All posts tagged "Gop Lawmakers"

Republicans in competitive races are increasingly breaking with President Donald Trump over the Iran war as soaring fuel prices squeeze voters.

In a Thursday piece for The Bulwark, Joe Perticone argued that GOP lawmakers had spent months seemingly determined to ignore the spike in gas prices since the conflict began. "Their willful ignorance is starting to fade," he wrote.

Perticone reported that a growing number of Republicans running in battleground House and Senate contests are distancing themselves from the president on the war, pointing to pain at the pump as a chief reason. Gasoline averaged $4.48 a gallon nationally as of Thursday, while diesel has topped $6.50 and hit $7 or $8 in some states....

The firing of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem could spell problems for Attorney General Pam Bondi, whose future has come into question following President Donald Trump's decision to cut a member of his Cabinet after Republican lawmakers expressed concerns, Politico reported Friday.

Bondi has come under fire for her handling of the Epstein files, as congressional leaders have questioned her leadership of the Department of Justice over the last several weeks.

"As many as 20 Republicans might be prepared to back an effort to render punishment against the nation’s top prosecutor for slowwalking the materials’ release, according to the Democrat helping lead the charge," according to Politico. ...

Republican senators are mulling whether to defy President Donald Trump by rejecting his dubious pick for U.S. attorney, Ed Martin, news outlets reported Thursday.

Politico's Kyle Cheney posted on X Thursday, "Something is going on with Ed Martin's nomination to be US attorney in D.C. But what, precisely, is unclear Sen. Durbin said this AM: 'It’s my understanding that we are not going to move forward on the Martin nomination.' Grassley said he'd have more to say when Martin's nomination was officially on the calendar."

In a follow-up post, Cheney wrote, "Durbin said he had planned to ask for a vote on Martin today but 'on the basis of the chairman's — I hope, my clear understanding — I'm not going to make that move.' Grassley said he's still reviewing Martin's paperwork and his staff has some additional questions."...

Donald Trump will force Republican lawmakers to pave the way to their own demise, according to a conservative writer.

New York Times columnist David French, a former writer for the conservative National Review, wrote an article Sunday explaining how, in his view, Trump is forcing GOP members of Congress to give up their Constitutional authority. The piece coincides with the former and incoming president's efforts to subvert the Senate's power by forcing recess appointments for his administration's Cabinet nominees.

"These are the times that try a constitutional conservative’s soul. Donald Trump and his allies have proposed two legal maneuvers that could have profound consequences for the function of the federal government. He has proposed confirming presidential appointments through an abuse of his power to make recess appointments, and his allies have proposed reviving a mostly banned practice called impoundment, under which the president can refuse to spend money appropriated by Congress," French wrote. "These proposals together would gut core constitutional functions of Congress and could make Trump our nation’s most imperial peacetime president."...

Donald Trump is getting "boring" and "unhinged" when he should be focusing on Vice President Kamala Harris' policies, according to former Republican lawmaker Charlie Dent.

Dent, a former GOP congressman from the swing state of Pennsylvania, appeared on MSNBC on Sunday to discuss the 2024 presidential election.

The host asked Dent if Trump's recent personal attacks on Harris, including saying that the ex-president is "better looking" than her, are working....

Following the State of the Union Address, Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY) sent a blistering letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), faulting his failure to hold Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) to account for her violation of House rules in the chamber the previous night.

Greene, a far-right lawmaker known for having pushed QAnon conspiracy theories, showed up to the State of the Union wearing a red MAGA hat and a T-shirt bearing the name of Laken Riley, a University of Georgia student believed to have been killed by a Venezuelan man who entered the U.S. illegally. As Morelle noted, this is against House rules.

"As you know, official resources of the House — including the House Chamber — may not be used for campaign political purposes," wrote Morelle. "However, as noted extensively in public reporting, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) wore a hat with a political campaign slogan during the address. Appallingly, according to Ms. Greene herself, she was approached by the Sergeant at Arms who asked her to take the hat off because it violated the rules of decorum. She refused."...