On Sunday, Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jd-vance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">J.D. Vance (R-OH)</a> discouraged the GOP-led House from voting on a new foreign aid package if it lacks border security reforms.
With the House expected to consider foreign aid legislation in the coming days, Vance told Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo he does not want Speaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mike-johnson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Johnson</a> (R-LA) to bend.
&#8220;I think Speaker Johnson is a good guy, but if he brings up a foreign aid package, sending billions of dollars to Ukraine, without doing anything on the southern border, it will be a disgrace and a massive betrayal, not just of Republican voters, but of the entire country,&#8221; Vance said on &#8220;Sunday Morning Futures.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨WATCH: Senator <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JDVance1</a> RIPS latest GOP effort prioritizing Ukraine aid over border security
“I think Speaker Johnson is a good guy, but if he brings up a foreign aid package sending billions of dollars to Ukraine without doing anything on the border, it will be a disgrace.” <a href="https://t.co/yNIylx7X96">pic.twitter.com/yNIylx7X96</a>
&mdash; Senator Vance Press Office (@SenVancePress) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenVancePress/status/1777002243629207890?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The Democrat-led Senate passed in February a $95 billion foreign aid bill that would allocate further support for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan in response to President Joe Biden&#8217;s national security supplemental request.
A bipartisan immigration deal had been tacked onto the legislation, but its provisions were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ted-cruz-says-democrats-got-political-camouflage-with-foreign-aid-package" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dropped</a> after a group of Republicans and leftist senators blocked the larger bill from advancing.
Vance was one of the Republican senators who opposed the immigration deal, <a href="https://www.vance.senate.gov/press-releases/senator-vance-blasts-bullshit-ukraine-border-deal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claiming</a> it allowed the Biden administration to bypass enforcement mechanisms.
Johnson, who is working with a narrow Republican majority in the House, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/speaker-johnson-charts-path-forward-on-ukraine-aid-with-important-innovations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on Fox News last weekend that lawmakers were &#8220;working to build a consensus&#8221;  on national security issues, beginning with U.S. border security.
The speaker said House members would be considering foreign aid upon returning to Washington, D.C., after the Easter recess along with &#8220;important innovations&#8221; such as the use of The REPO act, a loan to Ukraine, and more.
Vance said he hopes Johnson &#8220;really shows some steely resolve&#8221; and &#8220;pushes back against the craziness, and tells the Biden administration, you don&#8217;t get a dime for your foreign priorities until you do your job and secure the border.&#8221;
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As a longer-term solution, Vance argued, Republicans need to work on getting former President Donald Trump re-elected to the White House in the 2024 contest because of his hardline stances on border security and immigration.
Vance is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/its-all-propaganda-gop-senator-says-trumps-vp-pick-will-be-a-surprise" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> one of the Republicans under Trump&#8217;s consideration as a potential running mate.
&#8220;We know that the Biden administration has thrown open the floodgates here. They have undone a lot of Trump-era immigration policy, and we have seen the effects,&#8221; Vance said.
&#8220;But I don&#8217;t want to let congressional Republicans off the hook here, because we actually do have leverage,&#8221; he added. &#8220;We just have to be willing to actually use it.&#8221;

Sen. J.D. Vance

J.D. Vance Says House Considering Foreign Aid Package Without Border Reforms Would Be A ‘Betrayal’

J.D. Vance Says House Considering Foreign Aid Package Without Border Reforms Would Be A 'Betrayal'

Border Crisis

Congress

Israel

JD Vance

Mike Johnson

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Senate

Ukraine-Russia War

Many of the illegal immigrants who stormed the southern border on Thursday by breaking down razor wire and fencing before pushing into National Guard troops were reportedly processed and released into the United States after the incident. 
Video captured by New York Post reporter Jennie Taer showed hundreds of illegal immigrant men charging the border in El Paso, Texas, and appearing to assault National Guard troops. According to Taer, many of these men were processed by Border Patrol under <a href="https://www.heritage.org/immigration/commentary/why-the-end-title-42-means-the-end-secure-border">Title 8</a>, a measure that allows illegal immigrants to be released while their asylum claims make it through the courts. 
”This sends the message to people around the world that even if you act like this you can probably get into the country,” Taer said during an interview on Fox News. “And I think they continue to push these boundaries and to see what they can get away with and here they got away with some really, really scary stuff.”
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Wow: <a href="https://twitter.com/JennieSTaer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JennieSTaer</a> just confirmed to <a href="https://twitter.com/DanaPerino?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DanaPerino</a> that many of these single adults who assaulted National Guardsmen and rushed the wall were later processed and released into the interior. <a href="https://t.co/7H0zfVMaRi">https://t.co/7H0zfVMaRi</a> <a href="https://t.co/tTHbcckTVx">pic.twitter.com/tTHbcckTVx</a>
&mdash; John Cooper (@thejcoop) <a href="https://twitter.com/thejcoop/status/1771162271718277503?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) gave a brief update about the incident a few hours after video of the incident garnered millions of views online. Taer’s video of the incident had been viewed nearly 17 million times by Friday afternoon. 
“The TX National Guard &amp; Dept. of Public Safety quickly regained control &amp; are redoubling the razor wire barriers,” Abbott <a href="https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1770937320151064914">said</a>. “DPS is instructed to arrest every illegal immigrant involved for criminal trespass &amp; destruction of property.”
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Republicans responded to the video by calling on President Joe Biden to secure the border and said that Congress should not approve funding for the government while the crisis continued. Under Biden, illegal immigrants have crossed and been released into the United States in record numbers. 
“Republicans cannot approve government funding for the Biden administration to continue this disaster,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenMikeLee/status/1770895369615872478">said</a>. “The future of our country is at stake.”
“Every American should watch this,” Sen. J.D. Vance <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1770939066525098490">said</a>. “We shouldn’t fund Joe Biden’s government until he does something to address this. The power of the purse is our only leverage.”
“[Biden] and [DHS Secretary Mayorkas] won’t say this is a crisis, they’ll only say it’s a ‘challenge,’” Sen. Ron Johnson<a href="https://twitter.com/SenRonJohnson/status/1770897090631049241"> said</a>. “No, Mr. President, this is an invasion, and you’re doing nothing to protect America.”

