Texas Weekly Online

Texas-trans-white
Menu
Menu

Author:

New House Freedom Caucus chair reveals GOP rebel group’s next ‘big fight’

New House Freedom Caucus chair reveals GOP rebel group’s next ‘big fight’

EXCLUSIVE: New House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., wants to focus on two key issues for the remainder of this year – government funding and next year’s House GOP Conference rules.  “I’ve been on the Freedom Caucus, really, since, since the beginning,” Harris told Fox News Digital on Tuesday night, in his first interview since being elected chair of the ultra-conservative group. “I’ve watched, you know, all our chairs do a great job pushing the conservative agenda with Congress, and with the American people. And right now our big fight is going to be on controlling spending. It’s going to be on what the rules look like for the next Congress.” Harris promised, “I’m going to roll up my sleeves and battle those two issues.” CLUB FOR GROWTH POURS $5M INTO TIGHT HOUSE RACES AS GOP BRACES FOR TOUGH ELECTION The Maryland Republican, who was first elected in 2010, was chosen to lead the Freedom Caucus for the remainder of the year after Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., vacated the role following his June primary loss to another Republican. Harris has not been known to be particularly chatty with reporters on Capitol Hill, making him an understandable successor for a group that keeps even its membership list undisclosed. The Freedom Caucus has also long been seen as a thorn in the side of House GOP leaders, pushing them to go further in pushing conservative policies through Congress. JOHNSON UNVEILS TRUMP-BACKED HOUSE GOP PLAN TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, SETS UP BATTLE WITH SCHUMER Harris, however, praised Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership on government funding ahead of a Wednesday vote on a Freedom Caucus-backed plan to avoid a government shutdown. The plan is a six-month extension of this year’s federal funds known as a continuing resolution (CR), to give lawmakers more time to hash out fiscal year 2025’s priorities, paired with a measure requiring proof of citizenship in the voter registration process. “The leadership he’s shown on this issue is excellent,” Harris said. “I think if we had had this discussion one month ago and someone suggested that Speaker Johnson was going to bring a six-month CR to the floor, and, oh, by the way, we add the [Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act] into it – most people wouldn’t believe it.” But the Democrat-controlled Senate and White House have called the legislation a nonstarter. Harris would not say how conservatives could force Johnson to stick by the plan, even as several Republicans have publicly opposed the measure over concerns the speaker would not fight for the SAVE Act if it was rejected by the Senate.  “If it fails, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” he said. Harris did, however, urge those GOP critics to take a “second look” at the bill ahead of Wednesday’s vote. MCCARTHY’S ‘FINAL STRUGGLES’ THREATEN TO HAUNT JOHNSON’S GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN FIGHT “I hope they take a second look before tomorrow and realize that the important signal would send to the American people,” Harris said. “I’d love to hear the argument Chuck Schumer is going to make to say, ‘Yeah, you know, we’re going to reject that because we want illegal aliens to vote.’” The Maryland Republican similarly would not go into detail about what changes he would want to see to the House GOP Conference rules – though the issue is expected to take center stage in the end-of-year leadership elections. Ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., agreed to changing certain conference rules to win over his critics after House Republicans won the majority in the 2022 midterm elections. That notably included lowering the threshold for triggering a vote on the speaker’s ouster – called the motion to vacate the chair – from a simple majority to just one vote. “I hope that in its wisdom, that the Republican majority next year – because I believe there will be a Republican majority – not only adopts and endorses all those changes we made this term, but maybe make some further changes. Those will be discussed more obviously in the next two months.” When pressed for details, Harris noted there were other members of the group besides himself. “That’s going to be up to what the Freedom Caucus says,” Harris said. “I’m the chairman, but I’m not all the members.”

