The federal government made nearly a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/money" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quarter of a trillion dollars</a> in &#8220;improper payments&#8221; in the last fiscal year, a congressional watchdog agency estimated.
A Government Accountability Office (GAO) <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/d24106927.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> unveiled last week said 14 agencies reported a total of $236 billion in botched payments in fiscal 2023.
Here, &#8220;improper payments&#8221; were defined as &#8220;those that should not have been made or were made in the incorrect amount.&#8221;
GAO said agencies reported that $175 billion, or over 74% of the total, were attributed to overpayments.
The total represented an $11 billion decrease from fiscal 2022, but GAO demonstrated in a graphs how &#8220;improper payments&#8221; have, on average, risen over the past 20 years.
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The federal government has made an estimated $2.7 trillion in improper payments in the last 20 fiscal years—including $236 billion in FY23.
Today’s WatchBlog post looks at our new report on what is causing these errors &amp; what can be done to prevent them: <a href="https://t.co/tbSrZG882J">https://t.co/tbSrZG882J</a> <a href="https://t.co/axpRrhNNtr">pic.twitter.com/axpRrhNNtr</a>
&mdash; U.S. GAO (@USGAO) <a href="https://twitter.com/USGAO/status/1772685603185815899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Since fiscal 2003, the cumulative amount has totaled $2.7 trillion. GAO said improper payments have &#8220;consistently&#8221; been an issue across the government.
The $236 billion figure for fiscal 2023 is just an estimate, GAO cautioned, and it does not include some programs that agencies have determined to be &#8220;susceptible&#8221; to mismanaged payments.
GAO listed the Health and Human Services Department&#8217;s Temporary Assistance for Need Families program as an example.
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An analysis found that problematic expenditures were &#8220;concentrated&#8221; in five program areas, including $51.1 billion for Medicare and $50.3 billion for Medicaid.
There was also $43.6 billion for Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, $21.9 billion for Earned Income Tax Credit, and $18.7 billion for Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness.
All other programs from which there was data accounted for $50.1 billion in &#8220;improper payments.&#8221;
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) commented on the topline $236 billion estimate for fiscal 2023 by taking a swipe at the Biden administration.
&#8220;We need accountability here! This is YOUR money the Biden admin took out of your wallet and wasted,&#8221; he <a href="https://twitter.com/SenRickScott/status/1774172902755123374" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post to X.
GAO said it provided a draft of its report to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment, but &#8220;OMB did not have any comments on the report.&#8221;
In fiscal 2022, 14 of 24 agencies covered by the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 &#8220;complied with applicable improper payment criteria, as reported by their agency inspectors general,&#8221; GAO said.
That number marked an increase from 2021, when GAO said inspectors general reported 10 agencies were compliant.
GAO <a href="https://www.gao.gov/blog/federal-government-made-236-billion-improper-payments-last-fiscal-year?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=blogsm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> it has made &#8220;numerous&#8221; recommendations and suggestions to Congress on ways to reduce payment errors.

US dollars banknotes

Federal Agencies Made $236 Billion In ‘Improper Payments’ In Fiscal 2023, GAO Finds

Federal Agencies Made $236 Billion In 'Improper Payments' In Fiscal 2023, GAO Finds

Biden Administration

General

Inspector general

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Rick Scott

U.S.

A senior Biden administration official spent her time in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/white-house" target="_blank" rel="noopener">White House</a> briefing room speculating on what specific programs or funding Republicans might be willing to cut — and with no pushback from the reporters in attendance, she claimed they&#8217;d cut veterans&#8217; benefits and cancer research.
Shalanda Young, who is currently serving as Biden&#8217;s director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), took the lectern on Thursday and began to rant about Republicans just wanting to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gop-led-house-passes-mccarthys-plan-to-raise-debt-limit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cut spending</a> without really thinking or caring about where the funding they were cutting was going to go.
WATCH:
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OMB Director Shalanda Young speculates Republicans might be willing to cut *cancer research* under the guise of cutting government spending and trimming debt.
Just insane. Pure rhetorical terrorism.
But the liberal media don&#39;t care. They protect this White House at all costs. <a href="https://t.co/jnzBAzWGom">pic.twitter.com/jnzBAzWGom</a>
&mdash; Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1654191455911530520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Something tells me, those toplines in that bill, there are many Republicans who could not vote for bills that actually told the American people by line item what it means,&#8221; Young began, arguing that Republicans wanted to pass a bill that would &#8220;cut spending&#8221; without being forced to admit which spending might be cut.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve talked a lot about veterans, and people get nervous about those veterans cuts, and they decide not to do that,&#8221; she continued, &#8220;What&#8217;s next, cancer research? You zero out the highway money in the transportation bill?&#8221;
Young went on to say that it was just business as usual, claiming, &#8220;We&#8217;ve done this before. Republicans have done this before. &#8230; Because those cuts hurt communities whether you&#8217;re represented by a Democrat or a Republican.&#8221;
She went on to say that people should withhold judgment until the appropriations process had time to work so that people could see where the money was going before they voted to cut any of it.
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As the debt ceiling fast approaches — Treasury Secretary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/yellen-warns-of-debt-default-as-early-as-june-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Janet Yellen</a> has warned the United States could default as early as June — Democrats have been adamant about passing a clean bill to raise the debt ceiling and avoid default. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) submitted his own proposal, which includes spending cuts to a number of the Biden administration&#8217;s green energy initiatives — and in the days since, Democrats have worked overtime to claim that McCarthy&#8217;s proposal would result in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-freedom-caucus-chairman-responds-as-white-house-lobs-spurious-claims-at-spending-cut-proposal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nothing short of disaster</a>.

