being in charge of the densely populated enclave could not continue, but Israel did not want to run Gaza either. Between those two positions were "a variety of possible permutations that we're looking at very closely now, as are other countries," Blinken said. It may involve international agencies that would help provide for both security and governance," Blinken said. U.N. and other aid officials said civilians in the besieged Palestinian enclave were engulfed by a public health catastrophe, with hospitals struggling to treat casualties as electricity supplies petered out. "We have had very preliminary talks about what the future of Gaza might look like," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a briefing.

Persons: Humeyra Pamuk, Simon Lewis WASHINGTON, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Joe Biden's, Matthew Miller, Simon Lewis, Steve Holland, Costas Pitas, Stephen Coates, Chris Reese Organizations: Palestinian, United Nations, Bloomberg, U.S, Department Locations: United States, Gaza, Israel, U.N, Washington

President Joe Biden’s Cabinet secretaries will be advocating for the foreign aid to a mostly friendly audience in the Senate, where majority Democrats and many Republicans support tying aid for the two countries together. Despite growing questions about the Ukraine aid within the Republican conference, Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell has forcefully advocated tying the aid for Ukraine and Israel together. As they returned to Washington on Monday night, Senate Republicans who support the Ukraine aid were uncertain of the path forward. 2 Senate Republican, said it could complicate Democrats’ efforts to pass the two together if there were a bipartisan vote for the Israel aid alone in the House. In recent weeks, though, a growing group of Senate Republicans have joined the majority of House Republicans who are advocating to slow down or stop U.S. aid to Ukraine.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Antony Blinken, Joe Biden’s, Mike Johnson, Biden, ”, Chuck Schumer, Vladimir Putin, Patty Murray, Maine Sen, Susan Collins, ” Murray, Mitch McConnell, Oksana Markarova, ” Markarova, embolden Putin, Sen, John Thune of, Thune, Republican Sen, Joni Ernst, Iowa, Ohio Sen, J.D, Vance, Putin, Johnson, Schumer, “ we're, Richard Neal, Ron Wyden, ” Wyden, Karine Jean, Pierre, ” “, —, Seung Min Kim, Fatima Hussein, Tara Copp Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Senate, Republican, Internal Revenue Service, Republicans, Hamas, Senate Republicans, House Republicans, Fox News, Democrat, New York Rep, White, Associated Press Locations: United States, Israel, Ukraine, America, Russia, Taiwan, China, U.S, Mexico, Ukrainian, Kentucky, Washington, John Thune of South Dakota, Ohio

Biden also asked for $14.3 billion for Israel, $9 billion for humanitarian relief -- including for Israel and Gaza -- $13.6 billion for U.S. border security, $4 billion in military assistance and government financing to counter China's regional efforts in Asia. Congress has already approved $113 billion for Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022, but Biden's $24 billion request for more funds in August never moved ahead. Democrats - and many Republicans - in the Democratic-majority Senate back Biden's strategy of combining Ukraine aid with support for Israel. Newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson has voted in the past against assistance for Kyiv. Biden's support for Israel, which already receives $3.8 billion in annual U.S. military assistance, has drawn criticism amid international appeals for Gaza civilians to be protected.

Persons: Joe Biden, Leah Millis, Joe Biden's, Antony Blinken, Defense Lloyd Austin, Biden, Mitch McConnell, Donald Trump, Mike Johnson, Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, Patricia Zengerle, Aistair Bell, Nick Zieminski Organizations: White, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Defense, Kyiv, REPUBLICANS, Democratic, Israel, Republican, University of Louisville, Internal Revenue Service, Democrats, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Ukraine, Israel, U.S, United States, Gaza, Asia, Congress, Russia, Washington, China

☆ Opinion | On This Issue, the House G.O.P. ‘Whack Jobs’ Have a Point
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Peter Suderman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

That is no way to manage a government budget, and it’s not just right-of-center rabble-rousers who feel this way. Because spending bills are negotiated not only out of public view but out of sight from most legislators, there is little democratic accountability to the budget process. In September, explaining on the floor of Congress his motion to vacate Mr. McCarthy as speaker, Mr. Gaetz cast his vote as a demand to end that dysfunction. This demand is not unique to Mr. Gaetz, or to the specific vote that led to Mr. McCarthy’s removal. Mr. McCarthy was ousted after failing to do so by the end of Congress’s fiscal year and proceeding instead with a continuing resolution, supported by some Democrats.

