Mike Lee continues calling for abolition of TSA
Sen. Mike Lee is continuing to call for the abolition of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). “Tired of being groped every time you travel? Abolish TSA,” the senator said in a recent post on X. “Make Airport Security Free Of Sexual Assault Again,” Lee said in another tweet, adding, “Abolish TSA.” TSA OFFICER REPORTEDLY CAUGHT WITH FIREARM IN BUSY ATLANTA AIRPORT IS ARRESTED In another post, he suggested that President Donald Trump should eliminate the TSA. Lee suggests that instead of TSA, airlines could handle passenger screening. “You may be required to undergo a pat-down procedure if the screening technology alarms, as part of unpredictable security measures, for enhanced screening, or as an alternative to other types of screening, such as advanced imaging technology screening,” according to the TSA website. “A pat-down may include inspection of the head, neck, arms, torso, legs, and feet. This includes head coverings and sensitive areas such as breasts, groin, and the buttocks.” The agency was established in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. “The Aviation and Transportation Security Act, passed by the 107th Congress and signed on November 19, 2001, established TSA,” according to the TSA’s website. TSA REVEALS TOP UNUSUAL FINDS AT AIRPORT SECURITY CHECKPOINTS IN 2024 Lee advocated the idea of nixing TSA last year as well. “It’s time to abolish the TSA. Airlines can and will secure their own planes if a federal agency doesn’t do it for them. They’ll do it better than TSA, without undermining the Constitution and with less groping—showing more respect for passengers,” the senator declared in a post last year on March 11. Days later, Lee indicated that he had been subjected to a TSA pat down. SEN MIKE LEE: REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS MUST IMMEDIATELY ADVANCE TRUMP’S MAGA AGENDA “Update: days after calling to abolish TSA, I got ‘randomly selected’ for the needlessly slow, thorough TSA screening & patdown. Maybe it’s a coincidence. Or not. Impossible to know. That’s part of the problem with having a federal agency in charge of airport security,” he tweeted on March 14, 2024. In December, the senator shared a video of a man being subjected to a pat down. “It’s unsettling knowing that the TSA does this countless times every day, constantly conducting needlessly invasive, warrantless, suspicion-less searches of law-abiding Americans,” Lee wrote when sharing the video. “Please share if you’d like to abolish TSA,” he added.
DeSantis faces GOP resistance to special legislative session on immigration that starts today
A special legislative session called by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to take up a series of proposals to help implement President Donald Trump‘s immigration crackdown gets underway on Monday. However, with pushback from top Republican lawmakers who call the session “premature,” it is unclear if any measures will be considered. DeSantis wants lawmakers to pass bills that would support the president’s flurry of immigration and border executive orders, signed since last Monday’s inauguration, and Trump’s plans for mass deportation of illegal immigrants. ‘THANK YOU RON’ – TRUMP PRAISES DESANTIS IMMIGRATION PUSH IN FLORIDA The governor wants to mandate that Florida’s counties and cities participate in the federal deportation program and wants the power to suspend officials who do not comply. He is also proposing to make it a state crime to enter the nation illegally, and he wants to mandate that people show identification and their immigration status before sending money back home. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION MOVES QUICKLY ON IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT “We’ve got to make sure that we are working hand-in-hand with the Trump administration,” DeSantis emphasized last week in an interview on Fox News’ “Ingraham Angle.” He added that the special legislative session would help “to facilitate the Trump administration’s mission.” Eleven bills were filed on the eve of the special session by Florida lawmakers. Among them are measures to create a state immigration czar and to allow the governor to activate the national and state guards for immigration enforcement. Under Florida’s constitution, if the governor calls for a special session, lawmakers are obligated to show up at the capitol in Tallahassee. However, the top Republicans in the state House and Senate say that while they support Trump’s immigration efforts, the special session is unnecessary with the regularly scheduled legislative session scheduled for early March. “It’s not premature,” DeSantis told Fox News. “We’ve been waiting four years to have a partner in Washington, D.C., on this issue. We have a sense of urgency. We have to get the job done. No more dragging your feet.” DeSantis, who waged a bitter and unsuccessful primary challenge against Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, was praised by the then-president-elect earlier this month. “Thank you Ron, hopefully other governors will follow!” Trump wrote in a social media post after DeSantis announced the special session. However, the pushback by GOP state lawmakers over the calling of the special session is a dramatic turn of events for DeSantis, who long enjoyed massive influence over the Florida legislature, especially after his nearly 20-point re-election in 2022. Following his unsuccessful 2024 White House bid, the lame duck governor does not appear to have the same clout over lawmakers that he once enjoyed. Pushing back against opposition to his plans, DeSantis has warned that any lawmaker who stood in his way over the special session would pay a political price.
