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      Republicans Revive a Debate on Term Limits

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      Similar proposals to restrict lawmakers’ tenures that the party pushed in the 1990s went nowhere. In this new Congress, the result is likely to be the same.WASHINGTON — In grabbing control of the House, Republicans promised a vote on a proposition that always strikes a chord with frustrated voters: imposing term limits on members of the House and Senate to finally depose those entrenched, out-of-touch lawmakers.Within months of taking power, the new majority put the idea on the floor, where it flopped spectacularly. That episode was in 1995, when Republicans, led by newly installed Speaker Newt Gingrich, pledged a vote on term limits as part of their vaunted Contract with America, only to have the proposal rejected by some of the same folks who signed off on the contract. Voters get much more excited about term limits than do those who would be bound by them.Now the new House Republican majority is again pursuing limits on how long members of Congress can serve, and the result is likely to be the same: failure to garner the votes needed to send a constitutional amendment to the states for approval. But that won’t deter the backers of the plan, who once again say the public is fed up with career politicians and that those who reject term limits do so at their political peril.“This is a long stairway, but you take the first step,” said Representative Ralph Norman, the South Carolina Republican who is the lead backer of term limits in the House. “Let everybody vote up or down. This time I think there will be consequences for those who vote against it. There is a time for politicians to go home and live under some of the rules they have passed.”Mr. Norman said he expects Speaker Kevin McCarthy to allow a vote on the idea in the next few months. A similar resolution in the Senate sponsored by Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, is unlikely to get a vote because it is opposed by both Democratic and Republican leaders.“Leadership in both parties is opposing the overwhelming consensus of the American voters on this issue,” Mr. Cruz said. “The one group that doesn’t support term limits are career politicians in Washington. If it comes to a vote, I think it is hard for elected officials to vote against it.”Critics assail the effort as gimmickry, an easy show vote for lawmakers who want to be seen as fighting the status quo in Washington while knowing they will not have to abide by term limits themselves since there is little chance they will be imposed. Opponents also say that enacting term limits would deprive Congress of the experience and savvy that lawmakers develop over years of serving.“The fact that I have had the institutional memory that I’ve had here has always been helpful to the national debate and certainly back home as well,” said Representative Richard E. Neal, Democrat of Massachusetts and a former Ways and Means Committee chairman just elected to his 18th term. “If you want to turn Congress over to the amateurs and the antis and the special interests, embrace term limits.”Newt Gingrich first oversaw a vote on term limits, which failed decisively, back in 1995.Kenny Holston/The New York TimesThe call for term limits was a central part of Republicans’ takeover of the House in the 1994 midterm elections, helping them build the case that Democrats had become corrupt and arrogant after four decades in power. The “citizen legislature” was a major plank of the contract, pledging a “first-ever vote on term limits to replace career politicians with citizen legislators.” Republicans had also been heartened by seeing state legislatures around the country impose term limits on their office holders.After Republicans won that November, the vote finally rolled around on March 29, 1995. The day before, Mr. Gingrich published an op-ed in The Washington Post laying the groundwork for a loss by blaming Democrats, since the House could not muster the two-thirds majority necessary to send a constitutional amendment to the states — 290 votes — without significant Democratic support.“This vote says to the American people that this is their country,” Mr. Gingrich wrote. “It says to our citizens that they are entrusted with greater control.”Despite his pleas, the vote to impose 12-year limits on both the House and Senate attracted a bare majority of just 227 votes, significantly short of the required supermajority threshold. A barbed Democratic alternative that would have imposed term limits retroactively, knocking out scores of lawmakers of both parties, did not even attract a majority.While Republicans tried to hold Democrats responsible for the failure, 40 Republicans also balked, and 30 of them were among the most senior Republicans in the House. That included Representative Henry J. Hyde, of Illinois, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, who won an ovation for his speech in opposition to the proposal.“I just can’t be an accessory to the dumbing down of democracy,” Mr. Hyde told his colleagues.After the defeat, Republicans sought again to make term limits a major issue in the 1996 elections and staged another vote in February 1997. The proposal fared even worse than before, barely surpassing a majority, let alone a supermajority, and any momentum for imposing term limits slowed.The momentum for adhering to personal pledges also dissipated. In one of the best-known cases, George Nethercutt, a Washington Republican who ousted Speaker Thomas S. Foley in 1994 almost solely on the basis of Mr. Foley’s opposition to term limits, reneged on his promise to serve only three terms in the House and was elected twice more.Last year, Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin, won a third term in the Senate despite promising to serve only two terms, saying he broke his pledge because the nation was in too much peril for him to leave.The concept of term limits has always been more popular in the House than in the Senate, where seniority is extremely advantageous. Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the minority leader who this year broke the record for the longest-serving Senate leader, has been particularly opposed, arguing that elections already serve as term limits.But Mr. Norman, who is in his third full term after winning a special election in 2017, dismisses the idea that experience is a plus in Congress.“Look at the shape of the country,” said Mr. Norman. “I could pick 435 people off the streets to get a better return on investment than with politicians.”The resolution being pushed by Mr. Norman and Mr. Cruz is more restrictive than the ones defeated in the 1990s and would allow just three terms in the House and two in the Senate. Mr. Norman said he is open to slight upward adjustments in House tenure and has said he expects to run just a few more times himself.But Mr. Cruz, who will complete his second term next year, said his support of a two-term limit on senators does not mean he won’t be seeking a third term for himself in 2024, in line with his own bill.“I have never suggested that I support unilateral term limits,” he said. “I would happily comply with them if they applied to everyone. I never said I would do it alone if no one else complied.” More

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      Republicans remove Ilhan Omar from House foreign affairs committee – as it happened