Shalanda Young

‘What’s Next, Cancer Research?’: Senior WH Official Speculates About GOP Spending Cuts In Unhinged Monologue

Senior WH Official Speculates About GOP Spending Cuts In Unhinged Monologue

Cancer

Executive

Kevin McCarthy

Veterans

The Biden administration quietly admitted its plan to end the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-white-house-extends-covid-public-health-emergency-through-april" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID-19 emergency declarations</a> Monday, three years after the start of the pandemic.
In a statement of policy from the White House Office of Management and Budget, the White House admitted that it would file one last extension of the national and public health emergency declarations on April 11, then would end both one month later, on May 11. The memo comes in response to two bills in Congress that would force the end of these declarations.
&#8220;The COVID-19 national emergency and public health emergency (PHE) were declared by the Trump Administration in 2020,&#8221; OMB said in its <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/SAP-H.R.-382-H.J.-Res.-7.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. &#8220;They are currently set to expire on March 1 and April 11, respectively. At present, the Administration’s plan is to extend the emergency declarations to May 11, and then end both emergencies on that date. This wind-down would align with the Administration’s previous commitments to give at least 60 days’ notice prior to termination of the PHE.&#8221;
&#8220;To be clear, continuation of these emergency declarations until May 11 does not impose any restriction at all on individual conduct with regard to COVID-19.,&#8221; OMB continued. &#8220;They do not impose mask mandates or vaccine mandates. They do not restrict school or business operations. They do not require the use of any medicines or tests in response to cases of COVID-19.&#8221;
But the policy was announced in a statement intended to criticize two bills in the House of Representatives that would end the emergency declarations by force. The first, <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/382?s=1&amp;r=2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">H.R. 382</a>, a.k.a. the ‘‘Pandemic is Over Act,&#8221; was introduced by Kentucky Republican Rep. Brett Guthrie; it would terminate the public health emergency. The second, <a href="https://www.congress.gov/118/bills/hjres7/BILLS-118hjres7ih.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House Joint Resolution 7</a>, was authored by Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar; it would terminate the national emergency.
In its statement, the White House railed against the two bills. First, the White House claimed that terminating the Declaration would create chaos in the health care system. Ending the public health emergency would jeopardize Medicaid funding given to states by abruptly ending provisions passed by Congress, the OMB memo argued.
Furthermore, the OMB argued that ending the emergency would create chaos in hospitals and nursing homes by doing away with the flexibilities from the pandemic, disrupting care, delaying payments, and costing facilities money. Ending the emergency would also jeopardize telehealth services, the office claimed.
Second, the end of the public health emergency will end Title 42. The administration is still trying to end the policy that allows border agents to turn migrants away on an expedited basis, but it was stopped by the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-supreme-court-rules-to-keep-title-42-in-place-indefinitely" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Supreme Court</a>. &#8220;[I]f H.R. 382 
becomes law and the Title 42 restrictions end precipitously, Congress will effectively be requiring the Administration to allow thousands of migrants per day into the country immediately without the necessary policies in place,&#8221; the policy memo argued.
&#8220;The Administration strongly opposes enactment of H.R. 382 and H.J. Res. 7, which would be a grave disservice to the American people,&#8221; the OMB concluded.
The Biden administration has struggled to put forth a consistent message since President Joe Biden declared that &#8220;<a href="https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1571655424222597121" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the pandemic is over</a>&#8221; in a 60 Minutes interview in September. Last week, Press Secretary <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-says-covid-isnt-over-biden-claimed-pandemic-is-over-midterms?intcmp=tw_fnc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karine Jean-Pierre</a> repeated that the pandemic is not yet over. &#8220;COVID isn&#8217;t over. We&#8217;ve been very clear about that,&#8221; Jean-Pierre said at a briefing Tuesday. &#8220;Hundreds of Americans are dying every day and cases are increasing right now today. That&#8217;s why we take common sense measures like COVID testing ahead of large indoor gatherings at the White House.&#8221;

President Biden Receives His Updated Covid-19 Booster Vaccine

Biden Administration Admits It Will End COVID Emergency In May, In A Letter Telling Republicans Not To End COVID Emergency

