Two fights almost broke-out this week on Capitol Hill. You can read all about them here. The most famous fight in congressional history happened in 1856 when Preston Brooks of South Carolina caned Charles Sumner of Massachusetts in the Senate...
House of Representatives
The National Endowment for the Humanities survives another attempt to cut its funding
Yesterday I wrote about how my congressman, Scott Perry (PA-10) tried to cut funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Well, it appears that Perry’s attempt failed. Here a message I received today from the National Humanities Alliance: “…the...
My congressman, Scott Perry (PA-10), wants to defund the National Endowment for the Humanities
Here is the National Humanities Alliance: Later today, the House of Representatives will consider an amendment to the FY 2024 Interior Appropriations bill that would eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). This amendment was proposed by Representative...
Mike Johnson was the dean of the Paul Pressler School of Law
I noted this in my piece last week: “Who is Mike Johnson?” It has now caught the attention of the Associated Press. Here is Brian Slodysjo: Before House Speaker Mike Johnson was elected to public office, he was the dean of a...
New York Times: “Trumpism is running the House”
It’s official. With the election of Mike Johnson to Speaker of the House the Trump wing of the Republican Party–and especially its Christian Right faction–is now running the House of Representatives. As I wrote yesterday: Johnson was elected to the...
What the Christian Right is saying about Mike Johnson
We covered a lot of the responses at today’s evangelical roundup. Here’s more: David Barton and his Wallbuilders gang are over the moon. Johnson has a long history with Wallbuilders. Tim Barton says that Wallbuilders have been praying for a...
Mike Johnson is the 56th Speaker of the House
I will have more to say about this in tomorrow’s feature at CURRENT. In the meantime, here is CNN: The Republican-led House elected Rep. Mike Johnson as the new House speaker on Wednesday – a major leadership change that comes three...
Mike Johnson wins first round of GOP Speaker of the House voting, but he doesn’t have a majority
The House GOP is trying to pick another Speaker nominee after Tom Emmer dropped out of the race earlier today. In the first round of closed-door voting, Louisiana’s Mike Johnson garnered the most votes: Since Fleischman received the lowest number...
Danielle Allen: There are three parties in the House of Representatives and the Democratic Party is the largest
Harvard political theorist Danielle Allen believes that Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of the House Democrats, should be Speaker of the House. Why? Because she believes there are actually THREE parties in the House: The Freedom Caucus, the Old Republican Party,...
Any House member who voted to certify the 2020 election has no real chance of being Speaker of the House in today’s GOP
Earlier today, the GOP caucus chose Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer as its candidate for Speaker of the House. Hours later Emmer dropped out of the running. This leaves five candidates: Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee Mark...
Jim Jordan takes a third shot at the House speakership. This time he’s invoking the Wright brothers, Neil Armstrong, and 2 Timothy 4:7
As I type, the House of Representatives is about to consider Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan’s candidacy for Speaker of the House. On the first vote, Jordan was unable to garner the 217 votes he needed. 20 Republicans voted against him....
What is it like to be Nebraska GOP Congressman Don Bacon today?
Don Bacon represents Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district. Yesterday he was the first Republican member of Congress to refuse to vote for Jim Jordan as Speaker of the House. And then this happened to his wife: Here is Jordain Carney, Sarah...
Speaker of the House George W. Bush?
As of the publication of this post the House of Representatives has been without a Speaker for 13 days and roughly 17 hours. Later today, the House will convene to vote on Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan’s candidacy. Last night, Kentucky...
Steve Scalise drops out of Speaker race
Yesterday the Republican Party nominated Lousiana’s Steve Scalise as their choice to replace Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. Today Scalise withdrew his name from consideration. Here is CNN: Rep. Steve Scalise announced he was dropping out of the speaker’s race...
Steve Scalise wins GOP nomination for House Speaker
Here is CNN: Rep. Steve Scalise has won the House GOP’s nomination for speaker during a secret ballot vote, according to multiple sources familiar. The final vote tally was 113 for Steve Scalise and 99 for Jim Jordan. The threshold...
Is Kevin McCarthy leaving Congress?
Here is Olivia Beavers at Politico: Kevin McCarthy is considering resigning from the House before the end of his term, two people familiar with the matter told POLITICO. The deposed former speaker has made clear he plans to stay at...
The GOP clownshow rolls on
In 1910, the House of Representatives voted to remove Speaker of the House Joseph Cannon, an anti-progressive Republican (as opposed to the progressive Republican presidents Teddy Roosevelt and William Howard Taft) from Illinois. Here is Hillsdale College historian Joseph Postell:...
Can they impeach Joe Biden for being a “sex symbol”?
Here is Heidi Przybla at Politico: House Oversight Chair James Comer, who is investigating President Joe Biden for what Republicans call potentially impeachable offenses, was given unrestricted access Thursday to a batch of his emails from his time as vice...
Lauren Boebert apologizes
A follow-up to this story. Sometimes you need to apologize to save your political life. Let’s see if she will apologize to the pregnant woman who asked her to stop vaping....
The real meaning of Kevin McCarthy’s impeachment inquiry against Biden
I’ll let Russell Berman explain. Here is a taste of his piece at The Atlantic: As Kevin McCarthy made his televised declaration earlier today that House Republicans were launching an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, the House speaker stood outside his...