Trump order ending birthright citizenship for illegal immigrants is constitutional, expert says
While nearly two dozen states are suing to stop President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants, some legal experts, such as Hans von Spakovsky with the Heritage Foundation, say the order is perfectly legal under the 14th Amendment and should be upheld by the courts. “I strongly believe that Donald Trump is correct, that we need to enforce the 14th Amendment as it was originally intended,” Spakovsky told Fox News Digital. “No doubt there will be lawsuits against it, it’ll get to the U.S. Supreme Court, and if the court follows the actual legislative intent and history, they will uphold what Donald Trump has done.” As Trump has moved quickly to clamp down on illegal immigration, his most controversial move yet was to issue an executive order ending birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants. The order titled the “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship” states that “the privilege of United States citizenship does not automatically extend to persons born in the United States” when that person’s parents are either unlawfully present in the U.S. or when the parents’ presence is lawful but temporary. TRUMP ADMIN HITS BACK AS ACLU LAUNCHES LAWSUIT ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP: ‘READY TO FACE THEM’ Twenty-two Democrat-led states and the ACLU are suing to stop the order, arguing that it violates the 14th Amendment, which states, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” The lawsuit argues that “the President has no authority to rewrite or nullify a constitutional amendment or duly enacted statute. Nor is he empowered by any other source of law to limit who receives United States citizenship at birth.” However, Spakovsky, who is a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation and an authority on civil rights and immigration, told Fox News Digital that the 14th Amendment was never meant to include the children of individuals in the country illegally or temporarily and that this broad interpretation has led to widespread “birth tourism” and abuse. He said the key phrase often overlooked today is “subject to the jurisdiction thereof,” which necessitates the immigrants’ loyalties be to the U.S., not to some foreign power. TRUMP’S HOUSE GOP ALLIES PUSH BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP BILL AFTER PROGRESSIVE FURY AT PRESIDENTIAL ORDER “The 14th Amendment has two key clauses in it. One, you have to be born in the United States, but you also have to be subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. All those who push birthright citizenship just point to that first phrase and ignore the second,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of research on this. I’ve looked at the original passage of the 14th Amendment and what that phrase meant subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. According to the original sponsors of the 14th Amendment in Congress was that you owed your political allegiance to the United States and not a foreign government.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “That means that children born of aliens who are in this country, and it doesn’t matter whether they’re here legally, illegally, as diplomats; if their parents are foreign citizens when they are born they are citizens of their parents’ native land, they owe their political allegiance to and are subject to the jurisdiction of those native lands, not the United States. So, they are not citizens of the U.S.,” he said. According to Spakovsky, the 14th Amendment, which was ratified after the Civil War to acknowledge citizenship for former slaves and their descendants, was not used to confer birthright citizenship to illegal aliens until more than 100 years after it was adopted by Congress. PRESIDENT TRUMP’S BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP EXECUTIVE ORDER FACES LEGAL CHALLENGES FROM 22 STATES As Democrats and left-wing groups prepare to launch a legal war with the Trump administration over the order, Spakovsky said he is confident the Supreme Court will rule in Trump’s favor. “The problem with birthright citizenship is it gives rights as an American citizen to individuals who have absolutely no loyalty to and no connection to the U.S. government, our culture, our society,” he said. “The Supreme Court should uphold it because the original meaning of the 14th Amendment is clearly not recognizing birthright citizenship.”
