AMAC Exclusive – By Shane Harris
House Democrats met in Philadelphia Thursday for their first in-person retreat in three years. However, the event started late and was nearly canceled before it even began, thanks to a full-blown revolt from rank-and-file Democrats that threatened to derail negotiations over a spending package just hours before government funding expired. This latest fiasco underscores just how completely, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has lost control of her party and encapsulates the disarray that has characterized congressional proceedings generally since Democrats took control last January.
With government funding set to expire Friday night, Democrat House leadership finally released a $1.5 trillion omnibus spending package around 1:30 am Wednesday morning. Pelosi then scheduled a vote on the package later that same morning, meaning that lawmakers would only have a few hours to review the 2,700-page bill before being expected to vote on it.
Soon, however, it wasn’t just the expedited timeline that was giving Pelosi trouble and causing grumblings even within her own party. As part of the package, the Biden administration had requested $22 billion in additional COVID relief money, a number which was eventually pared down to $15 billion. However, after Democrats passed $1.9 trillion of COVID spending last March on a purely party-line vote, Republicans demanded a full accounting of where the funds already appropriated by Congress had gone – likely to highlight that many states still have tens of billions in left-over funds from previous rounds of spending.
As a result, Democrat and Republican leadership in the House and Senate agreed to offset part of the new spending by taking back unclaimed state and local COVID aid and redistributing it with the new package.
However, in an embarrassing setback, it soon became clear that Pelosi failed to get buy-in from her own party for the move and faced an all-out revolt. Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) called it “completely unacceptable,” and one Democrat House leader estimated that 70 percent of rank-and-file Democrats were upset by the deal.
Pelosi was ultimately forced to strip the COVID funding from the bill and promised to bring it up as a stand-alone measure without the offsets next week – after which it will face a tough road to passage in the Senate.
While House Democrats have washed their hands of the matter and rushed off to their retreat, the entire incident serves as just the latest example of Democratic incompetence and underscores a disturbing trend that has become apparent since January of 2021: Not only are Democrats fixated on implementing extreme progressive policies, they appear wholly incapable of performing the basic functions of government.
While Pelosi has had no problem this Congress passing a slew of radical bills like mass amnesty for illegal immigrants, a federal takeover of elections, and multiple attempts to effectively defund the police that stood little chance of passing the 60-vote hurdle in the Senate, she struggled to hold her caucus together on actual necessary items like the infrastructure bill. When that bill finally was passed after several tries, it had been stripped of many actual hard infrastructure projects and was chock-full of progressive spending priorities that had nothing to do with repairing America’s aging roads and bridges.
Over in the Senate, Chuck Schumer was handed an admittedly tough situation with a 50-50 split, but has committed a number of unforced errors that have also undermined his party’s credibility when it comes to governing. For example, he apparently failed to mention to anyone in his party – including Nancy Pelosi – his secret deal with Joe Manchin to cap new spending at $1.5 trillion. It was thus altogether unsurprising when Manchin later killed Biden’s $3.5 trillion “Build Back Better” plan.
President Joe Biden and his team, meanwhile, have failed to provide any sort of leadership for elected Democrats, and have in many cases been even more inept than Congress. After all, it was the Biden team who pushed the ill-fated COVID relief plan on Pelosi in the first place, and then failed to come to her aid when it imploded. Biden was also the one who pushed many of the disastrous policies (against warnings from even other Democrats) that have led to spiraling inflation and soaring gas prices.
Then, of course, there was the Afghanistan disaster, which likely played a role in emboldening the Russians to attempt the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. That has, in turn, resulted in an embarrassing mix-up on a fighter jet deal with NATO ally Poland, the failure to coordinate with other Western nations on Russia sanctions, and a general undermining of the American position in the world.
In addition to all of that, the Biden foreign policy team appears to be at this very moment selling out American interests to return to an even worse Iran nuclear deal, and just a few months ago caused an international incident that led France to recall its ambassador after the White House botched the diplomacy of a submarine deal with Australia. The list goes on.
