Welcome to Tuesday, December 8th, caffeinated and decaffeinated...

President Trump said he is “2 and 0” in election wins and criticized the U.S. for being “like a third world country” as he continues to promote unsubstantiated claims that the election was fraudulent.

Trump made the remarks while presenting wrestler Dan Gable with the Medal of Freedom at the White House Monday.

“He won 117 consecutive matches and lost only one, well you know in politics I won two, so I’m 2 and 0, and that’s pretty good too, but we’ll see how that turns out."

Speaking to reporters after the event, Trump again floated conspiracy theories about Dominion Voting system changing ballots, glitches in election-related software, and magically-appearing votes.

Do you believe the election is, as Trump has said, 'far from over'?

Authorizing $740 Billion in Military Spending

Today, the House will vote on H.R. 6395: a bill amended by Congress to serve as the bipartisan conference report for the fiscal year 2021 defense authorization package.

Those in favor argue Congress’s foremost constitutional duty is to provide for the nation's defense. While this bipartisan bill is a compromise, it will strengthen the military at a time when global threats are increasing and funding is hard to come by.

Those opposed say the U.S. shouldn’t be spending $740 billion on national defense, an amount significantly outpacing America’s most significant rivals. A smaller military would free up funding for other priorities.

How do you want your reps voting?

Avoiding a Partial Shutdown & Coronavirus Relief

Congress convenes this week facing a deadline of midnight Friday to enact legislation funding the government and avoid a partial shutdown from occurring. It’s unclear whether that will take the form of a short-term continuing resolution (CR) or a larger omnibus package that funds the government for the remainder of fiscal year 2021. 

Members are also hoping to finalize a coronavirus relief package before the lame-duck session ends. Additionally, Congress is expected to approve the annual defense authorization bill this week (see above).

As of Sunday, lawmakers haven’t finalized the legislative text of legislation to fund the government or a COVID-19 deal, although negotiations on both fronts are expected to continue. 

How do you feel about this week’s congressional schedule?

And, in the End…

Tinsel up for National Christmas Tree Day.

The National Christmas Tree is currently surrounded by the "America Celebrates" display, which showcases one-of-a-kind ornaments hand-crafted by Americans in every U.S. state, territory, and the District of Columbia. 

Regular readers of the IT (hi, Mom), know I unabashedly love insects and animals, so while you can see all of the ornaments here, my favorites include:

For those of you putting up Christmas Trees, may they be free from meddling cats,

—Josh Herman

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