Tag: Kevin McCarthy

Decade After Tea Party Movement, Conservatives Still Unable to Meaningfully Cut Debt

Just the News
Tea Party Protest

As President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” moves toward a final vote in the House, conservative budget hawks are livid that it largely fails to offer spending cuts to their satisfaction, marking the latest in a long line of punts for the House GOP that has repeatedly vowed to address the national debt.

Republicans have long campaigned on addressing the debt, with the Tea Party movement notching historic election wins under President Barack Obama. In 2010, Republicans won control of the House and reduced the Democratic majority in the Senate. Yet, even when Trump first took office, Congress did not pass a balanced budget. 

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Winsome Earle-Sears Raises over $3 Million for Governor Campaign, Including $50,000 from Kevin McCarthy

Tom Pappert
Winsome Earle Sears

Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears on Wednesday reportedly announced raising more than $3 million for her gubernatorial campaign, including one donation of $50,000 from the campaign committee belonging to former Representative Kevin McCarthy.

In the four months since Earle-Sears announced her campaign last September, the lieutenant governor has reportedly raised more than $3 million, with Virginia Scope reporting a spokesman for the candidate said the campaign is “in full-swing” with a “rush of grassroots and financial support” leaving Earle-Sears “in a position of great strength” as Virginia begins its gubernatorial campaign season.

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Georgia U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter Says Ousting Speaker Mike Johnson Could Jeopardize Trump Admin’s First 100 Days

Tom Pappert
Rep. Buddy Carter

U.S. Representative Buddy Carter (R-GA-01) endorsed House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA-04) to retain his leadership position on Thursday, arguing a protracted battle to select the next Speaker of the House could jeopardize the ability of President-elect Donald Trump to enact his political agenda within his first 100 days in office.

Carter endorsed Johnson and made the remarks about Trump’s first 100 days, which are historically considered a “honeymoon period” for incoming presidents, during an appearance on “Mornings with Maria.”

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Speaker Mike Johnson Wants Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene ‘More Involved’ with House GOP After ‘Productive Meeting’

Tom Pappert
Speaker Mike Johnson, Rep. Margorie Taylor Greene

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly said Tuesday that he wants Representative Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA-14) to become “more involved” with the House Republicans on the heels of a “productive meeting” the two shared last week.

According to journalist Jordain Carney, who reports for German-owned Politico, Johnson told reporters on Tuesday that he and Greene discussed her role in the next Congress during a meeting held last week.

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Failed CR, SAVE Act Vote Represents Another Loss for Speaker Johnson’s Leadership

Just the News
Mike Johnson

The failed House vote for a continuing resolution attached to the SAVE Act is another example of failure in Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership. 

The House voted 202-220 to kill the continuing resolution that had the SAVE Act attached to it. A total of 14 Republicans voted against the resolution along with 206 Democrats, while three Democrats voted across the aisle in support of the bill. Two Republicans voted present.

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GOP Rep. Matt Rosendale Ends Reelection Bid, After Dropping Out of Montana Senate Race Last Month

Just the News
Matt Rosendale

Montana GOP Rep. Matt Rosendale said Friday that he will not continue his run for reelection, citing a death threat and “false and defamatory rumors” about him and his family. The congressman dropped out of the U.S. Senate race for his home state last month. 

“The current attacks have made it impossible for me to focus on my work to serve you,” Rosendale wrote in a statement posted on X. “So, in the best interest of my family and the community, I am withdrawing from the House race and will not be seeking office.” 

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Speaker Mike Johnson to Post More than 40,000 Hours of January 6 Footage Online

Just the News
January Six Riots

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday announced that he planned to post nearly all of the Capitol Hill security footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot online for the public to view.

“When I ran for Speaker, I promised to make accessible to the American people the 44,000 hours of video from Capitol Hill security taken on January 6, 2021,” he said in a statement obtained by Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman. “Truth and transparency are critical.”

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Ethics Complaint Filed Against Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy After He Allegedly Elbowed Tennessee U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett in the Back

Kaitlin Housler

Florida U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL-01) filed a formal ethics complaint against former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-20) on Tuesday after the California congressman allegedly elbowed Tennessee U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) in the back while passing him in a hallway.

While being interviewed by NPR reporter Claudia Grisales, Burchett alleged McCarthy elbowed him in the back, saying it caught him “off guard” as the hit was a “clean shot to the kidneys.”

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Louisiana U.S. Rep. Johnson Nominated for Speaker, Full House Vote Expected as Early as Wednesday

Just the News
House Speaker Mike Johnson

Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., won the House speaker nomination on Tuesday night, becoming the fourth candidate to do so after the ousting of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy three weeks ago.

