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☆ Is the Debt Limit Constitutional? Biden Aides Are Debating It.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Jim Tankersley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Top economic and legal officials at the White House, the Treasury Department and the Justice Department have made that theory a subject of intense and unresolved debate in recent months, according to several people familiar with the discussions. It is unclear whether President Biden would support such a move, which would have serious ramifications for the economy and almost undoubtedly elicit legal challenges from Republicans. Mr. Biden is set to meet with Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California at the White House on May 9 to discuss fiscal policy, along with other top congressional leaders from both parties. But it remains unclear what type of compromise may be reached in time to avoid a default. House Republicans have refused to raise or suspend the debt ceiling unless Mr. Biden accepts spending cuts, fossil fuel supports and a repeal of Democratic climate policies, contained in a bill that narrowly cleared the chamber last week.

☆ House GOP's attempt to shut down Alvin Bragg is unlikely to save Trump but could serve despots in training, say oversight experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Donald Trump's formal arraignment in Manhattan criminal court sent House Republicans into a tizzy. Stretton wondered about House Republicans' attempt to defang state prosecutors they consider to be political persecutors. "It's hard to say what overstepping bounds are any more," Davis told Insider. "When you defend somebody before you've even seen the indictment, you're kind of hitching your wagon to all the investigations," Goldberg told Insider. He also warned that spotlight-chasing House Republicans risk drowning in unfinished business at the end of the term by floating new Biden-focused inquiries "every couple of weeks."

☆ Nikki Haley on Republicans' tepid midterms: The party 'looked like chaos'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Republicans came across as chaotic during the midterms, Nikki Haley said. And from an independent standpoint it looked like chaos, and they didn't want to be a part of that." Democrats have also singled out Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green of Georgia as representative of the party. In preliminary exit polls following the midterms, about equal proportions of voters said both Republicans and Democrats were "too extreme." Despite Republican disappointment over the midterms, the party did secure a narrow majority in the US House.

☆ Democratic Rep. Judy Chu, the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress, blasts a Texas GOP congressman after he questioned her loyalty to the US: 'It is racist'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Judy Chu criticized Lance Gooden after he seemingly questioned her "loyalty" to the US on Fox News. "I think she has drug along the other Chinese American members to sign this letter. I very much doubt that he would be spreading these lies were I not of Chinese American descent." "Lance Gooden's slanderous accusation of disloyalty against Rep. Chu is dangerous, unconscionable and xenophobic," Jeffries said in a statement. Rep. Gooden accused Democrats of bringing up race after his criticism of Rep. Chu.

☆ How Social Security and Medicare became the latest battleground in Biden's showdown with the GOP
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Social Security and Medicare have taken the spotlight in the battle to raise the debt limit. Then came the big question of what exactly Republicans want to cut, and Social Security and Medicare entered the frame. "So, folks, as we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare is off the books now. White House, Biden double down on GOP attacksThe receipts kept coming once Republicans claimed they never proposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare. It noted, though, that Social Security and Medicare "are earned benefit programs that must be saved and strengthened."

☆ Kevin McCarthy is working tirelessly and spending a lot of his political capital to win fights that don't actually matter.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Kevin McCarthy rallied GOP lawmakers to oust Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. But taking Omar off the Foreign Affairs panel took a good deal more effort on his part. The Omar vote was seen as a huge victory for the party, especially coming off McCarthy's protracted 15 rounds of balloting to secure the House speakership. Republicans led a successful effort to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. While Republican leaders were pleased with the outcome, the behind-the-scenes work to push through a successful vote against Omar took up a lot of political oxygen.

☆ GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene dismissed any concerns of being reprimanded by Kevin McCarthy over her conduct at Biden's State of the Union address: 'Not one single bit'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Marjorie Taylor Greene told the NYT she wasn't worried about GOP pushback due to her SOTU behavior. "I have the speaker's support, and he has mine," she told the newspaper after Biden's address. Greene called Biden a "liar" after he called out some Republicans over Medicare and Social Security. When Greene was asked about potential pushback against her behavior by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, she expressed no worries. While McCarthy had earlier warned the House Republican Conference to behave themselves, Greene instead decided to do the opposite.

☆ Biden administration set to propose largest Defense budget in US history as GOP pushes for spending cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Biden administration is close to asking Congress for the largest-ever US defense budget, per Politico. Lawmakers in December authorized $858 billion in defense spending, more than what President Biden had requested. Lawmakers in December authorized $858 billion in national defense spending, a number that was $45 billion higher than what President Joe Biden had requested. While Biden has called for a clean debt limit increase, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California and his GOP conference are insistent on spending cuts. GOP leaders have not ruled out curtailing some Pentagon spending, but the more hawkish members of the Republican conference will be apt to push back against major defense cuts.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. U.S. President Joe Biden will face a divided Congress and stubbornly high inflation when he delivers the annual State of the Union address later Tuesday night. Despite record job growth and new data indicating that inflation is slowing, Americans remain deeply pessimistic about the state of the economy. Biden will address the U.S.-China relationship in the speech, but he will not announce new retaliatory actions against Beijing over the balloon, White House aides told NBC News. Following Biden's address, Arkansas Republican Gov.

Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., made a significant revision to his 2022 campaign filings Tuesday by specifying that a $500,000 loan he made to the campaign didn't come from his personal funds. The initial filing in September included a checked box saying the hefty loan came from the "personal funds of the candidate." About $150,000 in loans is still marked as having come from his personal funds. A separate filing shows a new $125,000 loan that came from Santos in October but was not from his personal funds. A spokesperson for Santos’ congressional office said it does "not comment on campaign or personal matters."

☆ A former Long Island GOP congressman says the 'lack of trust' in embattled Rep. George Santos is a 'prescription for disaster'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Former Rep. Peter King in a New York Times op-ed questioned the effectiveness of George Santos. How do committee members sit still for this guy in their midst?" "Except perhaps for a few ineffective congressional outliers, I can't imagine a member of either party working or cooperating with Mr. Santos," the former congressman wrote. "And when you don't have that, you're just faking your way through the workday — something Mr. Santos is apparently pretty good at." "As long as Mr. Santos remains in Congress, he is dead man walking and will be unable to get anything done for his constituents.

☆ Former GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger said he 'thanked God' that he wasn't on the House floor during Kevin McCarthy's contentious speaker vote process
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Adam Kinzinger said he "thanked God" he didn't have to endure the marathon of votes to elect a House speaker. "I knew what it would be like to be on the floor and I just thanked God that I was not there," he told Charlie Sykes. Kinzinger, who left Congress earlier this month, was highly critical of McCarthy during his last term in office. "I knew what it would be like to be on the floor and I just thanked God that I was not there," he continued to say. "This couldn't happen to a nicer guy," Kinzinger said of McCarthy's struggles in rallying the far-right wing of the party shortly after the midterm elections.

☆ Biden White House chief of staff Ron Klain set to step down in coming weeks: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

White House chief of staff Ron Klain is expected to depart his role in the coming weeks, per The New York Times. Klain worked as President Barack Obama's White House Ebola response coordinator and also previously served as chief of staff to former vice president Al Gore. He also was chief of staff to then-Vice President Joe Biden during the first two years of the Obama administration. Anita Dunn — who rejoined the White House last year after having previously served in the White House as a senior advisor from January 2021 to August 2021 — has been a name long rumored to be a contender upon a Klain departure. Other individuals thought to be under consideration include former Delaware governor Jack Markell, White House counselor Steve Ricchetti, and White House domestic policy director Susan Rice.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. government is hitting its statutory debt limit on Thursday, requiring the Treasury Department to begin resorting to "extraordinary measures" to pay the bills. It is therefore critical that Congress act in a timely manner to increase or suspend the debt limit," Yellen wrote. But the White House has made clear what President Joe Biden's offer to lift the debt ceiling is: nothing. There should be no political brinkmanship with the debt limit. "We cannot raise the debt ceiling," Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said Tuesday on Twitter.

☆ Arizona GOP Rep. Eli Crane, a freshman lawmaker who opposed Kevin McCarthy as speaker, says he 'might wind up in the broom closet' over his vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Crane said he "might wind up in the broom closet" over his opposition to McCarthy's speakership. Crane told The New York Times he simply wanted to see Republicans move in a different direction. "Sir, I'm sorry, we love you out in Arizona, but I've been listening to my voters," Crane told Trump, per the lawmaker's recent interview with The New York Times. In the first 14 ballots, Crane supported conservative alternatives to McCarthy before voting "present" in the 15th and final ballot. Crane told the newspaper that he'd like to serve on the Foreign Affairs, Homeland Security, and Natural Resources Committees, but felt that he could be shut out due to his speakership vote.

☆ Trump claimed credit, but a GOP congressman says the former president had 'no influence' over anti-McCarthy conservatives during the contentious vote for the House speakership
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Former President Trump has claimed credit for helping Kevin McCarthy win the House speakership. However, several ardent conservatives told ABC that Trump had no real impact during the process. "President Trump had no influence on the votes, myself or any of my colleagues," Rep. Bob Good said. However, Trump backed McCarthy's bid and claimed credit for helping get the GOP leader over the finish line. However, McCarthy personally thanked Trump immediately after winning the speakership, stating that no one "should doubt his influence."

☆ Matt Gaetz says embattled GOP Rep. George Santos shouldn't be 'subject to shunning' before his ethics process: 'He deserves the chance to at least make his case'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Matt Gaetz said George Santos shouldn't be shunned in advance of a congressional ethics process. "I think he deserves the chance to at least make his case," Gaetz said of his embattled GOP colleague. "George Santos will have to go through the congressional ethics process. While speaking to Gaetz, Santos did not reveal the source of the money that used to give to his successful House campaign. And top Republicans in Nassau County — the suburban New York jurisdiction that anchors Santos' congressional district — have called on him to resign from Congress.

