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House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Thursday on Newsmax TV's "The Record" that his bill for foreign aid was necessary because there is a "Biblical admonition to stand with Israel."
The post Speaker Johnson: Believers Have a ‘Biblical Admonition to Stand with Israel’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Former Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) said Monday on CNN's "OutFront" that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) had "backbone" for advancing foreign aid funding in separate bills, which did not include border security funding as many in his caucus preferred.
The post Buck: Speaker Johnson Has ‘Backbone,’ He Is on the Right Side of History appeared first on Breitbart.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Wednesday on CNN's "The Lead" that he had to work with Democrats because he has the smallest margin in U.S. history in the House of Representatives.
The post Speaker Johnson: One-Vote Margin Means I Have to Work with a ‘Couple of Democrats’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Rep. Ralph Norman reintroduced a bill Wednesday aimed at stopping a form of federal spending known as earmarks.
“I’ve always said that earmarks are evil,” Norman, R-N.C. told The Daily Signal. “They are sneaky in the way that they get tacked onto big, important spending packages to be automatically passed by the ‘uniparty’ with the hope that no one looks into the details.”
Lawmakers use earmarks, often referred to as “pork,” to receive funding for projects in their districts. Earmarks are often inserted into large spending bills where they are likely to largely go unnoticed. A congressional earmark dedicates federal funds for a specific purpose, such as the construction of a bridge, the restoration of a city landmark, or a local program.
“Basically, an earmark is taxpayer funding for a personalized pet project for a particular district or special interest group,” Norman said.
The six-page bill he reintroduced Wednesday prohibits Congress from considering legislation that contains earmarks, thus banning the practice.
Norman introduced the bill, known as the Earmark Elimination Act, twice before, and most recently in February 2021.
Five Republican lawmakers are currently co-sponsoring the bill, including Reps. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Matt Rosendale of Montana, Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, Tom McClintock of California, and Andy Ogles of Tennessee.
Earmarks have long been debated and were even temporarily banned in Congress from 2011 to 2021. Among the most notorious congressional earmark schemes was in 2005 when two lawmakers from Alaska earmarked $223 million to build a bridge from Ketchikan to the island of Gravina, which at the time had a population of about 50 people. The project was nicknamed the “Bridge to Nowhere.”
“Attaching earmarks to large spending packages doesn’t allow for public discussion,” Norman criticized. “Congress, with the power of the purse, should be primarily looking out for the people’s tax dollars and getting federal spending down as soon as possible.”
Bloomberg Government reports that among the federal government’s 2024 spending bills, Republican and Democrat lawmakers inserted 8,099 earmarks accounting for $14.6 billion.
“To me, this is the most wasteful, abusive way to use hard-earned taxpayer dollars,” Norman said.
The post EXCLUSIVE: Congressman Calls on House to Pass Bill Banning Earmarks appeared first on The Daily Signal.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., announced on social media Tuesday that he’s co-sponsoring a motion to vacate the chair against House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
In doing so, Massie joined the motion to vacate push against Johnson launched by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., in March. Massie is the first other Republican to back Greene in the effort.
“I just told Mike Johnson in conference that I’m co-sponsoring the Motion to Vacate that was introduced by [Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene],” Massie wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “He should pre-announce his resignation (as Boehner did), so we can pick a new Speaker without ever being without a GOP Speaker.” That’s a reference to another former House speaker, Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio.
I just told Mike Johnson in conference that I’m cosponsoring the Motion to Vacate that was introduced by @RepMTG.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) April 16, 2024
He should pre-announce his resignation (as Boehner did), so we can pick a new Speaker without ever being without a GOP Speaker.
Johnson, according to NBC’s Jake Sherman, said that he’s not resigning.
“I am not resigning. And it is in my view an absurd notion that someone would bring a vacate motion when we are simply here trying to do our jobs,” Johnson said.
.@SpeakerJohnson responds: "I am not resigning. And it is in my view an absurd notion that someone would bring a vacate motion when we are simply here trying to do our jobs." https://t.co/XAwQWDanh5
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) April 16, 2024
Johnson—who became the speaker after the ouster of his predecessor as speaker, former Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., by a motion to vacate in October—has been facing increasing pressure from conservatives in the House. In particular, Johnson has been criticized for working with Democrats on a bill to fund the Ukraine war effort.
Johnson continues to receive the support of former President Donald Trump. Trump said on Friday that Johnson is doing a “very good job” when the two appeared together at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida on Friday.
“I stand with the speaker,” Trump said.
