Concessions Kevin McCarthy Made to Get The Speakership on the 15th Vote

  1. One Lawmaker could force a snap vote at any time to oust the speaker ( passed on first day)
  2. Gave ultraconservatives a third of the seats on the powerful Rules Committee which controls what legislation reaches the floor and how it is debated
  3. Agreed to open government spending bills to a freewheeling debate in which any lawmaker could force votes on proposed changes

Beyond this nightmare of a stagnated house of representatives, we get to look forward to the Republican agenda:

  1. Republicans plan to force Congress to reauthorize Social Security and Medicare every five years rather than let the program continue automatically. Some even want it yearly. Seniors will have to worry if they will be out on the street or can’t get medical care every five years? Or yearly? Get ready kids because you will be taking care of your parents plus have no retirement of your own. And, remember all that money you put yearly into the SS and Medicare system… Republicans will decide whether or not you get it.
  2. Economy and Rising Prices. So why is inflation a problem in Europe and US- Russian invasion of Ukraine, supply shortages including chip and energy- resulting from the pandemic, pandemic fiscal and monetary stimulus and just plain old price gouging. Trump enacted $2 TRILLION in stimulus packages. Inflation is occurring in Europe and the USA (Italy- 9.4%, Spain-9%, Sweden- 10.3%, Germany- 10.9%, Denmark – 11.1%, Greece- 12.1%, England 10.1%). What is interesting is that Japan is 3%, India is 7.4% and China is 2.8%.Lower in countries because they had limited stimulus plans. And, as for gasoline prices, the issue is a refinery shortage with five fewer refineries than in 2020. A Philadelphia refinery-one of the largest in the US, had explosions and the Louisiana refinery was wiped out by Hurricane Ida and both have been shut down.
  3. Border Control– Let’s face neither party has dealt with immigration including a plan for naturalization, hiring more judges for determining cases, etc. They rather call each other names.
  4. Instead of looking forward -will look backward—and we don’t care at this point. Who really cares about Hunter Biden? We didn’t care about Cheney and Haliburton. US withdrawal from Afghanistan- caused by Trump saying we were going to withdraw (who does that). Republicans wants to investigate the “real” origins of covid—it’s here- spend more time on cures but what are they going to do- investigate Dr. Fauci because they thought he obscured his knowlege about the origins or covid. Pathetic
  5. Here’s our favorite- reinstating Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from George to her committee assignments which were taken from her by Democrats after she called the president Hitler and suggested that the wildfires in California were set intentionally by powers backed by an international cabal of Jewish bankers using space lasers to cause forest fires (really??).
  6. Possibly reduce funding and support for Ukraine. TBD…but mentioned.
  7. McCarthy’s Rules Package– proposes new Select Subcommittee that grants it investory powers over the federal government including the authority to investigate the Department of Justice and Its ongoing criminal investigations. This was instigated by the far-right faction that considered January 6 assault on Congress a tourist visit and assaulting of federal offices of those convicted ast political prisoners. This committee would be ablve to fire individual federal employees. And, this rules package would attempt to jam through measures outside of regular order including bills to further attack women’s reproductive freedoms, criminalize abortion, empower pollluter and protect tax cheaps.