Tag: US Congress

Bi-Partisan Investigation

Just days ago there was another ‘attempt’ on poor Donny’s life and as usual he and his demented minions ran to the cameras to make some wild statement….playing Donny as a victim they have started blaming….

As if right on key….that blonde bimbo Leavitt did what they always do…..blame the Dems….

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt applauded President Donald Trump’s “calm in the face of chaos” after a suspected shooter attempted to take his life for the third time at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, using the moment not only to condemn political violence but also to press an urgent case for strengthening national security funding.

“President Trump is fearless because he loves this country, and he is willing to put his own life on the line to deliver on the promises that he made to the American public,” Leavitt told reporters, emphasizing that while political disagreements are inevitable, “those disagreements must remain peaceful.”

Her remarks came as she returned to the podium despite plans for maternity leave, saying the seriousness of the “attempted assassination” against the president and other administration officials required immediate public communication about the administration’s response.

Leavitt sharply criticized what she described as the long-running “demonization” of Trump by Democrats, media figures and what she called a “left-wing cult of hatred,” arguing that years of rhetoric labeling Trump a “fascist” or “threat to democracy” have contributed to a climate that enables violence. She claimed the suspected shooter’s manifesto was “indistinguishable” from language commonly seen on social media and in public discourse.

https://abc3340.com/news/nation-world/white-house-press-secretary-karoline-leavitt-blames-democrats-rhetoric-for-inciting-political-violence-after-president-donald-trump-assassination-attempt-correspondents-dinner-ballroom-shooting-suspect-cole-tomas-allen-manifesto-kimmel-first-lady-melania

Then there is the reaction from Congress after the growing incidents of political violence…..

“We need a bipartisan national commission for political violence in this country. I heard Sen. Tillis speak,” he added. “We should look at social media. We should look at mental health issues. We should look at language. But we need to do something to bring the temperature down.”

Moments before Khanna’s appearance, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) spoke to Welker about the need for an end to political violence, describing social media as an “amplifier” and “instigator” that targets “vulnerable people.”

“In many cases, we’re seeing people who are committing these horrible acts have behavioral health and other challenges, stability issues in their lives,” Tillis said, adding that what “American people need to do is take a breath, confirm their facts, talk to their elected officials, think a bit before they judge people.”

Tillis continued, “They all have a role to play. And we in elected office do as well. Our words matter. The weight of our words matter, and we need to be very measured in the way that we use them.”

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5850124-bipartisan-commission-political-violence-khanna/

Let me save them some time…..this is happening because of the spread of racism, loss of rights and the raping of this country by a megalomaniac and his buddies…..the people are tired of this assault on them and their country.

This is hilarious on the face of it…..this commission will be a toothless tiger it will ramble on with whitewashed bullshit and try to find a scapegoat.

They know what is happening and they are running scared…..as they should.

Bi-partisanship….the great lie of American politics.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Schumer Must Go

It is no secret that I have detested the Dem leadership in Congress for a very long time….I have been calling for them to be replaced with someone with some balls.

Now there are many others that are calling for the same action.

A coalition of peace groups on Wednesday launched a new national campaign calling for the top Democrats in Congress—Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries—to resign from their leadership roles, citing their failure to sufficiently fight back “against a war-crazed Trump administration.”

The coalition, which includes Peace Action and RootsAction, launched a petition declaring that it is “time for congressional Democrats to replace Schumer and Jeffries with leaders who are willing and able to challenge the runaway militarism that has dragged our country into launching yet another insanely destructive war,” this time against Iran.

“Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries have not acted to prevent war on Venezuela or the current war on Iran,” the petition reads. “They worked to delay a vote on Iran until after the war had started, while failing to clearly oppose it before or after the launch of the war. Schumer and Jeffries have shown that they cannot be trusted to prevent more wars, more threats of wars, or the transfer of another half a trillion dollars a year into the war machine.”

Kevin Martin, president of Peace Action—the largest grassroots peace network in the US—said in a statement that he doubts “at this point whether many people look to Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries for ‘leadership’ in Congress, but we would settle for them getting with the program and representing their base, and the majority of Americans, who want them to stand strongly against Trump’s illegal wars and domestic terror campaigns against the American people.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/schumer-jeffries-step-down-iran

Then just yesterday more news about Schumer….