Russo-Chinese Arctic war games spur US response as Alaska officials warn only strength can deter crisis

Russo-Chinese Arctic war games spur US response as Alaska officials warn only strength can deter crisis

After the Army deployed 130 airborne soldiers to a far-flung Aleutian Islands base amid joint Russian-Chinese military tests offshore, Alaskan leaders warned the only response should be American strength. The Army sent the soldiers to Eareckson Air Station on Shemya Island, less than 300 miles from Kamchatka, Russia. The deployment occurred amid the “Ocean 2024” joint military exercises between two of the U.S.’s largest geographic foes. Russian state media said more than 15 warships in the region practiced missile launches, among other activities. The news follows a July incident in which U.S. F-16s and Canadian CF-18s were dispatched to intercept two Russian and two Chinese bombers off Alaska. Maj. Gen. Joseph Hilbert, commander of the 11th Airborne based out of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) in Anchorage, said in a statement reported by the Alaska Beacon that the U.S. response ensured Army capabilities. “[It] is critical to our nation’s defense and the preservation of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Hilbert said. “Our ability to deploy combat-credible forces quickly and effectively to any location, no matter how remote, is critical to supporting the nation and our strong relationships with allies and partner nations.” IN THE ONLY STATE BORDERING RUSSIA, ALASKA GOVERNOR SAYS ITS DEFENSES ARE ‘STRONG’ Meanwhile, Alaska Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy said Russia and his state are less than two miles apart at their closest point, between Big and Little Diomede Islands in the Bering Sea. The latter has a small Inupiaq village whose residents can see across to Russia. “We live in a dangerous neighborhood,” Dunleavy said in a Tuesday interview. “Unlike just about every other state, we have flyovers close to our territorial zones. … We have the Russians and Chinese going through the Bering Strait.” Of the Ocean 24 drills that caused the U.S. response: “I think the Russians are sending a message. What that is, I’m not sure, but certainly our folks in D.C. are receiving it and beefing up some of our personnel out there in the western Aleutians.” However, Dunleavy said Alaska is prepared to defend its territory and the U.S., if need be. There are several high-end military bases across the vast state, from JBER to Clear Space Force Station in Fairbanks, to Fort Greely in Delta Junction, to the Near Islands station now receiving reinforcements. “We have incredible rapid deployment forces. … So, if the question is: Are we concerned about Russia that they may do harm to Alaska? No. We [also] have a missile defense shield in place that guard against any North Korean missile launches.” FLASHBACK: ALASKAN F-35s PREPARE FOR MAJOR SUB-ZERO ARCTIC WARFARE When asked about former President Trump’s claim that such aggressive behavior from U.S. rivals wouldn’t happen under his watch, Dunleavy said, “It’s true.” “We view the world as Americans. … And that’s not how the world views itself at times. It’s a dangerous world. And I do think that once they perceive weakness, especially those folks in the Middle East and then the Chinese and the Russians, they take advantage of it.” In televised remarks, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Ocean 24 exercises the largest in three decades, per Reuters.  “We pay special attention to strengthening military cooperation with friendly states,” Putin said. “Today, in the context of growing geopolitical tensions in the world, this is especially important.” “[America is] trying to maintain its global military and political dominance at any cost,” Putin added, saying the U.S. seeks to “inflict a strategic defeat” in Ukraine and upend the “established security architecture” in the Asia-Pacific. Such national security threats, however, are falling on too many deaf ears in Washington, according to Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, a Marine Corps Forces Reserves colonel with 30 years of active-duty service and deployments. “The Chinese and Russians in both the North Pacific and Arctic are escalating in ways we haven’t seen in decades,” Sullivan said. “Actually, in ways we’ve never seen because they’ve never really operated jointly like this.” Alaska has seen its “fair share” of Russian “Bear” bombers menacing the state over the years, Sullivan said in a Tuesday interview. “[But] last summer, we had a 12-ship joint Russian-Chinese naval task force – that’s unprecedented – off [our] coast.” “The way the Russians and Chinese respond is they only really react to force. And what we need to do is continue to provide our military assets to meet them in our [territory]. This is America, and it might be far away for most Americans, but it’s certainly America for me and my constituents.” He noted the 11th Airborne’s new presence on the Aleutian chain, adding that another task force would be arriving from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Olympia, Washington. Sullivan said that he has routinely hosted top military brass in Alaska and authored an NDAA provision to further examine the major Aleutian island of Adak, where the U.S. used to operate a submarine and airbase. Sullivan said Russian interests have reportedly approached Alaskan Native corporations who own land on Adak, which is not far from the well-known crabbing capital of Dutch Harbor. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP He blamed Democrats at present for holding up any substantive political response. “In the Senate, [Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer … doesn’t give a damn about national security,” he said. “We have had the NDAA sitting around for three months. We’re voting on district court judges, and there are even Democrat senators telling Schumer to bring the National Defense Authorization Act to the floor. He won’t do it right now.” Sullivan said Democrats have a custom of slashing defense spending – or at least attempting to – throughout the terms of Presidents Carter, Clinton, Obama and Biden. Meanwhile, he said the Republican administrations of Presidents Reagan, Eisenhower, both Bushes and Trump all did the opposite. “That’s just the wrong signal to be sending adversaries like [Chinese President] Xi Jinping, adversaries like the ayatollahs [in Iran]. Weakness is provocative, and we’re seeing a huge example of that,” Sullivan said.  In the

