Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed National Political Editor for The Tennessee Star Neil McCabe to the newsmakers line to weigh in on the status of the Build Back Better bill and the fate of Nancy Pelosi.
Read MoreTag: US Senate
Senate Republicans Filibuster Government Funding Bill Over Debt Ceiling Provision With Three Days Until Shutdown
Senate Republicans Monday filibustered Democrats’ bill to fund the government and suspend the debt ceiling, days before a potential federal shutdown and possible debt default.
Republicans vowed for weeks to oppose a debt ceiling increase and urged Democrats to put the provision in their filibuster-proof $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill. But Democrats have thus far refused to do so, and with their bill’s failure Monday, Congress now has just three days to pass a new funding bill to avoid a government shutdown set to begin Friday at midnight.
Read MoreInfrastructure Bill Features Per-Mile User Fee Pilot Program
The recently passed U.S. Senate infrastructure bill includes controversial provisions such as a vehicle per-mile user fee pilot program as the bill faces uncertainty in the U.S. House.
The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, which includes $550 billion of new spending, passed in the Senate on Tuesday by a 69-30 vote. The bill authorizes spending for improvements to roads, bridges, rail, transit and broadband, among other forms of infrastructure.
Read MoreMcConnell, Schumer Strike Deal on Impeachment Trial Rules
Senate leaders said on Monday that a deal has been agreed upon regarding the framework for former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial slated to begin on Tuesday.
“For the information of the Senate, the Republican leader and I, in consultation with both the House managers and former President Trump’s lawyers, have agreed to a bipartisan resolution to govern the structure and timing of the impending trial,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday on the Senate floor. “All parties have agreed to a structure that will ensure a fair and honest Senate impeachment trial of the former president,” the New York Democrat said.
Read MoreTrump Responds to Charges in Senate Impeachment Trial
Former President Donald J. Trump Tuesday, through is attorneys Bruce L. Castor, Jr., and David Schoen, responded to the article of impeachment against him, for which he faces a trial in the U.S. Senate.
The 45th president was accused of “inciting an insurrection” over the mostly peaceful protests at the Capitol Building on January 6.
Read MoreDurbin Says Members ‘Have to Follow Their Own Conscience’ on Trump Impeachment
Democratic Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin told CNN anchor Jake Tapper on Sunday that Senate members “have to follow their own conscience” on President Donald Trump’s impeachment.
Durbin told Tapper on CNN’s “State of The Union” that he doesn’t know how members of his own caucus will vote to convict Trump.
Read MoreDemocrats Set to Control the Sentate as David Perdue Concedes to Jon Ossoff
In a move that will effectively give Democrats the majority in the U.S. Senate, incumbent U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) has conceded his reelection bid to his Democrat challenger.
In a concession statement, Perdue did not mention his opponent, Senator-Elect Jon Ossoff, by name.
Read MoreCongress Affirms Biden Electoral College Votes; Trump Agrees to ‘Orderly Transition’
A joint session of Congress, completing its work in the early morning hours of Thursday after lawmakers had been forced to flee their chambers by a violent invasion of the Capitol, affirmed that Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States.
The proceedings concluded shortly after 3:30 a.m. EST, drawing to a close an chaotic day in the nation’s house of laws that saw one person shot dead inside the building after some rioters breached its security during a massive rally to support President Trump.
Read MoreRaphael Warnock Hit with Multiple Tax Liens After Failing to Pay His Trash Bills
Democratic Georgia Senate candidate Raphael Warnock received four tax liens for failing to pay for trash collection services at a property he owns in Atlanta, Fulton County records show.
The records, which were first reported by National Review, show that the county imposed tax liens against Warnock totaling $2,595 for unpaid waste disposal services in 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016.
Read MoreCommentary: The Most Important Week of the Century
Three big things are happening this week that could decide America’s fate. First, a run-off election in Georgia on Tuesday for two U.S. Senate seats that will determine the balance of power in the Senate. Second, Congress meets for a joint session on Wednesday to formally count the votes of the electoral college. And third, Americans from across the country will rally in support of election integrity on Wednesday on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol. Here’s a quick look at all these moving parts and ways you can make a difference in the saving America from a Marxist-Socialist takeover.