Migrant crisis continues at US-Mexico border

Illegal Immigrants Who Stormed National Guard Processed And Released Into United States By Border Patrol

El Paso

Greg Abbott

Illegal Immigration

Joe Biden

Mike Lee

Ron Johnson

Texas

A federal official with the National Transportation Safety Board said that the controlled burning of toxic chemicals in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/east-palestine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">East Palestine</a>, Ohio, after a massive train derailment last year was not justified. 
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told lawmakers on Wednesday that there would have been alternatives to busting open the train cars and burning the vinyl chloride chemicals inside after a train operated by Norfolk Southern crashed in February of 2023. The burn released toxic fumes into the area and left residents with concerns about their health and safety. 
The company in charge of the chemicals, Oxy Vinyls, reportedly did not think a deadly explosion would occur, telling contractors with Norfolk Southern that “there was no justification to do a vent and burn,” according to Homendy. Instead, they could have waited and let the chemicals cool down. 
Homendy said that Governor Mike DeWine (R-OH) and other first responders did not know that this was a possibility. 
“So Oxy Vinyls was on scene providing information to Norfolk Southern’s contractor who was in the room when the decision was made, and when advice was given to the governor of Ohio, to the incident commander, they were not given full information because no one was told Oxy Vinyls was on scene,” Homendy said. “They were left out of the room. The incident commander didn’t even know they existed. Neither did the governor. So they were provided incomplete information to make a decision.”
The information came out as Homendy was <a href="https://www.vance.senate.gov/press-releases/ntsb-chair-homendy-chemical-explosion-in-east-palestine-didnt-need-to-happen-experts-were-ignored/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">questioned</a> by Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) about whether the controlled burn was necessary to avoid an explosion of the toxic chemicals. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨WATCH: NTSB Chair Homendy tells Senator <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JDVance1</a> the chemical explosion in East Palestine, OH did not have to happen
“They were provided incomplete information to make a decision&#8230;there was no justification to do a vent and burn.” <a href="https://t.co/5vR5sd8CDZ">pic.twitter.com/5vR5sd8CDZ</a>
&mdash; Senator Vance Press Office (@SenVancePress) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenVancePress/status/1765513323229900914?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2024</a></blockquote>
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“To sort of recap for folks, the mushroom cloud, the chemical mushroom cloud that captured headlines across the country was the result of a controlled burn,” Vance said, before saying that the central question was whether the burn was justified or not. Vance pointed out that the measured temperature of the chemical tank cars had dropped and stabilized after the crash. 
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Homendy said that to justify the burn, temperatures in the chemical tank cars would have to be rapidly increasing and there would have to be an infusion of oxygen into the cars. Both of these factors were not in play, according to Homendy. 
Vance called the revelations “extraordinary” and suggested that the burn was done so that more traffic and freight could be moved through quickly. 
After the crash, many East Palestine residents were forced to evacuate their homes after the derailment as the toxic chemicals burned, releasing poisonous fumes into the air, ground, and water. Norfolk Southern was sued by East Palestine <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-class-action-lawsuit-filed-by-residents-against-norfolk-southern" target="_blank" rel="noopener">residents</a>, the state of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/entirely-avoidable-ohio-sues-norfolk-southern-for-train-disaster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ohio</a>, and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doj-epa-unveil-lawsuit-against-norfolk-southern-over-east-palestine-train-crash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">federal government</a>.

Screen Shot 2024-03-08 at 11.08.43 AM

Controlled Burn Of Toxic Chemicals That Unleashed Mushroom Cloud Over East Palestine Wasn’t Necessary, Federal Official Says

Disasters

East Palestine

Mike DeWine

National transportation Safety Board

Norfolk Southern

Ohio

Ohio Train Disaster

Train

U.S.