DOJ’s new voter-roll guidance quietly issued; critic warns it may ‘intimidate’ election workers

DOJ’s new voter-roll guidance quietly issued; critic warns it may ‘intimidate’ election workers

The Department of Justice (DOJ) quietly published new guidelines addressing limits on when and how jurisdictions may remove voters from their voter rolls last week, a move to “intimidate” state and local election officials, says former DOJ attorney Gene Hamilton.  “This is what I perceive as an attempt by the Department of Justice and Civil Rights Division to intimidate state and local jurisdictions and state and local election officials from doing their jobs,” Hamilton told Fox News Digital. The DOJ issued a new guidance document on Sept. 9 to remind states ahead of the election that “voting rolls must be accomplished in compliance with federal law and in a nondiscriminatory manner.” ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ON VOTER ROLLS SPURS WATCHDOG GROUP TO SUE MARICOPA COUNTY “Ensuring that every eligible voter is able to [vote] and have that vote counted is a critical aspect of sustaining a robust democracy, and it is a top priority for the Justice Department,” assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement. “As we approach Election Day, it is important that states adhere to all aspects of federal law that safeguard the rights of eligible voters to remain on the active voter lists and to vote free from discrimination and intimidation.” The guidance follows the National Voter Registration Act guidelines, clarifying that it does not prevent states from removing ineligible voters, such as those who committed fraud or are noncitizens. The guidance also confirms that states can remove voters who have died, been convicted of a felony or declared mentally incompetent, according to an analysis by the Heritage Foundation’s Hans A. von Spakovsky.  But Hamilton, the senior counsel of America First Legal, said the guidance may discourage local officials from using lawful tools to verify voter eligibility. It suggests that while the guidance is meant to ensure compliance with legal standards, it may be interpreted as overly restrictive or as a way to hinder efforts to accurately maintain voter lists, which “must be uniform and nondiscriminatory,” the DOJ stated. JOHNSON MOVES FORWARD ON HOUSE VOTE TO STOP GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN WITH NONCITIZEN VOTING PREVENTION ATTACHED “What they’re trying to do is they’re trying to chill people from actually doing the very things that are common sense and that makes sense,” Hamilton said. The updated guidelines also prohibit removals from voter lists within 90 days of a federal election. These rules apply to both state-initiated and third-party-driven processes. Last month, Hamilton’s watchdog group sued 15 counties in Arizona for allegedly refusing to remove thousands of illegal immigrants from its voter rolls. The lawsuit claims that, as of April 2024, more than 35,000 registered voters in Arizona had not provided proof of citizenship, limiting them to voting only in federal races, according to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office. HOUSE GOP DOUBTS GROW AS JOHNSON DIGS IN ON FUNDING FIGHT: ‘PLAYING WITH A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN’ CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP And on Tuesday, nearly 100,000 Arizona voters’ citizenship status was in question due to a state error just before mail ballots were scheduled to be sent out. Also on Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he will advance a chamber-wide vote to avert a government shutdown with a bill to address noncitizen voting. “The problem is is that this Department of Homeland Security, in particular, doesn’t seem to care and doesn’t seem to want to help people find ineligible voters on their voter rolls, and you have a lot of state officials across the country who don’t seem to be willing to do their jobs,” Hamilton said.