Chuck Schumer may not be on the ballot this fall, but the Wall Street Journal reports that his political future is very much in play. Behind closed doors, a growing bloc of Senate Democrats and progressive activists is venting about the 75-year-old minority leader and quietly gaming out what it would take to push him aside after November, according to more than four dozen lawmakers, aides, strategists, and donors interviewed. Among those privately dissatisfied: Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Tina Smith, and Chris Murphy, part of an informal progressive “Fight Club” that chats on Signal and believes Schumer is tilting too hard toward centrist candidates in key Senate races.

The frustration stems from several fronts: Schumer’s handling of last year’s lengthy government shutdown, his tightly held decision-making style that some colleagues say leaves them in the dark, and positions—like robust support for Israel—that critics view as out of step with Democratic voters. Some donors are pushing what they jokingly call the “chuck Chuck movement,” and say his image is dragging on fundraising. Yet Schumer still has influential defenders, including Sen. Brian Schatz, widely seen as his preferred eventual successor, and several other Democrats who credit him with recruiting a strong 2026 slate. Progressives, meanwhile, are floating alternatives such as Sen. Chris Van Hollen or Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, even as both signal they’re not actively seeking the job.

Schumer, for his part, says grumbling “goes with the territory,” calls his backing “deep and strong,” and maintains he’s focused solely on winning back the Senate, not on whether he’ll seek to remain leader afterward. The Hill notes that Murphy was asked on Meet the Press over the weekend about emerging reports of dissatisfaction, and he didn’t answer directly when asked if he wanted to replace Schumer. Instead, he acknowledged that Schumer has a “tough job” but declined to answer directly again when pressed by host Kristen Welker.

I like this news a lot….the progressives floated to replace Schumer are not the ones I would choose but for now if we can get rid of the spineless fool so much the better.

Anyone care to weigh in?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

They Always Want More Money

Have you ever noticed that every war in recent memory has always needed more money for it to continue?

Donny’s little war is no different…..

The Pentagon has drafted a funding request exceeding $200 billion for operations against Iran, setting up a clash with Congress over the scale and direction of the war, according to administration officials. The proposal, sent to the White House, would go well beyond paying for the air campaign to date and is aimed largely at ramping up production of precision weapons used by US and Israeli forces over the past three weeks, the Washington Post reports. The supplemental budget would be on top of President Trump’s push for the next defense budget to total $1.5 trillion.

White House officials have not decided how much to formally seek from Congress, and some doubt lawmakers would approve such a package, one senior administration official said. The Pentagon has circulated multiple versions of a supplemental request as the costs of the Iran attacks have mounted, surpassing $11 billion in the first week alone, according to officials. There could be other complications, per the Post. Former Pentagon budget official Elaine McCusker, now at the American Enterprise Institute, cautioned that industry limits on labor, facilities, and materials will constrain how fast production can rise. “Just throwing lots of money into the industrial base doesn’t necessarily get you things sooner,” she said.

There will be lots of banter from the Congress and in the end the cash will be forthcoming.

But when was the last time pressing needs of the people of this country demanded such loyalty?

Of course the Congress has to have it say….

“This should be an absolute nonstarter,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) in response to the Post’s reporting. “The best way to end this war, protect our troops, save civilian lives, and rein in a lawless administration is to cut off funding. I’m a hell no.”

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) wrote on social media that “at the height of combat the Iraq War cost around $140 billion per year.”

“If the Pentagon is asking for $200 billion they are asking for a long war,” Gallego added. “The answer is a simple no.”

Any funding package would need 60 votes to get through the US Senate, requiring some Democratic support. As of this writing, neither Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) nor House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has responded to reports of the Pentagon’s request.

The Post reported Wednesday that “it remains unclear how much the White House will ultimately ask congressional lawmakers to approve,” and that “some White House officials do not think the Pentagon’s request has a realistic shot of being approved in Congress.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/hell-no-pentagon-wants-over-200-billion-to-fund-trump-s-illegal-iran-war

The rhetoric is wonderful but it is also a limp organ as it has been in the past.

