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Monday, September 25, 2023

Speaker McCarthy Lays Out Plan to GOP to Avoid Government Shutdown

Wall Street Journal: With a shutdown set for Oct. 1 unless Congress acts, the plan marks a last-ditch effort by Republicans to find a way forward. If no deal is reached, hundreds of thousands of federal workers are set to be furloughed. McCarthy laid out the path forward in a GOP conference call. The House is expected on Tuesday to vote on a rule establishing the parameters for debate on a defense-spending bill, a bill funding the Homeland Security Department, one funding the State Department and another funding agricultural priorities. After that, McCarthy is expected to focus on a short-term spending deal ranging from two weeks to two months to keep the government funded while negotiations continue (Wall Street Journal). Fox News: House Republican negotiators are warning rebels within their own party that they are “empowering” Democrats as lawmakers scramble for a deal to fund the government in time to avoid a partial shutdown. With just one spending bill out of 12 having passed the House, leaders have acknowledged that a stopgap solution is needed to extend past the Sept. 30 deadline. But multiple GOP proposals seeking to cut government spending and enhance border security in a stopgap bill, technically known as a continuing resolution (CR), have failed to get enough support in the Republican conference. Several holdouts have refused to support a CR on principle, no matter what riders are attached, arguing that it would just be an extension of the previous Democrat-controlled Congress’ policies (Fox News).

Biden Administration Lays Groundwork to Fund Ukraine if Government Shuts Down

Fox News: Republicans are voicing outrage after the Pentagon confirmed it would shield its operations to support the war in Ukraine from any potential U.S. government shutdown. As the Sept. 30 deadline looms for lawmakers to reach a deal on funding the government, the Department of Defense (DOD) said its activities in support of Ukraine’s military would be exempt from any potential shutdown. Republicans lashed out at the plan on social media, saying it unfairly prioritizes Ukrainians over Americans (Fox News). Rep Tom Tiffany (R-WI): The Biden administration thinks funding the protection of Ukraine’s border is more “essential” than our own (X). Congressman Michael Cloud (R-TX): I don’t know who the Biden regime is working for, but it’s quite obviously not for the American people (X).

Gavin Newsom Vetoes Bill Allowing Judges to Consider if Parents Affirm the Child’s Gender Identity in Custody Battles

Daily Wire: In a surprise move, Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) vetoed a bill that would have allowed judges to consider whether a parent “affirms” a child’s “gender identity” among other factors during custody battles. In his veto message, Newsom said that the bill might be used to limit the “civil rights of vulnerable minorities,” saying that judges in California were already supposed to look at parental “affirmation” during determinations of child safety. The bill had drawn backlash from advocates who said that parents could lose custody of a child if they don’t agree with a child’s claims to be transgender (Daily Wire). National Review: Newsom said in a statement late Friday night he appreciates “the passion and values” of Democratic assembly member Lori Wilson for authoring the bill. Wilson expressed her disappointment. “I am extremely disappointed. I know the Governor’s record. He’s been a champion for the LGBTQ+ community for years and even before it was popular to do so,” Wilson said in a statement. “However, on this point, the Governor and I disagree on the best way to protect kids.” She added her bill was intended “to give the trans community a voice, particularly in the family court system where a non-affirming parent could have a detrimental impact on the mental health and well-being of a child.” Democratic state senator Scott Wiener, who co-authored the bill, also called out Newsom for rejecting it (National Review).

As People Call for Senator Menendez to Resign Amid Indictment, He Plays the Race Card

National Review: Senator Robert Menendez (D., N.J.), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was indicted on corruption charges by federal prosecutors on Friday morning in a Manhattan court in an influence-peddling scheme involving Egypt. The unsealed indictment revealed that Menendez’s wife, Nadine, New Jersey real estate mogul Fred Daibes, and two other business associates are being charged alongside the lawmaker. Led by Southern District of New York attorney Damian Williams, in June 2022, investigators conducted a search of Menendez’s residence in New Jersey and found $100,000 worth of gold bars, nearly half a million dollars in cash, “much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe,” and a brand new Mercedes-Benz C-300 convertible (National Review). Reporter David Wildstein: Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ): Andy Kim says that Bob Menendez should resign from the U.S. Senate. He’s the first major Democrat to say anything (X). Reporter Frank Thorp V: Sen Menendez responds to calls for his resignation w/ new stmt: “It is not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat. I am not going anywhere” (X).

Americans Claim They are Worse Off Under President Biden

Washington Examiner: While President Joe Biden continues to tout his economic plan and highlight job growth rates and a decline in inflation, 44% of Americans believe they are worse off financially under his administration. Biden’s approval rating for his performance on the economy sits at 30%. Americans are still largely skeptical of Biden’s performance. Biden has focused his reelection campaign on his infrastructure investments and creating new climate jobs. 56% disapprove of his job performance, while just 37% approve. Former President Donald Trump has more intraparty support, with 54% of Republicans favoring him for the GOP nomination, while 43% would prefer another candidate. In comparison, Biden is struggling to gather support in his own party, with 33% of Democrats favoring him and 62% prefer someone else for the nomination (Washington Examiner). RNC Research: ABC POLL: “People aren’t buying Bidenomics.” “74% of the country — that’s about three-quarters of Americans — say the economy is either not so good or downright poor” (X).

