Is the Obstruction of Justice Caucus
Why is this unsurprising?
Newly elected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy gave away the store he’s so desperate to manage. Here’s what CNN reports he promised GOP extremists in exchange for their votes:
- A McCarthy-aligned super PAC agreed to not play in open Republican primaries in safe seats.
- The House will hold votes on key conservative bills, including a balanced budget amendment, congressional term limits and border security.
- Efforts to raise the nation’s debt ceiling must be paired with spending cuts. This could become a major issue in the future when it is time to raise the debt limit to avoid a catastrophic default because Democrats in the Senate and the White House would likely oppose demands for spending cuts.
- Move 12 appropriations bills individually. Instead of passing separate bills to fund government operations, Congress frequently passes a massive year-end spending package known as an “omnibus” that rolls everything into one bill. Conservatives rail against this, arguing that it evades oversight and allows lawmakers to stick in extraneous pet projects.
- More Freedom Caucus representation on committees, including the powerful House Rules Committee.
- Cap discretionary spending at fiscal 2022 levels, which would amount to lower levels for defense and domestic programs.
- Seventy-two hours to review bills before they come to floor.
- Give members the ability to offer more amendments on the House floor.
- Create an investigative committee to probe the “weaponization” of the federal government.
- Restore the Holman rule, which can be used to reduce the salary of government officials.
Kyle Cheney scrutinizes the proposed GOP bill to establish that Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.
Those provisions did not appear in earlier versions, Cheney notes.
Marcy Wheeler (emptywheel) adds, “A Jim Jordan drafted document allowing for the interference into ongoing criminal investigations is what got Scott Perry, Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar, and Andy Biggs — all of whom sought pardons — to allow McCarthy to get a gavel.”
“I would like it be presented as the scandal it is,” Wheeler continues. “But have very little hope in the competence or integrity of many congressional reporters.”
I’m already looking for any deus ex machina than can spare the republic from the MAGA arsonists before the battle over raising the debt ceiling spawns a global financial crisis this fall. Jack Smith is one, possibly. Fulton Co., Ga. District Attorney Fani Willis certainly has the potential for putting a significant kink in some of their erections. As someone noted on MSNBC Friday, on the order of 6-9 House members die or resign each session. With the GOP’s five-seat margin in the House, a combination of deaths, resignations and defections could flip control. I’m reaching; Democrats held their majority with the same margin over the last two years. But one can dream. These are extraordinary times.
Extremist times. And the GOP’s extremists seem not to have gotten the voters’ message that they’ve run out of patience with the MAGA clown show threatening the republic. And, hoo-boy, did they just put on another this week.
The Force of self-awareness is not strong with them:
