And stepping on each other's toes

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The Protecting Our Democracy Act (PODA) was just re-introduced in the House yesterday, and it deserves serious attention from both sides of the aisle. PODA aims to prevent presidential abuses of power, stamp out corruption by requiring presidents to release their tax returns, keep the Department of Justice independent and protect it from undue presidential influence, and strengthen congressional oversight, among many other needed reforms. Donald Trump may have tested our system like no other, but both Democratic and Republican presidents have pushed boundaries and flouted the law while in office. Reining in executive power and enforcing greater congressional oversight should be a bipartisan priority, regardless of who is in the White House. It is imperative that Congress pass PODA to protect and strengthen our democracy. —Mike Brand, Advocacy Director, Stand Up Republic

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** Can these two play nice?
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They have to. Unless they want a big debt problem on their hands. Last night, the House voted along party lines to pass legislation to prevent a government shutdown at the end of the month and to suspend the nation's borrowing limit. Government funding is set to expire on Sept. 30, but the stopgap bill would extend funding and keep the government open through Dec. 3. In addition, the measure includes a debt limit suspension through Dec. 16, 2022, and provides $28.6 billion in disaster relief funding and $6.3 billion to assist Afghanistan evacuees. The vote sets up a showdown with Republicans, who insist Democrats should act alone to stave off a looming debt crisis.—CNN ([link removed])
* — "Democrats do not need our help." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell did not take the bait. After Democrats effectively dared him to vote for the U.S. to default on its debt, McConnell held the Republican line, saying the GOP would not vote for any legislation that raises the debt limit. Republican lawmakers have said they want Democrats to go it alone, citing their "irresponsible spending" on a $3.5 trillion social-spending bill. —Insider ([link removed])
*
* — "The debt limit is a shared responsibility." Democrats argue that Republicans lifted the debt ceiling multiple times during the Trump Administration, and the national debt grew by nearly $8 trillion under the former president. The nation's ability to borrow and pay its bills is necessary to cover spending obligations that Congress has already approved. A country in default would cause a domino effect of bad scenarios. They have eight days to sort it all out. —Newsweek ([link removed])
*
* — Nancy's other headache. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi doesn't just have Republicans to contend with, as Democratic factions are fighting amongst themselves. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, says that roughly half of her group will vote against the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure proposal if Pelosi sticks to her plan to vote on it by Monday without a finalized budget reconciliation bill. On the flip side, centrist Democrats are questioning the size and scope of the $3.5 trillion economic package. Good luck with that, Madam Speaker. —CNN ([link removed])

MORE: What happens if Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling? What you need to know about the showdown between Democrats and Republicans —CBS News ([link removed])


** 'We'll get it under control'
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Fresh off the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, President Biden is facing a crisis at the southern border, and he's being criticized for it by both sides. Democrats have sharply rebuked the administration for its handling of an influx of Haitian migrants, after images of Border Patrol agents on horseback using aggressive tactics went viral this week. They're also calling on the administration to end its use of a pandemic-imposed authority to deport migrants without giving them a chance to seek asylum. Immigration hawks on the other side are condemning border policies they say are too lax. Thousands of the Haitian migrants who've been camped in the border town of Del Rio, Texas, are being released into the U.S., according to two officials, undercutting the administration's public statements that the migrants faced immediate expulsion. —Associated Press ([link removed])

MORE: Texas governor approves miles-long steel barrier of police vehicles to deter the more than 8,000 migrants in Del Rio —CNN ([link removed])


** Rubin: Will the GOP stand up for the separation of powers?
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"We will see whether Republicans, who used to support executive restraint, will support tough reforms when a Democrat is in the White House, or instead will resist installing guardrails to corral a president unwilling to abide by long-standing norms—as though in anticipation of a Republican president's return. The expectation that Republicans will try to nix many of the proposals simply because the disgraced former president would not like them (or because some Trump-lite figure would bristle at restraints), says everything that voters need to know about a broken party that decided long ago that democratic norms and institutional integrity are for suckers." —Jennifer Rubin in ([link removed]) The Washington Post ([link removed])

Jennifer Rubin is an attorney and political opinion columnist at
The Washington Post.