Congress

COVID-19

In late July, Russ Vought, the former chief of the Office of Management and Budget during the Trump administration, filed a Freedom of Information Act request regarding the ties between the Biden administration’s Department of Education and the Abolitionist Teaching Network, which embraces Critical race Theory.
On Wednesday, Vought was asked to resign from his position or be fired by the end of the day by President Biden’s White House. Vought was serving as a Member of the Board of Visitors to the U.S. Naval Academy; he was appointed in December 20 by former President Trump.
Vought fired back succinctly on Twitter, “No. It’s a three year term.”
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No. It’s a three year term. <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WhiteHouse</a> <a href="https://t.co/c9pZOENNPR">pic.twitter.com/c9pZOENNPR</a>
&mdash; Russ Vought (@russvought) <a href="https://twitter.com/russvought/status/1435634747854688262?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Vought also serves as the president of the Center for Renewing America. When he filed the Freedom of Information Act request in July, he told <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/critical-race-theory-biden-administration-russ-vought-investigation">Fox News</a>, &#8220;The American people deserve to know who at the highest levels in the White House pushed this radical, racist group into reopening guidelines for our schools. It&#8217;s extremely troubling that Biden’s Department of Education promotes a group that accuses children of &#8216;spirit murdering&#8217; other children based on their skin color. This Administration has made an Olympic sport out of State Sanctioned Racism and it&#8217;s about time the curtain gets pulled back.&#8221;
Biden’s Department of Education linked to a guide by the Abolitionist Teaching Network which states, &#8220;Abolitionist Teachers&#8221; should &#8220;[b]uild a school culture that engages in healing and advocacy. This requires a commitment to learning from students, families, and educators who disrupt Whiteness and other forms of oppression.”
The Biden Department of Education’s Deputy Secretary, Cindy Marten, reportedly hosted Abolitionist Teaching Network founder Bettina Love for a training seminar when Marten served as superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District. Investigative reporter Christopher Rufo <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/biden-picks-a-second-sympathizer-of-critical-race-theory-for-ed-dept/">wrote</a>, “According to whistleblower documents, Martens personally introduced the speaker, Bettina Love, and praised her presentation about ‘spirit murder,’ ‘antiracist therapy,’ and ‘abolitionist teaching’” when Love was a featured speaker at a training program last August.”
Rufo noted that a whistleblower “took detailed notes of the speech and captured screenshots of the presentation” despite the district’s ban on attendees from recording the session. He continued, “According to these notes, Love began her presentation by claiming that ‘racism runs deep’ in the United States and that blacks alone ‘know who America really is.’ She argued that public schools in particular ‘don’t see [blacks] as human,’ are guilty of systemic ‘anti-Blackness,’ and ‘spirit murder babies’ in the education system.”
“At the end of her presentation, Love told the teachers that whites are directly responsible for the plight of ‘dark children,’” Rufo reported, adding that a slide labeled “Teacher Education Gap” stated, “Whiteness reproduces poverty, failing schools, high unemployment, school closings, and trauma for people of color.”
“The documents Vought requested Wednesday could show deeper ties between the Abolitionist Teaching Network and the Biden administration,” Fox News opined in July.
In 2020, as chief of the Office of Management and Budget, Vought wrote a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/M-20-37.pdf">memo</a> outlining steps to be taken vis-à-vis federal worker “training sessions” that incorporated Critical Race Theory and harped on “white privilege”:
<blockquote>On September 4, 2020, M-20-34 was issued at the President&#8217;s direction, which states in part, &#8220;The President, and his Administration, are fully committed to the fair and equal treatment of all individuals in the United States.&#8221; M-20-34 alerted agencies that some Federal worker &#8220;training&#8221; sessions are being held­ at taxpayer expense &#8211; that demonstrably undermine this core American principle by stereotyping and scapegoating specific groups of people. These divisive trainings constitute a malign subset of a larger pool of Federal agency trainings held to promote diversity and inclusiveness. The sort of training at issue does neither; it sows division among the workforce by attempting to prescribe and impose upon employees a conformity of belief in ideologies that label entire groups of Americans as inherently racist or evil (e.g., critical race theory).</blockquote>
Vought suggested that agencies:
<blockquote>Review these trainings to determine whether they teach, advocate, or promote the divisive concepts specified in the Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping (e.g., that the United States is fundamentally racist or sexist or that an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive).</blockquote>
Vought <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-ends-critical-race-theory-training-federal-employees">banned</a> federal agencies from using funding for training that used Critical Race Theory.

Fiscal Year 2020 Budget

Biden Tells Trump Official Who Fought Critical Race Theory To Resign. He Fires Back, ‘No. It’s A Three Year Term’