Johnson was elected House speaker in October with 220 Republicans supporting him. Johnson’s election came after McCarthy was removed as speaker after eight Republicans and all Democrats voted against him.
Since Johnson became speaker, McCarthy and Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., resigned and left Congress. Former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., was expelled in a House vote, and Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., will resign effective on Friday. After Gallagher leaves office, there will be 217 Republicans and 213 Democrats, a razor-thin Republican majority.
The post Johnson Vows Not to Resign, as Second GOP Lawmaker Announces Support for Ouster appeared first on The Daily Signal.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) signed articles of impeachment against U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on Monday.
The post House to Send Articles of Impeachment for Mayorkas to Senate appeared first on Breitbart.
Standing next to former President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Friday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced legislation to require proof of citizenship to vote.
Non-U.S. citizens are already banned from voting in federal elections now. However, the National Voter Registration Act—better known as the Motor Voter Law—doesn’t allow states to check because the federal forms already contain a check box.
Johnson said that polling showed 78% of Americans supported requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to vote. He suggested he would put the bill straight to the full House for a vote, bypassing the committee process.
“When we put this bill on the floor, you’re going to see a recorded vote by Republicans and Democrats. You’ll see that Republicans stand for election integrity,” Johnson said. “We’ll be able to ask this very important question of the Democrats. They are going to have to go on record. Do you believe that Americans and Americans alone should be the ones who vote in American elections? We are about to find out.”
Since Biden took office, more than 7.2 million illegal immigrants have crossed the southern border.
During his opening remarks, Trump addressed both issues.
“We have a border that’s open. We have a lot of problems in our country. We have an election problem and that’s really what we’re here to talk about today,” Trump said. “I would like to demand that our border be closed because we have millions of people coming into our country, millions and millions of people at levels that nobody is reporting, nobody is going to talk about.”
Johnson said the legislation will require states to remove noncitizens from their existing voter rolls, with help by allowing states access to databases from the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration.
My book “The Myth of Voter Suppression” details how several watchdog groups found voter registration rolls filled with ineligible foreign citizens, dead people, and people who have long moved out of a state despite the National Voter Registration requirement to update voting lists.
Johnson referred to the border crisis resulting from dozens of executive actions from President Joe Biden. He says he constantly gets questions about why it’s happening.
“Why would they do this? It’s chaos. Why the violence?” Johnson said, before answering his own question. “Because they want to turn these people into voters. Right now the administration is encouraging illegals to go to their local welfare office to sign up for benefits. Guess what? When you go to a welfare office, they also ask you if you would like to register to vote. Many people, we think, are going to do that.”
Weeks after coming into office in 2021, Biden signed an executive order directing every federal agency, including social service offices, to boost voter registration.
Earlier this week, the House advanced legislation that would require a citizenship question on the census form and that officials no longer count noncitizens of jurisdictions when drawing up congressional maps.
The post Speaker Johnson to Put Democrats on Record With Vote on Proof of Citizenship to Vote appeared first on The Daily Signal.
Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Wednesday on MSNBC's "All In" that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Republicans in control of the House have "greatly diminished" the reputation United States in the world by how they are dealing with Ukraine aid.
The post Pelosi: House GOP ‘Greatly Diminished’ Our Reputation in the World appeared first on Breitbart.
The U.S. House of Representatives has implemented a strict ban on the use of Microsoft's AI-based chatbot, Copilot, by congressional staff members, citing potential security risks.
The post House Bans Use of Microsoft AI Copilot Due to Security Concerns appeared first on Breitbart.
Representative Don Bacon (R-NE) said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) could face a challenge to his speakership over Ukraine aid will get a vote on the House floor.
The post GOP Rep. Bacon: ‘Possible’ Mike Johnson Could Lose Speakership over Ukraine appeared first on Breitbart.
House Intelligence chairman Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) said Sunday on CBS's "Face The Nation" that more funding for Ukraine will have "overwhelming support" in Congress.
The post GOP Rep. Turner: Ukraine Aid Will Have ‘Overwhelming Support’ in Congress appeared first on Breitbart.
Trump ally Alex Bruesewitz surged to a 20-point lead in a hypothetical House race to replace retiring Rep. Mike Gallagher (R) in Wisconsin's eighth district, according to Cygnal polling exclusively obtained by Breitbart News.
The post Exclusive Poll: Trump Ally Alex Bruesewitz Surges to 20-Point Lead in Hypothetical Race to Replace Mike Gallagher appeared first on Breitbart.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) said Tuesday on Real America's Voice's "American Sunrise" that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) should be removed from his position.