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      The House of Representatives has voted to oust Minnesota Democratic representative Ilhan Omar from the foreign affairs committee on Thursday, the Washington Post reports.The vote comes after the House approved Democratic assignments for the powerful foreign affairs committee which included Omar.Once McCarthy learned of the assignments, he told reporters, “Oh, so now we can vote her off,” the Hill reports.Republicans claim to have removed Omar due to her previous criticisms of Israel.Republican representative Max Miller said in a statement that Omar “cannot be an objective decision-maker on the foreign affairs committee given her biases against Israel and against the Jewish people”.Omar, herself the target of anti-Muslim bigotry since taking office, said last week that the decision to oust her was “purely partisan”.She added that the move is “also a blow to the integrity of our democratic institutions and a threat to our national security”.It is now 4pm in DC. Here are the key events that happened across the country today:
      The House voted along party lines as it ousted Democratic representative Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee while Democrats defended her. The vote was divided 218 to 211, CBS reports. One GOP member voted “present.” Omar defended herself on the floor on Thursday, saying: “This debate today, it’s about who gets to be an American? What opinions do we get to have, do we have to have to be counted as American?… That is what this debate is about, Madam Speaker. There is this idea that you are suspect if you are an immigrant. Or if you are from a certain part of the world, of a certain skin tone or a Muslim.”
      A New Jersey councilwoman has been fatally shot on Wednesday night, according to New Jersey’s Sayreville police department. In a press statement released on Thursday, police said that they responded to shots fired on Wednesday evening in the Parlin section of Sayreville, New Jersey. Upon arrival, officers “located town councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour, 30, of Sayreville, in her vehicle who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Dwumfour had succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced on scene.”
      Senators Joe Manchin and Ted Cruz have introduced a new bill that would protect gas stoves. On Thursday, the senators introduced the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act which would prevent the Consumer Product Safety Commission from banning gas stoves across the country.
      Senate majority leader Charles Schumer has said that president Joe Biden stands united alongside Democratic leaders against raising debt limits. In a statement to reporters on Thursday, Schumer said, “I’ve spoken to the president both before and his staff after the meeting. He had the same position — [House Democratic leader] Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer, the House Democratic caucus, the Senate Democratic caucus and the president have the exact same position, we should pass the debt ceiling clean. That’s where we’re at,” the Hill reports.
      The White House has condemned the Republican-led House vote that ousted Democratic representative Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Omar is a “highly respected member of Congress” and called the move a “political stunt,” the Hill reports.
      The Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, announced plans this week to block state college programs on diversity, equity and inclusion, and critical race theory in his latest attack on Black and LGBTQ+ people in the public education system. The second-term governor, widely expected to launch a 2024 White House bid, previously blocked an advanced placement course on African American studies from being taught in high schools, saying it violated state law, and championed a “don’t say gay” law prohibiting lessons about sexual orientation or gender identity in state primary schools.
      The former White House press secretary turned governor of Arkansas Sarah Huckabee Sanders will give the Republican response to Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. Announcing the move on Thursday, the House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, called Huckabee Sanders “a servant-leader of true determination and conviction”, adding: “I’m thrilled Sarah will share her extraordinary story and bold vision for a better America on Tuesday.”
      In the latest development in the saga over former presidents and vice-presidents and the improper retention of classified documents, the Wall Street Journal reports that FBI agents will soon search a property belonging to Mike Pence. Yesterday, FBI agents searched a home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, that belongs to President Joe Biden. No additional documents were found but Biden already faced the attentions of a special counsel, appointed to investigate his retention of documents from his time in the Senate and as vice-president to Barack Obama.
      Florida Republican senator Rick Scott said that he does not think that Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell’s decision to remove him from the Senate Commerce Committee “made any sense.” “I’m going to keep doing my job… I put out a plan. He completely opposed me putting out a plan,” Scott told CNN, referring to a plan he announced last year that would have subjected all “government bureaucrats” to a 12-year term limit, shut down the Department of Education, and slashed the federal workforce by 25% within five years, among other proposals.
      President Joe Biden called for cooperation and respect at the National Prayer Breakfast where he said that he and House speaker Kevin McCarthy will “treat each other with respect.” “Let’s just sort of, kind of, join hands again a little bit. Let’s start treating each other with respect. That’s what Kevin and I are going to do,” said Biden, the Hill reports.
      President Joe Biden has confirmed the departure of his top economic adviser Brian Deese from the White House. In a statement on Thursday, Biden announced that Deese will be stepping down from his role as director of the National Economic Council in the coming days.
      Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that she will endorse Democratic representative Adam Schiff for California senate if senator Diana Feinstein decides to not run again. In a statement released by Pelosi and reported by Politico, Pelosi wrote: “If Senator Feinstein decides to seek re-election, she has my whole-hearted support. If she decides not to run, I will be supporting House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, who knows well the nexus between a strong Democracy and a strong economy,” she said.
      That’s it from me, Maya Yang, as we wrap up the blog for today. We’ll be back tomorrow with the latest updates on US politics. Thank you.A New Jersey councilwoman has been fatally shot on Wednesday night, according to New Jersey’s Sayreville police department.In a press statement released on Thursday, police said that they responded to shots fired on Wednesday evening in the Parlin section of Sayreville, New Jersey.Upon arrival, officers “located town councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour, 30, of Sayreville, in her vehicle who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Dwumfour had succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced on scene.”Authorities say that the investigation is currently ongoing and is asking anyone with information or surveillance footage of the area to notify them.Governor Phil Murphy mourned the loss of the Republican councilwoman, saying that he was “stunned by the news of…[her] murder…in an act of gun violence.”He added:.css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“Her career of public service was just beginning, and by all accounts she had already build a reputation as a committed member of the Borough Council who took her responsibility with the utmost diligence and seriousness…”Senators Joe Manchin and Ted Cruz have introduced a new bill that would protect gas stoves.On Thursday, the senators introduced the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act which would prevent the Consumer Product Safety Commission from banning gas stoves across the country.“I’ll tell you one thing, they’re not taking my gas stove out…My wife and I would both be upset,” Manchin said at a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Hill reports. Cruz echoed Manchin’s sentiments, saying, “Make no mistake, radical environmentalists want to stop Americans from using natural gas… The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s proposed ban on gas stoves is the latest egregious scaremongering by the Far Left and their Biden administration allies.”Senate majority leader Charles Schumer has said that president Joe Biden stands united alongside Democratic leaders against raising debt limits.In a statement to reporters on Thursday, Schumer said, “I’ve spoken to the president both before and his staff after the meeting. He had the same position — [House Democratic leader] Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer, the House Democratic caucus, the Senate Democratic caucus and the president have the exact same position, we should pass the debt ceiling clean. That’s where we’re at,” the Hill reports.“We believe the House cannot pass a debt ceiling bill the way they’re talking about. That if it is very minor cuts, the [Make America Great Again] MAGA Republicans will rebel. If it is major cuts, the more mainstream Republicans rebel. That’s why we’re saying, ‘Show us you plan.’ Because I don’t think they can get one together,” he added.Meanwhile, McCarthy said on Wednesday that he thinks that “there is an opportunity here to come to an agreement on both sides.”The White House has condemned the Republican-led House vote that ousted Democratic representative Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Omar is a “highly respected member of Congress” and called the move a “political stunt,” the Hill reports.“The way that we see this it’s a political stunt, much like House Republicans unjust removal of other leading Democrats from key committees in recent weeks, and it is a disservice to the American people,” she said, referring to the removal of California Democratic representatives Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee.The Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, announced plans this week to block state college programs on diversity, equity and inclusion, and critical race theory in his latest attack on Black and LGBTQ+ people in the public education system.The second-term governor, widely expected to launch a 2024 White House bid, previously blocked an advanced placement course on African American studies from being taught in high schools, saying it violated state law, and championed a “don’t say gay” law prohibiting lessons about sexual orientation or gender identity in state primary schools.DeSantis has pursued aggressive policies to block teaching or discussion about America’s racist past and present, making a name for himself in a national Republican party still defined by the legacy of Donald Trump, who famously mobilized white voters’ racism and resentment of attempts to change the nation’s racial hierarchy into a winning bid for the White House.Last year, DeSantis signed legislation, dubbed the “Stop Woke Act” that restricts certain race-based conversations and analysis in schools and businesses. The law bars instruction that says members of one race are inherently racist or should feel guilt for past actions committed by others of the same race, among other things.In his new effort to restrict diversity efforts at public colleges, DeSantis pledged at a news conference that critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion programs, known as DEI, would get “no funding, and that will wither on the vine”.Full story:Ron DeSantis announces plan to block DEI programs in state collegesRead moreSpeaking of efforts to ban government use of the word “Latinx”, as pursued by the Republican rising star and State of the Union rebutter Sarah Huckabee Sanders, here’s a fascinating report from the Associated Press, about an effort to pass such a ban in Connecticut, a deep blue Democratic state.The effort is being led by a group of Latino Democrats:Hispanic lawmakers in Connecticut seek official ban on term ‘Latinx’Read moreThe former White House press secretary turned governor of Arkansas Sarah Huckabee Sanders will give the Republican response to Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.Announcing the move on Thursday, the House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, called Huckabee Sanders “a servant-leader of true determination and conviction”, adding: “I’m thrilled Sarah will share her extraordinary story and bold vision for a better America on Tuesday.”Huckabee Sanders, now 40, was the second of Donald Trump’s four press secretaries in an administration under which relations between the press and the White House dwindled to new lows.Sanders memorably admitted lying to reporters about internal opposition to FBI director James Comey during the investigation of Russian election interference and links between Trump and Moscow.She also told the New York Times it “bothers me” to be called a liar, “because one of the few things you have are your integrity and reputation.”Huckabee Sanders said: “There’s a difference between misspeaking or not knowing something than maliciously lying.”She was elected in Arkansas last November, following her father Mike Huckabee into the governor’s mansion. She began her time in power with a flurry of executive orders on culture war subjects.One banned use in state documents of the word “Latinx”, which one proponent has defined as “a gender-neutral term to describe US residents of Latin American descent”.Another order banned the teaching of critical race theory in public schools. Critical race theory is an academic discipline that examines the ways in which racism operates in US laws and society. It is rarely taught below college level but Republicans across the US have enthusiastically and successfully used it as a wedge electoral issue.In her own statement on Thursday, Huckabee Sanders said she was “grateful for this opportunity to address the nation and contrast the GOP’s optimistic vision for the future against the failures of President Biden and the Democrats.