So as House Democrats gather in Philadelphia this weekend, they have more than a few problems to sort out. While the growing number of crises upending the lives of ordinary Americans are no doubt the main cause of Democrats’ sinking poll numbers, it may also be that Americans see in the Democrats a party that simply cannot effectively run the government or even their own party. That does not bode well for Democrats’ electoral prospects this fall and gives Republicans another opening to make the case to voters that it’s time for a change in Washington.
Could it be the Demos are realizing that the end could be near for control of the House and Senate. A change would be welcomed but then again, there is no guarantee that the Republicans would correct the course that the nation is currently on. Only time will tell.
Me thinks the dimwits are close to an internal implosion.
Idiots
If stories like this, doesn’t wake up the Democrat voter then, they are all Brain – Dead…These Knuckleheads are destroying Our Country…. What the heck has happened to American Common Sense…. Even democrap’s have to see they are leading us all in the Wrong direction… Period, Brandon…
Wasting taxpayer money is just what they do. And then tells us they’re doing it all for our good.
When are we , the taxpayers, going to see every line of that trillion dollar bill Congress passed?
let’s see how much is going to the democrat pet projects.
“A few hours to read 2,700 pages of legalese. That’s been the way the radical left has been getting all of the unconstitutional crap passed for years. It’s the old “You have to pass it to see what’s in it” ploy that’s used over and over. The GOP members need to take a stand and say NO, not until we DO get to read it, no matter what’s critical in the bills.
Been that way since Trump left office
Don’t forget the policy of Pelosi, “We have to pass the bill if order to find out what’s in it!”. These people have to go!
I doubt that we will ever know where OUR money went. Yes, we know that it went to the illegals and the perverts and the liars and cheaters and thieves, but we will never know the truth and the swamp will never be drained. Until every Democrat is eliminated from every office at every level, along with the RINOs, this country will continue on its juggernaut to destruction. The only alternative is that “WE THE PEOPLE” take back our government
When Democrats being useful idiots of Satan they are doing what Jesus said, “That Satan came to kill,steal, and destroy and that Satan is a liar from the beginning and the father of all lies.” So the Democrats are doing what their father does. Jesus told the religious Jews in his day, “That they were of their father the devil and the works he does they will do.” It looks like the Democrats fit that mold. I don’t care what church or belief you have, if you don’t do what Jesus tells us to do you are not going to heaven as there will be no sin there.
Most Democrats are dysfunctional.
democrat = degressive, divisive, liars, corrupt/criminal, useless, godless, BABY KILLERS, fruits and nuts that don’t know which restroom to use, radical socialist/communist/marxist craving total absolute raw fascism POWER to CONTROL everybody and everything to ENRICH themselves and FORCE their evil reprobate ANTI-CHRISTIAN lifestyle agenda on children and society. Yes, the USA is divided, good will not unite with evil and right will not unite with wrong!
Let us add that the horrid inflation that is damaging those on fixed incomes, including most seniors, more than anyone is being caused by two primary things: One is the energy costs which are fully the fault of Biden and his radical comrades pushing unreliable and expensive “green” energy by killing American oil and gas production along with the Democrats insane spending, spending on borrowed money that the Fed must print and which devalues all money. The economic catastrophe we are just beginning to see unfold lies at the feet of one group, the Democrats. No wonder they want to pass election laws that will make our elections far more dishonest! It’s their only hope in November.
Socialism at work. Very efficient propaganda and waist, chaos, destruction and incompetence everywhere else. Tragic consequences of stolen election.
The Democrats spelled out their agenda in plain English before the last election. They are merely implementing what they promised their voter base. Now the Dems have passed another 2,700 page bill totaling $1.5 Trillion dollars at the last minute. Every politician asked on both sides of the aisle freely admits no has read it. So in the coming months, we will once again find out about all the lovely new Democrat spending initiatives that were tucked away inside this bill.