Here is something to think about (if that capability is possible) the budget for the War Department is about $1.5 trillion and Pistol Pete recently spent $93 million on food baskets, seafood and furniture but yet they do not have enough money to carry out this dumbass war of Donny’s…..

Does anyone else see the stupidity and the waste yet?

We will see who caves and who stands by their guns (no pun intended).

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Dems Are A Spineless Bunch

It is no secret that I have not been a fan of Dems for a very long time….I think they are cowards, spineless and worthless and to make my point I offer up two votes recently….

First the military budget vote….

Despite months of warnings from party members up and down the caucus that President Donald Trump has been “lawless,” “destructive, and ”authoritarian“ in his wielding of power both domestically and abroad, 149 Democratic members of the US House of Representatives on Thursday night joined with 192 Republicans to pass a sweeping military spending bill—a vote that progressive critics say exposes the fecklessness and hypocrisy of what claims to be an opposition party.

The 341-88 passage of the $828.7 billion fiscal 2026 military spending bill came over the objections of progressives who warned that the bill—now headed to the US Senate for final passage as soon as next week—is a tacit endorsement of the president’s policies, even as he has ordered federal agents to terrorize US cities, deployed US soldiers on domestic soil in the face of lawful protests, threatened to annex Greenland and other nations by force, and conducted overseas military operations—including overt acts of war over the last year against both Iran and Venezuela—without congressional notification, authorization, or oversight.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/democrats-military-spending-bill

Second the vote for funding ICE and DHS….

Seven Democrats in the US House of Representatives voted with nearly all Republicans on Thursday to pass a Department of Homeland Security funding bill despite growing calls from across the country for Congress to rein in the Trump administration’s deadly immigration operations, which are led by DHS agents.

Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar (Texas), Don Davis (NC), Laura Gillen (NY), Jared Golden (Maine), Vicente Gonzalez (Texas), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.), and Tom Suozzi (NY) joined all Republicans but Rep. Thomas Massie (KY) for the 220-207 vote that sent the legislation to the Senate—where the GOP also has a majority, but it’s so narrow that most bills need some Democratic support to pass.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) notably refused to pressure members of his caucus to oppose the bill, even though voters clearly oppose federal operations featuring violence and lawlessness by agents with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) everywhere from California and Illinois, to Minnesota and Maine.

Jeffries and other Democratic leaders have faced growing public pressure to use a rapidly approaching deadline—if Congress doesn’t pass legislation by January 30, the federal government shuts down again—to freeze ICE funding. The bill that advanced out of the House on Thursday would give ICE $10 billion and CBP $18.3 billion.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-administration-ice-funding

Jeffries is as useless as teats on a boar.

Can you now see why I have no use for Dems?

Time for a change in Dem leadership for they are as corruptible as any GOPer.

Dems have an opportunity for success but will they embrace change?

You can see how Democrats got the wrong idea. When President Trump was sworn into his second term one year ago, it was not unreasonable for the opposition to feel somewhat cowed. Though his victory was narrow, Trump won the popular vote and made significant enough inroads into traditional Democratic constituencies—young people, people of color, working-class people—that his grandiose claims of a political realignment were arguably credible. That wasn’t an excuse to roll over—standing up to the regime was essential. But there was an argument for Democrats to be careful about picking their spots.

…

Instead, inexplicably, the leaders of the Democratic Party are still refusing to give up the fearful crouch they adopted immediately after the 2024 election. The most egregious recent example is their failure to organize serious opposition to funding for the Department of Homeland Security. The split screen we’ve been seeing on this in recent days is outrageous. ICE officers are kidnapping half-naked grandpas in the freezing cold; they’re denying legal counsel to detainees; they’re entering homes without warrants; they’re using chemical weapons against high school students; they’re sending babies to the hospital; they’re detaining 5-year-old children. They are violently occupying American cities, acting like the gestapo that Trump seems to want them to be.

https://newrepublic.com/article/205586/minneapolis-ice-democrats-funding

The Dems are being warned to change their mindset or face more losses….