☆ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said 'like a lot of people' she had 'easily gotten sucked into some things I had seen on the internet' in regards to QAnon conspiracy theories
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was stripped from committee assignments after joining Congress in 2021. Greene said Sunday her QAnon support was in the past and that she got sucked into things online. Host Howard Kurtz said Democrats stripped Greene of her committees in 2021 due to statements she made about conspiracy theories and her past support of QAnon. "Well, like a lot of people today, I had easily gotten sucked into some things I had seen on the internet," Greene said. Shortly after joining Congress, Greene was removed from committees due to statements she made related to violence against lawmakers and conspiracy theories.

☆ House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says Democrats will offer 'maturity over Mar-a-Lago' — a dig at Trump's influence over the GOP
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Jeffries on Saturday gave an A-Z explainer on how he felt House Democrats would differ from the GOP. The new Democratic leader contrasted the two parties before handing the speaker's gavel to McCarthy. "House Democrats will always put American values over autocracy," Jeffries said in kicking off his speech. Not as Democrats, not as Republicans, not as Independents, but as Americans," he said. But McCarthy still elicits distrust from several conservative lawmakers within the party, making those members highly consequential in such a narrowly-controlled Congress.

Congress' failure to pass any meaningful immigration reform stretched to more than two decades in the last session, which ended last month. Here's a timeline of Congress' failure on immigration since President Bill Clinton left office. The bill passed the House, and the Senate passed the Comprehensive Reform Act of 2006, which was backed by the Bush White House. 2013 — With President Barack Obama in the White House, a bipartisan group of senators, nicknamed the Gang of 8, negotiated an immigration reform bill that was approved in the Senate. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks about immigration reform legislation on Capitol Hill on April 18, 2013.

☆ Former DC Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone says it's 'disgraceful' that only one GOP congressman appeared at a Capitol Hill event commemorating January 6
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Michael Fanone blasted the scant GOP attendance at a Jan. 6 remembrance ceremony at the Capitol. Multiple outlets reported that Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick was the only GOP lawmaker at the Friday event. Law enforcement certainly doesn't like that, and I don't believe that all Republicans are sympathetic to the MAGA agenda." "As somebody who has previously supported Republican candidates, it's shameful," the former police officer told Tapper. After the Capitol ceremony, Fitzpatrick, a former FBI supervisory special agent, told Insider's Bryan Metzger of his desire to be at the solemn event.

☆ The feds say they're in for the long haul on Jan. 6 investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Ryan J. Reilly | Ryan J. Reilly Is A Justice Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +16 min

But the federal investigation has been strained, spread thin and strapped for resources as a sometimes less-than-agile federal bureaucracy adapts to the overwhelming scope of the caseload. While the FBI arrested more than 700 defendants in the first year of the investigation, it arrested about 200 in the second. Online sleuths have done their best to bust those myths, too. “That was it.”The Sedition Hunters website features images of people online sleuths say took part in the Jan. 6 attack, including many (in blue) who have been identified. Some charging documents in Jan. 6 cases make the role that online sleuths played clear.

☆ Biden awards Presidential Citizens Medals on two-year anniversary of Jan. 6 Capitol riot
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

US President Joe Biden speaks during a ceremony at the White House marking the two-year anniversary of the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. The award ceremony at the White House was Biden's first time bestowing the Presidential Citizens Medal, which is given to Americans "who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens." Three of the medals were awarded posthumously to officers who had defended the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and died afterward by injuries or by suicide. "All of it was fueled by lies about the 2020 election," Biden said Friday, without mentioning Trump by name. The somber event at the White House was punctuated by a few moments of levity.

☆ Ex-D.C. officer Fanone and veterans urge GOP House leaders to condemn political violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

WASHINGTON — Dozens of military veterans on Wednesday hand-delivered letters to top Republicans in the U.S. House, calling on them to publicly condemn political violence as the second anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol approaches. Former Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone wrote the letter, which was signed by more than 1,000 military veterans, active duty members, law enforcement officers and military families. Fanone, who was beaten and tased during the attack on the Capitol, delivered a copy to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s office. They want top Republicans in the House not only to condemn political violence but to hold accountable those who spread violent and hate-filled messages. A core of conservative House Republicans has rejected McCarthy’s attempts to be named speaker on multiple votes Tuesday and Wednesday.

On Thursday, the House enters its third day of the new Congress without a speaker under the new GOP majority. Until Republicans have enough votes for a candidate, all other House business remains at a standstill. During the six speaker votes this week, 20 conservatives have stuck together to deny GOP leader Kevin McCarthy of California the 218 votes needed to win the speaker's gavel. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., leaves the House Chamber following a day of votes for the new Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. Kevin Dietsch / Getty ImagesAfter the sixth failed vote, McCarthy and his must trusted allies huddled with his most fervent opponents for more than two hours in the first-floor Capitol office of Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn.

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