When deciding on a replacement for Senate Minority Leader <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mitch-mcconnell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mitch McConnell</a> (R-KY), Republicans should listen to the party&#8217;s base and not pick someone who will ignore the will of its voters, Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jd-vance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">J.D. Vance</a> (R-OH) said on Sunday.
&#8220;I think that we have to use this leadership election to turn the page on Republican Senate leadership. You cannot have a Senate Republican leader who is far more obsessed with securing Ukraine&#8217;s border than he is focused on the American border. You can&#8217;t have a Senate Republican leader who seems to ooze hatred and dismay for the very people who vote most of the Republican elected leaders,&#8221; Vance told Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6348156546112" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on &#8220;Sunday Morning Futures.&#8221;</a>
&#8220;Our base, I happen to think they&#8217;re good people and that we should be listening to them more than we do. But you can&#8217;t have another establishment politician who seems to dislike the people who actually vote for the Republican Party,&#8221; he added. &#8220;So, whatever we do, we need to focus on getting a Republican leader who I think is trusted by the broad majority of Republicans. That&#8217;s the most important thing. And that&#8217;s what&#8217;s actually going to help us win elections and govern.&#8221;
McConnell, who is 82 and has spent a <a href="https://www.senate.gov/senators/longest-serving-party-leaders.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">record 16 years as leader</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mcconnell-to-step-down-as-senate-republican-leader" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> last week that he planned to step down from the position once his colleagues have elected a new leader in November, and that person takes on the role in January. He had faced blowback from some GOP colleagues over his support of a border deal that failed to pass after months of bipartisan negotiations and so far has not endorsed the GOP frontrunner in the 2024 White House race, former President Donald Trump.
Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/john-cornyn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Cornyn</a> (R-TX), who served as GOP whip for a time and has endorsed Trump, became the first to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/john-cornyn-announces-bid-to-replace-mcconnell-as-senate-gop-leader" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declare</a> his candidacy for the Senate GOP leader. Others who are being talked about as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-who-might-run-to-replace-mcconnell-as-senate-gop-leader-including-the-three-johns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">potential competitors</a> for the role include Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD), Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY), Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), and NRSC Chairman <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewDesiderio/status/1762922197478212086" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Daines</a> (R-MT).
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McConnell, who indicated that he plans to finish the remainder of his term through early 2027 despite being out of leadership, made his announcement <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/29/angela-chao-death-being-investigated-as-criminal-matter.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">following the death</a> of Foremost Group CEO Angela Chao, who is the sister of McConnell&#8217;s wife, Elaine Chao. Angela Chao was reportedly found dead last month upon being pulled out of a car in a pond at a private ranch in Texas, and a <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/29/angela-chao-death-being-investigated-as-criminal-matter.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;criminal investigation&#8221;</a> has been opened into the matter.
Vance offered his &#8220;condolences to Mitch McConnell&#8217;s family.&#8221; He added, &#8220;I&#8217;ve had my disagreements with Mitch, but I certainly wish him the best.&#8221;

Sen. J. D. Vance (R-OH)

J.D. Vance On Choosing Next Senate GOP Leader: Listen To Our Base

Mitch McConnell

Politics

Republicans

The Senate passed a $95 billion foreign aid bill early Tuesday morning that allocates money for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. The bill passed on a 70-29 vote, with over half of Senate Republicans voting against the measure. 
The aid package allocates $61 billion for Ukraine, $14 billion for Israel, $4.83 billion to U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific, and over $9 billion in global humanitarian aid. The bill passed with support from nearly all Democrats and 22 Republicans. 

“It&#8217;s certainly been years, perhaps decades, since the Senate has passed a bill that so greatly impacts not just our national security, not just the security of our allies, but the security of western democracy,&#8221; Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senate-heads-toward-final-passage-ukraine-aid-bill-2024-02-13/#:~:text=WASHINGTON%2C%20Feb%2013%20(Reuters),Republican%2Dcontrolled%20House%20of%20Representatives." target="_blank" rel="noopener"> said</a>, according to Reuters. 
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel (R-KY) also pushed the bill forward. 
“The Senate understands the responsibilities of America’s national security and will not neglect them,” McConnell <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/12/us/politics/senate-ukraine-aid.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> after the vote. “History settles every account. And today, on the value of American leadership and strength, history will record that the Senate did not blink.”
Sens. John Boozman (R-AR), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), John Cornyn (R-TX), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Hoeven (R-ND), John Kennedy (R-LA), McConnell (R-KY), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), James Risch (R-ID), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), John Thune (R-SD), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Todd Young (R-IN) joined Democrats in passing the measure. 
The bill was opposed by conservative senators who have pushed for funding to prioritize the border crisis and the influx of illegal immigrants into the United States. 
&#8220;Americans are going to hold people accountable that chose to move on from border security and fund foreign nations before we took care of our own homes,&#8221; Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) <a href="https://twitter.com/CraigCaplan/status/1757191475572457941" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> during debate on the bill.
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“This morning the America last caucus got a $61 billion aid package out of the Senate. But they paid dearly for this small win. The House won’t pass the current bill. We must fix our country before devoting more resources to Ukraine. That’s our message, and the fight goes on,” Sen. J.D. Vance <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1757357710905872637">said</a>. 
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) criticized McConnell for backing the aid package. 
“Most Senate Republicans vote no. McConnell of course votes with the Democrats. He is Biden’s chief foreign policy supporter these days. That position is an island — and the gulf between it &amp; the rest of America is only getting wider,” he said. 
“Nearly every Republican senator under the age of 55 voted NO on this America Last bill. 15 out of 17 elected since 2018 voted NO. Things are changing just  not fast enough,” Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) said. 
The foreign aid package followed up an attempt to pair it with some border security measures earlier this month in a proposal negotiated between Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) and top Democrats. That measure failed after conservative senators said that the bill would do nothing to stop the flood of people illegally crossing the border.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has been critical of the Senate&#8217;s foreign aid bill, saying on Monday that it was &#8220;silent on the most pressing issues facing our country.&#8221;
&#8220;The mandate of national security supplemental legislation was to secure America&#8217;s own border before sending sending additional foreign aid around the world,&#8221; Johnson said.