The post Greene: Speaker Johnson Stabbing GOP Voters in the Back, He Needs a ‘Pink Slip’ appeared first on Breitbart.
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—To comply with an executive order from President Joe Biden, the Peace Corps pushed to make its headquarters a voter registration center, upped efforts to register U.S. citizens abroad, and moved to supply multilingual voter registration forms.
The Peace Corps, a federal agency, assigns volunteers to provide services and meet needs in over 60 countries.
The agency released its plan to implement Biden’s order late last week in response to a request by The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project under the Freedom of Information Act. (The Daily Signal is the news and commentary outlet of The Heritage Foundation.)
The Peace Corps completed a Sept. 23, 2021, draft of “the compliance plan that Peace Corps is prepared to execute” to implement Biden’s Executive Order 14019, which requires federal agencies to help boost voting.
“Overseas citizens are protected by federal law that does not require an ID to vote,” the Peace Corps plan says, a reference to voter ID requirements in many states. “Only requirement is SS# [Social Security number] and overseas address. For domestic citizens, Peace Corps will include usa.gov/voter-id hyperlink on the landing page, which provides information on voter ID requirements.”
The Peace Corps’ strategic plan says the agency will connect more citizens in the U.S. as well as citizens living abroad to the Federal Voting Assistance Program, known as FVAP, for information about registering and voting.
“For overseas citizens, registration forms are only in English; however, Peace Corps can highlight that FVAP has registration instructions in French, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic. Provide translated instructions to post via Diplomatic Pouch. For domestic citizens, we can provide those same instructions either in hard copy format or pdf,” the plan says.
Biden’s order, issued in March 2021, required most federal agencies to submit a strategic plan for getting out the vote.
House Republicans advanced legislation to rescind the Biden executive order on elections, asserting that it could put the federal government’s thumb on the scale in elections.
Meanwhile, GOP state legislators in Pennsylvania have sued to challenge the constitutionality of Biden’s order.
The Peace Corps is at least the third agency to make a plan public even as the Justice Department invokes presidential privilege to block release of its own strategic plan to implement Biden’s order.
“If requested by the District of Columbia, Peace Corps HQ agrees to be designated as a voter registration agency,” the strategic plan says.
Neither the Peace Corps nor the D.C. city government responded to inquiries from The Daily Signal for this report.
The Daily Signal previously reported, based on documents made available through the Freedom of Information Act, that taxpayer-backed federal agencies were partnering with transparently left-leaning organizations—among them Demos, the Brennan Center for Justice, and the American Civil Liberties Union—to implement Biden’s executive order.
The Peace Corps plan mentions working with nongovernmental organizations, or NGOs, but doesn’t specify which groups.
“For domestic citizens, invite NGOs to Peace Corps HQ to provide informational seminars to staff, unless COVID keeps Peace Corps HQ at Phase I. If so, invite NGOs to conduct virtual informational seminars,” the plan says.
The agency’s plan uses 12 steps to explain how the agency will expand its website to promote greater voter participation.
“Peace Corps will build out an information/landing page on peacecorps.gov (a public website), PC Live and Intranet (for both staff and Volunteers) that covers both domestic and overseas access to voting,” the plan says, adding:
For overseas citizens, have FAQ [frequently asked questions] and video to show How to Register. Provide the hyperlink to the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) which provides registration services/information to overseas citizens. Additionally, Peace Corps will use State Department’s Diplomatic Pouch to distribute voter registration forms to each post. For domestic citizens, include vote.gov hyperlink on the landing page, which provides access to on-line registration forms.
The post EXCLUSIVE: Biden’s Peace Corps Pushes Expanded Overseas Voting appeared first on The Daily Signal.
Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" that Republicans needed to get their act together and deliver results after Easter.
The post Chip Roy: GOP ‘Better Get Our Act Together over Easter So We Can Deliver for the American People’ appeared first on Breitbart.
John and I found the protracted humiliation of Kevin McCarthy in connection with his election to be Speaker of the House a clown show. By contrast, Steve Hayward looked mostly on the bright side in “In re: Speaker McCarthy — dissents and concurrences.”
It is at least worth noting that the GOP majority is dissipating. The clown show set the stage for the shrinking of the small GOP House majority to a number asymptotically approaching zero.
It empowered Matt Gaetz to trigger the chain of events leading to McCarthy’s ouster from the Speaker’s chair. I decried that development in “Gaetz of Eden.” Has anyone asked Gaetz what good he did in sacking McCarthy?