Democrats may be riding high now, but one of their top strategists says the party is on track to crash in 2028 unless it overhauls itself fast. In a New York Times op-ed, David Plouffe—who helped run three recent Democratic presidential campaigns, including Kamala Harris’ 2024 bid—argues that despite strong showings against President Trump and MAGA-aligned candidates, Democrats have “no credible path” to long-term control of the White House and Senate. Plouffe warns that Electoral College shifts after the next census could make the map even harsher: A Democrat could win every state Harris took, plus Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and still miss 270 electoral votes, he writes. That matters, he says, because sustained power is needed to shape the Supreme Court, which could otherwise drift toward an 8-1 conservative majority over the next decade.

The party’s task, in his telling: Stop coasting on Trump’s unpopularity and rebuild a brand that can win “in politically unforgiving, even hostile, territory.” His prescription is blunt and policy-heavy. Step one: Tie Trump and congressional Republicans to everyday frustrations—prices, wars, economic turbulence—and make them “own everything.” Step two, which he calls harder: Confront how Democrats are perceived and offer a sharply focused agenda that voters see as immediately useful, not ideological. That means simple, easily communicated plans to cut living costs, from housing to child care to home health costs; aggressively build the workforce with needed jobs ( such as nurses, teachers, mechanics, plumbers); and regulate AI before it accelerates job loss, misinformation, and higher energy use.

Plouffe even envisions campaign ads that accuse Republicans of siding with “AI greed” and billionaire tech interests. He also urges Democrats to stop acting like guardians of a distrusted system. He calls for an anti-corruption push—term limits, lifetime lobbying bans, trading restrictions for lawmakers, even reconsidering presidential pardons—and for candidates to openly challenge their own party’s leadership, programs, and red tape. Voters, he argues, want reformers who will “blow the whistle” on broken policies and prove they can spend new tax revenue effectively. Both parties, in his view, are in deep holes. The difference, he says, is that MAGA is stuck as long as Trump dominates it. Democrats, he concludes, have a brief window to move while their opponent can’t. More here.

To me right now they appear they will do what they always do….wimp out!

The big question is will the Dems see the light and go for it or will they hang back looking for more cash from the lobbyists that run the party?

Right now all we have from the Dems is lip service their actions are not at all encouraging.

I say screw them all and primary these twats make them take a stance….if their spines will allow it.

Thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Clowns Go Back To Work

The House is set to return to work and get to fixing the shutdown…….

After a 54-day recess, the House of Representatives is finally getting back to work, convening to vote on a bill aimed at ending the nation’s longest government shutdown. The Senate has already approved the measure, and President Trump has signaled his support, putting the bill on a fast track—if House Republicans can muster the votes. House Speaker Mike Johnson is under pressure to deliver after nearly two months with no legislation, hearings, or debate, as millions of Americans faced shutdown-related disruptions, per the New York Times. The legislation at hand would fund most of the government through Jan. 30, and some departments and programs, including SNAP, through next September, per PBS.

The bill promises to restore jobs and provide back pay for furloughed federal workers. It also provides millions in security for judges, Supreme Court justices, and members of Congress, and some $844 million for military construction, per PBS. As NBC News reports, it also includes a provision to allow senators to sue the federal government if their data is obtained without their knowledge. This would seem to lay the groundwork for eight Republican senators to sue over phone records subpoenaed in 2023 as part of special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the 2021 Capitol attack.

The path to passage isn’t smooth. Republicans hold only a slim majority, and most Democrats are firmly against the bill, citing the absence of a crucial extension for federal health care subsidies. Johnson is relying on Trump’s backing to keep his caucus together, but even a small group of fiscal conservatives could throw up last-minute hurdles. Democrats, meanwhile, are hoping to minimize defections and ramp up pressure on the GOP. Their numbers will grow to 214 (versus 219 Republicans) with the swearing-in of Adelita Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat whose seating Johnson delayed. Action is expected to ramp up late Wednesday afternoon, though it could be slowed further by travel snags—the same ones plaguing the public.

Keep in mind that they got full pay for 54 days with no work.

Will this act help the shutdown be reversed?

History tells us that it is not over until it’s over.

Speaking of history….when did all this silliness begin?  Has it been a ‘thing’ this whole history of the country?

Before the early 1980s, federal agencies simply kept operating when appropriations had expired (known as a funding gap). The agencies minimized all nonessential operations and obligations, believing Congress did not intend for agencies to close down. Some of the activities that agencies would refrain from during this period were hiring, grant-making, and nonemergency travel.

