|
John:
Good afternoon from Capitol Hill,
This week the Senate turns its attention to confirmation hearings for nominees for Trump’s cabinet. All eyes will be on Pete Hegseth, whose nomination hearing to be Secretary of Defense starts Tuesday morning. While the media has spent airtime on allegations of sexual misconduct, Republican senators have increasingly recognized the allegations as spurious. Sen. Barrasso recently said that he “certainly has the qualities that we need to lead the Pentagon." Senators who have been briefed on Hegseth’s FBI background check called it “unremarkable.”
Other notable nominees with hearings this week include Pam Bondi for Attorney General, Kristi Noem for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Doug Collins for Veterans Affairs Secretary, Marco Rubio for Secretary of State, and John Ratcliffe for CIA Director.
The Senate is also set to vote on amendments and the final passage of S.5, The Laken Riley Act, after voting to proceed with the bill last week. The bill would allow ICE to detain illegal immigrants arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. Democrats are expected to propose amendments related to DACA recipients. Even though the House passed H.R. 29, also titled the Laken Riley Act, which is nearly identical to S. 5, they would need to vote again on the Senate-passed version, whether it is amended or not. Republicans hope to have the bill ready for Trump to sign as soon as he takes office.
Across the country, wildfires continue to decimate Los Angeles. State and local leaders have received backlash for their water management and DEI policies at the fire department. LAFD Assistant Chief Kristine Larson sparked outrage on social media when she said that people want a firefighter who looks like them and that if a man needs to be carried out of a burning house, it’s his fault for being in that position.
Liberal politicians across the country are rightfully taking heat for prioritizing social issues over responsible forest management. Despite 151 left-wing members voting against it, the House passed H.R. 7890, the Fix Our Forests Act, last year. The bill would have streamlined processes that affect forest management, increased funding for the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies, and increased research on wildfire prevention, among other efforts to protect forests nationwide. Senator Chuck Schumer never brought it to the floor for a vote.
Continuing his pattern of last-minute executive orders and agency actions to bolster his failed legacy, President Joe Biden has extended temporary deportation protections in an attempt to prevent President-elect Trump from fulfilling his campaign promise to end the border and illegal immigration crisis. This extension protects over 900,000 immigrants in the United States with work permits from El Salvador, Sudan, Ukraine, and Venezuela for a period of 18 months.
The Latest from Around the Conservative Movement
One More Thing
A list of all the Senate Confirmation Hearings Scheduled for This Week
Sincerely,
AJ Swinson, Senior Government Relations Coordinator
Babs Hough, Deputy Director of Government Relations
|
