Republicans

Courthouse News reports: Lawmakers in the Texas Senate Education K-16 Committee gave initial approval Tuesday to two bills that would put more Christian teachings and practices in public schools, setting Republicans up with a second chance after similar proposals failed to become law in 2023. Senate Bill 10, authored by Weatherford Republican Senator Phil King [photo], would require a 16 by …

Roll Call reports: After a cycle that delivered them full power in Washington, Republicans are still pushing to change federal election law — and some Democrats are sounding a renewed alarm. A proposal that aims to bar noncitizens from voting could disenfranchise millions of American women and serve a larger strategy, Rep. Delia Ramirez argued Tuesday. “The SAVE act is …

The Texas Tribune reports: Six years after Texas lawmakers inadvertently triggered the state’s booming consumable hemp market, one chamber of the Legislature is pushing to shut down the industry by barring products that contain THC. Yet even with the backing of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the powerful Texas Senate leader, the proposal to ban THC faces uncertain prospects in the …

Government Executive reports: The Veterans Affairs Department is planning to lay off tens of thousands of employees throughout its organization later this year, according to an internal memorandum distributed to top staff on Tuesday. VA will soon kick off a departmentwide review of its mission, organization and structure, according to the memo, which was obtained by Government Executive. It will …

“You know how you make America great again? Tell Donald Trump to go to hell. He’s a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot. He doesn’t represent my party. He doesn’t represents the values that the men and women who wear the uniform are fighting for. He’s the ISIL man of the year.” – GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, when he was running against …

The Kentucky Lantern reports: Kentucky lawmakers would endanger vulnerable minors by approving a bill to protect conversion therapy, warned a coalition representing psychologists, social workers and the LGBTQ community during a committee hearing. Rep. David Hale, R-Wellington, House Bill 495’s primary sponsor, dismissed opponents’ arguments, including personal testimony from speakers who told stories of experiencing abuse and harm from conversion therapy …

The New Republic reports: Republican lawmakers were met with fire and fury over the weekend as their constituents hounded them for failing to intervene in a budget resolution that will result in billions in cuts to Medicaid. One Republican has decided the best option is to threaten criminal charges for Americans who dare to dissent against Trump’s agenda. Wisconsin Rep. Derrick …

Mediaite reports: Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) held up a small sign as a protest Tuesday evening as President Donald Trump entered the joint session of Congress until a Republican colleague snatched it from her hands. The cameras showed Stansbury, dressed in bright pink, holding up a small handwritten sign that said “This is NOT Normal.” She did not appear to …

First, a reminder about Ross Ulbricht: President Donald Trump says he has signed a full and unconditional pardon for Ross Ulbricht, who operated Silk Road, the dark web marketplace where illegal drugs were sold. Ulbricht was convicted in 2015 in New York in a narcotics and money-laundering conspiracy and sentenced to life in prison. Ulbricht was found guilty of charges …

The Tallahassee Democrat reports: Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Tuesday said there was an “active criminal investigation” into the presence of the brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate in Florida after they flew here from Romania. Uthmeier’s comments on the internet personalities and self-proclaimed misogynists were posted to social media by Forrest Saunders, an EW Scripps television reporter based in Tallahassee. …

ProPublica reports: Earlier this year, the Air Force revealed that the general who oversaw its lobbying before Congress had inappropriate romantic relationships with five women, including three who worked on Capitol Hill. Maj. Gen. Christopher Finerty’s colleagues told investigators the relationships were “highly inappropriate” as they could give the Air Force undue influence in Congress. “I honestly felt sick to …

Washington DC’s ABC affiliate reports: A representative from Georgia is proposing that Congress stop giving D.C. some funding unless Mayor Muriel Bowser renames Black Lives Matter Plaza and removes the phrase from the street. Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) introduced House Resolution 1774 on Monday to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. According to the Congress bill tracker website, it …

“Canada and Mexico, they are not only covered by us from a military standpoint, but they’re covered by us economically just by virtue of being on the North American continent with the most powerful country in the entire world. “So I really have no tolerance for the for for Canada talking about, you know, entering a trade war with the …

Florida Politics reports: In his annual State of the State Address, Gov. Ron DeSantis laid out his priorities of abolishing property taxes, repealing gun control laws and cleaning up the Everglades. As property values jump, DeSantis continued to pitch his proposal to eliminate property taxes. DeSantis anticipates the issue will end up on the 2026 ballot for voters to approve. …

The Daily Beast reports: A Republican lawmaker says he is nominating President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. “No one deserves it more,” wrote House Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), in a social media post. The million-dollar Peace Prize, which has been awarded 105 times since 1901, is to be given to the person “who shall have done the most …

The Hill reports: House Republicans are being encouraged to avoid in-person town halls in favor of phone and live-streamed versions, advice that comes after constituents and activists rocked recent GOP events by expressing outrage about the Trump administration’s dramatic moves to reshape the federal government. National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) told House Republicans at a closed-door conference …

Billings’ NBC affiliate reports: A Senate joint resolution to oppose same-sex marriage and the 2015 Obergefell decision was tabled in the body’s Judiciary committee on Monday morning. Republicans in the Legislature sought to pass a formal resolution that Obergefell v. Hodges, the U.S. Supreme Court case that codified same-sex marriage into federal law, was “at odds with the Constitution of …

The Heartland Signal reports: Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) reportedly threatened a former Department of Veterans Affairs worker for asking a question during work hours in an exchange on LinkedIn over the weekend. Van Orden responded by telling the worker he would “be referring you to DOGE as it seems that at 13:46 on a Monday you should have been …

The Associated Press reports: The Senate voted late Monday to confirm former wrestling executive Linda McMahon as the nation’s education chief, a role that places her atop a department that President Donald Trump has vilified and vowed to dismantle. McMahon will face the competing tasks of winding down the department while also escalating efforts to achieve Trump’s agenda. At the …

The Meidas Touch reports: This afternoon, Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott has now come out on Benny Johnson’s show to call for the DOJ to prosecute New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez for aiding and abetting undocumented migrants to avoid ICE detention. When appearing on Johnson’s show, Scott stated: “She violated the law. Need to have equal protection and equal …