Critical Race Theory

Joe Biden

On January 20, the very day he was inaugurated as President of the United States, Joe Biden issued an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-ethics-commitments-by-executive-branch-personnel/">executive order</a> on “Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel” in which he committed new appointees in every executive agency to take an ethics pledge. That pledge promised, “I will not for a period of 2 years from the date of my appointment participate in any particular matter involving specific parties that is directly and substantially related to my former employer or former clients, including regulations and contracts,” and “I will not for a period of 2 years from the date of my appointment participate in any particular matter involving specific parties that is directly and substantially related to my former employer or former clients, including regulations and contracts.”
Yet Biden and his administration, which are heavily connected to labor unions across the country, granted waivers to two former union officials, claiming that the waivers were “in the public interest,” a phrase used in the executive order to give Biden the rationale for circumventing the aforementioned pledges by the prospective appointee.
The executive order states that a waiver may be granted by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in consultation with the Counsel to the President, if it is determined “that the literal application of the restriction is inconsistent with the purposes of the restriction; or that it is in the public interest to grant the waiver.”
In March, the Biden administration granted a waiver to Alethea Predeoux to become a senior official in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), as <a href="https://www.axios.com/bidens-ethics-union-labor-69aa2550-495e-422c-afce-07a80be0893e.html">Axios</a> reported. Predeoux had previously served as a chief lobbyist for the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 700,000 federal workers. On March 15, OPM’s general counsel Lynn Eisenberg issued a memo stating, “Ms. Predeoux has been a registered lobbyist for AFGE for six years. Prior to joining AFGE, she served for approximately five years as a registered lobbyist for Paralyzed Veterans of America. While she has lobbied the Hill on OPM-related issues, she has not directly lobbied OPM,” <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9558503/Biden-administration-grants-ethics-waivers-two-former-labor-lobbyists.html">the Daily Mail</a> noted.
In late April, OMB <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Celeste-Drake-Pledge-Waiver.pdf">issued a waiver</a> for Celeste Drake, who had previously served as Executive in Charge of Government Affairs at the Directors Guild of America as well as Trade and Globalization Specialist with the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of unions in the United States.
OMB general counsel Samuel Nagenstos wrote:
<blockquote>I have determined that this waiver is necessary and that it is in the public interest to enable you to effectively carry out your duties as the Director of the Made in America office at the Office of Management and Budget. … Managing an ongoing recusal for you would significantly and negatively affect several of OMB’s important missions. The successful accomplishment of the mission of the newly created Made in America Office relies on extensive, open, and collaborative communications within OMB, between OMB and other parts of the Executive and Legislative Branches of the U.S. Government, and between OMB and non-governmental entities including labor organizations.</blockquote>
Alfredo Ortiz, president of the Job Creators Network, told Axios, “It&#8217;s no surprise that President Biden&#8217;s union boss appointments have resulted in anti-worker policies like the PRO Act and the $15 minimum wage.” Katharine Cooksey, the spokeswoman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-waives-ethics-rules-for-former-union-bosses-who-now-work-in-white-house">Fox News</a>,  “The pattern of corruption between Democrats and big union bosses is obvious – just follow the money and follow the staff.” she said.
Axios noted, “Biden has drawn extensively from union ranks to staff his transition and administration while touting the importance of organized labor to his agenda and the country generally. Labor leaders enjoyed posts on the transition beachhead teams for <a href="https://aflcio.org/2020/11/12/biden-taps-working-people-champions-transition-teams" data-vars-link-text="most major federal agencies" data-vars-click-url="https://aflcio.org/2020/11/12/biden-taps-working-people-champions-transition-teams" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link">most major federal agencies</a>. Biden then tapped former union officials for senior posts in agencies including the <a href="https://www.constructiondive.com/news/biden-taps-former-construction-union-leader-marty-walsh-to-lead-labor-depar/593050/" data-vars-link-text="Labor Department" data-vars-click-url="https://www.constructiondive.com/news/biden-taps-former-construction-union-leader-marty-walsh-to-lead-labor-depar/593050/" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link">Labor Department</a>, the <a href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-announces-biden-harris-appointees" data-vars-link-text="Education Department" data-vars-click-url="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-announces-biden-harris-appointees" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link">Education Department</a>, the <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/organization/leadership/a-ashley-tabaddor-chief-counsel-office-of-chief-counsel" data-vars-link-text="Department of Homeland Security" data-vars-click-url="https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/organization/leadership/a-ashley-tabaddor-chief-counsel-office-of-chief-counsel" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link">Department of Homeland Security</a> and the <a href="https://www.post-gazette.com/business/career-workplace/2021/01/21/Joe-Biden-James-Frederick-United-Steelworkers-workplace-safety-official-OSHA-COVID-19-pittsburgh/stories/202101210107" data-vars-link-text="Occupational Safety and Health Administration" data-vars-click-url="https://www.post-gazette.com/business/career-workplace/2021/01/21/Joe-Biden-James-Frederick-United-Steelworkers-workplace-safety-official-OSHA-COVID-19-pittsburgh/stories/202101210107" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link">Occupational Safety and Health Administration</a>.”
Just before he left office, former President Donald Trump <a href="https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-revocation-executive-order-13770/">revoked</a> his <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/02/03/2017-02450/ethics-commitments-by-executive-branch-appointees">2017 executive order</a> that stated that “Every appointee in every executive agency appointed on or after January 20, 2017” should commit to a pledge stating, “I will not, within 5 years after the termination of my employment as an appointee in any executive agency in which I am appointed to serve, engage in lobbying activities with respect to that agency.”
<a href="https://www.rollcall.com/2021/01/20/biden-trump-take-dueling-approaches-to-ethics-lobbying/">Roll Call</a> noted, “He isn’t the only president to try to ease restrictions on his former staffers’ post-government job options. On his way out of the presidency, Bill Clinton took a similar move of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2000/12/29/clinton-reverses-5-year-ban-on-lobbying-by-appointees/e5a0571f-5c54-4988-adc6-5571a7557e83/">revoking his own executive order</a> barring his aides from lobbying for five years.”

7B60DCFB-A747-4DAD-949F-21BF1ACAD66D_1_201_a

‘The Pattern Of Corruption Between Democrats And Big Union Bosses Is Obvious’: Biden Uses Waivers In His Ethics Pledge To Appoint Former Union Officials

Labor Unions

Office of Personnel Management

On Tuesday, the Biden administration officially said that it supports a bill that would make Washington, D.C., a state.
In a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/SAP-H.R.-51.pdf">statement</a> of administration policy, the Office of Management and Budget said that the administration &#8220;strongly supports H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act,&#8221; adding that &#8220;the more than 700,000 people of Washington, D.C. have been deprived of full representation in the U.S. Congress. This taxation without representation and denial of selfgovernance is an affront to the democratic values on which our Nation was founded.&#8221;
The statement continues, saying that the bill to make D.C. a state &#8220;rights this wrong&#8221; by &#8220;providing its residents with long overdue full representation in Congress, while maintaining a Federal District that will continue to serve as our Nation’s seat of government.&#8221;
The statement concludes:
<blockquote>Establishing the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth as the 51st state will make our Union stronger and more just. Washington, D.C. has a robust economy, a rich culture, and a diverse population of Americans from all walks of life who are entitled to full and equal participation in our democracy. The Administration looks forward to working with the Congress as H.R. 51 proceeds through the legislative process to ensure that it comports with Congress’ constitutional responsibilities and its constitutional authority to admit new states to the Union by legislation. The Administration calls for the Congress to provide for a swift and orderly transition to statehood for the people of Washington, D.C.</blockquote>
As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dc-statehood-bill-gets-house-oversight-committee-hearing">The Daily Wire</a> reported last month, H.R. 51 would alter the “Capital” area size, making the “Capital” technically “the principal Federal monuments, the White House, the Capitol Building, the United States Supreme Court Building, and the Federal executive, legislative, and judicial office buildings located adjacent to the Mall and the Capitol Building.” It would also name the state &#8220;Washington, Douglass Commonwealth&#8221; in order to pay tribute to the abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
H.R. 51 is scheduled to see a vote this week. It is expected to pass in the House but will face a more challenging road in the Senate where it would need 60 votes to get past the filibuster.
“The residents of our nation’s capital deserve voting representation in Congress and full local self-government,” said Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington’s Democratic delegate in the House and the bill’s sponsor, in a <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/20/biden-administration-backs-dc-statehood-urges-swift-action-as-house-prepares-to-vote-on-bill.html">statement as reported by CNBC.</a>
“With Thursday’s House vote and expected passage, along with Democratic control of the Senate and White House, we have never been closer to statehood,” she said.
Those who are in support of the bill believe that not allowing D.C. to become a state in an attempt to keep people from voting, specifically in an area where many people of color reside. Those who oppose granting D.C. statehood claim that it is unconstitutional and is an attempt by Democrats to get more control in the legislature.
In a <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/d-c-statehood-moves-front-center-house-hearing-n1261713">hearing</a> on the bill last month, Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said that “D.C. statehood is a key part of the radical leftist agenda to reshape America, along with the Green New Deal, defunding the police and packing the U.S. Supreme Court.&#8221;
Last month, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki <a href="https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/biden-white-house-backs-dc-statehood-they-deserve-representation/2612755/">revealed</a> President Joe Biden&#8217;s stance on D.C. statehood, saying, “He believes they deserve representation, that’s why he supports D.C. statehood.&#8221;