“We are ready to begin a new chapter in the story of America – to be written by a new generation of leaders ready to defend our freedom against the radical left and expand access to quality education, jobs, and opportunity for all.”Some observers think Huckabee Sanders may in future follow her father (and the Democratic former Arkansas governor Bill Clinton) and run for president.Huckabee, an evangelical Christian, bass guitarist and pitchman for questionable health products, did so in 2008 and 2016. In his first run he won the Iowa caucuses as part of an unexpectedly strong showing before losing to John McCain. In 2016 he was one of many candidates blown out of the water by Trump.Republicans also announced on Thursday that a second rebuttal to Biden’s speech will be given by Juan Ciscomani, an Arizona congressman who will speak in Spanish.In the latest development in the saga over former presidents and vice-presidents and the improper retention of classified documents, the Wall Street Journal reports that FBI agents will soon search a property belonging to Mike Pence.Yesterday, FBI agents searched a home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, that belongs to President Joe Biden. No additional documents were found but Biden already faced the attentions of a special counsel, appointed to investigate his retention of documents from his time in the Senate and as vice-president to Barack Obama.In a case of vastly differing scale and complexity – featuring determined attempts to obstruct authorities seeking the records’ return – Donald Trump also faces a special counsel. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in Florida was searched by FBI agents last August, a search the former president and his supporters insist on calling a raid.Trump has seized on Biden’s difficulties to claim he did nothing wrong. Most analysts say otherwise.News that Pence also improperly kept classified material emerged last week. Like Biden, Trump’s former vice-president has played straight with authorities since.According to the WSJ, the DoJ (Department of Justice) is now in negotiations with Pence’s lawyers about scheduling the search of his property in Indiana. The paper did not name sources. The FBI and DoJ did not comment.As the Journal notes, this is all fiendishly complicated for Biden’s attorney general, Merrick Garland, what with the 2024 presidential election looming on the horizon.“Mr Pence is also considering a White House bid, a prospect that could test the standard Garland laid out in appointing the two prior prosecutors” to investigate Biden and Trump, the paper says.Biden is set to run for re-election. Trump is still the only declared challenger for the Republican nomination. And so the classified documents saga goes on.Here’s our columnist Margaret Sullivan, with more:The media is blowing Biden’s documents ‘scandal’ out of proportion | Margaret SullivanRead moreThe House voted along party lines as it ousted Democratic representative Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee while Democrats defended her. The vote was divided 218 to 211, CBS reports. One GOP member voted “present.”Omar defended herself on the floor on Thursday, saying:.css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“This debate today, it’s about who gets to be an American? What opinions do we get to have, do we have to have to be counted as American?… That is what this debate is about, Madam Speaker. There is this idea that you are suspect if you are an immigrant. Or if you are from a certain part of the world, of a certain skin tone or a Muslim.
      Well, I am Muslim. I am an immigrant, and interestingly, from Africa. Is anyone surprised that I’m being targeted? Is anyone surprised that I am somehow deemed unworthy to speak about American foreign policy?” she said.Numerous Democrats came to Omar’s defense. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Thursday that the move was “political revenge.” New York representative Gregory Meeks who serves as a committee ranking member criticized the Republican-led vote, saying that it is a “double standard.”.css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“A blatant double standard is being applied here. Something just doesn’t add up. And what is the difference between Rep. Omar and these members? Could it be the way that she looks? Could it be her religious practices?” he said.Similarly, New York representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez said, “This is about targeting women of color in the United States of America,” according to the NYT.Meanwhile, Democratic representative Jamaal Bowman criticized Republicans, saying that they are “full of shit” and that Omar is an “incredible legislator,” Politico reports.The House of Representatives has voted to oust Minnesota Democratic representative Ilhan Omar from the foreign affairs committee on Thursday, the Washington Post reports.The vote comes after the House approved Democratic assignments for the powerful foreign affairs committee which included Omar.Once McCarthy learned of the assignments, he told reporters, “Oh, so now we can vote her off,” the Hill reports.Republicans claim to have removed Omar due to her previous criticisms of Israel.Republican representative Max Miller said in a statement that Omar “cannot be an objective decision-maker on the foreign affairs committee given her biases against Israel and against the Jewish people”.Omar, herself the target of anti-Muslim bigotry since taking office, said last week that the decision to oust her was “purely partisan”.She added that the move is “also a blow to the integrity of our democratic institutions and a threat to our national security”.As transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg said on Thursday that he is “not planning on going anywhere.”In an interview with Punchbowl News two years after his cabinet confirmation, Buttigieg said, “I don’t have any plans to do any job besides the one I’ve got” and that he has “the best job in the federal government.”He told the outlet that his tenure with the the transportation department is “above his pay grade” and that he works at the “pleasure of the president for the time being.”.css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“I love this job and I feel like we’re right in the middle of the action,” he said. “I’m not planning on going anywhere because we’re smack in the middle of historic work,” he added.Buttigieg heads a department that has distributed $159.70 billion across its 11 sub-components in fiscal year 2023.Florida Republican senator Rick Scott said that he does not think that Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell’s decision to remove him from the Senate Commerce Committee “made any sense.”“I’m going to keep doing my job… I put out a plan. He completely opposed me putting out a plan,” Scott told CNN, referring to a plan he announced last year that would have subjected all “government bureaucrats” to a 12-year term limit, shut down the Department of Education, and slashed the federal workforce by 25% within five years, among other proposals.Last year, Scott also unsuccessfully challenged McConnell for his Senate leadership position after he felt that McConnell did not do enough to lay out the GOP Senate governing agenda prior to Election Day, the Hill reports..css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“He didn’t like that I opposed him because I believe we have to have ideas – fight over ideas. And so, he took [Utah Republican senator] Mike Lee and I off the committee,” Scott told CNN.President Joe Biden called for cooperation and respect at the National Prayer Breakfast where he said that he and House speaker Kevin McCarthy will “treat each other with respect.”.css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“Let’s just sort of, kind of, join hands again a little bit. Let’s start treating each other with respect. That’s what Kevin and I are going to do,” said Biden, the Hill reports.
      “Not a joke, we had a good meeting yesterday. I think we got to do it across the board. It doesn’t mean we’re going to agree and fight like hell. But let’s treat each other with respect,” he added.Biden went on urge Americans to “look out for one another” amidst a slew of mass shootings, extreme weather conditions and frequent incidents of police brutality..css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“In our politics and our lives, we too often see each other as opponents and not competitors. We see each other as enemies, not neighbors. And as tough as these times have been, if we look closer, we see the strength, the determination that has long defined America,” he said.President Joe Biden has confirmed the departure of his top economic adviser Brian Deese from the White House.In a statement on Thursday, Biden announced that Deese will be stepping down from his role as director of the National Economic Council in the coming days..css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“For the past two years, I have relied on Brian Deese to help me do just that. Brian has a unique ability to translate complex policy challenges into concrete actions that improve the lives of American people. He has helped steer my economic vision into reality, and managed the transition of our historic economic recovery to steady and stable growth,” Biden said.He went on to cite Deese’s critical role in the passage of various agendas including the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, as well as the CHIPS and Science Act..css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“I am grateful to his wife Kara and his children Adeline and Clark for letting us borrow Brian. I know well what it must have been like to say goodbye to him for the regular long commute to Washington, and I know they’re excited to welcome him home,” he added.Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that she will endorse Democratic representative Adam Schiff for California senate if senator Diana Feinstein decides to not run again.In a statement released by Pelosi and reported by Politico, Pelosi wrote:.css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“If Senator Feinstein decides to seek re-election, she has my whole-hearted support. If she decides not to run, I will be supporting House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, who knows well the nexus between a strong Democracy and a strong economy,” she said.
      “In his service in the House, he has focused on strengthening our Democracy with justice and on building an economy that works for all,” she added.Pelosi’s announcement comes a week after Adam Schiff announced the launch of his campaign for California senate.Ahead of the meeting with president Joe Biden later today, the Congressional Black Caucus released a statement regarding its request to meet Biden following the death of Tyre Nichols who died after being brutally beaten by five Memphis police officers last month.On behalf of CBC members, CBC chairman and Democratic Nevada representative Steven Horsford wrote:“The Congressional Black Caucus takes its role to advocate for the safety and protection of the people in our communities very seriously. To that end, CBC is requesting a meeting with the President this week to push for negotiations on much needed national reforms to our justice system – specifically, the actions and conduct of our law enforcement…We are calling on our colleagues in the House and Senate to jumpstart negotiations now and work with us to address the public health epidemic of police violence that disproportionately affects many of our communities,” it added.Democratic representative Ilhan Omar tweeted a expletive-filled threat that her office received last week, writing, “These threats increase whenever Republicans put a target on my back.”She added that there is a “very real human cost” to Republican attacks against women of color like herself.Btw as horrific as this is to listen to, I share it because the Republican Party (and the public) need to know that there is a very real human cost to their continued targeting of women of color, not just to me but to those who share my identities.— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) February 2, 2023
      The tweet comes amid attempts by new House Republicans seeking to oust Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. Last Tuesday, House speaker Kevin McCarthy blocked California Democratic representatives Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell from rejoining the House Intelligence Committee.Last Congress, Democrats removed Georgia’s Republican representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and Arizona’s Paul Gosar from their committee assignments following incendiary remarks they made about their colleagues.Good morning, US politics blog readers. President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris are scheduled to meet members of the Congressional Black Caucus this afternoon to discuss police reform.The meeting comes a day after Tyre Nichols’ funeral where Harris urged Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act that would address police brutality and racial profiling. Politico reports that CBC members are preparing a list of executive actions that they want to see the Biden administration take.Among the attendees will be California Democratic representative Maxine Waters. In a statement reported by Politico, Waters said”: “I’m not optimistic. I’m not confident that we are going to be able to get real police reform … I approach working on this issue as a responsibility that I have to do – that we must try.”Here’s what else we can expect today:
      The House of Representatives is expected to vote on whether to remove Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar from the House foreign affairs committee, an apparent move about her former criticisms towards Israel but according to Democrats, about “spite” for removal of far-right extremists in the former Congress.
      Biden and former president Bill Clinton will convene at the White House to mark the 30th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act – the 1993 legislation that guaranteed US workers up to 12 unpaid weeks off to recover from illnesses or childbirth.
      White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will deliver a press briefing at 12.45pm EST. More