Johnson, vice chair of the House GOP conference, lost to House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., earlier on Tuesday but Emmer eventually dropped out due to opposition from enough Republicans to sink his ascension to the speakership on the House floor.

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Virginia U.S. Rep. Bob Good Laments Pelosi-McCarthy Pact, Betrayal

Neil W. McCabe

The Virginia Republican congressman and House Freedom Caucus member, who was one of the eight House Republicans voting to oust Speaker Kevin O. McCarthy (R.-CA-20) Wednesday told radio show host John Fredericks McCarthy lost his gavel because he trusted Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D.-CA.-11).

“We found out the speaker had a deal all along with Nancy Pelosi to save him,” said U.S. Representative Bob Good, one of the diehard Republicans who did not vote for McCarthy for speaker in January.

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Liz Cheney Claims Making Jim Jordan the New Speaker of the House Is a ‘Risk’ to American Democracy

Zachery Schmidt

Former Representative of Wyoming Liz Cheney said on Thursday that making Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) the new Speaker of the House is a risk to America’s democracy.

“The notion that the Republican Party is anywhere close to contemplating putting Jim Jordan into the position of Speaker of the House is something that tells you the level of risk we face in our democracy today,” Cheney said in a talk at the University of Montana’s 2023 Mansfield Center Lecture series.

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Commentary: The Matt Gaetz Fight

Admin

Matt Gaetz did with seven other votes what Kevin McCarthy could not do with more than half of the House chamber. He imposed his will.

The general commanding a majority of the troops on the field capitulated to Democrats to keep the federal leviathan, nay, the federal Cthulhu swinging its tentacles and snapping its claws. The general with fewer troops behind him imposed the change he desired, meaning he deposed the speaker he characterized as a liar.

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Fiscal Conservatives from Arizona and Tennessee Helped Depose Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House

M.D. Kittle

U.S. Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) laid it all on the line Tuesday afternoon in supporting a motion to vacate to remove Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-23) from the post he has tenuously held for less than a year.

“Speaker McCarthy has failed to demonstrate himself as an effective leader who will change the status quo. He has gone against many of the promises he made in January and can no longer be trusted at the helm,” Biggs said.

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Virginia Rep. Bob Good Tells ‘Meet the Press’ Why He’ll Back One-Week Continuing Resolution

Neil W. McCabe

A Virginia Republican congressman and member of the House Freedom Caucus told “Meet the Press” hostess Kristen Welker he supports passing a seven-day continuing resolution to keep the federal government operating past the Saturday expiration of Fiscal Year 2023.

“I would support a one-week continuing resolution to keep the government open while we were passing those bills,” said U.S. Representative Bob Good (R.-VA-05), who was one of 71 Republicans who voted against the Fiscal Responsibility Act, the debt ceiling deal the GOP leadership cut with President Joseph R. Biden Jr.

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Names of Potential Replacements Emerge amid What Appears Strengthening Effort to Remove McCarthy

Just the News

A shortlist of potential House Republicans to replace Speaker Kevin McCarthy has emerged on Capitol Hill amid what appears to be a strengthening effort within the chamber’s GOP conference to replace him.

The effort is being led by Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, considered the biggest McCarthy critic in the conference, who has essentially said if the speaker uses Democrat votes to pass a spending bill he’ll lose his GOP speakership – in what is called a “motion to vacate.” 

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House GOP Leadership Sends Lawmakers Home After Spending Vote Fails

Just the News

Republican leadership has told House lawmakers they can leave Washington, D.C., following a botched vote on a defense spending package that upended the legislative agenda that was set through Saturday.

The announcement follows a group of dissident House conservatives breaking ranks to stop a procedural vote on a Pentagon funding bill, preventing its consideration on the floor, The Hill reported. Conservatives did so on Tuesday as well in a bid to secure deeper spending cuts and to block additional aid to Ukraine.

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Speaker Kevin McCarthy Appoints Tennessee Representative to NDAA Conference Committee

Kaitlin Housler

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-20) named Tennessee U.S. Representative Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) to serve as a conferee on the House-Senate Conference Committee to resolve “bicameral differences” in the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The NDAA is the primary authorization for funding the U.S. Armed Forces and Department of Defense (DoD).

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Rep. Bob Good Warns If McCarthy Uses House Democrats Again His Speakership ‘Unsustainable’

Neil W. McCabe

The Memorial Day Weekend debt deal Speaker Kevin O. McCarthy negotiated with President Joseph R. Biden Jr. may turn out to be his political Katrina, as House Freedom Caucus member and Virginia Republican congressman told radio host John Fredericks McCarthy had driven House conservatives to begin preparations for forcing a vote on the California Republican’s job security.