The Democrat are NOT solely to blame for this latest fiasco, as Mitch McConnel and his merry band of RINOs in the Senate gave the Democrats two extensions of the process in order to try and avert the very thing the Democrats always do: Crafting a bill with no input or review from the Republicans and then dropping it on full Senate with less than 24 before funding for the federal government was due to expire. Thus leading to the predictable outcome of the bill being passed completely unread by anyone on the Republican side.
One would expect that with all his years in the Senate, Mitch McConnell would have learned by now to NOT fall for the same trick over and over again. Yet surprise surprise…once again yet another massive spending bill gets enacted the same way Democrats ALWAYS orchestrate it. I’m not surprised the Democrats are celebrating this weekend. Once again, they got another massive spending bill enacted with the support of Mitch McConnell. Like shooting fish in a barrel. When will the voters of Kentucky replace this old fool?
Biden, Harris, Pelosi and a few others should be moved to the basement with bars on the windows.
MAYBE SOME illegal OR TERRORIST WILL GO THERE AND TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS
All demoncrats and the RINOS need to be voted out and good solid conservative Republican/Libertarians be voted in. I’m thinking that’s the only way to stop this crazy out of control spending.
Any bill with 2,700 pages should automatically be thrown out the window! Complete disrespect and disregard for US citizens. Who even constructs garbage like that? Oh, idiot democrats!
After watching the democrats administer and manage the U. S. since January 6, 2021, a couple of things have been abundantly clear. First, since the beginning of Obama’s presidency and the democrats’ control of the Congress during his first two years of office, the democrats as an organization and as a philosophical group of people have lost all sense of the need for and ability to justify and verify their radical political positions. The American public has no one but ourselves to blame, because, since Obama we have let the democrats spout ridiculous, unsupportable clap trap about how to run the world and the United States. Further, we have allowed the democrats to implement irresponsible policy after irresponsible policy with no visible major public outcry. Just a few days before the expiration of the democrats’ control of Congress in late December of 2010, the democrats sneaked Obamacare through both houses and President Obama signed Obamacare into law. Unfortunately the Obama Administration’s Office of Management and Budget had
“verified” via an analytical study that Obamacare would not cost any money from the federal government for the next ten years. Unfortunately, a Congressional Budget Office fiscal assessment of the Obamacare package shortly after the law had been signed came to a conclusion that Obamacare was indeed going to cost the federal government, and therefore the American public more money than their current plans in the future. Also, shortly after the passage of Obamacare, the American public experienced the raw personal financial impact of Obamacare with large annual increases in health insurance premiums, copays, and deductibles. The democrat party reaction almost to a person, not just the politicians in Washington, but the party members throughout the country was to downplay the excruciating financial pain the American public experienced. This reaction drove me to two conclusions. First, the democratic party had no capability to accurately assess analytically the impacts of their radical policies. And second, they really didn’t care what damage it did to the United States public, our culture, and our republic’s institutions, because like hard-core lawyers–they only wanted to win.
Focus now on the last 15 or so months of the Biden Administration and democratic Congress. They have miscalculated the financial and pain caused the American public for every policy they have implemented. From BLM police defunding, to greatly restricted and significantly reduced American fossil fuel output, to severe government restrictions and overreach on COVID restrictions, to substantial intolerable public school educational content and restrictions along with cutting parents from influencing their children’s education, to being completely helpless in identifying and implementing policies to fix inflation, product supply and supply line shortages, to limiting and controlling illegal immigration, to getting the federal government funded before it was almost six months into its fiscal year, and most astoundingly, to the democrat’s pet program of climate control.