Read MoreVice President Mike Pence Welcomes the Efforts of Representatives and Senators to Object to Electoral College Votes
In a statement Saturday, Vice President Mike Pence issued a statement through his Chief of Staff Marc Short that he welcomes the actions of some members of the House and Senate, who say they will object to the final certification of the Electoral College vote on Wednesday. “Vice President…
Read MoreRaphael Warnock Refused to Say if He Supports Expanding the Supreme Court During Georgia Senate Debate
by Chuck Ross Democratic senate candidate Raphael Warnock refused to say during a debate Sunday whether he supports “court packing,” or adding seats to the Supreme Court. “As I move all across the state … people aren’t asking me about the courts and whether we should expand the courts,”…
Read MoreVernon Jones Discusses The Fake News Media and the Importance of a Free and Fair Election Going Forward
Thursday morning on The John Fredericks Show, host John Fredricks welcomed Georgia House of Representatives Vernon Jones to the show to discuss how fake news has escalated their divisive behavior and the anger and frustration of Georgia voters.
Read MoreU.S. Senate Confirms Barrett to Supreme Court, Giving Conservatives a 6-3 Majority
The U.S. Senate confirmed Amy Coney Barrett to be an associate justice on the nation’s highest court Monday.
Barrett fills the vacancy of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died in September at the age of 87 from complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Read MoreCandidate Daniel Gade on Why He’s Running for the Virginia U.S. Senate Seat and How He is Not a Career Politician Like His Opponent
Tuesday morning on The John Fredericks Show, host Fredricks welcomed candidate for U.S. Senate in Virginia Daniel Gade to discuss why he’s running for office and how he is not a career politician.
Read MoreCongressional Leaders Receive at Least $1 Million in Pension Payouts Paid for by Taxpayers
As the nation struggles with record high unemployment, extended job losses, continued statewide shutdowns, and crippling national debt, a new report reveals that congressional leaders will receive an estimated $1 million each in retirement payouts on top of their lifetime pensions, fully funded by taxpayers.
First published by Forbes, OpenTheBooks.com’s report, “Why Are Taxpayers Providing Public Pensions To Millionaire Members Of Congress?” compares the financial benefits that both top leaders in Congress receive.
Read MoreKentucky Democrats Still Looking for the Winner in Last Week’s Primary
One of Kentucky’s most unpredictable political races in years is headed toward the wire Tuesday, but it’s taking a full week after the June 23 primary to sort out a possible photo finish in the Democratic U.S. Senate contest.
Absentee ballots that stacked up amid the coronavirus pandemic have delayed the vote count in the neck-and-neck race between progressive candidate Charles Booker and establishment-backed Amy McGrath. Both are vying for the chance to take on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who coasted to victory in the GOP primary in his bid for a seventh term.
Read MoreBlack Candidates Tap Protest Energy to Challenge Incumbent Democrats
Amy McGrath and Eliot Engel live hundreds of miles apart in states with dramatically different politics.
Yet they’re the preferred candidates of the Democratic Party’s Washington establishment as voters in Kentucky and New York decide their congressional primary elections on Tuesday. And both may be in trouble.
Read MoreCommentary: Seven Specific Policy Ideas for Republican Congressional Candidates
This year, hundreds of Republican candidates for federal office will be on the ballot this fall, and many of them lack the resources to put together a strong policy team. While taxes, abortion, guns, school choice immigration, and defense are all very important issues, they have limited reach beyond the usual Republican voters. Here are seven policy ideas for House and Senate candidates who would like to expand their platform to try to appeal to more voters – without alienating key elements of the Republican base.
Read MoreCommentary: The Great, Steaming Heart of ‘The Swamp’ Beats in the U.S. Senate
by Rachel Bovard Donald Trump was elected in 2016 on a platform that, broadly, called for draining “the swamp.” The definition of swamp, for the most part, was left to the listener, but generally, it was assumed to represent the established interests that dictated federal policy toward the ends…
Read MoreCommentary: Remembering Senator Tom Coburn – He Stood Tall for Taxpayers
Former Sen. Tom Coburn was a hero among fiscal conservatives and endless source of inspiration and courage. The Oklahoma Republican embodied financial stewardship, always showing great respect for the hard-earned tax dollars of working Americans.
Coburn, who died late Friday at 72, helped the American people better understand the size and scope of Washington’s spending problem by highlighting government waste.
