Dozens of Senate Republicans warn Biden’s latest war on energy empowers America’s enemies
FIRST ON FOX: A group of two dozen Senate Republicans are taking aim at President Biden after the White House announced it paused several proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal projects over climate concerns. The lawmakers, led by Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said the administration’s actions — unveiled Friday in a joint announcement by White House and Department of Energy (DOE) officials — will empower Russia and Iran while harming U.S. allies in Europe and Asia. Advocates of LNG exports say the projects are vital to help American allies meet energy demand as nations look to wean off Russian natural gas supplies. “American LNG exports have enhanced our geopolitical influence and international energy security across the board since 2016,” the Republicans wrote in a letter to President Biden and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. “In addition to Europe, U.S. LNG has a significant impact on energy security in Asia. Japan and South Korea have been the top two destinations for importing U.S. LNG. Taiwan also imports U.S. LNG, and India is rapidly increasing its imports as well.” “Limiting U.S. LNG exports does not have any impact on the world’s demand for natural gas,” the letter continued. “Instead, countries including Russia and Iran will simply produce more energy that is subject to less stringent environmental regulations. As a result, limiting American LNG exports in the name of stopping climate change could do just the opposite and add to global emissions.” BIDEN ADMIN APPEARS TO FABRICATE PAPER TRAIL IN PURSUIT OF MAJOR CHEMICAL PLANT SHUTDOWN: COURT DOCS On Friday morning, Biden ordered the DOE to pause pending permits for LNG export facilities while federal officials conduct a rigorous environmental review assessing the projects’ carbon emissions, which could take more than a year to complete. The move represents a major victory for climate activists who have loudly called for such a move in recent weeks, even threatening to hold civil disobedience protests in Washington, D.C., over the issue. In a statement Friday, the president said the pause on LNG permitting was a part of his sweeping climate agenda, saying the action “sees the climate crisis for what it is: the existential threat of our time.” He also took aim at “MAGA Republicans” for willfully denying the “urgency of the climate crisis.” ENVIRONMENTALISTS CALL ON BIDEN ADMIN TO TANK NATURAL GAS PROJECT AMID NATIONWIDE ARCTIC BLAST While it is unclear which proposed projects the action will affect, a senior administration official said at least two have a larger capacity and two have a smaller capacity. Another official added that the pause implemented Friday will only impact projects that have gone through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) lengthy approval process and are ripe for DOE approval. According to federal data updated this week, there are 11 projects that have been green-lit by FERC but are not yet under construction. An additional four projects are pending before FERC and two are in the pre-filing stage. Those six projects wouldn’t be impacted by the pause since they are not before DOE yet, but they would be impacted if approved by FERC. “We strongly urge you to stop this shortsighted effort,” Cassidy and the other Republicans concluded in their letter Friday. “As the President of the United States and as the Secretary of Energy, you should be championing – not undermining – American LNG exports and the environmental, economic, and national security benefits to the United States and our allies.” In addition to Republicans and U.S. fossil fuel industry associations, international energy interests such as Eurogas, the Asia Natural Gas & Energy Association and German state-owned energy company Securing Energy for Europe have argued American natural gas is vital for energy security abroad. BIDEN ADMIN ABRUPTLY REVERSES PROPOSAL OPENING PUBLIC LANDS TO FOREIGN OWNERSHIP AFTER GOP OPPOSITION In the weeks following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Biden traveled to Europe and struck a deal with the European Union, vowing to send more U.S. LNG to the bloc. At the time, the White House pledged to “maintain its regulatory environment,” a statement that appears to have been contravened with Friday’s actions. But LNG export terminals have been opposed by Democrats and environmentalists who argue they would create harmful pollution and contribute to global warming. The issue has led to activists posting videos on social media which, over the last two months, have generated tens of millions of views. “President Biden and Secretary Granholm’s bold step today continues this administration’s historic efforts to meet the global commitment to phase out fossil fuels and confront the climate crisis head on,” Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous said Friday. “This decision is a major win for communities and advocates that have long spoken out about the dangers of LNG, and makes it clear that the Biden administration is listening to the calls to break America’s reliance on dirty fossil fuels and secure a livable future for us all.”