Trump to reinstate service members discharged for not getting COVID-19 vaccine
President Donald Trump will sign an executive order to reinstate service members booted from the military for declining to get COVID-19 vaccine jabs, according to the White House. Those reinstated will be returned to their prior rank, and be provided back pay and benefits. The White House fact sheet indicates that just 43 of the over 8,000 service members discharged over their COVID-19 vaccination status opted to return to the military. This is a breaking news story and will be updated
Thomas Massie says he loves teenage Boy Scout’s policy proposal: Zero tax for workers younger than 18
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., noted that a Boy Scout proposed a policy of not taxing workers younger than age 18. The congressman from the Bluegrass State listed several reasons why he loves the idea. “A 15 yr old Boy Scout working on his merit badge just sent me this idea: No taxes on workers under 18 yrs old. I love it because: 1. They need experience to pick a college major 2. They need to develop a work ethic 3. The economy needs more workers 4. They don’t get to vote,” Massie wrote in a post on X. MASSIE AND OTHER REPUBLICANS PUSH ‘NATIONAL CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY ACT’ TO PROTECT AMERICANS’ GUN RIGHTS Someone responded to the lawmaker, suggesting that youths “don’t make enough money for the most part and get it back when they file taxes. It is a good lesson on how to file taxes and gives them a chance to get a return,” the person opined. Massie replied, “Sounds like conditioning to be sheeple. Hard pass.” Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., indicated that high minimum wages box young people out of the job market. REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS PUSH TO ABOLISH ‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL’ ATF “So many of our youth have lost the opportunity to enter the workforce due to high minimum wage requirements. High taxes, insurance, and paid leave requirements are a few of many issues as well. Small business owners are unable to invest in first-time workers or provide them with skills training for their future,” she tweeted. “Great points!” Massie replied. He has previously suggested that the U.S. should nix the federal income tax entirely. MASSIE DROPS COLORFUL ANALOGY OPPOSING FOREIGN AID, MOCKS SPEAKER JOHNSON WITH AI-GENERATED IMAGE “The federal income tax was unconstitutional for most of our [country’s] existence. The founders of this country would have never agreed to it. We should repeal it,” he tweeted in February 2024. Massie has also spoken out against foreign aid. “My position of ‘no foreign aid’ might sound extreme to some, but it’s far more extreme to force future generations of Americans into indentured servitude to our foreign creditors,” he noted in a 2023 post.
Tennessee lawmaker reintroduces bill to allow veterans, retired cops to work as School Resource Officers
A Tennessee state lawmaker reintroduced a bill for the 2025 legislative session that would look to fill a shortage of School Resource Officers by allowing veterans and retired law enforcement officers to be hired. Republican Rep. Tim Rudd reintroduced the bill for the 2025 legislative session. It was passed by the House during the last legislative session, but it failed to make it through the Senate. The bill would allow public charter schools to hire honorably discharged veterans and retired law enforcement officers to serve as School Resource Officers. TENNESSEE SCHOOL SHOOTER ‘SIGNIFICANTLY INFLUENCED’ BY MATERIAL FOUND ON ‘HARMFUL’ WEBSITES: POLICE Applicants must complete 40 hours of basic training in school policy, pass a test to be eligible to purchase and possess a handgun, receive written authorization to carry or possess a firearm on school grounds, undergo a psychiatric evaluation and pass an FBI criminal history check. “They still have to go through training. The reason why is to try to find more resource officers in these rural areas, especially so we can protect our children,” Rudd told WTVC. “This certainly won’t solve the shortage problem, but it will help,” he added. “Ultimately, it’d be up to the school system whether they want to use them, and what guidelines and rules they put in place.” Rudd says the proposal would help veterans and retired law enforcement officers, but the main priority is to protect the children. A man who served in the Navy for more than 20 years said the measure could be an opportunity for veterans to find a renewed purpose and be a role model for students. “They have all the skills that would be necessary to bring into the environment of a school environment as a resource officer,” Mickey McCamish told WTVC. TENNESSEE SCHOOL SHOOTER WHO KILLED 1, INJURED ANOTHER IDENTIFIED AS TEEN STUDENT: POLICE The transition from military life to civilian life can be difficult for some, but McCamish says these individuals would be perfect role models for students. “There just couldn’t be a better fit than having veterans as a role model to students in either a resource officer position or just to be a part of the school life,” he said.