In the 1970s, appropriation legislation started getting tied to contentious policy issues such as abortion and school integration. That caused six funding gaps in fiscal years 1977 to 1980, which ranged in duration from eight to 17 days. In 1980, reacting to those increasingly frequent funding gaps, President Carter asked the United States Attorney General, Benjamin Civiletti, to provide an opinion on how to interpret funding gaps in the context of the Antideficiency Act. The Antideficiency Act prohibits agencies from obligating or expending federal funds before an appropriation is enacted or above the amount specified in law.

Civiletti issued two opinions about the interpretation of the Antideficiency Act in 1980 and 1981, which shifted the norm from government agencies operating with limited capacity. The opinions state that federal agencies may not spend money when there are no appropriations, with a few practical exceptions. One exception is for spending money to close agencies in an orderly way. Another exception is to allow spending when there is a connection between the agency’s functioning and the safety of human life or the protection of property.

So this has not been a ‘thing’ for very long but it does play into the political games that Congress plays.

So the real shutdown has been that of Congress these momentarily lapses are just part of the game Congress plays with our lives.

Earlier shutdowns—Clinton’s fight with Gingrich in 1995, Obama’s battle with House Republicans in 2013, Trump’s 2018 border wall standoff—were disruptive but contained. Agencies furloughed workers, parks closed, markets wobbled, and then the government reopened, usually with a compromise. What makes this shutdown different is what’s at stake: not just funding, but Congress’s very capacity to function as a coequal branch of government.

For years, lawmakers have relied on short-term funding patches instead of passing real budgets. Each delay weakens Congress’s control over spending and strengthens the executive. Now, as some Republicans begin to break ranks, the deeper problem remains: a Congress afraid of blame, a GOP unwilling to confront Trump, and a presidency eager to fill the vacuum.

The real shutdown isn’t confined to darkened federal offices. It’s unfolding inside Congress itself—an institution that has slowly, and perhaps irreversibly, shut down its own ability to govern.

https://thefulcrum.us/governance-legislation/real-shutdown-congress-surrender-power

This silliness is unnecessary and the only thing truly accomplishes is to penalize the population with the hope that it will effect voting in the future.

It is a game played at our expense.

Thoughts?

Peace   Out

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The War May Commence

Donny and his thugs have been attacking boats and killing ‘suspected’ drug runners…..closing in on 20 attacks…..and of course he has thumped his chest and made plans to attack land based installations….the enter Congress to try and stop his insanity and his push for another war we cannot win.

Then the day came and the vote on these plans…..

The Senate narrowly voted down a proposal Thursday that would have required congressional approval before President Trump could launch military operations against Venezuela. The measure, backed largely by Democrats and two Republicans, failed 49-51, marking the second time in a month that lawmakers have tried unsuccessfully to limit the administration’s military actions in Latin America. The resolution was intended to prevent future military moves “within or against” Venezuela as concern has grown that Trump’s anti-cartel campaign could escalate into a broader conflict, Politico reports. “We should not be in war without Congress,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, who introduced the measure, before the vote. The breakdown:

  • Swing votes: Republican Sens. Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski voted yes, as they did for a similar effort last month. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman switched to supporting the resolution after opposing the previous one. The outcome hinged on a handful of undecided Republicans, with Sen. Susan Collins ultimately voting no, providing the decisive margin.
  • No but skeptical: Several Republican senators had it both ways, voting against the measure but expressing doubts or mild opposition, per the AP. Sen. Todd Young said he’s “troubled by many aspects and assumptions of this operation” and thinks it’s at odds with the views of most Americans who want the US military to be less involved in international conflicts. Sen. Thom Tillis said the money going toward the deployment might be better spent at the US-Mexico border against fentanyl trafficking.
  • Military possibilities: Opponents argued that the administration has the authority to target drug trafficking and dismissed the likelihood of an invasion, despite a significant US military buildup in the Caribbean. Trump has suggested there could be strikes against Venezuelan drug gangs and authorized covert CIA activity in the country. GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham argued that President Nicolás Maduro’s government poses an “existential threat” to the US and supported broad presidential authority.
  • The requirements: The War Powers Resolution of 1973 says the president must halt military operations after 60 days unless there’s an authorization from Congress, though a 30-day extension can be requested. Monday marked 60 days since the administration notified Congress of its first strike on a boat it said was carrying drugs, per the Hill. White House officials contended Monday that Trump doesn’t need Congress’s approval to continue the boat strikes because the attacks do not rise to the level of “hostilities” that would require the authorization from Capitol Hill.
  • Administration lobbying: Ahead of the vote, Trump administration officials shared their legal reasoning with select lawmakers in an effort to maintain Republican support, but frustration over the limited transparency persists. Congressional leaders continue to demand fuller briefings on the administration’s plans and legal justifications.