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      Ilhan Omar defiant as Republicans oust her from key House committee

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      Ilhan Omar defiant as Republicans oust her from key House committeeMinnesota Democrat accuses Republicans of trying to silence her because she is Muslim and vows to ‘advocate for a better world’ Republicans voted to expel Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar from the House foreign affairs committee on Thursday as punishment for her past remarks on Israel. Democrats objected, saying the move was about revenge after Democrats removed far-right extremists in the last Congress.A majority of 218 GOP lawmakers supported Omar’s expulsion from the committee, which is tasked with handling legislation and holding hearings affecting America’s diplomatic relations. One Republican lawmaker voted “present”.George Santos withdraws from House committees amid spiraling scandalRead moreOmar struck a defiant note in a speech shortly before the votes were counted, accusing Republicans of trying to silence her because she is a Muslim immigrant, and promising to continue speaking out.“Is anyone surprised that I am being targeted? Is anyone surprised that I am somehow deemed unworthy to speak about American foreign policy? Or that they see me as a powerful voice that needs to be silenced? Frankly, it is expected because when you push power, power pushes back,” Omar said.“My leadership and voice will not be diminished. If I am not on this committee for one term, my voice will get louder and stronger and my leadership will be celebrated around the world as it has been. So take your votes or not. I am here to stay and I am here to be a voice against harms around the world and advocate for a better world.”The Republican House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, had made removing Omar one of his first tasks after being elected the chamber’s leader last month following a lengthy battle with the party’s far right and 15 rounds of balloting. A small group of Republicans had initially objected to the effort, before changing their minds in recent days.On Wednesday, the chamber voted on party lines to move forward with the resolution, which explicitly condemns comments Omar made about Israel that drew accusations by Republicans and some Democrats of antisemitism.Omar has apologized and said she has come to understand her remarks played on antisemitic tropes.The lawmaker, who in 2018 became one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress, routinely faces violent threats and bigotry, including from other lawmakers.She once called McCarthy a “liar and a coward” after he refused to condemn remarks by Lauren Boebert, a Colorado extremist Omar said was a “buffoon” and a “bigot”.“These threats increase whenever Republicans put a target on my back,” Omar said on Wednesday, sharing audio of a death threat her office received. “They can continue to target me, but they will never stop me from fighting for a more just world.”On Wednesday the Republican chair of the foreign affairs committee, Michael McCaul of Texas, told reporters: “It’s just that her worldview of Israel is so diametrically opposed to the committee’s. I don’t mind having differences of opinion, but this goes beyond that.”Pramila Jayapal of Washington state, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, countered: “You cannot remove a member of Congress from a committee simply because you do not agree with their views. This is both ludicrous and dangerous.”Omar has said her removal “is about revenge” and “appeasing the former president”, Donald Trump, who once said Omar and three other progressive congresswomen of color should “go back” to where they came from.In a statement on Thursday, Jasmine Hawamdeh, communications manager for the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, said: “Representative Omar is constantly breaking barriers, and is unfairly targeted as the first Somali American, African immigrant and woman of color to be elected to Congress from Minnesota.“She has earned an equal platform so that we can continue hearing her voice on matters of international importance, such as human rights protections around the globe.”Republican leaders have for weeks worked to assuage concerns among some party members that ousting Omar was no more than an act of retribution for Democrats removing Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona from committees in the last Congress.The two rightwing extremists were expelled for aggressive and threatening behaviour including Gosar’s dissemination of a video which showed him attacking Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York progressive, and menacing Joe Biden. Gosar was also censured.Party leaders had previously removed members of their own party from committees. McCarthy did so in 2019, when the then Iowa congressman Steve King questioned why white supremacy was considered offensive. But McCarthy refused to take action against Greene or Gosar, which Democrats say forced them to take the then-unprecedented action of using their majority to remove members of the opposite party from committees.Under McCarthy, both have returned to committees.After the vote, the Democratic leader in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, tweeted that Omar’s removal was “highly partisan” and “about political revenge”. He announced he would appoint Omar to the budget committee, “where she will defend Democratic values against right-wing extremism”.Associated Press contributed to reportingTopicsIlhan OmarHouse of RepresentativesDemocratsRepublicansUS politicsKevin McCarthyUS CongressnewsReuse this content More

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      Dads in Government Create the Congressional Dads Caucus

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      Male politicians who are parents of young children wearing their fatherhood on their sleeves and their babies on their chests.Several members of Congress, mostly men, held a news conference outside the Capitol last week — a typical sight in Washington. But these men were not just any men: They were dads — men who serve in the U.S. House of Representatives while also raising children. (If “father” is a catchall, “dad” seems to connote a father of young children, too busy even to expend an extra syllable.) The dads were announcing the Congressional Dads Caucus, a group of 20 Democrats aiming to push policies like paid family and medical leave and an expanded child tax credit. Spearheaded by Representative Jimmy Gomez, Democrat of California, who gained attention last month when he voted against Kevin McCarthy for Speaker of the House with his son Hodge, then 4 months, strapped to his chest, the caucus also hopes to speak for a demographic that, in the halls of power, is well represented yet historically has not cast itself as an identity bloc.But times are changing. Fathers in heterosexual partnerships in the United States increasingly wish to split child rearing equitably. (Or, at least, to talk about splitting it: The data shows women still do significantly more. And there is evidence that fathers do more than they used to, but less than they say they do.) Some men, being men, have even managed to turn the dirty work of parenting into an implicit competition: Witness the peacocking dad — catch him in his natural habitat, his own Instagram grid — with a kid on his shoulders and a Boogie Wipes packet in his rear pocket, claiming the duty of caretaking but also its glory.This trend, perhaps most visible in the upscale and progressive milieu that dominates blue states, has flowed into politics. Democrats have pushed to make family leave available to all genders. Pete Buttigieg, a rising star, took several weeks’ parental leave in 2021 from his job as U.S. Secretary of Transportation. Politicians wear their fatherhood on their sleeves and their babies on their chests.“Family leave and affordable child care until very recently were considered women’s issues — ‘the moms are mad about this,’” said Kathryn Jezer-Morton, a parenting columnist for The Cut who wrote her doctoral dissertation on mom influencers. “It’s becoming a family issue, a dad issue. It feels significant.”But a curious lag has opened between societal hopes for dads and baseline expectations. Dads who assume their proper share of parenting and homemaking, according to this emerging worldview, should not accrue psychic bonus points anymore. However, they still do. In 2023, a father feeding his child in the park or touring a prospective school is admired and complimented to a degree a mother is not.“When the dads do or say something, they get the kind of attention I wish we would,” said Representative Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, the only woman who is a member of the Dads Caucus — and a mother of two boys, 17 and 11.Spearheaded by Mr. Gomez, the Congressional Dads Caucus is a group of 20 Democrats aiming to push policies like paid family and medical leave and an expanded child tax credit.Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post, via Getty ImagesMs. Tlaib credited Mr. Gomez for pointing out this double standard at last week’s news conference. “He acknowledged that people were like, ‘Wow, this is so great,’” Ms. Tlaib said. “And it’s like, ‘What are you talking about? A lot of us moms have done this.’”For dads, the present state of affairs can be pretty sweet. Who doesn’t want to do 40 percent of the work for 80 percent of the credit? (Especially when it’s good politics.) But being a good ally may mean flaunting fatherhood and exploiting the ease with which fathers can draw attention to parents’ issues while not making it all about them, as men have occasionally been known to do.Because the attention is part of the point. “We know dads exist, but they can bring a spotlight to this issue,” said Gayle Kaufman, a professor of sociology at Davidson College and the author of “Superdads: How Fathers Balance Work and Family in the 21st Century.” “Just being realistic, when men think it’s important, it’s likely to get more attention.”One caucus member, Andy Kim of New Jersey, said that part of the caucus’s project was to shift the automatic association of family concerns away from being “mom” problems. He recalled someone asking his wife if she wished to be a stay-at-home mother, when it was in fact he who used comp time and then left his job at the State Department in order to care for their first of two sons, who are now 7 and 5. “She said, ‘You should talk to my husband,’” he said. The Dads Caucus’s inciting incident illustrated how novel it felt to see a dad dadding hard in Washington. Like many Congressional mothers and fathers, Mr. Gomez brought his family to Washington for his swearing-in ceremony, which typically would have followed a pro forma vote for the House Speaker. But this year, the body required an extraordinary 15 ballots over five days to select Mr. McCarthy. Families stayed in town; babies fussed.During an early voting round, Mr. Gomez and his wife, Mary Hodge (for whom Hodge Gomez is named — Ms. Hodge rejected a hyphenated last name, Mr. Gomez said), decided in the Democratic cloakroom to strap Hodge into a chest carrier to calm him. Which is how the 48-year-old congressman came to stride the House floor and cast his vote, as he put it then, “on behalf of my son, Hodge, and all the working families,” while Hodge politely squirmed and received a coochie-coo tickle from Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Ms. Hodge, who is the deputy mayor of city services in Los Angeles, returned to the West Coast before the voting marathon was complete. Hodge stayed with Mr. Gomez, who tweeted myriad baby shots. Mr. Gomez said in an interview that a mother in the identical situation likely would not have received such glowing coverage, like a “CBS Weekend News” feature with the caption “Congressman Pulls Double Duty.”“The praise I was getting for doing what any mother would do was out of proportion,” he said, adding, “if a woman did that, people would question her commitment to her job.”Mr. Gomez said the caucus had been formed with only Democrats in order to get it off the ground, given the disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over many economic family policies (to say nothing of related ones like abortion).Patrick T. Brown, a fellow at the conservative Ethics and Public Policy Center who studies family economics, said some Republicans — he cited Senators Mitt Romney and J.D. Vance, among others — might co-sign some Democratic economic proposals for families. “There’s a growing recognition that not all the pressures facing families are cultural in nature,” Mr. Brown said. “It’s not all Hollywood elites making family life harder, it’s the pressures of the modern economy. If you’re concerned about people getting married later or not having kids, you need to orient policy in a more pro-family direction.”The caucus has already called for expanding child care access and universal family medical leave. But its most immediate achievement may be its members’ open reckoning with how prevailing conversations about care-taking shortchange everyone. Mothers are often ignored for what they do and made to feel guilt‌y for what they don’t. Fathers are frustrated by the limited public imagination for what they can do and evince a palpable, wistful anxiety of influence when speaking about motherhood. (“We talk about our kids like any moms do,” said Dan Goldman, a Caucus member and father of five who was elected to Congress from the Brooklyn district that includes the dad stronghold Park Slope.)Last year, before founding the Dads Caucus, Mr. Gomez went so far as to join the Congressional Mamas Caucus. “I had always advocated for all these issues,” he said.Because yes, of course, the Mamas Caucus — founded by Ms. Tlaib to push for many of the same policies the Dads Caucus backs — predates the Dads Caucus by several months.No matter: Ms. Tlaib was equanimous.“If it took Jimmy Gomez starting a Dads Caucus to get The New York Times to call me to talk about the Mamas Caucus,” she said, “then I’m all in.” More