Menorah Lighting Dec 12

Senate Passes $95 Billion Foreign Aid Bill Despite Opposition From Over Half Of Republican Senators

Chuck Schumer

Foreign Policy

Josh Hawley

Taiwan

Republicans in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/congress" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Congress</a> should reject the roughly <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewDesiderio/status/1755287316799561872" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$95 billion</a> foreign aid package because it could be an &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/impeachment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">impeachment</a> time bomb&#8221; for former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> as he runs for re-election, Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jd-vance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">J.D. Vance</a> (R-OH) warned colleagues on Monday.
The legislation contains a &#8220;hidden&#8221; clause with billions of dollars dedicated to Ukraine security and military funding that will extend to September 25, 2025 — a date that may fall during Trump&#8217;s second term, Vance said in a memo to fellow GOP lawmakers.
Because Trump has said he would <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/zelenskyy-invites-trump-ukraine-says-just-needs-24-minutes-explain-can-rcna123713" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quickly resolve Ukraine&#8217;s war</a> with Russia, Vance predicted a situation could arise in which Trump pulls financial support for Ukraine and gives Democrats the grounds to impeach him over the &#8220;same fake budget violation&#8221; underlying the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/read-it-the-democrats-finalized-articles-of-impeachment-against-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2019 impeachment inquiry</a>.
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I just sent the below memo to every one of my Republican colleagues in Congress.
Buried in the bill’s text is an impeachment time bomb for the next Trump presidency if he tries to stop funding the war in Ukraine.
We must vote against this disastrous bill. <a href="https://t.co/uKqet9s0xd">pic.twitter.com/uKqet9s0xd</a>
&mdash; J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1757053334781890703?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I just sent the below memo to every one of my Republican colleagues in Congress. Buried in the bill’s text is an impeachment time bomb for the next Trump presidency if he tries to stop funding the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ukraine-russia-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener">war in Ukraine</a>. We must vote against this disastrous bill,&#8221; Vance <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1757053334781890703" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> to X, sharing a copy of the memo.
The foreign aid package, which allocates funds to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and other foreign priorities — including humanitarian aid — is making its way through the Democrat-controlled Senate after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-fails-to-advance-border-security-compromise" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dropping a controversial border security deal</a>.
After <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-gets-closer-to-passing-95-billion-foreign-aid-package" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clearing a couple of procedural hurdles</a>, the bill may get a final Senate vote in the coming days and head to the GOP-led House, where the legislation&#8217;s fate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/speaker-johnson-vows-mayorkas-will-be-impeached-despite-setback" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is uncertain</a>. The White House has <a href="https://twitter.com/seungminkim/status/1755280629871026297" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voiced support</a> for the legislation to move forward, while Trump has urged senators to reject foreign aid <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/111908663705756439" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unless approved as a loan</a>.
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Allies of Trump in Congress responded to Vance&#8217;s post to X, calling for the foreign aid bill to be stopped, setting the stage for intra-fighting as some Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), have backed the legislation.
&#8220;Republicans need to be aware that this bill, supported by Mitch McConnell and almost all of Senate GOP leadership, sets in motion the next hyper-partisan Trump impeachment (before he’s even elected!),&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/RandPaul/status/1757060091625296325" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).
&#8220;No Republican should support this bill. If this makes it to the House floor, I&#8217;m an absolute NO,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/RepDanBishop/status/1757073860602499248">said</a> Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC).