Delaware governor proposes state budget increase despite predicted revenue decline
Gov. John Carney on Thursday proposed a state operating budget of more than $6 billion for the fiscal year starting July 1, an increase of more than 8% even amid a projected revenue decline of 2% this year. The Democratic governor’s proposed spending plan is slightly higher than the benchmark recommended by the panel responsible for Delaware’s official revenue projections. It follows an increase of almost 10% percent in the current year’s budget. Carney said much of the growth is due to spending on pay raises for state employees and rising health care costs for state employees and retirees. DELAWARE HOUSE PASSES ‘HUMAN COMPOSTING’ BILL WITH BROAD SUPPORT Despite the growth in spending, administration officials warn that state revenues will soften over the next two years and that they may have to dip into reserve funds to balance the budget. If so, they will rely on a “budget stabilization fund” created by Carney in 2018 to set aside extra revenue for potential shortfalls in the future. The stabilization fund, which currently totals $410 million, is separate from Delaware’s never-tapped “rainy day” fund, which totals about $329 million. “It looks like we’ll need a budget stabilization fund to cover some shortfalls next year and the year after,” Carney said. “One of our primary messages to legislators is to be careful in this year because of the softening revenues next year and the year after,” he added. “You don’t want to build in spending in the budget that you’re not going to be able to sustain in the out years.” Finance Secretary Rick Geisenberger said revenues are projected to be “pretty flat” over the next two years, declining by 2% this year and growing by an equal amount in fiscal 2025. “As we look out to fiscal year ’26, unless revenues bounce back significantly, … we may well need to draw parts of the budget stabilization fund next year,” he said. DEMOCRAT-LED DELAWARE HOUSE KILLS TAX RELIEF BILL Carney’s spending plan includes a 2% across-the-board pay raise for state employees, and what administration officials describe as a “historic wage increase” for school employees. Their goal is to increase starting pay for teachers to $60,000 by fiscal 2028. Officials noted that the average salary for state government workers has increased by 31% since fiscal 2017. It is unclear how that compares to average wage growth in the private sector. The proposed budget includes $2.1 billion for education, including $63 million in weighted funding for low-income students and English language learners, $45 million for salary increases, and $17 million for mental health services for students. Carney also is recommending more than $135 million for early childhood education. Administration officials said health care spending accounts for nearly 40% of the proposed budget growth. They are recommending an increase of about $200 million for Medicaid and health care plans for state employees and retirees. In addition to the operating budget, Carney is proposing a capital budget of $944 million for construction, maintenance, transportation and economic development projects. That’s roughly $500 million less than this year’s capital budget. The proposed capital budget includes $329 million for transportation projects. Carney is also recommending a grants package of $66.5 million for community organizations, nonprofit groups and volunteer fire companies. That’s down slightly from this year’s record $72 million. The final component of Carney’s proposed spending plan is a one-time appropriation of $92 million for various programs, including $56 million for non-pension retiree benefits. Members of the General Assembly’s budget-writing Joint Finance Committee will be holding hearings on Carney’s spending proposal next week.