Inflation will be Tough to Tame Without Further Unemployment

CNN: US inflation is now much slower than last summer’s red-hot pace, but it’s not guaranteed it will drift all the way down to the Federal Reserve’s 2% target without a sharp rise in unemployment. That possibility remains unlikely. Defeating inflation without throwing millions of Americans out of work — a scenario known as a “soft landing” — has always been the Fed’s “primary objective,” according to Fed Chair Jerome Powell last week. And the US economy’s surprising resilience, despite 11 rate hikes, has raised hopes of a soft landing becoming a reality. But there are many uncertainties and economic headwinds on the horizon, including banks toughening their lending standards and the resumption of student loan payments only a few weeks away. Even Powell himself expressed some skepticism when describing the likelihood of a soft landing during his remarks Wednesday after Fed officials voted to hold interest rates steady at a 22-year high (CNN). RNC Research: When Biden took office, inflation was 1.4% and gas was $2.39/gal. Today, inflation is 3.7% and gas is $3.84/gal (X).

Biden Circumvents Congress to Bring Financial Sector to Adopt ESG Policies

Washington Examiner: Congress has not voted to force the financial sector to adopt net-zero emissions investing regulations, but thanks to the magic of modern corporatism, that’s what the Treasury Department did this week. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen insisted that the nine “Principles for Net-Zero Financing & Investment” were voluntary… Yellen knows that many U.S. corporations have been manipulated by investment firms to adopt net-zero emissions policies. Now all the Treasury has to do is release “voluntary” guidelines on how corporations should implement their policies, and voila: by colluding together, the Treasury Department and the corporate elite have created carbon regulations enforceable through shareholder lawsuits that they never could pass through Congress (Washington Examiner). National Review: West Virginia treasurer Riley Moore denounced the move as “yet another attempt by the Biden Administration to use command-and-control central planning tactics to implement the Green New Deal policies that are repeatedly rebuked in Congress” (National Review).

Russia Foreign Minister Claims the West is "directly at war" with Moscow

UPI: The United States is “directly at war” with Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Saturday. He had been asked at what point would the U.S. be at war with Russia as opposed to being described as a “proxy conflict.” “There are legal norms pursuant to which a country is identified as being a direct party to hostilities and Western countries are doing everything possible to avoid them, not to mention them,” Lavrov said. “They are effectively engaged in hostilities with us using the Ukrainians as fodder.” Lavrov said that those who are following developments in the war can “know perfectly well that the Americans and the British and many others are engaged in hostilities.” Lavrov pointed to the billions of dollars worth of weapons provided to Ukraine as well as the training of Ukrainian military instructors “in Poland, Germany, and the United Kingdom” as evidence of U.S. involvement in the war (UPI). Insider: Earlier this month, the Biden administration announced an additional $600 million aid package to be sent to Ukraine’s front lines, including a resupply of HIMARS ammunition and, for the first time, depleted uranium tank rounds (Insider).

Border Patrol Releases Record-Breaking Number of Encounters at the Border in August

Washington Examiner: More than 300,000 immigrants attempted to enter the United States unlawfully or were paroled during August, surpassing all national records and spelling a catastrophe for the Biden administration that claimed its sweeping policy reforms were working. The 304,162 is between five and 10 times higher than the average monthly totals seen during the Obama and Trump administrations. At the southern border, 181,059 immigrants were arrested after walking around the ports of entry and crossing into the U.S. Approximately 74,000 of that number were single adults, 19,000 arrived with a family member, and 13,500 were unaccompanied children (Washington Examiner). Daily Wire: At the same time as crossings remain high, the Biden administration has reportedly flown over 200,000 illegal immigrants to airports throughout the U.S. and the administration continues to push for more legal immigration from countries where many of the illegal immigrants are currently coming from (Daily Wire).

10.

Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona Claims the Government, Not Parents, Knows What is Best for Children

Daily Mail: US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona called out American parents who he said are ‘misbehaving in public’ and acting as though they ‘know what’s right for kids,’ adding that he doesn’t have much respect for them. In a sit-down interview with the Associated Press, Cardona commented on the state of education in the US, including the recent decision by the Supreme Court to ban race-based admissions and the president’s attempt to relieve student debt. Furious backlash to Cardona’s comments was immediate as crowds online took them to mean he was firing at the parents who spoke up at school board meetings across the country to limit COVID-19 mandates, and ban critical race theory and sexually explicit books from their children’s school libraries (Daily Mail). Collin Rugg: Biden’s Education Secretary Miguel Cardona says the government, not parents, knows what’s best for children and says he is tired of parents “misbehaving in public.” They’re coming for your kids and don’t even care to hide it. Cardona went as far to say that the government was “fighting for kids” and parents aren’t. “There is a team that is fighting for kids and a team that is fighting against kids” (X).