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      Classified documents not found at Biden’s beach home after DoJ concludes search – as it happened

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      The justice department has concluded its search of Joe Biden’s home on Delaware’s coast, and while it found no classified material, agents did take away some documents for further review, an attorney for the president said.“The DOJ’s planned search of the President’s Rehoboth residences, conducted in coordination and cooperation with the President’s attorneys, has concluded. The search was conducted from 8:30 AM to noon. No documents with classified markings were found,” Bob Bauer, who is acting as a personal lawyer for Biden, said in a statement.“Consistent with the process in Wilmington, the DOJ took for further review some materials and handwritten notes that appear to relate to his time as Vice President.”Federal agents have come and gone from Joe Biden’s Rehoboth Beach, Delaware home in their search for classified materials, after previously paying a visit to his residence in Wilmington and former office in Washington DC. There were no government secrets found at Biden’s beachfront property, but the search means the investigation will stay in the news for the time being. Meanwhile, Democratic lawmaker Jared Huffman is circulating a letter worrying over security in the House ahead of next week’s State of the Union address, which he says has grown worse since the GOP took control of the chamber at the start of the year.Here’s what else happened today:
      Nikki Haley and Tim Scott sure seem to be preparing to campaign for president, which would put them up against fellow Republican Donald Trump.
      Socialism is set to be formally denounced with a Republican-backed House resolution that has received surprising Democratic support.
      Biden is having his first meeting with Kevin McCarthy since the Republican was elected House speaker, but the press is not invited.
      It’s the usual partisan split when it comes to the public’s views of the unfolding classified document scandal, new polling has found.
      Just about anything can spark an argument in Congress these days, including the pledge of allegiance.
      Kevin McCarthy is heading to his first meeting with Joe Biden since becoming House speaker.Increasing the debt ceiling is the main item on their agenda, and as he left the Capitol, Fox News caught McCarthy again laying out his demands for spending cuts:McCarthy leaving to talk to Biden: I got a big plan. The first question is does the President want to continue reckless spending or find a way that we could be responsible. Sit down and find common ground where we put ourselves on a path to budget. Make a balanced budget.— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) February 1, 2023
      You might not hear much more than that about the meeting, at least not for a while. According to the White House, the encounter is “Closed Press”, meaning reporters are not invited to attend. That has sparked objections from Kelly O’Donnell, vice-president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, who said prior presidents have invited journalists to observe parts of such meetings:When presidents meet House speakers, there’s a long tradition of WH press pool covering a portion of meeting to document that for the day’s news and historical record. Today’s first meeting of Pres. Biden and Speaker McCarthy should be covered the same way. pic.twitter.com/fvMzhkLoNe— Kelly O’Donnell (@KellyO) February 1, 2023
      Republicans are moving forward with a plan to boot Democrat Ilhan Omar off the House foreign affairs committee, saying she used antisemitic rhetoric. But a Democratic colleague said the effort is about nothing more than revenge, the Associated Press reports. A vote on her ouster is expected Thursday:A House Republican attempt to remove Ilhan Omar from the foreign affairs committee, expected as soon as Wednesday, is about “vengeance” and “spite”, one of the Minnesotan’s fellow Democrats said.“This is about vengeance. This is about spite. This is about politics,” said James McGovern of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the rules committee, as Republicans called a hurried meeting late on Tuesday to consider the matter.Republicans are targeting Omar, an African-born Black lawmaker, over comments she has made about Israel and as payback after Democrats kicked far-right Republicans off committees for incendiary and violent remarks. On Wednesday, the House voted 218-209 along party lines to move forward with a resolution to remove Omar from the committee. A final vote was expected later this week.The new House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, has been eager to remove Omar after blocking two other Democrats, Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, from the intelligence committee.Omar, a Somali immigrant and one of the first female Muslims in Congress, has apologized for comments she has said she has come to understand were viewed as antisemitic. Republican bid to kick Ilhan Omar off panel is ‘spite’, fellow Democrat saysRead moreNikki Haley, the Republican former governor of South Carolina who served as ambassador to the United Nations under Donald Trump, has a “big announcement” planned for later this month.What could it be?My family and I have a big announcement to share with you on February 15th! And yes, it’s definitely going to be a Great Day in South Carolina! 👊 🇺🇸Be sure to RSVP here: https://t.co/fxxxpBbW2b pic.twitter.com/2QJIo0H7Jo— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) February 1, 2023
      A run for president, is the most likely answer. Trump may already have announced a second campaign for the White House, but that isn’t scaring off other Republicans from throwing their hat in the ring.Case in point: Tim Scott, a GOP senator who is also from South Carolina, will launch “a listening tour focused on Faith in America” later this month, with stops in Iowa and South Carolina. Both states happen to be on the early primary calendar for Republicans, and often play a major role in winnowing the field of presidential nominees.The biggest name waiting in the wings is Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who has repeatedly come in second in polls of Republicans over their preferences for president.In Memphis, mourners are gathering for the funeral of Tyre Nichols, whose death at the hands of law enforcement sparked outrage and renewed calls for Congress to act on long-stalled police reform legislation.Vice-President Kamala Harris is among the attendees, and the Guardian has a blog dedicated to covering the event live:Tyre Nichols funeral begins as mourners gather at Memphis church – latestRead moreDonald Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, told CNN earlier he has handed his cellphones to prosecutors in Manhattan as they look again at a 2016 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels, the adult film star with whom Donald Trump denies having an affair.A grand jury has been convened in New York to hear evidence related to the payment, a potential campaign finance crime.Cohen said: “Most recently, they asked for my cellphones because they want to be able to extract from it the voice recordings that I had had with Keith Davidson, former attorney to Stormy Daniels before Michael Avenatti, as well as a bunch of emails, text messages and so on.”Cohen’s phones have been seized before, by federal investigators in 2018.Cohen has previously pleaded guilty to paying Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, $130,000 to be quiet about her alleged affair with Trump, which she says happened in 2006. Cohen says Trump directed him to make the payment. Cohen’s recompense for doing so has been detailed by federal prosecutors.As CNN put it, “Manhattan prosecutors are [now] looking into whether Trump and his business falsified business records by improperly treating the reimbursement as a legal expense. That charge is a misdemeanor in New York unless it can be tied to another crime, such as campaign finance laws.”There follows more on what Stormy Daniels is up to now, containing a quote for the ages, about her experience as a stand-up comic, thus: “It was the most terrifying experience of my life, and that’s saying something because I’ve seen Trump naked.”‘It was my most terrifying experience – and I’ve seen Trump naked!’: Stormy Daniels on standup, tarot and reality TVRead moreSpeaking of the debt ceiling, the meeting at the White House later, Republican messaging as practised by Senate minority leader Addison Mitchell McConnell III – you know and love him as Mitch – and our columnist Robert Reich, here’s Robert with some pertinent preparatory reading…The dire warnings of fiscal hawks are once again darkening the skies of official Washington.They’re demanding that the $31.4tn federal debt be reduced and government spending curtailed – thereby giving cover to Republican efforts to hold America hostage by refusing to raise the debt ceiling.It’s always the same when Republicans take over a chamber of Congress or the presidency. Horrors! The debt is out of control! Federal spending must be cut!When they’re in power, they rack up giant deficits, mainly by cutting taxes on corporations and the wealthy (which amount to the same thing, since wealthy investors are the major beneficiaries of corporate tax cuts).Then when Democrats take the reins, Republicans blame them for being spendthrifts.Not only is the Republican story false, but it leaves out the bigger and more important story behind today’s federal debt: the switch by America’s wealthy over the last half century from paying taxes to the government to lending the government money.This backstory needs to be told if Americans are to understand what’s really happened and what needs to be done about it. Republicans won’t tell it, so Democrats (starting with Joe Biden) must.More:Republicans aren’t going to tell Americans the real cause of our $31tn debt | Robert ReichRead moreMitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, has issued a statement about the meeting scheduled for this afternoon between Joe Biden and Kevin McCarthy, the Republican House speaker.True to Republican messaging about spending and debt – see Reich, Robert, former US labor secretary and Guardian US columnist, passim but also here, today – McConnell says “it is right, appropriate and entirely normal that our need to raise the debt limit would be paired with negotiations regarding Democrats’ runaway printing and spending”.McConnell cites previous remarks by his opposite number, Chuck Schumer, about the debt ceiling being something that should be negotiated over, and says: “The president of the United States does not get to walk away from the table.