Republicans

“Look, I’ve been a little busy on reconciliation, so I’m not following all the twists and turns of the Qatar jet, I certainly heard about it. My understanding is it’s not a personal gift to the president, it’s a gift to the United States, and other nations give us gifts all the time, but I’m going to leave it to …

Politico reports: Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday he supports a ban on stock trading by members of Congress amid controversy about well-timed trades during recent market volatility. “You want me to tell you my honest opinion on that? I’m in favor of that, because I don’t think we should have any appearance of impropriety here,” he said at a Wednesday …

The New Republic reports: The president has trumpeted the extension of his 2017 tax plan, attempting to make the bill more palatable to non-millionaires by claiming that it would end tax on tips, overtime, and Social Security benefits. But as it turns out, none of that is actually in the text of the bill. During a heated exchange between Representative …

The Huffington Post reports: A ban on minors attending family-friendly drag shows in Florida was halted by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit on Tuesday after judges ruled 2-1 that it violated the First Amendment. The ruling marks a major victory for Hamburger Mary’s of Orlando, a restaurant in the Sunshine State that offers food and entertainment, …

Politico reports: The House Ways and Means Committee approved Republicans’ sweeping tax package Wednesday, after a marathon hearing in which they shot down a string of attempts by Democrats to rewrite the plan. Approval came on a party-line 26-19 vote, and sends the bill — stocked with tax cuts and some notable tax hikes on GOP targets like Ivy League …

The Hill reports: Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Chris Coons (D-Del.), who have been among the leading voices in opposition, rolled out a resolution condemning “any acceptance of Presidential aircraft, or any other substantial gift, from a foreign government.” The aircraft is valued at roughly $400 million. “It really should go without saying, but no president should be accepting a …

Dead Pat Robertson’s CBN News reports: Today, as an outspoken congressman, he doesn’t mind mixing it up with the left. But being a conservative who happens to be Black can make it even more challenging. What has that journey been like? “I’ll tell you, you better have the courage of your convictions,” Donalds says. “You better know what you’re talking …

Politico reports: A number of Republican lawmakers are souring on President Donald Trump’s plans to accept a luxury Boeing 747 aircraft as a gift from Qatar — a rare series of rebukes of the president by his allies in Congress. Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Tuesday became the most prominent Republican to express discomfort with the deal, telling reporters …

Politico reports: The Medicaid portions of the GOP megabill would lead to 10.3 million people losing coverage under the health safety net program and 7.6 million people going uninsured, according to estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Republicans released the partial estimates Tuesday less than a half hour before the House Energy and Commerce Committee is scheduled to mark …

“Accepting gifts from foreign nations is never a good practice. It threatens intelligence and national security. Especially when that nation supports a terrorist organization and allows those terrorist regimes to live on its soil. Regardless of how beautiful the plane may be, it opens a door and implies the President and US can be bought. If this were Biden, we …

The Associated Press reports: House Republicans want to set aside up to $5 billion a year for scholarships to help families send their children to private and religious schools, an unprecedented effort to use public money to pay for private education. The proposal, part of a budget reconciliation bill released Monday, would advance President Donald Trump’s agenda of establishing “universal …

The Hill reports: House Republicans are moving forward with plans to raise the nation’s debt ceiling by $4 trillion as part of a larger plan to advance President Trump’s tax agenda. The proposal, which was included in legislative text unveiled by the House Ways and Means Committee on Monday, is in line with House instructions outlined in a blueprint adopted …

The Daily Beast reports: Senators have raised ethical concerns about the U.S. president replacing Air Force One with a plane supplied by a foreign government. Others have expressed worries about safety issues and potential legal complications. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said: “If Qatar gives a plane to the president of the United States, it seems to me that raises …

“The constitution in Article II talks about the president can’t take emoluments or gifts from foreign leaders. And so, there is a provision in the Constitution that says you can’t do this. And so, the question is, can you do it only if it’s only for official purposes? It’s not worth the appearance of impropriety, whether it’s improper or not. …

The Christian Post reports: A bill seeking to allow Texas public and charter schools to hold voluntary prayer and readings of religious texts has stalled after lawmakers failed to take action on the legislation. The House Committee on State Affairs grappled with Senate Bill 11, which would allow school boards to decide whether to carve out time for private prayer …

Punchbowl News reports: Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) trails Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton by 16 points in a new poll commissioned by the Senate Leadership Fund, the GOP-leadership backed super PAC. SLF is supporting Cornyn. Their poll has Cornyn trailing Paxton 56-40, according to two people briefed on the survey. In a three-way contest with Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas), who …

The Hill reports: A Republican tax bill released late Sunday seeks to block states from regulating artificial intelligence (AI) models for the next 10 years. The bill text from the House Energy and Commerce Committee would bar states from enforcing laws or regulations governing AI models, AI systems or automated decision systems. The bill, which comes as Republicans gear up …

Houston Public Media reports: House Bill 229 strictly defines men and women based on the reproductive organs they were born with, and orders state records to reflect this binary. The bill, titled the “Women’s Bill of Rights,” lays out the “biological truth for anybody who is confused,” said author Rep. Ellen Troxclair, an Austin Republican. The bill passed on second …

Sen. Josh Hawley writes for the New York Times: Polls show Democrats down in the dumps at their lowest approval level in decades, but we Republicans are having an identity crisis of our own, and you can see it in the tug of war over President Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill.” The nub of the conflict: Will Republicans be a …

The Associated Press reports: House Republicans unveiled the cost-saving centerpiece of President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill ” late Sunday, at least $880 billion in cuts largely to Medicaid to help cover the cost of $4.5 trillion in tax breaks. Tallying hundreds of pages, the legislation is touching off the biggest political fight over health care since Republicans tried to …