Georgia legislators approve bill defining antisemitism in state law
Georgia lawmakers passed a bill Thursday that would define antisemitism in state law, with Republicans uniting in support of Israel’s war on Hamas and some Democrats splitting over fears of suppressing support for Palestinians. “Today we can fight a pervasive and escalating threat in our state and fight it together,” said Senate President Pro Tem John Kennedy, a Macon Republican who guided the bill to Senate passage, 44-6. The measure had stalled in a Senate committee in 2023. The House later agreed to changes, voting 129-5 for passage. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp said he would sign the bill, saying it “builds on our commitment to protect Georgians from criminal acts, including those based on hate.” ANTISEMITISM IS GETTING WORSE AS MORE ‘SHOCKING’ AND ‘SCARY’ INCIDENTS ARE EXPOSED, DC RESIDENTS SAY Sponsors say adopting the definition put forward by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance would help prosecutors and other officials identify hate crimes and illegal discrimination targeting Jewish people. Georgia has a hate crimes law that allows higher criminal penalties for crimes motivated by certain types of bias. The definition, which is only referred to in the bill, describes antisemitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” Some lawmakers opposed the bill, saying they thought it would be used to censor free speech rights. “The First Amendment guarantees our rights as citizens to criticize any government, foreign and domestic,” said Sen. Nikki Merritt, a Lawrenceville Democrat. “Does our Constitution not mean anything?” But supporters say the definition will only come into play after someone has committed a crime. “This legislation is not about stifling free speech,” Kennedy said. “Nor is it about the government stopping someone from simply sharing their views. It is about safeguarding the dignity and the safety of our Jewish friends and neighbors.” In at least eight states nationwide, lawmakers are working on measures to define antisemitism, part of an upsurge of legislation motivated in part by the Israel-Hamas war. Arkansas passed such a law last year. New bills are pending this year in Indiana, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey and South Dakota. The measure grew only more fraught with the start of the Israel-Hamas war. Some protesters chanting “Free Free Palestine!” were dragged from a committee room by police Monday, prompting one arrest. That came after some Jewish residents of Georgia testified they had experienced a surge of bias incidents, including an antisemitic group that hung a Jewish person in effigy outside a Macon synagogue over the summer. ATTEMPT BY GEORGIA ELECTIONS BOARD TO INVESTIGATE SECRETARY OF STATE SPARKS LEGAL DEBATE Ghada Elnajjar, a Palestinian mother from the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, said she was concerned the bill could embolden those seeking to stifle criticism of Israel. She was particularly worried about her sons, saying they have been posting social media messages criticizing Israel for civilian deaths in Gaza. The sons have also worn keffiyehs, the black and white checkered scarfs that symbolize Palestinian solidarity. The bill “might take a simple thing as wearing a keffiyeh or a social media post and take it a step further and criminalize it and jeopardize my boys’ future,” she said. State Rep. John Carson, a Marietta Republican who sponsored the bill, told the House the bill shows “Georgia stands with our friends in the Jewish community.” Rep. El-Mahdi Holly, a Stockbridge Democrat and one of Georgia’s handful of Muslim lawmakers, retorted, “I wish that was true of Palestinians as well.” Some opponents said Thursday that they didn’t want to choose sides in the Israel-Hamas war. “We can mourn the loss of both Israeli and Palestinian lives,” said Sen. Kim Jackson, a Stone Mountain Democrat. “We can both condemn the unacceptable acts of antisemitism that are plaguing the Jewish community around our state and acknowledge that our citizens have the right to voice their dissent about the tremendous harm being visited upon Palestinian civilians.” Some Democrats said that if Georgia moves to define antisemitism, then it should also define what prejudice against Muslims, African Americans or LGBTQ+ people looks like. “If we’re going to define antisemitism in the law, then there a lot of other groups that experience racism, and they should also have definitions,” said Sen. Sally Harrell, an Atlanta Democrat who didn’t vote on the bill. But other Democrats said they wanted to support Jewish constituents and allies, with some recalling the historic support of Jewish people in the struggle for Black civil rights. “The Jewish community stood hand-in-hand with us,” said Senate Minority Gloria Butler, a Stone Mountain Democrat. “Today I return their favor and stand with them.”