Oh goody!  Another war that we have to finance and commit our people…..why are these Congresspeople so easily moved to send troops to war?

This is ludicrous…..another war without end….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

And The Game Goes On

The governmental shutdown shows no signs of a comprise to return workers to their chores…..plans offered….plans defeated….plans offered…..on the beast goes on….

Efforts to resolve the ongoing government shutdown stalled again on Wednesday, with the Senate rejecting both Democratic and Republican proposals to restore funding. Both parties remain firm in their demands, extending the deadlock that began eight days ago, the Guardian reports. The vote on a stopgap funding bill already approved by the House was 54-45, with no new Democrats in favor, CBS News reports. In the sixth vote on the rival spending bills, the Democrats’ measure also failed to get the necessary 60 votes. Senate Majority Leader John Thune plans to hold a seventh vote on Thursday.

The shutdown has resulted in closed federal offices, shuttered national parks, and thousands of furloughed workers. Remaining federal employees, including military personnel, could soon miss paychecks if the impasse continues. Democrats insist any funding deal must include health care measures, particularly an extension of Affordable Care Act premium tax credits set to expire at the year’s end. Without renewal, roughly 20 million enrollees face higher costs. Republicans favor a short-term funding approach through Nov. 21 with no guarantee of health care provisions.

The situation has led to pointed remarks on both sides. House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed Democrats are “worried about the Marxist flank” in their party and said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is “terrified” of a challenge from the far left, the Guardian reports. Schumer, in turn, argued Republicans are to blame for refusing to negotiate on health care, maintaining that both reopening the government and addressing health costs should happen together. “We can do both: fix health care and reopen the government. This is not an either-or thing, which Republicans are making it,” he said. “The American people don’t like it.

How long will this worthless song and dance continue?

What is this stupidity accomplishing?

You know all this can be avoided all these spineless dicks have to do is sign a continuing resolution and the government keeps going.

This whole affair like all others is nothing more that a political game played by people that have nothing to lose.

It is disgusting and most of all truly pathetic.

But who will get the blame?

Meanwhile, a separate YouGov poll of U.S. adults conducted on Oct. 2 found that 45% think Trump is “very responsible” for causing the shutdown. That’s compared to the 22% who felt the president was not at all responsible.

The figures were similar to sentiments toward congressional Republicans, where 43% of U.S. adults said they were very responsible for causing the shutdown, compared to 19% who said they were not at all responsible. Congressional Democrats fared somewhat better in the early October poll, with 36% saying they were very responsible for the shutdown, while 14% said Democrats were not at all responsible.

(desertsun.com)

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

This Amazing Shutdown–Update

We are in a battle of ideologies which has been the same for decades…..this group is at fault…..that group is unyielding….blah, blah….

But as my usual style I like to keep my readers as up-to-date as I can…..

Twice they tried….twice they failed…..

In what may become a daily occurrence while the government shutdown continues, rival stopgap spending bills were voted down in the Senate on Wednesday. A Democratic proposal to fund the government until Oct. 31 failed in a 53-47 vote, with Republicans united in opposition, the BBC reports. A House-passed Republican proposal to fund the government for seven weeks also failed to advance after a 55-45 vote. Both measures, which needed 60 votes to pass, failed by the same margins Tuesday night, leading to the shutdown at 12:01am. As in Tuesday night’s vote, Democrats Sens. John Fetterman and Catherine Cortez Masto voted for the GOP proposal, as did independent Sen. Angus King, while Republican Sen. Rand Paul voted against it.