MORE: Charlie Sykes: Why sane Republicans are purging themselves —Politico ([link removed])


** 'We intend to push back hard and fast'
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They aren't messing around. The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol is preparing to issue immediate subpoenas to witnesses whom the panel expects to resist cooperation. "In some cases, we're making requests we think will be complied with," Rep. Adam Schiff, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, said yesterday. "In other cases, we're going straight to subpoenas where we think we're dealing with recalcitrant witnesses." Considering the frequent non-response to some recent congressional probes, when committees gave potential witnesses weeks to voluntarily comply before issuing subpoenas, it makes sense. Schiff declined to identify specific witnesses who may fall into the straight-to-subpoena category, but we have a few guesses. Stay tuned. — ([link removed]) Politico ([link removed])

MORE: Trump campaign knew lawyers' Dominion claims were baseless, memo shows —The New York Times ([link removed])
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** Spencer: The false flag of 'election reform'
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"Much of the criticism levied at these [new state election reform] bills has focused on the ways that they aim to restrict voters from casting ballots in 2022 and beyond. Perhaps of equal import are the ways that these bills aim to restrict election administrators from doing their job in 2022 and beyond. Some of these bills seek to minimize the authority of election administrators—people whose job depends on getting the vote count right—and expand the authority of elected officials—people whose job depends on winning the vote." —Doug Spencer in The Regulatory Review ([link removed])

Doug Spencer is an associate professor of law at the University of Colorado.

MORE: Disinformation may be the new normal, election officials fear —The Pew Charitable Trusts ([link removed])


** Focus on national security
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The Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan and the ongoing border crisis are two national security threats the nation's intelligence and law enforcement agencies are taking very seriously. Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid testified before the Senate Homeland Security Committee yesterday, when they were closely questioned about the changing risks faced by the nation. ([link removed])
* — "We are concerned about what the future holds." According to Abizaid, evolving threats from Afghanistan represent the center's "absolute top priority," as terror groups like ISIS-K move to fill the void left by the U.S. withdrawal. Mayorkas, hammered by Republicans over the surge of Haitian migrants on the Texas border, said authorities have cut the numbers from 15,000 to 10,000 by increasing repatriation flights to Haiti and moving others to processing centers at other locations. —USA Today ([link removed])
*
* — "We have prioritized that threat at a national threat priority level." Wray testified that the FBI's domestic terrorism caseload had "exploded," in particular with cases involving racially or ethnically motivated crimes. "Since the spring of 2020, so for the past 16, 18 months or so, we have more than doubled our domestic terrorism caseload from about 1,000 to around 2,700 investigations," he said. Wray stressed that the use of social media has transformed domestic terrorism and helped connect those who previously might not have posed a threat. —The Hill ([link removed])

1. — On that note… Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chair Gary Peters is demanding that Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube provide information regarding their policies surrounding mitigating extremist content on their platforms. Earlier this week, he wrote to each platform's CEO, noting, "Online platforms continue to be used to fundraise, recruit, organize, train, and plan for acts of domestic terrorism." —The Hill ([link removed])

MORE: Military could better tackle extremism in the ranks with existing programs, report suggests —Military.com ([link removed])


** Leach: The business case for democracy
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"A strong private sector requires a stable government that is firmly rooted in a consistent, transparent, and inclusive democratic process. Every day, the nation's elected officials make decisions that can make or break the fortunes of business owners, especially small businesses. … Uncertainty in the political system, on the other hand, creates risk and instability—something any financial analyst can tell you is detrimental to economic success. Onerous barriers to voting lead many Americans to question the workability and fairness of our representative system. These layers of doubt create an unstable environment in which businesses and lending institutions become hesitant to invest and reluctant to say yes to new opportunities they may deem too risky in uncertain times. … Strengthening access to, and faith in, the electoral system is more than a matter of principle—it's an economic imperative." —Randell Leach in
([link removed]) Forbes ([link removed])

Randell Leach is a corporate entrepreneur and the CEO of Beneficial State Bank.

MORE: Rep. Chellie Pingree: Americans must defend democracy at the ballot box —Portland Press Herald ([link removed])

Talking about electoral reforms that work, how about a nonpartisan Congress? This way the members would have to stand on their records and realize their duty is to their constituents. —John C., Florida

I couldn't miss the probably unintended pun in the article on "The high cost of Covid incompetence":

"...under Republican leaders in red states, there are too many needless ['needleless'] deaths." —Read G., Utah

Fran W. from Virginia is right: Trump feeds on attention. But his weakness is that when anyone confronts him about his mental health—narcissism, chronic anger, neediness, paranoia, tantrums, etc.—he loses it. So perhaps the best way to silence him is for journalists to relentlessly question him about his mental health. —Tim P., New Mexico

Any discussion about the need or merits of congressional subpoenas is a fool's errand, because Congress has failed to use the enforcement power afforded by our Constitution. —Wane D., California
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** The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.
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