McCarthy was deposed this past October. It seems like ancient history. McCarthy subsequently resigned his House seat effective December 31.
I have here in my hand a list of names. According to the list, among the Republicans getting out of Dodge with McCarthy are Reps. Bill Johnson (effective January 21), Ken Buck (effective yesterday), Mike Gallagher (effective April 19), and George Santos, whose departure was involuntary.
“Normally they’re trying to talk people out of [retiring],” one House Republican told Axios. “Now we’re at a point where we’re trying to talk them out of leaving early.” It may or may not be a portent of trouble for Speaker Johnson and it may or may not be a portent of the coming Democratic majority, but it’s not good.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) said Friday on NewsNation's "On Balance" that she would be "respectful" and attempt to build support before taking her motion to remove Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to the floor of the House for a vote.
The post Marjorie Taylor Greene on Motion to Oust Speaker: I’m Being Respectful, ‘This May Take Some Time’ appeared first on Breitbart.
In his opening statement to the House Oversight Committee earlier this week, the glorious Mr. Tony Bobulinski torched Reps. Dan Goldman and Jamie Raskin:
We keep hearing from certain corners that our “democracy is at risk” and that “democracy is on the ballot in 2024,” yet the same people preaching this mantra, who know better, continue to lie directly to the American people without hesitation or remorse. Representatives Dan Goldman and Jamie Raskin, both lawyers, and Mr. Goldman a former prosecutor with the Southern District of New York, will continue to lie today in this hearing and then go straight to the media to tell more lies.
Mr. B., long may you run.
Professor Jonathan Turley takes it from there in the (highly recommended) Fox News column that he has now posted at his personal site: “The Dripping Away of the Democratic Party: Sir Thomas More and the Biden Corruption Scandal.” In the introduction to the column posted on his site, Professor Turley writes (links omitted): “Various members misrepresented my earlier testimony during the hearing on the basis for the impeachment inquiry. Members like Rep. Jamie Raskin (D., Md.) stated that I joined other witnesses in saying that there was nothing that could remotely be impeachable in these allegations. That is demonstrably untrue. My testimony stated the opposite.”
What about Goldman? You can’t leave him out:
Rep. Dan Goldman, D., N.Y., captured the problem for Democrats in even addressing any of the mounting evidence contradicting the president. Yet, Goldman has long shown a willingness to rush in where angels fear to tread.
In previous attacks, Goldman repeatedly hit the Bidens with friendly fire when eliciting damaging answers from witnesses. Goldman has a habit of raising the worst evidence that his colleagues have avoided. In one hearing, he stumbled badly in raising the WhatsApp message where Hunter told a Chinese businessman that his father was sitting next to him and would not be pleased unless he sent him money. On another occasion, he prompted an IRS whistleblower to note that an email Goldman read into the record was actually a direct contradiction of the denials of the president.
In the latest misstep, Goldman pressed former Biden partner Tony Bobulinski on a proposal shared with Hunter and others to reserve 10% for “the Big Guy.” In other emails, Bobulinski was told to use such codes to avoid mentioning Joe Biden’s name. He was expressly identified as “the Big Guy.” Video
Goldman snapped at Bobulinski, “Did anyone ever respond to that email?”
Bobulinski responded “Yes, they did numerous times. Hunter himself did.”
Goldman blurted out “you’re right” before angrily reclaiming his time to cut him off.
The video below excerpts Bobulinski’s anticipation of the Raskin/Goldman defense of the Biden family business.
House Oversight Committee hearing goes off the rails when Hunter Biden's former business partner Tony Bobulinski calls out Reps. Jamie Raskin and Dan Goldman for lying on behalf of the Biden Crime Family. pic.twitter.com/Xny4VTbhVc
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 20, 2024
In 2001, 2005 and 2017, some Democrat House members objected to the certification of electoral votes for the winning Republican presidential candidate. Those objections, while “denialist,” were only symbolic. But Democrat leaders in the House are now suggesting that if they control that body following November’s election–as they well might–they may refuse to allow a victorious Donald Trump to take office.
The Atlantic did the original reporting, behind a paywall. This is from the Election Law Blog:
Murray and other legal scholars say that, absent clear guidance from the Supreme Court, a Trump win could lead to a constitutional crisis in Congress. Democrats would have to choose between confirming a winner many of them believe is ineligible and defying the will of voters who elected him. …
In interviews, senior House Democrats would not commit to certifying a Trump win, saying they would do so only if the Supreme Court affirms his eligibility. But during oral arguments, liberal and conservative justices alike seemed inclined to dodge the question of his eligibility altogether and throw the decision to Congress.