“The same president who happily signed off on [further messaging alert] trillions of dollars of reckless party-line spending needs to begin good-faith negotiations on spending reform with Speaker McCarthy today.”Schumer spoke on the Senate floor. He said Republicans had to show the American people their plan to avoid a catastrophic default..css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}Later this afternoon President Biden will meet with Speaker McCarthy for their first one-on-one meeting of the year, and everyone is asking the same question of Speaker McCarthy: show us your plan. Where is your plan, Republicans? Where is your plan, Speaker McCarthy?McCarthy “showing up at the White House without a plan is like sitting down at the table without cards in your hand”, Schumer said, adding: “We know why the speaker has struggled and is unable to produce a plan – delaying it or avoiding it – he doesn’t have the votes for one, in all likelihood.”He concluded: “We Democrats have a plan – raise the debt ceiling without brinksmanship or hostage-taking as it’s been done before. Speaker McCarthy doesn’t have a plan. So, he is not really negotiating. And the clock is ticking.”Whatever else one might say about Lauren Boebert, the extremist Republican from Colorado, she knows how to get herself in the news.We mentioned her just a few posts ago, regarding a contretemps earlier today about security matters at the Capitol.On the House floor yesterday, the eve of Black History Month, Boebert claimed to be afraid the History Channel and even the Weather Channel could be “canceled” by the forces of wokeness – and/or DirectTV.In her remarks, Boebert bemoaned the recent decision by the cable provider to drop Newsmax, a rightwing, pro-Trump channel.Boebert said: “Will the Weather Channel be canceled next if they refuse to bow to the left’s altar of climate change? What about the History Channel? We see on a regular basis the left wants to erase history and deny truth. How about [the rightwing Christian channel] TBN?”DirecTV says it dropped Newsmax for commercial reasons, because the channel’s “demands for rate increases would have led to significantly higher costs” for customers. It replaced Newsmax with The First, another rightwing operation.But the decision has stoked rightwing anger. In Florida on Tuesday the governor, Ron DeSantis, said DirecTV’s move “does warrant investigation”.Boebert insisted it was a political decision.“This is not the first time that we’ve seen this,” the Coloradan said, “and I’m afraid that it won’t be the last time that we are seeing this here in our great country.“OAN [One America News, also pro-Trump] was de-platformed by DirecTV in April of 2022. So what’s next? Fox News?”After DirecTV dropped OAN, Yosef Getachew, media and democracy program director at Common Cause, a government watchdog, told the Guardian: “No company should profit from spreading content that endangers our democracy.”But cancel culture is a profitable rightwing talking point, holding that people with views deemed unacceptable by the left are barred from public life.Insisting “conservatives are not being treated fairly”, Boebert said: “There has definitely been an increase in disdain and intolerance by many liberals for Christian beliefs simply by saying we love Jesus. So is TBN next? Americans are tired of cancel culture.”Federal agents have come and gone from Joe Biden’s Rehoboth Beach, Delaware home in their search for classified materials, after previously paying a visit to his former office in Washington DC and residence elsewhere in the state. There were no government secrets found at Biden’s beachfront property, but the search means the investigation will stay in the news for the time being. Meanwhile, in Congress, Democratic lawmaker Jared Huffman is circulating a letter worrying over security in the House ahead of next week’s State of the Union address, which he says has grown worse since the GOP took control of the chamber at the start of the year.Here’s what else has happened today:
      Socialism is set to be formally denounced with a Republican-backed House resolution that has received surprising Democratic support.
      It’s the usual partisan split when it comes to the public’s views of the unfolding classified document scandal, new polling has found.
      Just about anything can spark an argument in Congress these days, including the pledge of allegiance.
      The House will today begin considering a resolution proposed by Republicans to denounce “the horrors of socialism” – a non-binding statement that has received a surprising amount of support from Democrats.Florida Republican María Elvira Salazar first introduced the resolution in 2021 when Democrats controlled the chamber, and has proposed it again this year with the House under GOP control. “Through this resolution, the House of Representatives denounces socialism in all its forms and opposes the implementation of socialist policies in the United States of America,” Salazar’s office said in 2021, noting it specifically singles out left-wing one-party states such as Cuba, China and the USSR, which broke up more than three decades ago.Ahead of the vote today, the second-largest Democratic caucus in the House, the New Democrat Coalition, announced their 96 members would back the measure. “New Dems strongly reject socialism – period. House Republican Leaders should set aside political games and join us as we work to grow our economy for all Americans,” the center-left group said in a statement.With support like that, the resolution seems sure to pass. But why bother with a statement condemning a governing philosophy that has few open adherents in Washington and is practiced by several of America’s best-known foes? According to Fox News, it’s an attempt to put progressive lawmakers like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib on the spot, both of whom are affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America. The justice department has concluded its search of Joe Biden’s home on Delaware’s coast, and while it found no classified material, agents did take away some documents for further review, an attorney for the president said.“The DOJ’s planned search of the President’s Rehoboth residences, conducted in coordination and cooperation with the President’s attorneys, has concluded. The search was conducted from 8:30 AM to noon. No documents with classified markings were found,” Bob Bauer, who is acting as a personal lawyer for Biden, said in a statement.“Consistent with the process in Wilmington, the DOJ took for further review some materials and handwritten notes that appear to relate to his time as Vice President.”Democrats are expressing safety concerns in the House natural resources committee after Republicans proposed rules that exclude a ban on firearms in hearing rooms, which existed in the previous Congress.Here’s how the debate started, according to NBC News:👀The Committee on Natural Resources is meeting NOW to organize and vote on their rules… Some fireworks expected: GOP side is pushing to ALLOW FIREARMS in hearing rooms and we are told DEMS will loudly object— Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotnbc) February 1, 2023
      Jared Huffman, the Democratic lawmaker who is also circulating a letter questioning security in the House ahead of next week’s State of the Union speech, has proposed an amendment to reinstate the ban:Happening NOW @RepHuffman: “my amendment explicitly prohibits carrying or having readily available any firearm dangerous weapon explosive or incendiary device within the hearing rooms and conference rooms of this committee” https://t.co/9GO2PfubY3— Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotnbc) February 1, 2023
      Several far-right lawmakers serve on the committee, including Lauren Boebert. In the hearing, she harkens back to a time when Huffman donned a tinfoil hat to mock her:Boebert pulls up this poster and says “looks my colleague forget his tin foil hat so I brought this to remind” pic.twitter.com/UPbdQCXFlb— Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotnbc) February 1, 2023
      She then gets into her reasoning for wanting to carry a gun in the Capitol, a building where access is controlled at all hours by a large police force:BOEBERT: “With threats now at an all time high I would like to remind the gentleman that now’s not the time to be stripping members of our constitutional right to defend ourselves. DC has a violent crime problem and it’s often wondered 50% higher than the national average.”— Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotnbc) February 1, 2023
      A Democratic representative is circulating a letter to congressional leadership warning that the security of the House is “precarious”, and asking what steps they will take to protect the chamber during the 7 February State of the Union address.California’s Jared Huffman blamed new rules passed under the House’s Republican leaders for worsening the security situation, and in his letter cited as evidence “the violent insurrection of January 6, an attempt by a Member of Congress to bring a concealed weapon on to the House Floor, other Members vowing to do so in contravention of House rules, and most recently a colleague distributing what appeared to be legitimate, and later revealed to be inert hand grenades on the House Floor.“We know from experience that the House is vulnerable to multiple fronts of attacks both from inside and outside Congress,” wrote Huffman. “Considering the ability of Members of Congress to carry firearms in the Capitol complex outside the House Floor, removal of magnetometers from the entrances to the House Floor, and with record threats against the lives of Members of Congress, the security of the House complex is today precarious.”Addressed to the Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate, Huffman’s letter requests “information on what steps you are taking, in coordination with the House and Senate sergeant at arms, Secret Service, and other federal agencies to protect the president, vice-president, the diplomatic corps, cabinet secretaries, supreme court justices, senators, representatives, and their guests ahead of the State of the Union address on 7 February 2023. Any attack on this gathering would threaten our democracy and undermine the functionality of the entire federal government.”Huffman is circulating the letter to lawmakers interested in signing it, and plans to send it to leadership this evening, his office said. More