“The next two weeks, the next three weeks will be more intense,” Rep. Bob Good said. “More challenging, I believe, than the speaker battle. The stakes are extremely high; the pressure’s going to be tremendous.”

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Biden Wants Another $24 Billion for Ukraine, Just $4 Billion for the Border

Just the News

The White House on Thursday outlined a $40.1 billion funding request in a letter to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy that includes $24 billion for Ukraine-related expenses but just $4 billion to bolster security at the southern border.

Specifically, the White House wants $13.1 billion for the Pentagon to send military aid directly to Kyiv and replenish its own stocks. It further seeks $8.5 billion for the State Department to provide humanitarian and economic support. Lastly, it seeks $2.3 billion for the Treasury to provide financial programs for the country in place of Chinese or other adversarial sources.

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Significant Majority of New Hampshire Republican Primary Voters Say They’d Vote for Trump If He Was Serving Time in Prison

M.D. Kittle

Former President Donald Trump’s support among New Hampshire Republicans remains solid.

A significant majority — 62 percent — of Republican primary voters say they would vote for Trump even if he’s convicted of a felony by the time they cast their ballots for president, according to a new NHJournal/co-efficient poll.

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McCarthy Not Yet Convinced by GOP Push to Impeach Mayorkas

Admin

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is not yet convinced by his own party’s push to impeach Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, according to Politico.

More conservative House Republicans are finding it more difficult to get McCarthy, along with the more moderate members of the party, to join their efforts, Politico reported. Several House Republicans, including Pat Fallon of Texas and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, have already filed articles of impeachment against Mayorkas.

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Virginia U.S. Rep. Bob Good Among Conservative Representatives Who May Push for Government Shutdown

Admin

As the federal government’s funding deadline of September 30th approaches, several conservative members of Congress have advocated for another government shutdown, calling it a positive thing.

As reported by Politico, some of the most conservative members of the House of Representatives have floated the idea in recent weeks. Congressman Bob Good (R-Va.) said last week that if the federal government were to shut down, “most Americans won’t even miss” it.

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Rep. Chris Smith to Introduce Federal Child Trafficking Legislation Drafted in Collaboration with ‘Sound of Freedom’ Producer

Susan Berry, PhD

U.S. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) announced Friday in advance of Sunday’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons that he is planning to introduce legislation that would require the federal government to provide reports on its work investigating potential child trafficking related to the unaccompanied minors released from federal custody and with whom contact has now been lost.

“In the near future, I will be introducing new legislation drafted in collaboration with Eduardo Verastegui—the producer of ‘Sound of Freedom’ and Roger Severino of The Heritage Foundation,” Smith said in a press statement sent to The Star News Network, further detailing that the legislation would “require the federal government to report on efforts to locate, establish contact with, conduct wellness checks on, and investigate any suspicion of human trafficking related to the approximately 85,000 unaccompanied minors who were released from federal government custody and with whom subsequent contact has been lost.”

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Mark Levin: ‘Not a Single Democrat Congressman Attended’ Capitol Hill Showing of ‘Sound of Freedom’

Susan Berry, PhD

Conservative author and host Mark Levin took to Twitter to observe that “not a single Democrat congressman” attended a special showing this week of the true-to-life film Sound of Freedom, arranged by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and to which the speaker invited members of both parties.

Levin explained in his post that, for the first time, he skipped his own radio show Tuesday night to attend a movie.

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Commentary: A Heated Argument in the House Portends Good Results for the Budget

Admin

“Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument.” Bishop Desmond Tutu in South Africa, 2004.

I must’ve used this quote a thousand times (primarily mitigating fights between contentious children of different ages) without even realizing its origin. I’ve often wondered why emotion-driven youths (and big people, too) simply amp up the volume when intellectually dueling with others rather than maintaining the discussion at an even keel and perhaps lulling their opponents into listening to what they’re saying – or screaming even louder.

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Commentary: The Real Cost of the Debt-Ceiling Deal

Admin

President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy spent weeks of negotiating to authorize $4 trillion in new deficit spending over the next two years. This means that our national debt will be $35 trillion in 2025. The interest cost will be up to $1.4 trillion annually, only a small amount less than the current cost of national defense and Social Security combined. This staggering debt undermines the future prosperity of every American.

Federal spending contributes to a sense of entitlement, including for every person receiving federal largesse. Think of the adverse impact of federal student loans. President Barack Obama promised that government-granted student college loans would be more efficient, but these loans have, in fact, ballooned the cost of college. Concurrently, colleges have reduced quality outcomes and propagandized students, undermining our society because many students are hopelessly in debt. Now, progressives in Congress want to terminate the provision requiring repayment of student loans. For many of our young workforce, the burden of high student loans precludes marriage and buying a house.

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