Neither the Biden Administration, nor the democrats in Congress have taken any responsibility for the calamity that is the U. S. today. Every one of the problems stated in the paragraph above has been placed in someone else’s hands for the blame of ineptitude. But two things are extremely relevant and evident to me. First, it isn’t the fact that the democrats are dodging and diverting every one of these problems to someone else. It is rather that the democrats have been caught with their pants down on every one of these problems. None of the severely negative impacts were predicted or expected–especially in terms either of content or substance. Second, the democrats have no solution to any of these problems because they have no one who can do a credible substantive quantitative analysis of the causes (because they cannot determine them accurately), impacts (because they have not and cannot accurately gauge and predict them), or provide reasoned solutions (because they cannot think their way to them and then provide a credible cost to implement them and estimated cost and time of the ultimate savings in time or money). The second, is by far, the more damning. I honestly believe they simply don’t care about how much pain their policies will cause the American public. Why, because the few policy-makers throughout the U. S. are all financially well-heeled, or high political officials who have feathered their nests sufficiently to survive everything but a nuclear holocaust.
Let me give just one example-the green new deal. The democrats in Washington have deliberately forced high fossil fuel energy on the American public to “encourage” the American public to quit fossil fuel generated products and go to non-fossil fuel products–all based on electricity. So let me ask a first important question that has not been addressed, let alone answered. How much more infrastructure is it going to take to produce all the additional electricity to power, a half billion or more vehicles (not just cars, but semis, and major engine powered farm vehicles, and city transportation), all of the single family dwellings in the U. S., and all city buildings in the U. S? Let’s start with an easier question: How many kilowatt hours will it take to meet the demand of the democrats’ utopia of the future? Second question. Where are we going to put all the batteries, windmill blades, and solar cell plates when their useful life expires. None of these large pieces of hardware are biodegradable? Imagine in say 30 or 40 or 100 years how many cubic hundreds or thousands of miles of U. S. territory will be filled with these unsightly, probably toxic left-overs. And, just how many millions of square miles of rural land do we plan to convert to windmill farms and solar cell farms? It takes one and one-half acres for each windmill–that’s 426 windmills per square mile. I recently saw an estimate that it would take around 57,000 windmills to power New York City. That means we convert 134 acres of farm land or forest land if you live east of the Rockies for every major city in the U. S. based on these figures which I have no way to verify. But, I can tell you this. I have driven through rural Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas and seen the vast windmill farms. You know what I don’t see on the lands upon which the wind mills are placed? I don’t see anything natural happening–no birds, no animals, no farming, no ranching–just rural area that is no longer useful for any other.
I was born and raised in a small rural town in almost dead central Kansas. I completed my Bachelor in Business Administration, and my Masters in Economics before I entered active duty as a commissioned lieutenant in the U. S. Air Force in 1971. I spent 24 years on active duty in the USAF as a strategic analyst at HQ USAF (pentagon) and HQ US Air Forces Europe, business manager in aircraft program purchasing offices, and Air Force Inspector General. Upon retirement in 1993, I worked as a contract business manager in major equipment purchases for the Air Force for another 22 years. I acquired my doctorate in public administration in 1995 with emphasis in economic public policy. I have also taught economics as an adjunct professor for over 31 years. I spent my entire working life crunching numbers, assessing current day decisions for definitive future impacts, which often drove those decision assessments 20 years into the future. So, I know it can be done, and I tell all Americans it must be done. The decisions of the democrats are not just here and today. Rather their impacts will become most felt in 20 to a hundred years or more. We must drive all decision-makers in Washington, be they democrats or republicans to deal with issues not just from a philosophical and scare-tactic position, but from true credible cost/benefit assessments. We have seen none of this from the democrats in the last ten plus years. It’s time they committed truth and either admit that they have not done the assessments necessary for these weighty decisions, or provide real, hard, factual numbers about their decisions whether the decisions are or are not supported by those assessments.
The dems may seem stupid or in disarray but rest assured every thing they do is like shooting a deer in the guts. The poor beast can run for a mile but faces a slow death. Why not a head shot? Because they want their idiot voters to be confused as to whodunnit. This has already been a very successful strategy this year. Dem voters think inflation and gas prices are putins and trumps work. Want proof? Sniffy is still in the high thirties. Dont think he wont quickly hit 55% if he succeeds in buying venezuelan oil. Amac loves to run optimistic articles but the hard fact is that half the country votes dem in a trancelike manner. That means the margin of error is very small. Many things must go right for the Rs to win in November. Even then, many will be rinos eager to make their fortune in dc and more than willing to sell out to dems to achieve it. In my state, im supporting a total outsider against a gaggle of rinos in the coming primary. No more mconnells.