From TikTok to Tulsi: How Mike Pence is taking aim at Trump 2.0
It’s the second week of the second Trump presidency, and Mike Pence has some concerns. Coming off a trip to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, the former vice president is more convinced than ever of the need for the U.S. to stand strong against China and bolster Taiwan’s defenses. “There seems to be this suggestion on both sides of a certain thawing in relations, which in principle I welcome, but not compromising on principles,” he told a small group of reporters at the Advancing American Freedom office in Washington, D.C. And in the new Trump 2.0, Pence is convinced that his brand of neoconservatism is not dead, at least not yet. “There have been voices of isolationism that have been emerging in our party of late,” he said. “I’m not yet convinced that they represent the president’s views.” The former vice president does not believe the 2024 election was a referendum on interventionist policy. TRUMP’S ‘BLACKLIST’: PRESIDENT-ELECT DESCRIBES THE TYPE OF PEOPLE HE DOESN’T WANT TO HIRE “I don’t think people were voting for isolationism in 2024.” But Pence refused to endorse President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. Pence and Trump fell out after the January 6th Capitol riot, and Trump, in turn, recently suggested that he wouldn’t hire anyone who had worked for his former second-in-command. “There are loud voices, both inside and outside the administration that are calling on America to pull back from, whether it be Eastern Europe, the Asia Pacific, and even some are calling for us to pull back on our longstanding support for Israel,” Pence went on. “One of the things we want to be, Advancing American Freedom and whatever remains of my bully pulpit, is to be an anchor to windward for traditional conservatism within the Republican Party.” In Hong Kong, Pence stood in front of 2,000 people and called for authorities to release Jimmy Lai, an imprisoned media mogul and pro-democracy activist, to the audible gasps of the crowd. Back at home, he’s calling on Trump to “reconsider” the U.S.-Nippon Steel merger that Biden stopped. He is also worried his former boss does not fully grasp the dangers of TikTok, after Trump’s newfound embrace of the video-sharing platform where he enjoys 15 million followers. He signed an executive order this week giving TikTok another 75 days in operation after Congress passed a law last year forcing them to divest from Chinese-owned ByteDance or face a ban in the U.S. “I am concerned that the administration doesn’t fully appreciate the issues that animated the need for divestment,” said Pence. “People that are in their 20s and 30s today could be in the Senate – in the House in 10 years. The fact that the Chinese Communist Party is collecting data on Americans, whatever their age or experience is, is not something to be dismissed.” The former vice president said that China is trying to infiltrate public opinion in Taiwan ahead of a possible invasion to try to take over the island. “The CCP thinks the principal value of TikTok is the ability to impact public opinion at a critical moment,” he said. “When I met with leadership in Taiwan, on TikTok they said, in effect, they’re dealing with an onslaught of social media propaganda coming out of China into Taiwan, trying to set the stage for whatever action, economic, political or hard power may be coming their way.” It was the first Trump administration that made tough-on-China policies go mainstream, according to Pence. TRUMP’S LATEST HIRES AND FIRES RANKLE IRAN HAWKS AS NEW PRESIDENT SUGGESTS NUCLEAR DEAL “I am convinced that our administration changed the national consensus on China,” he said. “I would point out that President Biden never undid the $250 billion in tariffs that we imposed.” Pence said he is also worried about Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman-turned Republican whom Trump has nominated to be his director of national intelligence. She has “at times over the last two years, been an apologist for Putin. And, you know, has a history of being critical of the use of American power,” said Pence. “I think, if memory serves, she actually criticized when we took out [top Iranian general] Qassem Soleimani.” Trump suggested that he might want to sit down with Iran and work on a new nuclear deal on Thursday. But Pence said he trusts the new administration, particularly officials like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security adviser Michael Waltz, not to get taken for a ride by Iran. “The first order of business is to go back to isolating around economically, and diplomatically, and making it clear that different from the Iran nuclear deal there, there would have to be a sea change in any policy regarding nuclear weapons or the state of Israel.” “I trust that the administration will be very cautious in any of those interactions.” Pence’s group has already come out with a campaign in opposition to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. To do that, the former vice president said he would be anything but retired from public life. He plans to continue to advocate for increasing defense spending – 5% of GDP is his current goal – and to use his voice to convince elected officials to stand strong with America’s friends and boost deterrent measures to prevent a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. The U.S. has a longstanding policy of ambiguity when it comes to whether it would actually stand shoulder-to-shoulder on the ground with Taiwan if China were to invade. Even in private life, Pence isn’t ready to say whether that would be the right move. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “There’s an old saying, ‘Never say what you’ll never do,’” he said. “We ought to have one hand extended in friendship in exchange, and the other hand resting comfortably on the holster of the arsenal of democracy.”