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      Republican bid to kick Ilhan Omar off panel is ‘spite’, fellow Democrat says

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      Republican bid to kick Ilhan Omar off panel is ‘spite’, fellow Democrat says‘This is about vengeance,’ says James McGovern of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the House rules committee A House Republican attempt to remove Ilhan Omar from the foreign affairs committee, expected as soon as Wednesday, is about “vengeance” and “spite”, one of the Minnesotan’s fellow Democrats said.“This is about vengeance. This is about spite. This is about politics,” said James McGovern of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the rules committee, as Republicans called a hurried meeting late on Tuesday to consider the matter.FBI finds no classified papers in search of Biden’s Delaware beach homeRead moreRepublicans are targeting Omar, an African-born Black lawmaker, over comments she has made about Israel and as payback after Democrats kicked far-right Republicans off committees for incendiary and violent remarks. On Wednesday, the House voted 218-209 along party lines to move forward with a resolution to remove Omar from the committee. A final vote was expected later this week.The new House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, has been eager to remove Omar after blocking two other Democrats, Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, from the intelligence committee.Omar, a Somali immigrant and one of the first female Muslims in Congress, has apologized for comments she has said she has come to understand were viewed as antisemitic.McGovern argued that Democrats removed Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona for remarks far more extreme and violent against fellow lawmakers than those Omar made and apologized for.The resolution against Omar was proposed by Max Miller of Ohio, a former Trump administration official. It says “Omar’s comments have brought dishonor to the House of Representatives”.McCarthy has strained to ensure he has enough support to oust Omar. Republicans have a slim majority and several GOP lawmakers have been reluctant to engage in tit-for-tat retribution moves.Party leaders moved ahead with the resolution against Omar after several holdouts signaled their support.The action against Omar pushed ahead after the embattled New York Republican George Santos said he would step aside from his committee assignments as the House ethics committee investigates him. Santos has acknowledged embellishments about education and work experience and other aspects of his personal and professional life.Several Republicans have been wary of taking action against Omar while having to answer questions about Santos.Republicans said they were waiting for Democrats to formally nominate Omar to the foreign affairs committee, on which she served in the last Congress. Once the roster is approved by the House, Republicans would move to strip her of the seat.McCarthy acknowledged at the start of the week that member absences were having an impact on his ability to schedule the vote.Omar told CNN on Sunday the move against her was “politically motivated”.“It’s motivated by the fact that many of these members don’t believe a Muslim, a refugee, an African should even be in Congress, let alone have the opportunity to serve on the foreign affairs committee,” she said.TopicsIlhan OmarHouse of RepresentativesUS politicsRepublicansDemocratsnewsReuse this content More

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      Trump says in video ‘anyone in my position not taking the fifth would be an absolute fool’ – as it happened

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      What does Trump think of those who would answer questions in a deposition, like the one he sat for with New York’s attorney general?“Anyone in my position not taking the Fifth Amendment would be a fool, an absolute fool,” he said in the interview.Meanwhile, on his Truth social network, which stands in for his inactive-but-no-longer-banned Twitter account, the former president was doing his usual thing.“The Democrat D.A.’s, Attorney Generals, and Prosecutors are very DANGEROUS to the well being of our Country. Many are deranged and only interested in pleasing the Fake News Media and the Democrat Party. Fair and True Justice means NOTHING in our Country anymore,” he wrote in a post released shortly after CBS News aired video of his deposition today.“I am being hit by so many DEMOCRAT Prosecutors, LOCAL, STATE, & FEDERAL, all to keep me from “running,” and all because I am leading by sooo much. The great people of our Country aren’t going to take it. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”“Witch-hunt”. “Unfair”. “Anyone in my position not taking the fifth would be a fool”. It was Donald Trump at his finest, or perhaps most exhausting, in video of his summer deposition before the New York attorney general obtained by CBS News. Besides bashing Letitia James and her inquiry – which alleges he and his children conspired to inflate his net worth in order to get better loan terms – Trump doesn’t say much, instead refusing to answer questions more than 400 times. Meanwhile, in Washington, lawmakers have plenty of questions of their own in the ongoing saga of the classified documents discovered in the possession of former White House occupants, with a top Democrat demanding information on Trump and Mike Pence’s visitors from the Secret Service.Here’s what else happened today:
      George Santos announced he will not serve on any House committees, even though Republican speaker Kevin McCarthy said he would be willing to seat him.
      The Biden administration will let the emergencies declared over Covid-19 expire, but is considering declaring a new crisis to allow Americans to obtain access to abortions.
      Kamala Harris will attend Tyre Nichols’s funeral in Memphis on Wednesday, her office announced.
      Minnesota’s governor Tim Walz signed into law a measure protecting abortion rights, making the state’s legislature the first to enshrine access to the procedure since the end of Roe v Wade last year.
      Boris Johnson paid a visit to the US Capitol in search of support for Ukraine and perhaps also political relevance.
      Boris Johnson, the former British prime minister, has brought his quest for political relevance to Washington, holding talks with Republican members of Congress in an effort to shore up support for Ukraine.Johnson left office last September amid a Trumpian cascade of scandals but, far from fading into retirement, may be hoping that the war with Russia offers a shot at redemption and chance to emulate his hero Winston Churchill as a global statesman.The 58-year-old visited Ukraine earlier this month and, on Tuesday, was seen entering the office of House speaker Kevin McCarthy, who ruffled feathers last year by warning that Republicans will not write a “blank check” for Ukraine if they win back the majority.Reporters also spotted Johnson heading to the office of Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader and staunch supporter of Ukraine who has urged Joe Biden to act faster, as well as Congressman Jim Banks, a veteran of the Afghanistan war.Cristina Maza, a journalist at the National Journal, tweeted that Johnson told her that he is on Capitol Hill to thank Americans for backing Ukraine and called Republican support for Kyiv “very robust”. The ex-PM also met Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to the US, and took questions from Ukrainian journalists.Johnson has penned an opinion column for the Washington Post, arguing that years of “diplomatic doublespeak” about Ukraine joining Nato ended in disaster. “Ukrainians should be given everything they need to finish this war, as quickly as possible, and we should begin the process of admitting Ukraine to NATO, and begin it now,” he writes.The former PM is set to speak at a private Republican club on Tuesday evening and take part in a virtual conversation about sustaining support to Ukraine with the Atlantic Council think tank at 11.30am on Wednesday.Here’s a statement from Ben Crump, attorney for the parents of Tyre Nichols, regarding Vice-President Kamala Harris’s attendance at his funeral tomorrow:.css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}This morning, Ms. RowVaughn Wells, Mr. Rodney Wells, and I spoke on the phone with Vice President Kamala Harris for over thirty minutes about the tragic loss of Tyre. Vice President Harris and Ms. Wells spoke exclusively, and during this emotional time, the Vice President was able to console Ms. Wells and even help her smile. Tyre’s parents invited Vice President Harris to the funeral tomorrow, and were pleased that she accepted their invitation. Mr. and Mrs. Wells are grateful for Vice President Harris reaching out to them during this heartbreaking time and for her sensitivity on the call.Vice-President Kamala Harris will travel to Memphis tomorrow to attend Tyre Nichols’s funeral, her office has announced.Last week, Joe Biden spoke with Nichols’s mother and stepfather after the 29-year-old was beaten by Memphis police following a traffic stop, and died three days later.Minnesota’s Democratic governor Tim Walz has signed into law the Protect Reproductive Options (PRO) Act, which creates a “fundamental right” to abortion under the state’s laws:Today, I signed the PRO Act into law. Your reproductive freedom will stay protected in Minnesota.— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) January 31, 2023
      Abortion access is already protected under a state supreme court ruling, but the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports Democrats controlling the state legislature passed the PRO Act to guard against the possibility that the precedent gets overturned.With the law, Minnesota has become the first state to add abortion protections to its statutes since the supreme court overturned Roe v Wade last June and allowed states to ban the procedure entirely. Voters elsewhere in the country have approved ballot measures protecting abortion access in reaction to the ruling from the supreme court’s conservative majority.In the wake of Tyre Nichols’s death, Joe Biden will meet with Black lawmakers on Thursday in a bid to revive stalled talks on a federal police reform bill, the Associated Press reports: >@POTUS will meet with members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Thursday to discuss police reform in light of Tyre Nichols’ death, @ODalton46 tells reporters on AF1 en route to NYC— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) January 31, 2023
      Spurred by the death of George Floyd in 2020 and the nationwide protests that followed, negotiations over passing some kind of reform measure dragged on for months in 2021, but ultimately proved fruitless. The Washington Post reports that despite the outrage over Nichols’s death following a beating by Memphis police officers – five of whom have been charged with murder – the chances of passing such a measure have only worsened.“I don’t know what the space is for that,” Senator Lindsey Graham, who is the top Republican on the judiciary committee that would probably consider any such bill.Previous talks were held while Democrats controlled both the House and Senate, and negotiators were trying to find a compromise that could overcome a Republican filibuster in the upper chamber. Now, the GOP controls the House, and John Cornyn, a Republican who played a part in passing a bill to help police departments implement de-escalation training, doubts such a measure is feasible.“I think it’s probably less likely to happen now with divided government,” Cornyn said, according to the Post.George Santos has elaborated on his decision to recuse himself from the House committees on small business and science, space and technology.Here’s a statement from the New York Republican lawmaker and fabulist:.css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}With the ongoing attention surrounding both my personal and campaign financial investigations, I have submitted a request to Speaker McCarthy that I be temporarily recused from my committee assignments until I am cleared. This was a decision that I take very seriously. The business of the 118th Congress must continue without media fanfare. It is important that I primarily focus on serving the constituents of New York’s Third Congressional District and providing federal level representation without distraction.
      I want to personally thank Speaker McCarthy for meeting with me to discuss the matter and allowing me to take time to properly clear my name before returning to my committees. To my constituents, I remain committed to serving the district, and delivering results for both New York’s Third Congressional District and for the American people.Most of Santos’s constituents would like him to resign, a recent survey said.Far-right commentators who joked or cast doubt about the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, are having to eat their words, now that video of assault has been released, the Guardian’s Martin Pengelly reports:Conservative commentators were forced to backtrack over conspiracy theories and jokes about the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, after the release of police video and audio last week.One Fox News commentator had to retreat from his claim there was no “evidence of a breaking and entering” when his host pointed out that footage of the attacker breaking into Pelosi’s home was playing on screen at the time.“Got it,” Brian Claypool said. “Yeah. OK. Can’t we talk more about what is the DoJ doing?”The Department of Justice has charged Pelosi’s attacker, David DePape, with assault and attempted kidnapping. The 42-year-old also faces state charges including attempted murder. He has pleaded not guilty.Pelosi, 82, was attacked in his San Francisco home in late October, a time when his wife, Nancy Pelosi, was still speaker of the US House. According to tapes released by the police, the attacker said he was looking for her. She was not present. Her husband suffered a fractured skull and injuries to his hand and arm.Republican leaders including Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell condemned the attack.But prominent rightwingers including Donald Trump Jr, the Fox News host Tucker Carlson, the Tesla and Twitter owner Elon Musk and Republican members of Congress including Ted Cruz and Marjorie Taylor Greene eagerly spread jokes, misinformation and conspiracy theories.Paul Pelosi attack: rightwing pundits backtrack after release of police videoRead more“Witch-hunt”. “Unfair”. “Anyone in my position not taking the fifth would be a fool”. It was Donald Trump at his finest, or perhaps most exhausting, in video of his summer deposition before the New York attorney general obtained by CBS News. Besides bashing Letitia James and her inquiry – which alleges he and his children conspired to inflate his net worth in order to get better loan terms – Trump doesn’t say much, instead refusing to answer questions more than 400 times. In Washington, lawmakers have plenty of questions of their own in the ongoing saga of the classified documents found in the possession of former White House occupants, with a top Democrat demanding information on Trump and Mike Pence’s visitors from the Secret Service.Here’s what else has happened today so far:
      George Santos announced he will not serve on any House committees, even though Republican speaker Kevin McCarthy said he would be willing to seat him.
      The Biden administration will allow the emergencies declared over Covid-19 to expire, but is considering declaring a new crisis to allow Americans to obtain access to abortions.
      The fallout from the police killing of Tyre Nichols continues in Memphis.
      What does Trump think of those who would answer questions in a deposition, like the one he sat for with New York’s attorney general?“Anyone in my position not taking the Fifth Amendment would be a fool, an absolute fool,” he said in the interview.Meanwhile, on his Truth social network, which stands in for his inactive-but-no-longer-banned Twitter account, the former president was doing his usual thing.“The Democrat D.A.’s, Attorney Generals, and Prosecutors are very DANGEROUS to the well being of our Country. Many are deranged and only interested in pleasing the Fake News Media and the Democrat Party. Fair and True Justice means NOTHING in our Country anymore,” he wrote in a post released shortly after CBS News aired video of his deposition today.“I am being hit by so many DEMOCRAT Prosecutors, LOCAL, STATE, & FEDERAL, all to keep me from “running,” and all because I am leading by sooo much. The great people of our Country aren’t going to take it. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”The top Democrat on the House oversight committee has sent the director of the Secret Service a letter asking for information on all visitors to Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and Mike Pence’s Indiana home since they left office two years ago.Jamie Raskin, the ranking member on the Republican-led committee that is playing a major role in investigating Joe Biden, cited the FBI’s discovery of classified materials at Pence and Trump’s properties.“The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating former President Donald Trump’s and former Vice President Mike Pence’s mishandling of sensitive, highly classified documents,” Raskin wrote in the letter to director Kimberly Cheatle.“Given that the U.S. Secret Service provided protection for Mr. Trump and Mr. Pence during the time they stored classified materials at their respective residences, the Committee is seeking information from your agency regarding who had access to former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club and former Vice President Pence’s personal residence since leaving office.”Led by James Comer, Republicans on the oversight committee are investigating Biden over a number of matters, including his improper possession of classified documents. Comer has requested from the Secret Service information regarding visitors to Biden’s Delaware residence, where some of his classified documents were found. In a statement, Raskin said he asked Comer to join in his letter about Trump and Pence’s properties, but received no reply.Donald Trump invoked his fifth amendment right to refuse to answer questions more than 400 times last summer during his deposition in the New York attorney general’s fraud investigation, CBS News reports.The network obtained video of the interview, which starts with the former president accusing attorney general Letitia James of conducting an “unfair” investigation that amounted to a “witch hunt” – familiar words for anyone who has heard Trump talk about the many inquiries he has faced, and is facing.He then states that on the advice of his lawyers, “I respectfully decline to answer the questions under the rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the United States constitution. This will be my answer to any further questions.”An investigator for the attorney general’s office tells Trump that he can just say “same answer” for all the questions put to him, which Trump does throughout the deposition.Weeks after Trump’s August deposition, James announced she was suing the former president and three of his children for what she called a fraud scheme of “staggering” scale in which they falsely inflated his net worth to win more favorable loan terms.Here’s the full report and footage of the deposition, from CBS: More

