GOVERNMENT FUNDING
On Wednesday, December 9, the House voted to pass a short-term spending bill. This bill (a “continuing resolution,” or “CR”) funds the government for another week, since funding for most government departments and agencies was otherwise set to expire this weekend. Congress will return to Washington next week to pass yet another spending bill.
If you think this is a terrible way of funding the government, you’re not alone. Congress has known about the funding deadline for a year — so why has it taken them this long to act? And why are we simply kicking the can down the road, a week at a time?
Short-term CRs are an extremely poor solution to congressional procrastination. I hope that congressional leadership — of both parties — will refocus their priorities in the 117th Congress. It’s shameful that families across America can make a budget and stick to it, but Congress cannot.
CANNABIS RESEARCH
Though the NDAA and the short-term spending bill were both missed opportunities, this week had at least one bright spot. On Wednesday, H.R. 3797 — a bill to streamline and reduce burdensome restrictions on cannabis research — passed the House with broad, bipartisan support. This important legislation, which I am proud to have co-sponsored, brings us one step closer to unlocking new cures and innovative treatments.
When I first began serving in Congress, very few people seemed to be interested cannabis reform. With two large-scale bills on the subject passed in the last two weeks, it seems like the House is finally taking it seriously!
ARE YOU LISTENING?
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GAETZ IN THE NEWS
Harvard Political Review — December 11, 2020
New Republicanism
In short, the Republican institution has been silent for too long on climate. This complacency over the years has allowed Democrats to control the narrative through radical programs like the Green New Deal, and it will only continue hemorrhaging young voters away from the GOP. But now is the opportunity to course correct. Detecting shifting winds earlier this year, Republican leaders like Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida declared “climate denial is a bad political strategy” and Rep. Dan Crenshaw acknowledged “it’s absolutely true a lot of people have concerns about the environment, and we do need a message for them.”
The Daily Caller — December 10, 2020
Matt Gaetz: If Swalwell Can Say His Sex Life Is Classified, ‘Bill Clinton Is Probably Kicking Himself’ Wishing He’d Said That
Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz commented Thursday on how Eric Swalwell has pleaded national security concerns when asked if his relationship with an accused Chinese spy was sexual, saying former President Bill Clinton is probably wishing he’d thought of that. “[Swalwell] also said that his sex life was classified. I know somewhere Bill Clinton is probably kicking himself saying ‘why didn’t I think of that when people started asking about my romantic follies,’” Gaetz told “Fox & Friends.”
Townhall — December 10, 2020
Republicans Must Defend the Right to Party
Last week, the New York Young Republicans held our 108th Annual Gala with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and journalist James O’Keefe in what may have been the most controversial event in our history. We had to fight through a labyrinth of busybodies, from power-crazed bureaucrats to fake news hacks to weak-willed conservatives to surly left-wing agitators and everything in between, just to have our event and celebrate freedom in the United States of America. We had to shuffle our venue, and we found new keynote speakers on the fly. It became a challenge to us. Regardless of the circumstances, we were going to have our party. Not just because we wanted to have some drinks and let off some steam, but because the American spirit cannot be deterred by the sorriest and most pathetic among us.
Los Angeles Times — December 9, 2020
Looking for an issue to unite a divided nation? That would be marijuana
“The federal government has lied to the people of this country about marijuana for a generation,” declared Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, the only Republican co-sponsor of the bill. “We have seen a generation — particularly of Black and brown youth — locked up for offenses that should not have resulted in any incarceration whatsoever.”
Newsweek — December 8, 2020
Why is the NDAA Trying to Keep Us in Afghanistan?
The last time the United States Congress debated and voted on authorizing U.S. military force, the year was 2002. The world was a very different place at that time. George W. Bush was President of the United States; Ashanti had one of the most popular songs on the airwaves; and Frasier was still on television. The U.S. has been militarily involved in at least eight countries since that time, from Pakistan and Afghanistan to Syria and Niger. Yet with the exception of a few lawmakers such as Ro Khanna, Matt Gaetz, Bernie Sanders and Rand Paul, Congress as an institution has been largely content with avoiding the tough votes on war and peace while critiquing the policy within the safe confines of the peanut gallery.
WHAT WE’RE READING
Daily Caller — December 9, 2020
Michigan State Rep Who Threatened Trump Supporters Stripped Of Committee Assignments
Rebel News — December 9, 2020
SECRET MILITARY DOCUMENTS: Trudeau invited Chinese troops to train at Canadian military bases
NBC News — December 9, 2020
Federal Trade Commission calls for breakup of Facebook
Okaloosa Schools — December 10, 2020
Boeing Awards Grant to Okaloosa Schools for C.O.D.E. Initiative
Forbes — December 8, 2020
Elon Musk Confirms He’s Moving From California To Texas
Breitbart News — December 7, 2020
Texas Sues Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin at Supreme Court over Election Rules
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