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Biden Admin Supports Making D.C. A State, Calls On Congress To Provide ‘Swift And Orderly Transition To Statehood’ For D.C. Residents

On Monday, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) joined Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in announcing he would be opposing Neera Tanden, President Joe Biden&#8217;s pick for the White House Office of Management and Budget. This has reportedly placed Biden&#8217;s nominee on an increasingly difficult path to confirmation.
Moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia initiated the complications when he announced on Friday that he would oppose Tanden, citing her Twitter feed.
As reported by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/report-collins-unlikely-to-support-tanden-narrowing-path-for-biden-nominee">The Daily Wire</a> on Monday,
<blockquote>Last week, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced that he would vote against Tanden, citing “overly partisan statements” that she’s made about his Republican and Democratic colleagues:
&#8220;I have carefully reviewed Nerra Tanden’s public statements and tweets that were personally directed towards my colleagues on both sides of the aisle from Senator Sanders to Senator McConnell and others. I believe her overly partisan statements will have a toxic and detrimental impact on the important working relationship between members of Congress and the next director of the Office of Management and Budget. For this reason, I cannot support her nomination.
&#8220;As I have said before, we must take meaningful steps to end the political division and dysfunction that pervades our politics,” added the Democratic senator from West Virginia. “At a time of grave crisis, it is more important than ever that we chart a new bipartisan course that helps address the many serious challenges our nation is facing.&#8221;</blockquote>
It does not appear that Biden will be replacing his nominee, however, as his press secretary tweeted support of Tanden on Monday morning.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that Tanden was an &#8220;accomplished policy expert,&#8221; and that she would be the first Asian-American woman to lead the OMB. She also added that Tanden &#8220;has lived experience having benefitted from a number of federal programs as a kid &#8230;&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Neera Tanden=accomplished policy expert, would be 1st Asian American woman to lead OMB, has lived experience having benefitted from a number of federal programs as a kid, looking ahead to the committee votes this week and continuing to work toward her confirmation
&mdash; Jen Psaki (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1363845960502280201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/report-collins-unlikely-to-support-tanden-narrowing-path-for-biden-nominee">The Daily Wire</a> reported on Tanden&#8217;s response to the criticism during her committee hearings.
<blockquote>“I recognize that my language and my expressions on social media caused hurt to people, and I feel badly about that,” said Tanden. “I really regret it, and I recognize it’s really important for me to demonstrate that I can work with others, and I look forward to taking that burden, and I apologize to people on either the Left or Right who are hurt by what I’ve said.”
“Social media does lead to too many personal comments, and my approach will be radically different,” she added.</blockquote>
Collins said in a <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/sen-susan-collins-deals-neera-tanden-s-omb-nomination-another-n1258483">statement</a> Monday morning, “Neera Tanden has neither the experience nor the temperament to lead this critical agency &#8230; Her past actions have demonstrated exactly the kind of animosity that President Biden has pledged to transcend.&#8221;
She added, &#8220;Should Congress need to review documents or actions taken by OMB, we must have confidence that the director will be forthcoming &#8230; The OMB needs steady, experienced, responsive leadership. I will vote against confirming Ms. Tanden.”
Collins also <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/22/collins-oppose-tanden-jeopardize-nomination-470801">reportedly</a> took issue with the fact that Tanden had deleted previous tweets before her nomination, saying the decision to do so “raises concerns about her commitment to transparency.”
Romney’s spokeswoman <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/republican-senator-collins-will-oppose-neera-tandens-nomination-to-lead-omb-11613999942">said</a> the Republican senator of Utah “believes it’s hard to return to comity and respect with a nominee who has issued a thousand mean tweets&#8230;&#8221;
Manchin&#8217;s announcement last week that he would vote &#8220;no&#8221; meant that at least one Republican senator needed to vote for Tanden in order for her confirmation to be successful. Romney and Collins were seen as viable candidates, but it is unclear which Republican could take their place.