There were no signs of a breakthrough that would end the deadlock on Wednesday, the New York Times reports. Both sides blamed each other for the shutdown. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats were “reflecting what the American people really want” with their push for healthcare funding, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune refused to link the issue to keeping the government open. “Everybody’s now asking the question, ‘How does this end?'” he said, per the Times. “It ends when Senate Democrats pick this bill up passed by the House of Representatives and vote for it.”

And true to form the Senate takes a break (but from where I sit they seem to always be on break) and slink off to pout and bitch.

The Senate adjourned for the day on Wednesday with no resolution on how to reopen the government. Blame was being cast on all sides on the first day of the shutdown. A vote to end the government shutdown failed earlier Wednesday, as Democrats in the Senate held firm to the party’s demands to fund health care subsidies that President Trump and other Republican leaders have refused to extend, the AP reports.

  • At issue are tax credits that have made health insurance through the Affordable Care Act more affordable for millions of people since the COVID-19 pandemic. The credits are set to expire at the end of the year if Congress doesn’t extend them—which would more than double what subsidized enrollees currently pay for health insurance premiums, according to a KFF analysis.
  • Republicans including Vice President JD Vance accused Democrats of holding government services “hostage” and said they would be willing to talk about extending the credits, but only after the shutdown ended. “Let’s reopen the government before we have our negotiation about health care policy,” Vance said Wednesday, per the Washington Post.
  • Senate Majority Leader John Thune says that his message for senators trying to cobble together a bipartisan solution for funding the government is “when you have critical mass, come and talk to me.” That means any bipartisan fix will need support from at least eight Democrats. Thune gave no sign a negotiation was happening among leaders and appeared resigned to allowing the funding bill to sit in the Senate for at least several days, the AP reports.
  • Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska confirmed Wednesday that he is part of a group of GOP senators working on a plan to extend the subsidies, Politico reports. He said that talks have been ongoing for weeks and that the group’s proposals are not being raised in negotiations to end the shutdown.
  • The New York Times reports that the administration moved to “maximize the pain” of the shutdown for Democrats on Wednesday, with officials preparing for mass layoffs and moving to halt or cancel $26 billion in funding for projects in Democratic-led states.
  • On video screens in the White House briefing room, the Trump administration played videos depicting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a sombrero. One of the deepfake videos, which had been shared by Trump on social media and were widely condemned as racist, began playing on monitors in the briefing room Wednesday afternoon. One deepfake video has Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer implying that Democrats seek to give free health care to immigrants in the country illegally while Jeffries, standing beside him, is depicted as wearing a Mexican sombrero and fake mustache. A second video, showing a clip of Jeffries condemning the first as “disgusting,” again depicts him that way, with an all-Trump mariachi band playing behind him.
  • Vance played down the videos at the briefing Wednesday, the Washington Post reports. “The president is joking, and we’re having a good time,” he said, adding that if Jeffries helps “reopen the government, the sombrero memes will stop.” In a post on X, Jeffries said, “JD Vance thinks we will surrender to the Republican effort to gut healthcare because of a Sombrero meme. Not happening Bro.” He shared a meme of his own superimposing an image of Vance with a fat head and curly, long hair on a video of him in the briefing room earlier.

This is where the saga ends for the day…..accusations, pouting, and bitching…..all things Congress does exceptionally well.

Stay tuned there is more to come….more antics, more accusations and more fun for us analysts.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Not Everyone Will Be A Loser

It is official we have ourselves a shutdown…..people will work without pay, checks may be slow in coming and other services will be impacted….but there is one group that will continue doing what they do with no fear of losing income….

The first government shutdown since December 2018 is now in effect, meaning hundreds of thousands of employees are furloughed, and many more “essential” workers must clock in without pay. (The New York Times has a detailed visual breakdown here.) One group that will keep getting paid if the shutdown drags on? Congress. That’s thanks to the Constitution, which locks in congressional salaries—congressmen are currently paid $174,000, more if they’re in leadership—and keeps the money coming even if the rest of government grinds to a halt.