Cali Rep. Chu says ‘wildfires have no political affiliations’ after Trump floated conditions for federal aid
U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., said she does not believe conditions should be placed on federal support for wildfires sweeping through Southern California, after President Donald Trump suggested he wanted wildfire aid to be conditional. The district Chu represents includes Altadena and northern Pasadena, which have been impacted by the deadly Eaton Fire. “There have never been conditions laid on disaster aid in the history of America,” Chu told Inside California Politics. “I know that I have voted for disaster aid in red states and for blue states, she continued. “I’ve never considered whether they were Republican or Democrat. And let me say, wildfires have no political affiliations. They don’t have a political party.” TRUMP MEETS WITH CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS, FIRE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS TO SEE LA WILDFIRE DAMAGE FIRST HAND This comes after Trump said on Friday that two conditions must be met in California before the federal government offers disaster relief. He said he wants lawmakers to approve voter identification legislation and that water needs to be allowed to flow across the state. “I want to see two things in Los Angeles. Voter ID, so that the people have a chance to vote, and I want to see the water be released and come down into Los Angeles and throughout the state,” Trump told reporters in North Carolina as he was touring hurricane recovery efforts in that state. “Those are the two things. After that, I will be the greatest president that California has ever seen.” Trump visited Los Angeles later on Friday to view damage from the wildfires and meet with local officials and residents. Chu said she wants Trump to tell the working-class victims of her district that they would only see aid to address the devastation if there are conditions. “I want him to see how these everyday Americans are being terribly devastated and also I want him to hear from their voices,” Chu said. “I want him to look, in fact, in the victim’s eyes and say that he wouldn’t provide aid unless there were conditions.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, responded to Trump’s comments about conditional aid. The governor’s office said several other states — including some won by Trump — do not generally require identification at the voting polls and that California residents must provide identification when they register to vote. Newsom’s office also said the state pumps as much water as it could under policies from Trump’s first-term. LOS ANGELES AGENCY REVEALS ESTIMATED ECONOMIC IMPACT OF DEADLY WILDFIRES AS INFERNOS STILL RAGE “Conditioning aid for American citizens is wrong,” Newsom’s office said on X. Republicans in Congress have suggested tying wildfire aid to a debt ceiling increase or changes to California’s fire-mitigation policies, but Democrats have argued against placing conditions on federal assistance to Southern California.
Trump’s most vulnerable nominees RFK Jr, Tulsi Gabbard get back-to-back hearings
Two of President Donald Trump’s most vulnerable administration picks will get back-to-back confirmation hearings in the Senate this week. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who Trump nominated to be Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), and former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, whom he selected to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI), will have committee confirmation hearings on Wednesday and Thursday. REPUBLICANS REACT TO PETE HEGSETH’S CONFIRMATION AS DEFENSE SECRETARY: ‘HE IS THE CHANGE AGENT’ On Wednesday, Kennedy will have his first hearing with the Senate Finance Committee, who will eventually vote on whether to advance his nomination to the full Senate. He will have an additional hearing on Thursday with the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), but that committee will not have a vote on the nomination. Gabbard’s hearing with the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence will take place Thursday morning. The two Trump picks were some of the more controversial administration selections. Both Kennedy and Gabbard are former Democrats with histories of policy positions that clash with what many Republican senators believe. At issue for lawmakers on both sides is Kennedy’s history of significant criticism of vaccines and vaccination programs. For some Republicans whose states have a large farming constituency, his positions on further regulating agriculture and food production have been cause for concern. TIM SCOTT EMPHASIZES ‘RESULTS’ OVER RECONCILIATION PROCESS AS HE STAYS OUT OF DEBATE Gabbard’s past policy stances as they relate to national security have given bipartisan lawmakers some reason for pause, since the role she is nominated for is critical to the nation’s safety and defense. Both of the nominees have taken steps to moderate themselves amid the confirmation process. Kennedy has pushed back on suggestions that he is “anti-vaccine” and explained, “If vaccines are working for somebody, I’m not going to take them away.” DEM WHO CALLED TRUMP ‘EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO DEMOCRACY’ NOW BLOCKING HIS NOMINEES “People ought to have choice, and that choice ought to be informed by the best information,” he said in an interview with NBC News. “So I’m going to make sure scientific safety studies and efficacy are out there, and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them.” Gabbard recently made a remarkable reversal on a controversial intelligence tool used by the government. And her choice to change her position on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s (FISA) section 702 managed to win her the backing of a Republican senator on the intel committee that she will need to advance out of. HEGSETH LAWYER SLAMS ‘FLAWED AND QUESTIONABLE AFFIDAVIT’ FROM EX-SISTER-IN-LAW Recently asked whether her change of heart on section 702 had earned his vote, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said, “Yeah, I am, and that was a very important piece for me.” While both nominees have gotten some necessary Republican backing in the relevant committees, not everyone has said whether they will vote to advance the selections. And even if they are voted out of the committees, they could still face an uphill battle to be confirmed by the full Senate.