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Mitt Romney To Join Susan Collins, Oppose Neera Tanden Confirmation

Joe Manchin

Mitt Romney

Neera Tanden

Susan Collins

The Conservative Action Project, a coalition of conservative groups and leaders, has come out in strong opposition of President Biden&#8217;s nomination of Neera Tanden to head the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
&#8220;It is critical that the OMB director lead the agency with sound judgment, as well as bipartisan civility. Tanden has shown neither,&#8221; the group <a href="http://conservativeactionproject.com/neera-tanden-is-unfit-to-lead-the-office-of-management-and-budget/">said</a>.
&#8220;A 2018 report found Tanden mishandled the personal details of a sexual harassment allegation at the Center for American Progress, the organization which she led. She is also accused of pushing or hitting a reporter during her tenure as a senior aide to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign,&#8221; the memo says.
The memo is signed by 66 conservative leaders, including Edwin Meese III, who served as Attorney General under President Ronald Reagan, Alfred S. Regnery, chairman of Conservative Action Project, Tom McClusky, president of March for Life Action and L. Brent Bozell, founder and president of Media Research Center.
&#8220;The coalition hopes to disseminate the memo across social media and other platforms to put pressure on Senators to oppose President Joe Biden nominating Tanden, who has a far-left policy record, including during her tenure as president of the left-wing Center for American Progress,&#8221; they write.
Read the full memo below:
<blockquote>Conservatives strongly oppose the confirmation of Neera Tanden to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
It is critical that the OMB director lead the agency with sound judgment, as well as bipartisan civility. Tanden has shown neither.
A 2018 report found Tanden mishandled the personal details of a sexual harassment allegation at the Center for American Progress, the organization which she led. She is also accused of pushing or hitting a reporter during her tenure as a senior aide to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
As House Budget Committee Republicans recently noted, “it would be the height of irresponsibility to put someone with this documented managerial record in the top leadership role at a major federal agency, responsible for hundreds of civil servants, putting at risk the rights and protections guaranteed to the employers of OMB.”
Tanden also has significant financial ties to Wall Street financiers, Silicon Valley, defense contractors, the health care industry, and foreign governments – all of whom made substantial donations to Center for American Progress under Tanden’s leadership. These companies include, but are not limited to, Facebook, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s foundation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Bain Capital, Blackstone, Evercore, Walmart, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Northrup Grumman, and Devry Education Group. Such entanglements raise concerns of who would have access and influence to OMB under her watch.
Finally, Tanden has also demonstrated deeply partisan behavior, regularly taking to social media to attack Republican office holders rather than work with them to build coalitions toward public policy goals. She has called Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) “the worst,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) “a fraud,” stated that “vampires have more heart than Ted Cruz,” and called Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) “Moscow Mitch” and “Voldemort.” She has publicly insinuated that Russia helped the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Tanden has also stated that Republican Party’s “capacity for evil knows no bounds.”
Neera Tanden has not demonstrated the judgment, civility, or disposition to lead one of the most important offices of the executive branch. We believe her tenure would be marked by more naked partisanship and influence peddling than fair mindedness and sober diligence toward the well-being of all Americans. We urge Senate Republicans to strongly oppose her confirmation.</blockquote>

Senate Budget Committee Examines OMB Director Nominee Neera Tanden

‘Naked Partisanship And Influence Peddling’: Conservatives Blast Biden’s Nominee To Head OMB

On Monday, former Vice President Joe Biden announced he had selected Neera Tanden, the president of The Center for American Progress and a close friend of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as his choice to head the White House Office of Management and Budget, eliciting criticism from both sides of the political aisle.
Sen. John Cornyn, (R-TX) said Tanden &#8220;stands zero chance of being confirmed.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/11/30/politics-updates-biden-trump-transition/6461729002/">USA Today</a> noted that Tanden has issued 87,000 tweets since joining Twitter in March 2010. Garrett Ventry, who served as a communications aide to the committee chaired by Sen. Charles Grassley,(R-IA),  noted, “Watching @neeratanden delete all her negative tweets about Republican Senators is hilarious. Her nomination is already a funeral.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Watching <a href="https://twitter.com/neeratanden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@neeratanden</a> delete all her negative tweets about Republican Senators is hilarious. Her nomination is already a funeral.
&mdash; Garrett Ventry (@GarrettVentry) <a href="https://twitter.com/GarrettVentry/status/1333250823531470855?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Brianna Joy Gray, the former press secretary for Sen. Bernie Sanders&#8217; 2020 presidential campaign, said Tanden was &#8220;a woman who is openly disdainful of Bernie Sanders and his coalition, but who is friendly with extreme bigots online.&#8221; She added, &#8220;Everything toxic about the corporate Democratic Party is embodied in Neera Tanden.”
Other criticisms abounded: It was noted that Tanden supported the Jill Stein recount fundraiser after the 2016 election, tweeting, “Nothing has made me like this recount more than the response it has elicited from Trump.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Nothing has made me like this recount more than the response it has elicited from Trump. <a href="https://t.co/GljkNYdATj">https://t.co/GljkNYdATj</a>
&mdash; Neera Tanden (@neeratanden) <a href="https://twitter.com/neeratanden/status/802605607081615360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Political pundit Stephen Miller noted that Tanden contributed to spreading the conspiracy theory that Russia had &#8220;hacked&#8221; the 2016 election in favor of President Trump and confirmed she had sent the tweets later:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
She confirms the tweets in an exchange with Glenn Greenwald <a href="https://t.co/OKFnUFl3yl">pic.twitter.com/OKFnUFl3yl</a>
&mdash; Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) <a href="https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/1333251083754344450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Tanden also wasn’t shy about insisting the infamous Democrat-funded Steele dossier attacking candidate Donald Trump was true:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Even if this is true, hasn’t the dossier been mostly proven to be true? It’s amazing how comfortable the likes of <a href="https://twitter.com/ByronYork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ByronYork</a> are happy to run interference for Russians intervening in our elections. <a href="https://t.co/zbRORm2f0Q">https://t.co/zbRORm2f0Q</a>
&mdash; Neera Tanden (@neeratanden) <a href="https://twitter.com/neeratanden/status/959471674528878593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Tanden has also come under fire for her handling of sexual harassment claims at the Center for American Progress. <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/sarahmimms/center-for-american-progress-staff-shocked-after-neera">Buzzfeed News</a> reported in 2018 that two days after they had revealed allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation at the Center for American Progress, where Tanden served as president, Tanden “met with staff to restore confidence in the organization’s ability to handle the issue and ensure that employees feel safe. But during the meeting Wednesday afternoon, Tanden named the anonymous victim at the center that story — a revelation that a CAP spokesperson said was unintentional — and what began as a tense meeting became what three staffers in the room described as a textbook example of the organization’s failures to appropriately handle sexual harassment cases.”
One CAP employee told Buzzfeed News, &#8220;There is literally one thing you cannot do in this meeting and that is out the victim and Neera did it multiple times&#8230;It also destroys whatever small level of confidence in the system remained. As a manager I don&#8217;t know how I can tell staff to trust the system when the head of the organization just outed the victim in front of the entire organization. It is impossible to trust her.”
Another CAP employee echoed, “Neera lost the organization today.”
“There was so much angst in that room,&#8221; the employee said. &#8220;She outed the victim, and the subtext of every question was a lack of confidence in her leadership and ability to create trust within the organization.”
Tanden <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/sarahmimms/center-for-american-progress-head-says-she-is-deeply-sorry#.lwzNGAn8g">apologized</a> after the incident.