Vulnerable Dem senator who touts record ‘fighting’ lobbyists has long history of hiring them

Vulnerable Dem senator who touts record ‘fighting’ lobbyists has long history of hiring them

FIRST ON FOX: One of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents in the U.S. Senate, who has a history of railing against the influence of lobbying in Washington, ranks as one of the most active senators when it comes to lobbyists entering and exiting his office. Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown ranks in the top-15 all time on Legistorm’s revolving door rankings that tracks congressional staffers who enter offices as lobbyists or leave offices to become lobbyists. According to Legistorm, 64 individuals have lobbied before or after working for Brown’s office, which ranks him tied for #15 all time.  Brown ranks #7 when it comes to senators who are actively serving in Congress. OHIO SENATE CANDIDATE RIPS ‘DEPRAVED’ POLITICIANS FOR SPRINGFIELD MIGRANT CRISIS: CITIZENS ‘PAY THE PRICE’ Staffers who previously worked for Brown are now lobbying for companies that include TikTok, Planned Parenthood, Exxon Mobil and Kroger. Brown, chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, has hired at least 3 former lobbyists to serve as his chief of staff, Fox News Digital previously reported, including James Heimbach, who was once referred to as “hot commodity” in the lobbying world. After leaving Brown’s office, Heimbach continued lobbying including time with Bank of America, one of the country’s largest financial institutions. Heimbach also lobbied for the Cigna Corporation, a company sued by Ohio for allegedly driving up the costs of prescription drugs by charging high fees for pharmacy benefit management services. FLASHBACK: VULNERABLE DEM SENATOR ACCUSED VOTERS SUPPORTING TRUMP OF ‘RACISM’: ‘IT WORKS FOR THEM’ Brown has a long history of lamenting the influence of lobbyists in politics as he frames himself as a populist Democrat in Ohio, a state Trump won by 8 points in 2020. “Something’s wrong with corporate America, and something’s wrong with Congress and administrations listening too much to corporate lobbyists,” he told the Rolling Stone last year. Brown has also claimed he “took on corporate lobbyists” to get the Inflation Reduction Act passed and often talks about how he has “fought” lobbyists throughout his career. “Sherrod has always stood up to special interests to level the playing field for Ohioans,” Brown’s website states. “Whether it’s Big Pharma, Big Oil, or Big Banks, Sherrod is fighting back against the Wall Street, profit-at-all-costs business model to make sure hard work pays off for all Ohioans.” A spokesperson for the Brown campaign defended the senator’s record and claimed his Republican opponent “only looks out for himself and his special interest allies.” “Ohioans know that Sherrod always fights for them and will stand up to anyone who gets in the way, which is why special interests are spending record amounts to defeat him,” the spokesperson said. “While Bernie Moreno only looks out for himself and his special interest allies, Sherrod is fighting for stronger ethics and transparency rules for lobbyists, supports bipartisan legislation to crack down on foreign actors, and is fighting to lower costs for Ohioans by holding corporations accountable.”  The campaign pointed to Brown’s support of the Lobbying Disclosure Improvement Act last year, which was bipartisan legislation aimed at cracking down on foreign actors lobbying and increasing disclosure requirements for foreign lobbyists. The Ohio senator also co-sponsored the Honest Leadership and Government Act, which overhauled congressional lobbying and ethics rules for Senators and their staff. Reagan McCarthy, a spokesperson for Brown’s GOP opponent Bernie Moreno, told Fox News Digital in a statement that, “Sherrod Brown parades around as an average Ohioan, but he is nothing more than a career politician who rewards the Washington swamp.” “In November, Ohioans will finally retire Sherrod after 50 years in politics and send an outsider to DC who will actually work for Ohio.” The race between Moreno and Brown is expected to be a close one as Republicans view it as one of their strongest opportunities to take back control of the Senate in November. The Cook Political report ranks the race as a “toss up.”