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH)

J.D. Vance Warns Of ‘Impeachment Time Bomb’ Against Trump In Foreign Aid Package

J.D. Vance Warns Of 'Impeachment Time Bomb' Against Trump In Foreign Aid Package

Donald Trump

Impeachment

Rand Paul

Former President Donald Trump slammed Governor Mike DeWine (R-OH) after he vetoed a law that would have banned transgender surgeries on children. 
Trump’s comments came just one day after DeWine vetoed a bill that would have banned gender procedures on minors and prevented boys from competing in girls’ sports. The former president also called on the Ohio legislature, where Republicans have a supermajority, to override DeWine’s veto. 
“DeWine has fallen to the Radical Left. No wonder he gets loudly booed in Ohio every time I introduce him at Rallies, but I won’t be introducing him any more. I’m finished with this ‘stiff.’ What was he thinking. The bill would have stopped child mutilation, and prevented men from playing in women’s sports. Legislature will hopefully overturn. Do it FAST!!!” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/111670318044948931">posted</a> on Truth Social. 
Though Trump was initially critical of DeWine after the 2020 election, he <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/07/politics/trump-endorsement-dewine-ohio-governor-race/index.html">endorsed</a> the governor&#8217;s re-election bid in 2022. DeWine received less than 50% of the Republican primary vote after he faced multiple challengers amid criticism from conservatives over his handling of COVID. 
DeWine <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mike-dewine-defends-vetoing-ban-on-gender-procedures-for-minors-j-d-vance-slams-his-reasoning" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> at a press conference following his decision to veto the legislation that if the bill were to become law, the government would be encroaching on parents’ rights. He was widely criticized by Ohio Republicans for his decision, including Sen. J.D. Vance. 
Vance slammed DeWine’s reasoning, saying that the governor pointing to parents’ rights to make medical decisions for their children is simply using “a slogan” to defend his veto. 
“This is a slogan, not a justification. There are many things the law rightfully says no one, including parents, may do to children,” Vance <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1740776818054230345" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on X. “This slogan also ignores the extraordinary pressure from interest groups and big pharma to green light poorly understood, irreversible procedures. I’m extremely disappointed in the governor’s decision and hope it is overridden.” 
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The procedures that would have been banned in the bill included mastectomies on girls who identify as boys and giving children cross sex hormones and puberty blockers, which have been linked to lack of bone development, fertility issues, and heart issues. 
Trump <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-vows-stop-gender-affirming-care-minors-re-elected-president-rcna68461" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has promised</a> to support a national ban on transgender procedures, which he said were “child abuse” and “child sexual mutilation.”

Former President Trump Holds Rally In Support Of Ohio Senate Candidate JD Vance

‘What Was He Thinking’: Trump Rips Ohio Governor Over Veto Of Bill Banning Transgender Surgeries On Children

Social Issues

transgender surgery

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) blasted Governor Mike DeWine (R-OH) Friday after the governor defended his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ohio-gop-governor-vetoes-bans-on-gender-procedures-for-minors-biological-boys-competing-in-girls-sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener">veto</a> of a bill that would ban gender procedures on minors and prevent boys from competing in girls’ sports. 
The bill — <a href="https://search-prod.lis.state.oh.us/solarapi/v1/general_assembly_135/bills/hb68/EN/05/hb68_05_EN?format=pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HB 68</a> — vetoed by DeWine on Friday would ban transgender procedures on minors, such as double mastectomies on girls who identify as boys, and other genital procedures for children with gender dysphoria. It would also also prohibit biological boys from competing in girls’ sports across the state. DeWine said at a press conference following his decision to veto the legislation that if the bill were to become law, the government would be encroaching on parents’ rights. 
“Ultimately, I believe this is about protecting human life,” DeWine said. “Many parents have told me that their child would not have survived, would be dead today, if they did not receive the treatment they received from one of Ohio’s children’s hospitals. I’ve also been told by those who are now grown adults that, but for this care, they would’ve taken their life when they were teenagers.” 
“Were HB 68 to become law, Ohio would be saying that the state — that the government — knows better, what is medically best for their child, than the two people who love that child the most: the parents,” DeWine added. “Therefore I cannot sign this bill as it is currently written.” 
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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s statement on the veto was incredible (see clipped video):
“Were Ohio to pass HB68, it would be saying that the state knows better, what is medically best for their child, than the two people who love that child the most: their parents.” <a href="https://t.co/00KxU96wSw">pic.twitter.com/00KxU96wSw</a>
&mdash; Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) <a href="https://twitter.com/ErinInTheMorn/status/1740802346110906830?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Vance slammed DeWine’s reasoning, saying that the governor pointing to parents’ rights to make medical decisions for their children is simply using “a slogan” to defend his veto. 
“This is a slogan, not a justification. There are many things the law rightfully says no one, including parents, may do to children,” Vance <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1740776818054230345" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on X. “This slogan also ignores the extraordinary pressure from interest groups and big pharma to green light poorly understood, irreversible procedures. I’m extremely disappointed in the governor’s decision and hope it is overridden.” 
HB 68 <a href="https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/135/hb68/votes">passed</a> mostly along party lines on December 13, with the Ohio House voting 62-27 and the Ohio Senate voting 24-8 to approve the legislation, but after issuing his veto on Friday, DeWine said he was concerned about the legal implications of signing HB 68 into law. The veto can be overridden by a three-fifths vote in the Ohio General Assembly, which is controlled by a Republican supermajority. 
Following his veto, DeWine was also criticized by Ohio native and Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy as well as detransitioner Chloe Cole, who has spoken out about the dangers of gender procedures. 
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“There are two genders. Boys shouldn’t compete with girls in girls’ sports. Kids shouldn’t be subjected to genital mutilation &amp; chemical castration when they suffer mental health lapses. Shame on Ohio Governor Mike DeWine for this failure,” Ramaswamy <a href="https://twitter.com/VivekGRamaswamy/status/1740788175398895866" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. 
“Gov. DeWine’s political career is over. What a way to go out. Paid off by the medical lobby, which is insanely powerful in Ohio,” <a href="https://twitter.com/ChoooCole/status/1740770292128264699">said</a> Cole. “Remember him for his desire to sterilize and mutilate children.”