Trump opposes plan to pressure RNC into making him the GOP’s ‘presumptive nominee’
Former President Donald Trump said Thursday that he does not support efforts to pressure the Republican National Committee into declaring him a “presumptive nominee.” The former president made the remarks Thursday on his proprietary social media platform, Truth Social. “While I greatly appreciate the Republican National Committee (RNC) wanting to make me their PRESUMPTIVE NOMINEE, and while they have far more votes than necessary to do it, I feel, for the sake of PARTY UNITY, that they should NOT go forward with this plan, but that I should do it the ‘Old Fashioned’ way, and finish the process off AT THE BALLOT BOX,” Trump wrote. HALEY FACES GROWING CALLS TO LEAVE 2024 RACE AS RNC NEARLY CONSIDERS DECLARING TRUMP THE PRESUMPTIVE NOMINEE Trump’s statement pushes back on efforts led by a former aide of his campaign, David Bossie — an RNC committee member who has urged Republicans to rally around the former president despite the ongoing primary. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is facing growing calls for her to leave the 2024 presidential race as the RNC nearly considered a resolution to declare Trump the party’s presumptive nominee. The RNC was set to consider a resolution that, if approved, would have declared Trump to be the party’s presumptive nominee for president in 2024. Fox News Digital obtained a copy of the resolution on Thursday, but it was later withdrawn. TRUMP BENEFITS BY HALEY STAYING IN THE RACE, PUNDITS SAY: MEDIA WILL GO ‘WALL-TO-WALL’ ON INDICTMENTS ONCE HE WINS In a statement, RNC spokesperson Keith Schipper said, “Resolutions, such as this one, are brought forward by members of the RNC. Chairwoman McDaniel doesn’t offer resolutions. This will be taken up by the Resolutions Committee, and they will decide whether to send this resolution to be voted on by the 168 RNC members at our annual meeting next week.” Haley’s campaign told Fox News Digital it was up to the millions of Republican voters across the country to decide who the party’s nominee will be, “not a bunch of Washington insiders.” Trump trounced his rivals with convincing wins in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary this month, and experts agree there is likely little hope for Haley — the only alternative to the former president remaining in the race — in the upcoming South Carolina primary despite it being her home state. Fox News Digital’s Brandon Gillespie and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Justice Department announces new resources to combat violent crime in DC
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced Friday a surge of new resources to help combat violent crime in Washington, D.C., where crime rates have surged in recent years. DOJ officials said the rise in carjackings has been particularly concerning. The new resources include moving more prosecutors to investigate cases and a multi-component Gun Violence Analytic Cell (GVAC) to help identify additional federal investigations that should be opened in the district. DC CRIME SPIRAL TAKES NEW TWIST WITH APPARENT CALL FOR SHOPLIFTERS TO ‘UNITE’ AGAINST RETAILER: REPORT “Last year, we saw an encouraging decline in violent crime in many parts of the country, but there is much more work to do – including here in the District of Columbia,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland. To help with court cases, federal prosecutors from the Justice Department’s Criminal Division will work on violent crime cases alongside the U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C., the DOJ explained. Fox News is told U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves is moving new prosecutors to focus specifically on carjacking and both lethal and non-lethal firearms cases. DC BUSINESS OWNER WARNS OF ‘OUT OF CONTROL’ PRICES AND CRIME AFTER 52 RESTAURANTS SHUT DOWN According to D.C. Metropolitan Police statistics, robbery is up 17% compared to this time last year. Since Jan. 1, D.C. Metropolitan Police have investigated 40 carjackings with guns, a 65% increase. “This surge in law enforcement resources will build on the department’s efforts to target the individuals and organizations that are driving violent crime in the nation’s capital. The Justice Department will not rest until every community in our country is safe from the scourge of violent crime,” Garland continued. The announcement in D.C. closely mirrors similar efforts in Memphis, Tenn., and in Houston.