Persons: it’s, McCarthy, Gaetz, ”, “, Mr Organizations: Mr, Congress

U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks to the media during a NATO Defence Ministers' meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 12, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday that Russia would be successful in Ukraine unless the United States kept up its support for Kyiv. "I can guarantee that without our support (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will be successful," Austin said during the hearing. Congress has already approved $113 billion for Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022. Democrats solidly back Biden's strategy of combining Ukraine aid with support for Israel, as do many Republicans in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Johanna Geron, Antony Blinken, Joe Biden's, Vladimir, Putin, Austin, Biden, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Chizu Nomiyama, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Defence, NATO Defence Ministers, REUTERS, Rights, . Defense, Kyiv, Israel, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Russia, Ukraine, United States, Austin, Israel, U.S, Bakhmut

“I say to Speaker Johnson – I plead with him – don’t repeat the mistake of McCarthy and others and just follow the hard-right in a partisan way,” Schumer said at a weekly news conference. “It’s not good for the country, it’s not good for the House, it’s not even good for the Republican Party. “Speaker Johnson should learn from the examples of Speaker Boehner, of Speaker Ryan and of Speaker McCarthy,” Schumer said. Though he’s not an outspoken conservative flamethrower like Rep. Jim Jordan, who GOP centrists blocked from gaining the gavel, a Johnson speakership marks a dramatic shift to the right for the conference. And though he faces the same difficulties as former Speaker Kevin McCarthy did with a razor-thin Republican majority, how he fares with the faction of hard-liners that ultimately ousted McCarthy is another story.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, “, Johnson –, –, McCarthy, ” Schumer, “ It’s, it’s, White, Schumer, Johnson, he’s, Joe Biden, Boehner, Ryan, couldn’t, Jim Jordan, Kevin McCarthy Organizations: Republican Party, Republican, Ukraine, Republicans, Louisiana Republican, GOP, Democrat, White, “ Locations: York, Israel, Gaza, Louisiana

In one of the first major policy actions under new House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Republicans unveiled a standalone supplemental spending bill only for Israel, despite Democratic President Joe Biden's request for a $106 billion package that would include aid for Israel, Ukraine and border security. Johnson, who voted against aid for Ukraine before he was elected House speaker last week, had said he wanted aid to Israel and Ukraine to be handled separately. Democrats accused Republicans of stalling Congress' ability to help Israel by introducing a partisan bill. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre issued a statement accusing Republicans of "politicizing national security" and calling their bill a non-starter. The House Rules Committee is expected to consider the Republican Israel bill on Wednesday.

Persons: Kevin Wurm, Mike Johnson, Joe Biden's, Johnson, Karine Jean, Pierre, Biden, Rosa DeLauro, Patricia Zengerle, Tom Hogue Organizations: U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, . House, Monday, Internal Revenue Service, House Republicans, Democratic, Ukraine, Fox News, Israel, Senate, Republicans, Republican Israel, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Israel, Ukraine

☆ US House speaker plans vote this week on stand-alone Israel aid bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Newly elected Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) takes his oath of office after he was elected to be the new Speaker at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., October 25, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabth Frantz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Newly installed U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday he expects floor action this week to advance a funding bill to support Israel exclusively, even though President Joe Biden is pushing for a $106 billion aid package for Israel and Ukraine combined. "We're going to move a stand-alone Israel funding bill this week in the House," Johnson said in an interview on Fox News, adding that he believes the measure will draw bipartisan support and that Republicans will back a similar measure in the Senate. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, which Republicans control by a narrow majority, are scheduled to return from a recess on Wednesday. "There are lots of things going on around the world that we have to address and we will," Johnson said, without explicitly mentioning the Ukraine conflict.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Elizabth Frantz, Joe Biden, Johnson, we’ve, ” Biden, Brad Heath, Steve Gorman, Stephen Coates Organizations: U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, Fox News, Republicans, U.S . House, Representatives, Israel, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Israel, Ukraine, Russia, U.S, Mexico, Gaza, Washingto, Los Angeles

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