It’s FULL of pork spending. Maybe, maybe someday we the people will take back control of OUR country and decide where OUR money is spent!
In the interest of making it crystal clear that “We The People” are the true authority in The United States of America, I propose a modest Constitutional Amendment:
All Federal legislation and spending bills shall be the personal work-product of the sponsoring member, such representation being affirmed by sworn affidavit with the Clerk, Sergeant-at-Arms or other duly authorized officer empowered in the respective Chamber to administer oaths under penalty of perjury, shall be considered, debated, and voted as “stand-alone” legislation, not otherwise co-mingled with any other legislation of any description whatsoever. Further, Executive Summary shall accompany all legislation stating any and all sources used to develop the finished product, specifically citing any individual(s) by full legal name and aliases, their contact information, and their affiliations, foreign and domestic. No member of either Chamber shall cast a vote unless said member shall Affirm by affidavit in like manner as the Bills Sponsoring Member, described above, that they have personally read the bill in its entirety. Affidavits required under this amendment shall be subject to disclosure under Freedom of Information Act without any restriction whatsoever. Omnibus legislation shall hereinafter be unconstitutional. All extant federal legislation and funding, shall be reaffirmed as stipulated above not-later-than five (5) years exactly or shall be null-and-void, devolving to the respective states or the people. In the absence of the individual respective states affirming jurisdiction over such federal legislation and funding not-later-than twelve months exactly of original nullification under provision of this Amandment, shall thereafter devolve to the people, only to revert to the respective states by referendum of 3/4 of the citizens of the individual state voting in the affirmative.
Vote for chaos! Pull the “D” for DUMB lever when you vote.
Better yet… vote ALL incumbents O-U-T!!!!!
Biden and tge whole democrat party are a bunch of complete screw ups.
The Iranian man was much better
I’d like to know which Republicans voted for this atrocity also. It passed with Republican support!
These communist democrats will break the country and our children will never see freedom. All planned to change us completely
Time to boot Nasty Nancy out of her job. She doesn’t do it well anyway. While you’re at it, impeach Sleepy, Creepy Uncle Joe for treason and Harris for incompetence.
The democrats and republicans just waste our hard earned money every minute of every day.
Self-serving egotist with no shame. Do they know, they were hired to take care of the American tax payer and make our country safe and prosperous?
AS bad as the dems are doing, it still amazes me that their hold on this country is still in place.
I lament the fact that the repubs, even as the dems slide into catastrophe, they cannot seem to be able to capitalize on the weaknesses and failures. This is why I have practically zero respect for any of the people in office, especially at the national level….as our country continues it downward spiral, conservatives remain impotent, ineffectual and lame on every level. It,s all the same dance, to the same music ….the old Potomac Two Step adnauseum.
Another example of one of our “leaders” who is a dictator. Ruling with an iron fist with no regard for those she destroys in her path. She needs to be removed from office. Just because you get elected to a term there is no guarantee it won’t be ended earlier. Serve or be removed. If you won’t serve, get out of the way for someone who will.
I need to know what’s going on with Trump and have relied on CNN to be the Trump Network for 5 years. Trump, I suppose, pays CNN for their nonstop coverage. But starting 2 weeks ago CNN
has told us nothing about Trump and the Jan 6 committee. What happened ? Is Trump okay ?
Did the Jan 6 committee quit ?
The complete democrat/communist arty needs to be eliminated. The main thing: they have no respect for life – at any stage. Right now more freedom to kill a child in or out of the womb. The COVID? Well, as everyone will be waking up to – it is a weapon of mass ldemcocide or, genocide Murder by the government upon the citizens. Pfizer: Crimes Against Humanity from extreme greed. The democrat ‘party’ is a satanic cult, doing the will of satan – kill, steal and destroy. Got any God?