Not everyone on Capitol Hill is comfortable with that setup. Some lawmakers, like Democratic Sen. Andy Kim and GOP Reps. Kat Cammack and Rob Bresnahan, have publicly asked that their pay be withheld during the shutdown. But NBC News reports not everyone is following their lead. “I’m not wealthy, and I have three kids. I would basically be missing, you know, mortgage payments, rent payments, child support,” Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego told the network. The president gets paid as well during a shutdown, though President Trump donated his salary during his first term and says he intends to do so again this time around.

So the do-nothing Congress will continue to roll in the cash…..why is that?

These people have done very little substantive work in decades and it is their fault that the shutdown occurred then why should they be exempt from the consequences?

I say screw them!  Let them go without income until they find an answer to this silliness.  They should feel any pain that they inflicted on the people….they will not but it is a thought for a later day.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Time Has Run Out

It is here the sands finally ran out of of the hourglass and the dreaded governmental shutdown is now in the record books.

With the shutdown what can we expect to see from our government….

Plunged into a government shutdown, the US is confronting a fresh cycle of uncertainty after President Trump and Congress failed to strike an agreement to keep government programs and services running by Wednesday’s deadline, the AP reports. Roughly 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed, some potentially fired by the Trump administration. Many offices will be shuttered, perhaps permanently, as Trump vows to “do things that are irreversible, that are bad” as retribution. His deportation agenda is expected to run full speed ahead, while education, environmental, and other services sputter. The economic fallout is expected to ripple nationwide. “We don’t want it to shut down,” Trump said at the White House before the midnight deadline.

But the president, who met privately with congressional leadership this week, appeared unable to negotiate any deal between Democrats and Republicans to prevent that outcome. The AP previously published a look at what to expect:

  • Most Department of Homeland Security employees would continue to work, because much of the department’s workforce is connected to law enforcement or works in areas funded by user fees as opposed to Congressional appropriations.
  • Medicare and Medicaid programs and services will also continue uninterrupted, though staffing shortages could mean delays for some services, like the mailing of Medicare cards. The government has enough money to fund Medicaid for the first quarter of the next fiscal year, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Also, eligible states will continue receiving payments from the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP.
  • The National Park Service has not said whether it will close its more than 400 sites across the US to visitors. Park officials said Tuesday afternoon that contingency plans were still being updated and would be posted to the service’s website.
  • While FEMA’s core disaster relief functions would not be affected, at least in the short term, other aspects of the agency’s work would be impacted. Some grant approvals would be paused, and no new policies could be written under the National Flood Insurance Program, halting new mortgages that require flood insurance. Still, an extended shutdown could, in a worst-case scenario, exhaust FEMA’s existing Disaster Relief Fund, which stands at about $10 billion.
  • Air traffic controllers already certified and on the job would be among the essential workers who would continue during any shutdown but their pay could be affected. A shutdown could also set back the multibillion-dollar effort to overhaul and modernize air traffic control equipment.
  • At the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half the agency’s workers will be furloughed. Those still working include people who deal with infectious disease outbreaks and care for research animals and maintain laboratories. Federal officials said CDC would continue to monitor disease outbreaks.
  • Research and patient care at the National Institutes of Health would be upended, with about 75% of the staff furloughed. Patients currently enrolled in studies at the research-only hospital will continue to receive care during a government shutdown. Additional sick patients hoping for access to experimental therapies can’t enroll except in special circumstances, and no new studies will begin. Scientists face the prospect of costly laboratory research going to waste because most of the sprawling campus of the nation’s premier medical research agency will empty out.
  • Most of the Food and Drug Administration’s core responsibilities would continue, including responding to public health threats and managing product recalls and drug shortages. Some routine activities, including previously scheduled inspections of company manufacturing plants, will be halted. But the agency will continue to conduct inspections when it has reason to suspect a problem that could endanger consumers.
  • The State Department expects to furlough more than half of its remaining direct-hire personnel in the US, although embassies and consulates abroad will remain open and provide services to American citizens.
  • The Environmental Protection Agency says a contingency plan for a possible government shutdown would leave more than 10% of its staff in place to handle “significant agency activities” that are required by law or necessary to protect life and property.

That will give you an idea of what will continue working and what will be limited……

How long will this remain in effect?

What games will be played?

Stay tuned.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”