‘Voters are looking for a mini-Niinisto’: Finland braces for new president
When Sauli Niinisto became Finland’s president 12 years ago, he looked forward to developing a European defence policy, pursuing “opportunities” in China, and preserving “an operating environment as predictable as possible with Russia”, which, he said, “remains at the centre of our foreign policy”. All of that has changed, as the Nordic nation braces for a presidential vote that begins on Sunday to determine Niinisto’s successor. Russia has become highly unpredictable and a European deterrent has yet to emerge. The US, not the European Union, replaced Russia at the centre of Finnish foreign and defence policy last year as Finns abandoned seven decades of non-alignment to join NATO. Relations with China are fraught with suspicion after a Chinese cargo vessel’s anchor damaged the Baltic Connector gas pipeline and data cables in the Gulf of Finland last October. It may have been the same ship that damaged undersea data cables to Taiwan earlier last year. There has been suspicion of Russian-Chinese collusion. Finland has traditionally based its security on a careful relationship with Russia. Finnish presidents have cultivated Russian leaders as few Westerners have done, and Niinisto had a very long personal experience of dealing with Putin. Finland’s defence budget remained measuredly below 1.5 percent of GDP throughout the Cold War and until 2020, according to figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Finland even lent its name to this pragmatic self-containment – Finlandisation. ‘Look in the mirror’ Russia’s invasion of east Ukraine and Crimea in 2014 put the country on alert. Niinisto told parliament this demanded an investment in defence that is “perhaps greater than we have so far discussed” to protect its 1000km (621-mile) long land border with Russia, now NATO’s longest. The turning point was Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ultimatum to NATO in December 2021 – to expel former Warsaw Pact members from the alliance and cauterise NATO expansion into eastern Europe. That, Niinisto told Bloomberg, “was a real game changer in Finnish thinking”. When Russia invaded Ukraine the following February, Finnish public opinion changed overnight. Asked by an Yle survey in the first week of the invasion if they favoured NATO membership, 53 percent of Finns said yes. If the president supported it, the majority rose to 63 percent. Following a border crisis in which Russia attempted to send asylum seekers en masse to Finland last autumn, approval for NATO membership rose to over 80 percent. Niinisto and Putin spoke for the last time in May 2022. “Niinisto only called Putin to inform him Finland is joining NATO, and that was this famous call where he said, ‘Look in the mirror… this is your doing’,” Minna Alander, a research fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, told Al Jazeera. “After that he was asked, ‘What do you think about [German chancellor Olaf] Scholz and [French President Emmanuel] Macron calling [Putin] and why are you not calling Putin? Do you think you should call?’ – he was like, ‘Well I have nothing to say.’” Boosted defence strategies for a new era Finland’s defence posture has changed dramatically since then. This year defence spending is to reach 2.3 percent of GDP, surpassing NATO’s two percent recommended minimum for the first time. This will help pay for a “smart fence” along Finland’s border equipped with sensors and drones, a new set of corvettes for the navy and new howitzers for the army. Finland bought 64 F-35 Lightning II fighter-bombers from the US’s Lockheed Martin for $9.4bn in February 2022. These are fifth-generation stealth planes. In them, the Finns could in theory fly to Moscow undetected. Last November Finland sparked controversy when it bought the David’s Sling medium-range (40-300km, or 20-250 miles) air defence system from Israel’s Rafael. The system is designed to intercept antiballistic missiles, used to deliver nuclear bombs. Some strategists believe that undermines reciprocal nuclear deterrence. It was a similar move by US President George W Bush to place ballistic missile interceptors in front-line NATO states that sparked Russia’s ire in 2009. Beyond the capabilities Finland is developing on its own, it has signed a Defense Co-operation Agreement with the US that allows US forces to operate from its soil. In other words, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine brought the full might of the Pentagon to its doorstep. Niinisto was already the only Finnish president to be elected with an outright majority (62.7 percent) in a first voting round, in 2018. His shepherding of Finnish sentiment into concrete policy increased his stature, because the Finnish president is commander in chief of the armed forces and constitutionally leads defence and foreign policy. Since 2021 his popularity ratings have been over 90 percent. A citizens’ movement even tried to bend the rules to allow Niinisto to stand for a third term, a campaign he was not interested in. Unsurprisingly, the two frontrunners, former premier Alexander Stubb and former Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto have been trying to emulate him. “There is a sense that voters are looking for a mini-Niinisto,” said Alander. Nuclear weapons, future challenges and NATO politics Niinisto will now bequeath a presidency that is increased not only in stature but also in complexity. “Without a doubt, the Finnish presidency is becoming a stronger institution because of the president’s role in foreign policy,” SM Amadae, programme director for global politics and communication at the University of Helsinki, told Al Jazeera. About two-thirds of Finns are against reducing the president’s powers, which are largely discretionary and shaped by the force of each president’s personality and popularity. “The next president will play an important, precedent-setting, role in how Finland’s relationship with NATO will be conducted,” she said. Finland’s special relationship with and understanding of Russia has been its selling point in the EU and NATO until now. Its vantage point from which to spy on Russia, its cutting-edge 5G telecommunications industry and AI industry may now replace that as strategic advantages. For these reasons, the all-important relationship with the US is likely to flourish. “We can expect further