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      in US Politics

      George Santos withdraws from House committees amid spiraling scandal

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      George Santos withdraws from House committees amid spiraling scandalNew York Republican congressman under investigation over his largely made-up résumé and current campaign finance filings The Republican congressman George Santos has temporarily withdrawn from two House committees to which he was appointed by party leaders despite a spiraling scandal over his largely made-up résumé, bizarre past behavior and campaign finance filings.Donald Trump sues Bob Woodward over The Trump Tapes for $50mRead moreExplaining his decision, Santos said he wanted to “focus on serving the constituents of New York’s third congressional district and providing federal level representation without distraction”.Critics would argue Santos has provided plenty of distraction since winning his seat in November.Earlier this month, the House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, appointed Santos to the committees on small business and science, space and technology.The speaker did so despite confirming that a member of staff for Santos pretended to be McCarthy’s chief of staff while seeking campaign donations.But that was hardly the biggest news of Santos’s first month in Congress.Found to have largely fabricated his educational and professional résumé, Santos has denied or deflected reports about past conduct including an alleged fraud of a homeless veteran seeking medical care for his dog and appearances as a drag queen in Brazil, where he is also being investigated over alleged use of a stolen chequebook.Santos is under local, state and federal investigation in the US. Last week it emerged that the congressman, who has also been known as Anthony Devolder, faces a criminal investigation by the Department of Justice over campaign finance filings that have prompted questions about the source of his wealth and a possible link to a Russian oligarch.Santos’s district party and other New York Republicans have been joined by New York and national Democrats in calling for Santos to quit. Polling in the third district shows nearly 80% of voters there now think he should do so.But if he did, prompting a special election, McCarthy would face further erosion of an already slender majority.Before being sworn in, Santos backed McCarthy through 15 rounds of voting for speaker as the far right of the party rebelled. Since then, McCarthy and other party leaders have repeatedly said Santos should not resign.Santos has admitted “embellishing” his résumé but repeatedly denied wrongdoing, bemoaned the tone of media coverage and said he will not step down.News of his decision to step back from committee assignments came out of a closed-door party meeting on Capitol Hill on Tuesday morning.Multiple news outlets cited an unnamed source as saying the New Yorker told fellow Republicans he had become “a distraction”.McCarthy told reporters: “I met with George Santos yesterday and I think it was an appropriate decision that until he could clear everything up, he’s off committees right now … We had a discussion and he asked me if he could do that.”In a statement, Santos’s office said: “He is recusing himself until he is cleared. Please note that his seat will be reserved until the congressman has been cleared of both campaign and personal financial investigations.”In a subsequent personal statement, Santos said: “With the ongoing attention surrounding both my personal and campaign financial investigations, I have submitted a request to Speaker McCarthy that I be temporarily recused from my committee assignments until I am cleared.“This was a decision that I take very seriously. The business of the 118th Congress must continue without media fanfare. It is important that I primarily focus on serving the constituents of New York’s third congressional district and providing federal level representation without distraction.”Santos also thanked McCarthy “for meeting with me to discuss the matter and allowing me to take time to properly clear my name”.Republicans greeted Santos’s withdrawals.Marc Molinaro, another freshman from New York, told Politico: “The decision to not serve on committees is in his and our best interest. As I said, I think he should resign and focus on his defense. But I do welcome this decision.”Don Bacon of Nebraska, a Republican moderate, told the same outlet Santos “apologised and said he was going to recuse himself … for now. He just said he recused himself for a while and then he’ll come back”.‘We don’t know his real name’: George Santos’s unravelling web of liesRead moreMarjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, both a leading rightwing extremist and a solid McCarthy ally, told reporters Santos “asked that we all support him when everything settles down for him to serve on committees”.Pete Aguilar of California, the Democratic caucus chair, told reporters he was “struck by the chaos, confusion, dysfunction of the Republican conference.“They defended putting him on committees and now they’re announcing that he’s not going to serve on a committee, so I don’t understand what the play of the day is. We have said from the beginning that George Santos is not fit to serve on any committees.”Republicans, he said, were defending “someone who only has a passing relation to the truth”.Among media responses to Santos’s withdrawal, Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, plumped for satire.“George Santos has stepped aside (with a push or two),” Sabato wrote. “… Is that any way to treat the founder of Walmart and the inventor of the iPhone?”TopicsHouse of RepresentativesRepublicansGeorge SantosUS politicsKevin McCarthynewsReuse this content More