“That would be a colossal disaster,” Representative Adam Schiff of California told me. “We already had one horrendous January 6. We don’t need another.” …
The choice that Democrats would face if Trump won without a definitive ruling on his eligibility was almost too fraught for Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland to contemplate. He told me he didn’t know how he’d vote in that scenario. As we spoke about what might happen, he recalled the brutality of January 6. “There was blood all over the Capitol in the hypothetical you posit,” Raskin, who served on the January 6 committee with Schiff, told me….
The Democrats have become so insane on the subject of Donald Trump that it is hard to know which of their mutterings to take seriously. But if Trump wins the election and a Democrat-controlled House refuses to certify his election on the ground that he is an “insurrectionist” under the 14th Amendment, we will be past the point of a constitutional crisis. If that happens, the only realistic path forward will be disunion, possibly accompanied by civil war, but preferably not.
This is one reason why the Supreme Court should put the 14th Amendment theory out of its misery, once and for all. It is obvious that the drafters of that amendment meant the just-concluded Civil War, in which 600,000 Americans lost their lives, when they referred to “insurrection or rebellion” against the United States. In contrast, the January 6 protest was not one of the 50 most destructive riots of the last few years, and the only person killed was Ashli Babbitt. Not a single participant in the protest was arrested in possession of a firearm. Some insurrection!
In the interest of preserving the Republic, the Supreme Court should rule definitively that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment does not apply to Donald Trump.
We are apparently meant to take last week’s indictment of long-time FBI confidential human source Alexander Smirnov as a repudiation of what we have learned about the Biden family business. Smirnov’s indictment was sought by Biden-friendly United States Attorney David Weiss. It is linked in the related Department of Justice press release.
Kim Strassel observes in her weekly Wall Street Journal column: “If th[e allegations are] true, it ought to be massive story that the FBI for 13 years relied on a man who prosecutors now worry has troubling and ‘extensive’ ties to Russian intelligence. Instead, the media in its desire to embarrass Republicans is working to absolve the FBI, with the New York Times explaining the bureau never did ‘think much’ of the Smirnov claims and concluded in 2020 that they ‘did not merit continued investigation.’”
This particular episode of the Biden saga reminds me of the phonetically linked Yakov Smirnoff. Smirnoff is the immigrant comedian who wielded his catchphrase to great effect: What a country! Smirnoff’s catchphrase might qualify as the motto of the entire saga of the Biden family business. Looking around for a photo of Yakov Smirnoff I discovered that Jonathan Turley also drew on Smirnoff’s work in his New York Post column on the indictment.
Peter Schweizer first outlined the Biden family saga based entirely on publicly available documents in Profiles in Corruption (2020). In one of the interviews about the book, Peter observed: “We’re not talking about a congressman who’s trying to get a road paving for his nephew from the federal highway funds…We’re talking about globalized graft and corruption involving actors around the world who don’t particularly have the interests of the United States at heart.”
Yesterday Andrew McCarthy elaborated on “David Weiss’s Very Peculiar Smirnov Indictment in the Biden Case.” He commented: “[N]one of the most critical evidence of Biden-family influence-peddling comes from Smirnov or Russians.”
I sat down intending to demonstrate the irrelevance of the Smirnov indictment in light of the evidence accumulated to date, but Andy has done my job for me this morning in today’s NRO column “The Smirnov Indictment Does Not Vindicate the Bidens.” Subhead: “There is already extensive evidence, having nothing to do with Smirnov, of corrupt Biden-family influence-peddling.” If you can’t see the corruption, you’re not paying attention or you’re not looking. It’s in plain view. Miranda Devine also makes this point in her accessible New York Post column “Despite media spin, there’s still overwhelming evidence Joe Biden knew of family’s business dealings.”
I’m sorry McCarthy’s columns are posted behind NRO’s paywall. I wish some public-spirited benefactor would make a deal with NR’s publisher to extract McCarthy from NRO’s paywall prison. He brings his long experience as a federal prosecutor to bear and is the best columnist out there on matters at the intersection of law and politics.
The Wall Street Journal has posted Mark Kelly’s accessible video below in connection with the appearance of James Biden for deposition by the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees behind closed doors this week (Fox News story here). The caption on the video reads: “The latest revelations in the House Oversight Committee investigation into Biden family business dealings surrounds two checks that landed in Joe Biden’s personal bank account, one for $40,000, the other for $200,000.” As I say, if you can’t see it you’re not looking.
Vaunce News 