ICJ orders Israel to take steps to prevent killings in Gaza
NewsFeed Judges at the International Court of Justice have ordered Israel to take steps to limit killings and acts of genocide in Gaza and to allow in humanitarian aid, but the court did not insist on a ceasefire. Published On 26 Jan 202426 Jan 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
India’s Tata and Europe’s Airbus sign deal to manufacture helicopters
The agreement was signed during French President Macron’s state visit to the South Asian country. India’s Tata Group and Europe’s Airbus have signed an agreement to manufacture civilian helicopters together. The deal was signed during French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to India, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said on Friday. Tata and Airbus are already cooperating on making the C-295 transport aircraft in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat. “Industrial partnership [signed] between Tata and [France-based] Airbus Helicopters for production of H125 helicopters with a significant indigenous and localisation component,” Kwatra said at a media briefing. Airbus, in a statement announcing the final assembly line (FAL) for helicopters on Friday, said the machines produced would also be exported to some of India’s neighbouring countries. “The FAL will take 24 months to set up, and deliveries … are expected to commence in 2026,” Airbus said, adding that the location of the facility will be jointly decided by the companies. Further cooperation in the defence sector was also discussed during Macron’s visit, officials quoted by the Reuters news agency said, including the possibility of French engine maker Safran assisting in the manufacture of fighter jet engines in India. France is already India’s second largest arms supplier, and the South Asian nation has relied on its fighter jets for four decades. “Safran is fully willing to do it with a 100 percent transfer of technology in design, development, certification, production and so on,” India Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf said, adding that discussions will continue. Guest of honour Macron was the guest of honour at India’s annual Republic Day parade in the heart of the capital, New Delhi – a highly choreographed event featuring tank columns, fighter jet fly-pasts, acrobatic motorbike stunts and mounted camel units. This year, it coincided with a two-day diplomatic tour that reflects a growing partnership between India and France after Macron hosted Modi at last year’s Bastille Day celebrations in Paris. Macron has pushed for greater French involvement in the Asia-Pacific at a time when the United States and its Western allies are courting India as a military and economic counterweight to China. Before his arrival in India, Macron’s office said India was “a key partner in contributing to international peace and security”. France hopes to build on its military contracts with India, which is already a buyer of French-made Rafale fighter jets and Scorpene-class submarines in multibillion-dollar deals. Adblock test (Why?)
West Virginia legislators reject bill to expand law enforcement database of DNA
West Virginia lawmakers on Thursday soundly rejected a bill that would have expanded a law enforcement database to include collecting DNA samples from people arrested for certain felonies. Some legislators cited privacy concerns during a lengthy debate before the 66-30 vote by the Republican-dominated House of Delegates. Three members were absent. “This is just another step away from our liberties,” said Republican Del. Rolland Jennings of Preston County. DNA EVIDENCE IDENTIFIES LAST KNOWN VICTIM OF GREEN RIVER KILLER ALMOST 40 YEARS LATER Current state law requires a DNA sample to be taken from anyone convicted of a felony and certain misdemeanors. The bill would have expanded the law to obtain DNA through cheek swabs from adults arrested on felony charges of violence against someone, a burglary or a case involving a minor. The samples would be sent to a state crime lab and the results stored in an FBI database. “If you don’t want your DNA taken, don’t do a heinous crime,” said Republican Del. Scot Heckert, a bill supporter. But some Democrats were concerned about the bill’s potential infringement on Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. “This bill is extremely broad,” Ohio County Democrat Shawn Fluharty said. “It’s dangerous territory to put people in a DNA database simply because they’ve been arrested just for probable cause and accused of a crime.” Mason County Republican Jonathan Pinson, a bill supporter, said it was no more of a constitutional concern than collecting fingerprints from suspects. Pinson said lawmakers should be more concerned about helping crime victims whose cases remain unsolved “because we don’t know where to look” for evidence. The bill also contained steps to expunge someone’s DNA records from the database if they were cleared of the felony charges. Prior to the vote, the House twice rejected bids to halt debate on the bill.