Why Women’s Economic Security Matters For All Discussion With Hillary Clinton

Biden Announces Pick For OMB; GOP Senator: ‘Zero Chance Of Being Confirmed’

The Trump Administration&#8217;s Office of Management and Budget has proposed a revolutionary way to update the SNAP food assistance system: instead of giving out vouchers for healthy food, the government would simply ship boxes of food directly to those in need, in a &#8220;Blue Apron-style&#8221; meal program.
According to NBC News, the plan, which is still very much in its infancy, is called America&#8217;s Harvest Box, and would feature a weekly shipment of &#8220;100% American&#8221; food items including &#8220;shelf-stable milk, ready-to-eat cereals, pasta, peanut butter, beans and canned fruit, vegetables, and meat, poultry, or fish.&#8221;
SNAP recipients would be eligible to trade part of their monthly government benefit for enrollment in the Harvest Box program.
&#8220;What we do is propose that, for folks who are on food stamps &#8212; part, not all &#8212; part of their benefits come in the actual sort of &#8212; and I don&#8217;t want to steal somebody&#8217;s copyright &#8212; but a Blue Apron-type program where you actually receive the food instead of receive the cash,&#8221; explained OMB director Mick Mulvaney.
Blue Apron is, of course, a weekly meal subscription service that sends you boxes of pre-measured fresh ingredients you use to prepare two or three full meals. The program differs in the sense that Blue Apron is a for-profit business, and the boxes are tailored to subscribers personal requests, and designed to create at least two meals without leftovers. The government&#8217;s box would be a delivery of mostly non-perishable groceries.
Obviously the program was immediately tagged as cruel and unusual by the Left, and the former SNAP oversight director, under President Obama, appeared in a number of hyperbolic interviews, absolutely aghast at the change. He <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/12/food-stamps-trump-administration-343245">told Politico that asking SNAP recipients</a> to take the food boxes in lieu of benefits was akin to forcing people to beg the government for meager handouts.
The left-leaning Food Research and Action Center compared the plan to wartime rationing and Soviet bread lines.
Now, of course, one can only imagine what might happen if the Federal government were in charge of a food delivery service. Since there is no incentive to cut costs (even though the OMB says that&#8217;s why they considered the change in the first place) or maximize efficiency, it&#8217;s likely the &#8220;America&#8217;s Harvest Box&#8221; program would quickly be over budget and behind on its deliveries, if not out of business entirely. And based on what the government bizarrely believes fulfills particular nutrition requirements, might just be a box of raw potatoes, canned tomato soup, and Spam.
But credit where it is due: the Trump Administration is trying to find a new and innovative way to handle a cumbersome program &#8212; and SNAP is a cumbersome program. The boxes wouldn&#8217;t contain, at least in theory, anything worse than <a href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/eligible-food-items">what SNAP recipients are already required to buy with their funds</a> (the supplementary income is designated for healthy food only, and cannot be used on hot food, medicine, alcohol, or non-food items). Most substantive food stamp benefits come from state governments.
And it turns out, there are already a few programs like this in operation,<a href="https://www.topboxfoods.com/cook-county-chicago/shop-boxes"> including one in Chicago</a>, run by Chris Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy&#8217;s son.