J.D. Vance/Mike DeWine

Mike DeWine Defends Vetoing Ban On Gender Procedures For Minors. J.D. Vance Slams His Reasoning.

LGBTQ

Senator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jd-vance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">J.D. Vance</a> (R-OH) turned an Associated Press reporter&#8217;s question on its head, calling her out directly for intentionally framing her question in a way that would force him to compare former President Donald Trump to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
The Daily Caller&#8217;s congressional reporter Henry Rodgers shared audio of the exchange, which he posted on X with the following description: &#8220;Sen. J.D. Vance destroys an AP reporter who asks about Trump&#8217;s &#8216;poisoning the blood of our country&#8217; remarks.&#8221;
LISTEN:
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LISTEN: Sen. J.D. Vance destroys an AP reporter who asks about Trump’s “poisoning the blood of our country” remarks. 
Audio obtained by <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyCaller?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DailyCaller</a>: <a href="https://t.co/a6WTO0WRb4">pic.twitter.com/a6WTO0WRb4</a>
&mdash; Henry Rodgers (@henryrodgersdc) <a href="https://twitter.com/henryrodgersdc/status/1737229231606616400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;What do you have to say to the former president&#8217;s comments over the weekend about immigrants and saying that they&#8217;re &#8216;poisoning the blood of America&#8217;?&#8221; the reporter began.
Vance noted that it was not the first time he&#8217;d been asked that particular question — and proceeded to break down what he had heard when Trump made the remarks.
&#8220;First of all, he didn&#8217;t say immigrants were poisoning the blood of this country. He said illegal immigrants were poisoning the blood of the country,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Which is objectively and obviously true to anybody who looks at the statistics about fentanyl overdoses.&#8221;
He then pivoted to address the press as an organization, saying, &#8220;You guys seem far more upset about the guy who criticized the problem than you did about Joe Biden, who&#8217;s causing the problem.&#8221;
The reporter tried to resurrect her line of questioning anyway, asking Vance if they could please return to Trump&#8217;s comments &#8212; and when he agreed, she went right back to her original framing.
&#8220;Can we just go back to his comments, though, and sort of using language that we heard, you know, during World War II — I&#8217;m sure you&#8217;re a student of history, you&#8217;re well aware what that kind of language represents in historical context,&#8221; she continued.
&#8220;What organization do you represent?&#8221; Vance asked.
&#8220;I work at the Associated Press,&#8221; she replied.
&#8220;The idea that I am well aware, you just framed your question implicitly assuming that Donald Trump is talking about Adolf Hitler,&#8221; Vance pushed back. &#8220;It&#8217;s absurd. It is absurd.&#8221;
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&#8220;I think this is ridiculous,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;If you watch the speech in context and you look at what&#8217;s going on, it is obvious that he was talking about the very clear fact that the blood of Americans is being poisoned by a drug epidemic. To take that comment and then to immediately assume that he&#8217;s talking about immigrants as Adolf Hitler talked about Jews is preposterous. You guys need to wake up and actually do some journalism.&#8221;
&#8220;Should he use different language then?&#8221; the reporter was apparently unwilling to let go of her framing. &#8220;Because that&#8217;s language that Hitler used —&#8221;
&#8220;Here&#8217;s the problem with that question and that framing,&#8221; Vance continued to push back. &#8220;You are allegedly a journalist. You&#8217;re supposed to speak truth to power, and yet you&#8217;re trying to circumscribe and narrow the limits of debate on immigration in this country. What you&#8217;re doing is not speaking truth to power. You&#8217;re trying to police the guy who&#8217;s criticizing the problem so that Americans don&#8217;t pay attention to the guy who caused the problem. It&#8217;s an absurd question, it&#8217;s an absurd framing.&#8221;

‘It’s An Absurd Question’: J.D. Vance Blows Up At AP Reporter For Trying To Make Him Compare Trump And Hitler

'It's An Absurd Question': J.D. Vance Blows Up At AP Reporter For Trying To Make Him Compare Trump And Hitler