Read MoreIncumbent US Senator Amy Klobuchar Silent on Immigration, Refugee Controversy, GOP Opponent Puts Issue Front and Center
Last week, the widely read The Hill newspaper reported that two Washington, DC leftwing open borders activist groups had quietly sent out a memo to Democrats advising them to not discuss the issue of immigration. Knowing that the subject is a touchy one for Democrats who are generally supportive of…
Read MoreSCOTUS Clears the Way For Voter ID Requirement In Key Senate Race
by Kevin Daley The U.S. Supreme Court will allow a North Dakota law requiring voters to produce government ID with a current residential street address when casting ballots to take effect. The decision, which came Tuesday and drew a brief dissent, will effect one November’s most critical Senate races. A group…
Read MoreCommentary: Make Thursday A National Day Of Prayer For Brett Kavanaugh And Family
by George Rasley Throughout the ordeal of his confirmation millions of Americans have been praying for Judge Brett Kavanaugh and his family. President Trump made the point that prayer was a necessary element of the battle to confirm Judge Kavanaugh in a September 25 tweet: The Democrats are playing…
Read MoreCommentary: The Reason For The Public Torture Of Brett Kavanaugh
by George Rasley As we know from The Lives of the Saints and the Bible, in ancient Rome and Persia those who refused to worship the gods recognized by the pagan elite, such as Christians and Jews, were executed publicly by having wild animals tear them apart before baying crowds in…
Read MoreNext Step: Democrats Pledge To Investigate Kavanaugh, Float Impeachment If He’s Confirmed
by Peter Hasson Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh might keep facing political attacks from the left if he is confirmed to the nation’s highest court. Kavanaugh faced an onslaught of attacks from Democrats and liberal activists even before Palo Alto University professor Christine Blasey Ford accused him of drunkenly trying to force himself…
Read MoreCommentary: With Kavanaugh, the Democrats’ Second Verse Is the Same as the First – a Whole Lot Louder and a Whole Lot Worse
by Jeffery Rendall If one is great two (or more) is even better. You had to figure if there was at least one hardened and ambitious looney leftist willing to beclown herself in front of the whole country (by accusing Judge Brett Kavanaugh of a crime no one contemporaneously…
Read MoreSenator Bob Corker Calls New Kavanaugh Accusations ‘Thin;’ Process Feels ‘More Like A Circus’
by Henry Rodgers Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker called the second allegation of sexual misconduct against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh “thin” Tuesday — saying he thinks the process feels “more like a circus.” The comment comes in light of Deborah Ramirez’s accusation that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in…
Read MoreSenate Judiciary Twitter Account Drops Fact Bombs On Democrats
by Tim Pearce The Senate Judiciary Committee struck back at Democrats Thursday for suggesting Republicans are stifling further investigation into Brett Kavanaugh after he was accused of committing sexual assault in high school. California researcher Christine Blasey Ford alleged Kavanaugh and one of his friends, Mark Judge, attempted to forcibly take…
Read MoreCommentary: A Nod Is as Good as a Wink to a Blind Horse as GOP Establishment Throws the Midterms to Democrats
by Bill Wilson The old saying that “a nod is as good as a wink in a blind horse” came rushing to mind as I read an article at TheHill.com by Morgan Gstalter about an RNC internal poll. It seems the Republican National Committee (RNC) spent money to find out that…
Read MoreEXCLUSIVE: Soros-Backed Activists Slip Cash To Anti-Kavanaugh Protesters Before Arrests
by Peter Hasson and Joe Simonson Left-wing groups funded by George Soros and other major Democratic donors hand out cash to protesters arrested for disrupting Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings, the activists revealed Monday night. A coalition of left-wing activist organizations including Women’s March, the Center for…
Read MoreTrump Gets Behind Senate Bill That Would End Gag Orders Against Pharmacists Sharing Money-Saving Information
by Evie Fordham President Donald Trump got behind a bill ending pharmacist gag clauses the Senate is set to vote on Monday afternoon. “Americans deserve to know the lowest drug price at their pharmacy, but ‘gag clauses’ prevent your pharmacist from telling you!” Trump tweeted Monday afternoon about the Patient Right to…
Read MoreCommentary: A High-Tech Lynching Redux
by CHQ Staff We’ve seen this despicable Democrat tactic play out before. A Republican president nominates a person universally said to be the nicest guy in the world, with a resume chock full of good works, and stellar intellectual and legal credentials to sit on the Supreme Court. The…
Read MoreSchumer, Feinstein Call For Delay On Kavanaugh, As GOP Gives Conflicting Signals
by Kevin Daley Senate Democratic leadership urged Republicans to delay further action on Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, after The Washington Post revealed the identity of a once-anonymous woman accusing the nominee of sexual assault when they were in high school. The accuser, a researcher…
Read MoreMichigan Republican John James Dings Opponent Debbie Stabenow For Taking Money From Drug Industry She Claims To Fight
by Evie Fordham Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow was called out by Republican challenger John James’s campaign for the disconnect in her anti-big pharma rhetoric and the roughly $400,000 she has received in campaign contributions from the drug industry. Stabenow published an ad about her opposition to high drug…
Read MoreWisconsin GOP Senate Hopes Rely on Underdog Leah Vukmir
Leah Vukmir is used to being the underdog. Few gave the Republican U.S. Senate candidate from Wisconsin much of a chance of defeating her better-funded primary challenger last month, but she prevailed thanks largely to support from the party establishment. Now Vukmir faces another opponent with deeper pockets – Democratic…
Read MoreKavanaugh Supreme Court Confirmation Vote Puts Red State Democrats in a Bind
by Robert Romano Nine Senate Democrats are standing for reelection this year in states President Donald Trump carried in 2016: Jon Tester on Montana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Sherrod Brown of…
Read MoreCommentary: Will the Democrats’ Sad Shaming of Kavanaugh Ignite a Fury in the GOP Grassroots?