Trump Administration Suggests Replacing Supplementary Food Stamps With ‘Blue Apron-Type’ Meal Box

Welfare

So, President Trump has released his draft budget.
And it completely demolishes any notion of fiscal responsibility. The budget amounts to $4.4 trillion. It&#8217;s an Obama-level budget. And it guarantees a deficit of $832 billion in 2018, $984 billion in 2019, $987 billion in 2020, $916 billion in 2021, $908 billion in 2022, and $778 billion in 2023. For those counting at home, that&#8217;s $5.4 trillion added to the national debt by 2023. For the next decade, we&#8217;d increase the debt by $7.2 trillion. If you include the government spending passed just last week, we&#8217;re looking at $1.2 trillion in debt this year alone.
The budget contains blowout spending for infrastructure &#8212; some $200 billion for such funding, even though the vast majority of infrastructure funding should come from the states. He wants another $13 billion for combating the opioid epidemic, $23 billion for border security. The budget does nothing to tackle the real drivers of the national debt: Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security. And the budget says nothing about changing Obamacare; in fact, it includes a plan to send $1.6 trillion in federal subsidies to the states to combat the effects of getting rid of the individual mandate. No wonder Office of Management and Budget director Mick Mulvaney, asked on Sunday whether he would have voted for last week&#8217;s spending binge, answered, &#8220;probably not.&#8221; Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), head of the House Freedom Caucus, suggested the budget was dead on arrival: &#8220;I am not investing much time critiquing the budget when it has little to do with what Congress actually spends.&#8221;
Democrats found a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/white-house-budget-proposes-increase-to-defense-spending-and-cuts-to-safety-net-but-federal-deficit-would-remain/2018/02/12/f2eb00e6-100e-11e8-8ea1-c1d91fcec3fe_story.html?utm_term=.607fcc2e989b">way to be upset</a> with the budget anyway. Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY) of the House Budget Committee stated, &#8220;The Trump budget proposal makes clear his desire to enact massive cuts to health care, anti-poverty programs, and investments in economic growth to blunt the deficit-exploding impact of his tax cuts for millionaires and corporations.&#8221; What&#8217;s he talking about? The budget includes proposals to prevent seniors from reaching a point where they can&#8217;t pay for their medication, and another proposal to allow those on Medicaid to receive &#8220;market-based health-care grants.&#8221; The budget also cuts food stamps by making them work-dependent and sending food rather than EBT cards alone to beneficiaries.
Is the budget worth concerning ourselves over? No more so than Obama&#8217;s budgets. But it is demonstrative of the fact that Republicans talk a good game on fiscal conservatism, but abandon that game as soon as they&#8217;re elected. Then they start blowing out the budget again, just with their priorities at the head.

Trump 2018 Budget Projects TRILLION DOLLAR Deficit

Barack Obama

Donald Trump

The hot mic strikes again. This time two senators &#8212; one a moderate Republican, Susan Collins (ME), the other a faithful Democrat, Jack Reed (RI) &#8212; were caught questioning not only President Trump&#8217;s understanding of how the government works, but his sanity.
The audio, posted by The Washington Free Beacon on Tuesday (below), features the two senators having a rather hushed conversation about the president.
The audio begins with Collins slamming the &#8220;irresponsible&#8221; budget process under Trump. Reed replies by saying that he suspects that Trump is in fact &#8220;crazy.&#8221; Collins, appearing to agree, responds, &#8220;I&#8217;m worried,&#8221; and then goes on to question if Trump is even aware that certain key procedures and laws exist. 
&#8220;I swear, OMB [the Office of Management and Budget] just went through and whenever there was &#8216;grant,&#8217; they just X it out. With no measurement, no thinking about it, no metrics, no nothing,&#8221; says Collins.
&#8220;No, nothing,&#8221; agrees Reed.
&#8220;It&#8217;s just incredibly irresponsible,&#8221; says Collins. 
That&#8217;s when Reed turns the conversation to Trump&#8217;s mental health, an increasingly prominent theme among Democrats. 
&#8220;Yes,&#8221; says Reed, adding softly, &#8220;I think &#8212; I think he&#8217;s crazy &#8230;&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m worried,&#8221; Collins says, apparently agreeing.
&#8220;I mean, I don&#8217;t say that lightly and as &#8216;a kind of a goofy guy,'&#8221; Reed adds. &#8220;If we don&#8217;t get a budget deal, we&#8217;re going to be paralyzed &#8230;&#8221; 
&#8220;I don&#8217;t think he knows there is a BCA [2011 Budget Control Act] or anything,&#8221; says Collins.
The conversation continues, with both senators describing in alarmed terms Trump&#8217;s handling of the budget.
One other notable moment occurs when Collins brings up Republican Rep. Blake Farenthold (TX) joking Monday that he wishes he could challenge the Republican senators voting &#8220;no&#8221; on a clean repeal of Obamacare to a duel. Reed <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/18973/sen-reed-tells-sen-collins-you-could-beat-s-out-robert-kraychik">says</a> Farenthold just wants a duel because &#8220;you could beat the s*** out of him.&#8221; Collins responds by slamming Farenthoold as &#8220;huge&#8221; and &#8220;so unattractive.&#8221;
Hot mic audio below via The Washington Free Beacon:
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Along with Alaska&#8217;s Lisa Murkowski, Collins was one of only two Republican &#8220;no&#8221; votes to allowing the Obamacare repeal and replacement effort to move forward in the Senate on Tuesday. Reed, who voted &#8220;no&#8221; along with his 47 Democratic colleagues, made sure to praise his friend and her fellow GOP dissenter in a <a href="https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/reed-statement-on-trumpcare-vote">statement</a> issued after the vote.
&#8220;The Affordable Care Act enshrined basic health care security, portability, and consumer protections for all Americans,&#8221; said Reed. &#8220;Yet, Republicans, with the two brave exceptions of Senators Collins and Murkowski, voted today to move forward with their repeal efforts with no plan as to what bill they will vote on later this week. What we do know is that every version of Trumpcare that we have seen so far would strip away the gains of the ACA, deny people access to affordable health coverage, increase costs, and destabilize insurance markets.&#8221;
In other words, Reed, unlike Collins, is toeing the party line. Meanwhile, with the help of Vice President Mike Pence as the tie-break vote, the Senate&#8217;s Obamacare repeal and replace effort has begun in earnest.

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