Biden’s controversial pardons shine new light on power, as PA lawmakers take next step to strip Joe’s name
Lawmakers at the state and federal levels are responding to President Joe Biden’s record presidential pardon spree – as more than 3,000 people found their sentences commuted or pardoned. The pardons, some of which came in the final hours of Biden’s presidency, were issued to many members of his own family. The last-minute tranche on Sunday that included James Biden, Hunter Biden and Valerie Biden-Owens came only weeks after a record 1,500 commutations in a single day – notably including that of disgraced Pennsylvania Judge Michael Conahan. Conahan, of Wilkes-Barre, was dubbed the “kids for cash judge” after he was charged in connection with a scheme to send juvenile offenders to for-profit prisons in exchange for kickbacks. Pennsylvania state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Dallas, represents the area where Conahan once sat on the bench. LAWMAKERS DEMAND SCRANTON CHANGE ‘BIDEN EXPRESSWAY’ NAME AFTER JUDGE PARDONED Baker told Fox News Digital the former president’s pardon in that case was “disrespectful to the victims, their families, the juvenile justice system, and to all the officials who have worked to reform the system so that this kind of scandal cannot happen again.” She and other lawmakers are also trying to bring new attention to victim notification processes that exist at the federal level and in many states, including Pennsylvania. A source familiar with the federal process said the system is a voluntary construct, in that victims may sign up for notifications but are not automatically informed if convicts are pardoned, transferred or released. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., said he was troubled by much of Biden’s pardon spree, including those given preemptively to family and President Donald Trump critics, as well as convicts like Conahan – whose “kids for cash” scandal greatly affected his constituents – and added that the former president may have damaged the pardon process. “These preemptive actions amount to an implicit admission of wrongdoing,” Meuser said of pardons given to Biden family members. ECONOMY BORDER & ABORTION DIVIDE BIDEN’S HOMETOWN AS RESIDENTS LOOK BACK ON NATIVE SON’S FIRST TERM “This sets a dangerous precedent that undermines the long-standing purpose of the presidential pardon power. Historically, pardons have been used to offer clemency or correct injustices—not to shield one’s family members from potential accountability before any charges are even brought.” Unfortunately for Biden critics, Meuser said the presidential pardon power is enshrined in Article II of the Constitution, and Congress has no power to intervene or change it. “While I vehemently disagree with Biden’s decision to preemptively pardon members of his family, the presidential pardon power is established [therein]. That means, absent the ratification of a constitutional amendment, Congress does not have the power to review, alter, or pass legislation limiting a president’s pardon power.” Meuser pointed to the 1974 Supreme Court case Schick v. Reed, which confirmed Congress cannot have a role. “Nevertheless, our Founding Fathers never could have conceived that a president would pardon a son who broke countless laws and utilized the White House to defraud and leverage millions of dollars in a pay-to-play scheme that also involved other family members.” Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa., who flipped Biden’s home district in November, has also expressed concern over Biden’s use of presidential pardons. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I think what’s discouraging is that you heard time and time again along the campaign trail that he wasn’t going to do something like this, but I’m certainly not surprised,” Bresnahan recently told WBRE. “I’m sure much of America is not surprised.” While countless Americans who fell victim to those pardoned, including Conahan, may have little recourse, Baker said she is participating in the drafting of legislation in Harrisburg late Friday that will attempt to remove Biden’s likeness from part of his home area. While the former Spruce Street in Scranton – since renamed Biden Avenue – is city property, Baker said the “President Joseph R. Biden Jr. Expressway” splitting off Interstate 81 into his hometown is within PennDOT’s bounds. “The reaction has been so strong that many have called for renaming the President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Expressway, which was designated by Scranton City Council in 2021,” Baker said. The lawmaker added Biden’s legacy is forever “stained” by Conahan’s “inexplicable and infamous commutation.” “We owe it to the juvenile victims, their families, and all the believers in equal justice to remove the name of Joe Biden and replace it with someone truly deserving of the honor.”