Immigration

Media

Congressional Republicans unveiled legislation on Tuesday that would establish a new office tasked with enforcing the ban on affirmative action and strip federal funding from universities that engage in racial discrimination.
Titled the College Admissions Accountability Act, the legislation from Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) and Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) would create a special inspector general’s office within the Department of Education to enforce the Supreme Court’s ruling on Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which found that considering race in the admissions process violates the 14th Amendment.
The proposed legislation, which was first <a href="https://freebeacon.com/policy/republicans-propose-new-office-to-enforce-affirmative-action-ban/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> by the Free Beacon, comes as several universities have indicated that they may not comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling. &#8220;Following the Court&#8217;s ruling, several American colleges and universities issued statements or unveiled new policies at odds with its letter and spirit,&#8221; the legislation states. &#8220;Institutions of higher education, including their offices of admission, must comply with the Constitution and laws of the United States, as interpreted by the judiciary.&#8221;
Columbia Law School initially stated that they would require applicants to submit a video as part of their application in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling before backtracking after critics noted it might be &#8220;a willful effort to evade the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.&#8221;
Other institutions responded to the ruling by <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/admissions/traditional-age/2023/08/02/colleges-change-essay-prompts-after-affirmative-action" target="_blank" rel="noopener">modifying their essay prompts</a> to inquire about applicant’s “cultural background” and “lived experience,” as well as their beliefs on diversity and inclusion. Some universities, like Babson College and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst admitted that the prompts were created in direct response to the ban on affirmative action.
&#8220;Every student in America is entitled to equal protection under the law, regardless of their background,&#8221; Vance <a href="https://freebeacon.com/policy/republicans-propose-new-office-to-enforce-affirmative-action-ban/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contended</a> before adding &#8220;This bill creates the means necessary to enforce the Court&#8217;s decision and hold colleges and universities accountable for illegal discrimination on the basis of race.&#8221;
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In addition to creating the Office of the Special Inspector General for Unlawful Discrimination in Higher Education, the legislation would also pull federal funding from universities that violate the Supreme Court’s ruling and engage in racial discrimination. The potential punishments would also address discrimination in “financial aid determinations” and “academic programs.”
The office created by the legislation would exist separately from the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, giving applicants and employees a new means by which to file discrimination claims.
&#8220;The federal government has given the universities free rein to discriminate against white and Asian students” remarked Chris Rufo, the conservative activist who spearheaded the fight against Critical Race Theory and now serves as a trustee at the New College of Florida. &#8220;Senator Vance&#8217;s proposed legislation will put a stop to this.&#8221;

College students walking on campus, rear view – stock photo

Republicans Unveil Legislation To Enforce Affirmative Action Ban, Strip Funding From Universities That Discriminate

Critical Race Theory

Jim Banks

Republican senators are questioning the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/internal-revenue-service-irs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IRS</a> about its audit of a watchdog organization that has released reports on multiple Biden nominees to key federal positions.
Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jd-vance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">J.D. Vance</a> (R-OH) and Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) sent a letter to IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel on Thursday asking for answers about the agency’s investigation into the American Accountability Foundation (AAF), a nonprofit watchdog that has reported on several President Joe Biden’s nominees who were later withdrawn from consideration.
“The IRS is once again harassing conservative groups. It should be no surprise to see Joe Biden borrowing directly from the Obama playbook,” Vance posted on X, sharing the letter to Werfel. 
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The IRS is once again harassing conservative groups. It should be no surprise to see Joe Biden borrowing directly from the Obama playbook.
I won&#39;t stand for it &#8211; <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorBraun?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenatorBraun</a> and I are demanding answers on this clear weaponization of our government. <a href="https://t.co/vRGGFfFq2F">pic.twitter.com/vRGGFfFq2F</a>
&mdash; J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1725171030476411151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2023</a></blockquote>
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In September, the AAF was told by the IRS that it was being investigated about whether it &#8220;operates in accordance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.” 
&#8220;But, to date, the IRS has neither presented any evidence that AAF has failed to observe the requirements of section 501(c)(3) nor explained why AAF may be at risk of failing to observe those requirements,&#8221; Vance and Braun said. “We do not need to remind you that the AAF audit follows on the heels of an ugly chapter in the IRS’s history, during which the agency unfairly targeted conservative groups for scrutiny on the basis of their views.&#8221;
Vance and Braun asked Werfel if there had been any internal discussions on the AAF’s political orientation and why it was singled out for audit out of the thousands of nonprofits. 
The AAF repeatedly drew attention to Biden FCC chair nominee Gigi Sohn’s <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/gigi-sohns-fcc-nomination-trouble-because-radical-views-being-gay-nothing">claims</a> that Fox News was “state-sponsored propaganda.” After months of pressure and criticism from Republican lawmakers, Sohn withdrew her nomination. 
The AAF also raised red flags about two other failed Biden nominees, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration nominee Ann Carlson and FAA nominee Phillip Washington. The Biden administration withdrew Carlson&#8217;s nomination in May, and Washington withdrew from his nomination in March.
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On Wednesday, Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) tweeted out an article on the investigation and commented, “Someone seems nervous.”
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Someone seems nervous 👀<a href="https://t.co/rX9in6vAry">https://t.co/rX9in6vAry</a> <a href="https://t.co/b453OlbMMp">pic.twitter.com/b453OlbMMp</a>
&mdash; Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenWhitehouse/status/1724917041298055202?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2023</a></blockquote>
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In a statement to The Daily Wire, AAF President Tom Jones said that the IRS and Whitehouse were trying to intimidate them. 
&#8220;These thuggish, Soviet-style, tactics of intimidation are things I never thought I&#8217;d see in America. This country was founded so that men would be free, yet today we have elected government officials publicly boasting over having their enemies punished. It&#8217;s a chilling warning about the state of our republic. We have a God-given right &#8211; indeed, a duty &#8211; to hold the powerful accountable and we will continue to do so no matter what petty tyrants and tin pot wannabe dictators like Sheldon Whitehouse have to say about it as he sits in his elite whites-only country clubs.&#8221;
During the Obama years, the IRS was heavily scrutinized after it reportedly targeted Tea Party groups.