by Jeffery Rendall With the confirmation hearings for Trump Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh now concluded talk slowly returns to the hot topic of the hour, the 2018 midterm elections. But first let’s digest the big glob of goopy phlegm America was forced to swallow last week, served up…
Read MoreCommentary: With His Return to the Senate, Does Arizona’s Jon Kyl Bring with Him Another Chance to Repeal Obamacare?
by Robert Romano Former Senator Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) has been appointed by Arizona Republican Governor Doug Ducey to replace the late John McCain. With the new appointment comes a new opportunity for Republicans to complete one of their key 2016 campaign promises: To repeal and replace Obamacare before the 2018…
Read MoreCommentary: Democrats Flame Out While Kavanaugh Shines As Confirmation Hearing Ends Day Two
by CHQ Staff Americans who might have been wondering what Congress would be like if Democrats regain the majority in the midterm election got a taste of what government by the ascendant Far Left “progressive” wing of the Democratic Party would be like during yesterday’s Kavanaugh confirmation hearing and it…
Read MoreAs Kavanaugh Hearings Loom, Democrat Sen. Klobuchar Regrets Abolishing Filibuster
by Kevin Daley Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said Sunday that her party should not have invoked the so-called nuclear option and abolished the legislative filibuster for judicial nominees. The remarks come just before Judge Brett Kavanaugh will appear for confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Republican lawmakers…
Read MoreSherrod Brown Sides With Planned Parenthood and NARAL Against Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s Pick for Supreme Court
Facing re-election in November and pressure from his base, Ohio’s Democrat U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown put aside all pretense and let it be known he will not be voting for President Trump’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. Brown came out Friday and announced he’d already made up his mind…
Read MoreCommentary: If Republicans Care About Winning in 2018 They’ll Play Follow the Leader
by Jeffrey A. Rendall Here’s a little quiz for you: what do West Virginia, Montana, Missouri, Florida, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin and Ohio have in common? It’s an easy one for close watchers of the upcoming 2018 midterm elections, since all of these are states President Donald…
Read MoreCommentary: It’s Up To Conservatives To Nationalize The 2018 Midterm Election
by Richard Viguerie For many years I’ve been telling the GOP establishment that Republicans never win a big election unless they nationalize the election – that means drawing a clear contrast with the Democrats and giving the voters “a tune they can whistle” on big conservative themes. The Republican…
Read MoreRNC Breaks Yet Another Fundraising Record In July
by Hanna Bogorowski The Republican National Committee (RNC) raised a record-breaking $14.2 million in July, the most the organization has ever raised for that month in a non-presidential year, bringing its cycle total to $227.2 million. The RNC reports having $41.9 million cash on-hand and zero dollars in debt.…
Read MoreThe Same Successful Reforms From the ‘VA Accountability Act’ Could Apply to Rest of Government if MERIT Act Passes
By Natalia Castro Labor Day – coming up on September 3rd – presents a pivotal opportunity for Members of Congress. As members of the House return from recess and just eight weeks before midterms, representatives can show their support for American workers by passing bipartisan civil service reform. In the…
Read MoreGravis Poll Says Lee Leading Dean by 11; Blackburn Over Bredesen by 4
A new post-primary poll conducted by Gravis Marketing shows the Tennessee Republican candidates for Governor and Senate leading their Democratic Party opponents. The poll of likely November voters indicates that Bill Lee has an 11 point margin over Karl Dean, with 9% uncertain, in the Governor’s race. In the Senate…
Read MoreTrump Tax Cuts At Risk: Democrats Conspire to Repeal While Record Low Unemployment Surges
Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill discussed on Monday’s edition of The Gill Report – broadcast on Knoxville’s 92.3 FM WETR – how Democrats are conspiring to repeal the Trump tax cuts while record low unemployment among Hispanic and African-Americans surge and the federal government rakes in a record amount of…
Read MoreCommentary: Left Working Furiously To Bury Feinstein Chinese Spy Story
by CHQ Staff The revelation that California Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office manager was a Chinese spy has generated a huge backlash, but not against the liberal Senator. Instead of prompting a deeper media or government probe of the former Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence the experience…
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