House GOP braces for government funding chaos as Republican rebels mutiny before vote

House GOP braces for government funding chaos as Republican rebels mutiny before vote

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is forging ahead with a vote on his plan to avert a government shutdown and force tighter U.S. election measures through Congress on Wednesday. Johnson was forced to cancel a vote on the measure last week after it hemorrhaged GOP support for days after being unveiled. Multiple sources who spoke with Fox News Digital on Tuesday said the House GOP leadership’s efforts to persuade Republican opponents of the bill were largely unsuccessful over the weekend. At least a dozen Republican lawmakers are expected to vote against the bill. With just a four-seat majority and widespread Democrat opposition anticipated, expectations within the GOP are low. CLUB FOR GROWTH POURS $5M INTO TIGHT HOUSE RACES AS GOP BRACES FOR TOUGH ELECTION “I mean. It buys us a week of arguing over illegal immigrants,” one House Republican told Fox News Digital via text message. Asked if it was worth the news cycle if it failed, they replied, “At this point… I suppose.” Another GOP lawmaker said, “They’re basically at the point where they need to say they ran the play – call folks RINOs, let the Freedom Caucus folks say ‘shut it all down’ and then just wait for Senate to jam us.” “Didn’t have the votes last week and can’t imagine that changing this week,” they said. Johnson himself said in a statement, “Congress has an immediate obligation to do two things: responsibly fund the federal government, and ensure the security of our elections. Because we owe this to our constituents, we will move forward on Wednesday with a vote on the 6-month CR with the SAVE Act attached.” JOHNSON UNVEILS TRUMP-BACKED HOUSE GOP PLAN TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, SETS UP BATTLE WITH SCHUMER The speaker does, however, have a wide cross-section of support from within the conference.  House Freedom Caucus policy chair Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, led the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which is being attached to the spending bill.  He wrote on X on Tuesday that “some Republican nihilists would rather set up the failure they then get to complain about” than pass an imperfect bill with conservative policies. Meanwhile, Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., a top leadership ally, told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo, “I support Speaker Johnson. He’s absolutely right, and the American people are with us on this.” Congress is faced with a Sept. 30 deadline to fund the government for fiscal 2025 or see a partial government shutdown weeks before Election Day. The House has passed less than half of the 12 required appropriations bills while the Senate has not passed any. Both Democrats and Republicans agree that a short-term extension of this year’s funding, known as a continuing resolution (CR), is needed to give negotiators more time. But the SAVE Act, which would impose a proof of citizenship requirement on the voter registration process, has been called a nonstarter in the Democrat-controlled Senate and White House. President Biden has already threatened to veto Johnson’s plan. MCCARTHY’S ‘FINAL STRUGGLES’ THREATEN TO HAUNT JOHNSON’S GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN FIGHT Meanwhile, national security hawks and senior lawmakers within the GOP have called for a shorter CR through December, citing potential strains on military readiness if funding levels are consistent through March. Another issue for House GOP leaders is that a large swath of Republicans, including the bill’s opponents, are against CRs on principle, arguing they are an extension of bloated federal spending levels. Others have expressed frustration at being made to vote on a “messaging” bill that would not pass the Democrat-controlled Senate. “Speaker Johnson is fake fighting by attaching a bright shiny object (that he will later abandon) to a bill that continues our path of destructive spending. I won’t be any part of this insulting charade,” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., wrote on X. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wrote, “The only way to make the SAVE Act a law would be to refuse to pass a CR until the Senate agrees to pass the SAVE Act and Biden agrees to sign it into law.” “This would force a Gov shutdown on Oct 1… Johnson will NOT commit to standing up against the Democrats in a shutdown fight and will allow passage of a clean CR in order to fund the government because he believes a gov shutdown will be blamed on Republicans and will hurt their elections.” Making matters more difficult for Johnson is former President Trump, with whom he met  over the weekend after an assassination attempt on the ex-president. Trump has publicly endorsed the SAVE Act on his Truth Social platform but urged congressional Republicans to push for a government shutdown if they did not get “absolute assurances on election security.”