Lawmakers At Odds On Budget As Possible Government Shutdown Looms

Senators Question IRS Over Audit Of Conservative Org That Vets Biden Nominees

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jd-vance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">J.D. Vance</a> (R-OH) confronted the Biden administration&#8217;s commerce secretary on Wednesday over so-called diversity mandates dictating the hiring practices for domestic semiconductor manufacturing companies seeking federal funding as the industry faces a shortfall of skilled workers.
Vance, who sits on the Senate Commerce Committee, tore into U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo during a hearing that focused on the implementation and oversight of the $52.7 billion <a href="https://www.congress.gov/117/bills/hr4346/BILLS-117hr4346enr.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CHIPS and Science Act</a>, which provides grant support for new manufacturing sites and research and development while also including various provisions aimed at promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Meanwhile, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) and Oxford Economics published a <a href="https://www.semiconductors.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/SIA_State-of-Industry-Report_2023_Final_080323.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> over the summer that showed semiconductor manufacturers face a shortfall of roughly 67,000 workers by 2030, painting a grim future for U.S. industries needing computer scientists, engineers, and technicians.
&#8220;I&#8217;m struggling to make sense of the fact that we apparently have a shortage of skilled labor to manufacture chips on the one hand, and yet the Secretary of Commerce is telling people that they can only hire the people who check the right diversity boxes,&#8221; Vance <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcSORWzpaSs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;That doesn&#8217;t make a ton of sense — and seems to be counterproductive to the goal of bringing this industry back to the United States in the first place.&#8221;
The Biden administration <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-signs-52-billion-semiconductor-bill-in-latest-push-to-fight-inflation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> the act into law last year as an effort to combat supply-driven inflationary pressures and bring American manufacturing industries back to the United States as multiple key Asian manufacturing economies enforced harsh lockdown measures two years ago in response to COVID, creating bottlenecks in the global semiconductor supply chain that persist to the present day.
The department is overseeing a $39 billion semiconductor subsidy program under the act to help create industry jobs. The department <a href="https://fortune.com/2023/10/03/commerce-secretary-gina-raimondo-china-semiconductor-ai-working-group/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> has received over 500 statements of interest from companies to work on semiconductor manufacturing and over 100 applications.
But Vance&#8217;s concerns over the particular implementation criteria could sway a company to plant a chip fabrication facility in China rather than the U.S.
&#8220;From China, they get cheap labor, massive subsidies, and a government that seems to want to work with them,&#8221; he said. &#8220;From the United States, they get a little bit of money and a human resources statement that looks like it was written by a 22-year-old gender studies graduate of Harvard or Yale.&#8221;
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Raimondo acknowledged during the hearing the need for the U.S. to produce chips and said the federal government would use the legislation toward labor, training, and workforce, but denied companies are mandated to hire so-called diversity applicants.
&#8220;What would you call it when the Secretary of Commerce says you must do this in order to receive funding? If it&#8217;s not a mandate, what is it?&#8221; Vance asked. &#8220;They have to show us a workforce plan in order to receive money from the federal government &#8212; that is the definition of a mandate. You must do X in order to receive Y dollars.&#8221;
&#8220;Why would you locate your facility in the United States of America when you get a human resources lecture from us, but from China, you get a whole lot of money and a whole lot of facilitation for your business? What&#8217;s the market economy here? Is it the economy that makes it hard to do business or easier to do business?&#8221;
Raimondo contended her job is to &#8220;protect taxpayer money.&#8221;
&#8220;And in order to do that, these companies have to be able to meet their mission,&#8221; she <a href="https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2023/10/chips-and-science-implementation-and-oversight" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;And in order to do that, they need to have a trained workforce, and I&#8217;m going to work with them to make sure that happens.&#8221;
Raimondo said during the hearing that her department hopes to award its first chips funding award from the government&#8217;s multi-billion dollar semiconductor subsidy program by the end of this year.
&#8220;I am moving as fast as I can, but it&#8217;s more important to get it right than move fast,&#8221; Raimondo said.
Ben Zeisloft contributed to this report.

J.D. Vance Sept 7

J.D. Vance Grills Commerce Sec Over ‘Diversity Mandates’ For Fed Funding In Semiconductor Industry

J.D. Vance Grills Commerce Sec. Over Unfriendly U.S. Business Policies

Biden Administration

Commerce Department

Gina Raimondo

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