House Commie Demon-crat traitors met to pass another evil demon bill chock full of pork…but far worse…it’s designed to destroy our economy, taking America to Americazuel. The anti-America, America LAST expletives have the destruction of our Constitutional Republic THE TRAITORS HATE on hyper warp speed…and the expletive (bribed/blackmailed or making bank on the D.C. gravy train) traitor RINOS are helping. Stolen elections have dire, deadly consequences…the traitors are winning…we are well on our way to their preferred Communism totalitarian hell.
Meanwhile, Biden is celebrating his supposed accomplishments…
$1.5 Trillion will trigger the PAYGO Act, which will impact Medicare funding. The $1.9 Trillion COVID relief act of last year reduced the Medicare Budget by $36 Billion or 4%. Congresswoman Luria, Congressional District 3 in Virgina had no issue because Congress would simply appropriate more funds to fill the gap. The current bill has billions appropriated for Child Care and Climate change. These budgetary tactics used by the Democrats will break the financial stability of this country.
After watching evil aunt Nancy in the SOU address, I think she is taking too many of the products coming across the southern border. As far as the vote on the bill is concerned, just pass it and then we will find out what is in it. Sound familiar? Maybe the new democrat motto could be: Destroying America one bill at a time. These evil people have no sense of responsibility or decency. Anyone that blindly supports them can be considered the same. The lies and deceit are being exposed and these folks don’t know how to handle it.
I’ve always had issues with the Democrat Party being racist and Progressive. Now, the DP is completely controlled by Socialist minded career politicians who do not at all represent American citizens, but rather do whatever benefits them.
AND part of the bill passed this week includes $millions for 8 foreign countries for their border protection, while our own southern border remains wide open invitation to any & all illegals flooding into the US. Those illegals include those from our enemy nations. They’re dumping their criminals in Mexico to come here. How’s that for our politicians caring for the US citizens?
It’s high time for a Jeffersonian party where we can offer all DEMONRATS the opportunity to resign or be taught the Mussolini swing dance.
SI VIS PACEM PARA BELLUM
VINCE AUT MORIRE
MOLON LABE
The marxist, anti American democrats are the same lying scum they have been for 50 years.
Throw them Out!
The Republicans are full of shit and will destroy our Democracy, thank God for Democrats.
Oh come on!
At least Kackalin Kamala is good.
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Sorry spit my coffee from laughter.
… think of yourself as, an orphan. Think of the government in Washington DC as, your foster parents. They have their life; you have yours. You don’t love them; they don’t love you. You live there because, there’s something in it for them. It’s okay you’re depressed, sad, get lousy grades. Commit suicide, runaway, get the girl pregnant, do anything you like, so long as its nothing they have to do something about. Whatever it is they’re up to? Better keep it zipped. Don’t go blabbing it around the neighborhood. Mind your own business. Or, you’re going to get the strap. This this the attitude –
Our politicos are acting like a bunch of spoiled children at a birthday party. They’re throwing money around like it’s taffy. They know they have limited time and they know we’re struggling out here, trying to make ends meet and pay all of the bills in a timely manner. What I don’t understand is, even though our politicos claim they have “legitimate” uses for the piles of money they’re grabbing from our coffers their “legitimate” uses don’t always pan out… well, usually don’t pan out. IMHO
MAGA2024! TRUMP2024!
FJB! LET’S GO BRANDON!
Now we must assume that the Republican leadership is up to the task of exploiting this Democratic weakness. Do you think Mitch McConnell, Senate, and Kevin McCarthy, House of Representatives, are up to this task! I have my doubts!
Great job Shane!!!
If the republicans get us into a war will reconsider my vote.
And yet, the Republicans (with the exception of Rick Scott) refuse to make any promises on how they will counter the massive incompetence of the current Washington leadership. Look at Rick Scott’s plan and support HIM , but reject Mitch McConnell and his minions who are only interested in regaining power for power’s sake.