Weekly Roundup
Start of the 1st session of the 119th Congress
The only thing on the House Floor for consideration this week on Friday at 1200ET is the House Rules for the 119th Congress, swearing in of members of congress, and of course the election of Speaker of the House. Trump has publicly backed Representative Mike Johnson for the position, and despite rumblings from the MAGA hard core, Johnson won the election on the first attempt. This was a rare and relatively smooth election for the Republican leadership in previous years. Two members of the Republican party, Norman and Self, did not vote for Johnson. After a brief discussion with Johnson, they left the floor and took calls from Donald Trump. After they returned, they changed their votes to get Johnson elected in that first round. Johnson was sworn in and then swore in the remainder of the representatives at 3:30pm eastern time.
Hakeem Jeffries was elected Minority Leader for the Democrats.
You can read a section by section analysis of the House Rules if you like, at this PDF link.
Section 5 - Orders of Business - is of the most interest: The very fist action the Republicans want to bring up is a bill to address sexuality in sports for children:
A bill to amend the Education Amendments of 1972 to provide that for purposes of determining compliance with title IX of such Act in athletics, sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.
So - their number one priority is to address an issue that a) affects less than 1% of the population, and b) does not take into account intersex people who may have genetics that do not match their sexual organs, and c) implies that we will be taking blood samples from, and observing biological structures of all of our young athletes to validate their genetic code. And yet, more weighty issues are left to the states, like voting inequities or eliminating subsidies to corporations and the rich, that affect everyone.
Other bills under consideration in this section include a raft of bills addressing illegal immigrants - and weaponizes the government and government agents to speed deportation:
A bill to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to take into custodyaliens who have been charged in the United States with theft, and for other purposes.
A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that aliens who have been convicted of or who have committed sex offenses ordomestic violence are inadmissible and deportable.
A bill to make the assault of a law enforcement officer a deportable offense, and for other purposes.
A bill to provide that sanctuary jurisdictions that provide benefits to aliens who are present in the United States without lawful status under the immigration laws are ineligible for Federal funds intended to benefit such aliens.
A bill to impose criminal and immigration penalties for intentionally fleeing a pursuing Federal officer while operating a motor vehicle.
Another bill to address an issue that has little if any basis in reality, but has chilling implications to health care workers throughout the USA:
A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit a health care practitioner from failing to exercise the proper degree of care in the case of a child who survives an abortion or attempted abortion.
Finally, a collection of bills that are largely representative of MAGA stupidity:
A bill to impose sanctions with respect to the International Criminal Court engaged in any effort to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute any protected person of the United States and its allies.
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide special rules for the taxation of certain residents of Taiwan with income from sources within the United States.
A bill to amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require proof of United States citizenship to register an individual to vote in elections for Federal office, and for other purposes.
A bill to amend the Controlled Substances Act with respect to the scheduling of fentanyl-related substances, and for other purposes.
A bill to prohibit a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing.
After vote on the rules, the House will be in recess until Monday, January 6th - which is a day of significance, as you can imagine, as the election results are certified.