Senate Commerce Republicans probe Chicago’s migrant shelters at airports, warn of ‘illegal immigrant magnet’
FIRST ON FOX: Republicans on the Senate Commerce Committee are investigating Chicago’s housing of illegal immigrants at two airports in the city — asking whether the city is violating funding requirements, and accusing the city of being an “illegal immigrant magnet” with its sanctuary city policy. The Republicans, led by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, have written to Mayor Brandon Johnson over its moves to house migrants at O’Hare International Airport since March and more recently in Midway International Airport. Images emerged last year of hundreds of migrants camped out in O’Hare in a section of the airport. It came as the city struggled to deal with an influx of tens of thousands of migrants since mid-2022. “Repurposing airport facilities and infrastructure to house illegal aliens not only degrades taxpayers’ investment in the national airport system but, at least in the case of O’Hare, as federally-funded airport facilities are withdrawn from public access and use, it violates the requirement that these federally funded facilities ‘be available for public use as an airport.’” “No rational person would define an airport as a facility that houses illegal aliens,” they say. CHICAGO FACES BACKLASH FROM RESIDENTS OVER RESOURCES FOR MIGRANTS: ‘THEY ARE JUST NOT LISTENING!’ They also note Chicago’s status as a “sanctuary city” and say that its opposition to busing of migrants from Texas by Gov. Greg Abbott shows the city is “working overtime to avoid making good on such platitudes.” “Just recently, you characterized the sending of illegal aliens to Chicago as ‘sow[ing] seeds of chaos,’ implied Texas Governor Greg Abbott is motivated by racial animus and that his voluntary transportation program for illegal aliens to sanctuary cities is ‘attacking . . . cities that are being led by black leaders or leaders of color,’ and demanded the federal government and the American taxpayer pick up the bill for Chicago’s decision to flout federal law,” they say. It also highlights a dispute between the city and United Airlines and American Airlines regarding a new terminal at O’Hare, and asks if the city is “trying to squeeze more money out of United and America as you struggle to offset the costs of being a sanctuary city.” The lawmakers are asking about the number of migrants being housed at the airports, the related costs, the hazards it has created, if it received any federal waivers and if it consulted with the TSA on matter of aviation safety and security. “Rather than advocating for border communities alone to shoulder the burden, we encourage you to use the authorities at your disposal to advocate for border and transportation security, the enforcement of immigration laws, and consider reversing the illegal immigrant magnet that is Chicago’s misguided sanctuary city policy,” they say. In December, Johnson touted his administration’s efforts to provide housing, healthcare and schooling for the migrants coming to the city, but has appealed for additional federal help. He is one of a coalition of mayors who has called for more than $5 billion in assistance from the federal government. CHICAGO’S O’HARE AIRPORT USED AS A MIGRANT SHELTER AS CRISIS OVEWHELMS CITY: ‘LIKE A SCENE FROM MAD MAX’ “What I have worked to do instead of having chaos is provide some structure and calm around the situation and, without significant federal support, this is not sustainable,” Johnson said. “I’ve said repeatedly we need more resources,” he added. “[W]ithout real significant investment from our federal government, it won’t just be the city of Chicago that won’t be able to maintain this mission; it’s the entire country that is now at stake,” Johnson said.