8 #Republican senators announced Fri they would boycott #Democratic#legislative priorities & nominations as payback for #Trump’s #guilty#verdict.
In a joint statement, the senators said they would not “allow any increase to non-security related funding for this administration, or any appropriations bill which funds partisan lawfare.”
They also said they would refuse to vote to confirm President #Biden’s political & #judicial appointees & vowed to block “expedited consideration & passage of #Democrat#legislation or #authorities that are not directly relevant to the safety of the American people.”
(But reality check: #MikeJohnson said he doesn’t want to pass #BorderLegislation because he doesn’t want the Biden admin to be able to take credit for it & because he wants to keep the issue alive for the 2024 #election.)
#Senate now going through nonsensical #Republican motions re #Mayorkas#impeachment that are all being rejected. There will likely be more before a real vote on Schumer’s point of order that article I is unconstitutional.
The #House is expected to vote Tues afternoon on whether to make Rep #JimJordan its next speaker. Jordan, a #RightWing conservative agitator, who spews #ConspiracyTheories & #propaganda, is allied w/ Trump. He was chosen by fellow #HouseRepublicans on Fri to lead the House but must win a majority in the full chamber to take the gavel.
“…what neither Mr. #Grassley nor any of the other #Republicans who amplified the claims said in their breathless statements was that #FBI officials had warned them repeatedly to be cautious about the accusation, because it was #uncorroborated & its credibility unknown.”
In a 6pg letter sent Tues to #Homeland#Security Cmte chairman Rep Mark Green, Mayorkas detailed his lengthy career & pushed back on the #GOP’s accusations that he has avoided their oversight….
“We have provided #Congress & your Cmte hrs of testimony, thousands of docs, hundreds of briefings, & much more info that demonstrates quite clearly how we are enforcing the #law.”
His responsiveness to the #House’s oversight requests would not waiver, however “baseless” the proceedings, he added. “I assure you that your false accusations do not rattle me & do not divert me from the #law enforcement & broader #PublicService to which I remain devoted,” #Mayorkas wrote.
…Constitutional experts & Dems have argued that #Republicans are abusing a tool adopted by the framers of the #Constitution to protect the country from despotic leadership to instead address a policy dispute. Two #law professors who testified before the cmte this month both stated that they did not see a constitutional basis for #impeachment.
While the #House has been trying to impeach #Mayorkas on baseless accusations, Mayorkas has been providing technical expertise to the #Senate for the bipartisan #immigration bill.
#Congress plans to use 2 packages of #legislation to fund the entire govt. The #House must vote on the first package this week, then move it to the #Senate for a vote. Legislative action must be complete before the Mar 8 funding deadline that was set late last week to avoid a partial #GovernmentShutdown.
Watch the entire #HouseOversight & Accountability Cmte hearing held today including testimony by #LevParnas who testified that the allegations against Biden were ‘spread by the Kremlin’:
#LevParnas is just the latest addition to an unusual slate of witnesses after #HunterBiden declined to appear for the #HouseOversight & Accountability Cmte hearing titled “Influence Peddling: Examining Joe Biden’s Abuse of Public Office.” (so much #projection)
The bipartisan bill emerged one day before the federal funding deadline, & it was not clear whether Congress could complete it in time to avoid a partial #shutdown after midnight on Friday.
The House on Thurs approved #legislation to extend the expiration date for #FederalFunding later into March, sending the measure to prevent a partial govt shutdown that was set for Sat to the #Senate, where it is expected the pass.
Congressional Leaders Strike Deal on Final Spending Bill Ahead of #GovernmentShutdown
Lawmakers resolved disputes over #DHS funding, paving the way for an agreement. But they may still be unable to meet a Friday deadline to avert a brief partial #shutdown.
Earlier this month, lawmakers were able to negotiate & pass a 6-bill $460B spending package that just barely met the 1st deadline on Mar 8, & are now repeating the process — this time haggling over funding for more politically fraught agencies — before the 2nd deadline at the end of this week.