Republicans in House are thwarting the president
The annual budget for the U.S. House of Representatives is $7 billion, which is a 16.5% increase from 2022. This amount covers representatives’ salaries, security, attending physicians, support staff and maintenance of district offices.
To date this year, almost no legislation has been enacted by the 118th Congress. House Speaker Mike Johnson’s playbook includes whatever tactics are necessary to embarrass the current president of the United States, Joe Biden. Johnson seems to have forgotten that 7 billion taxpayer dollars were set aside this year for the 118th Congress to address American citizens’ issues. We expected a focus on policies — not a waste of time and money in a shameless effort to reelect former President Donald Trump. This Republican-led House is pulling tricks to thwart Biden’s reelection bid, even if it gets in the way of addressing our nation’s problems.
Although Alexander Smirnov, the FBI informant and star witness in the Hunter Biden investigation, has confessed to lying, and there is no evidence justifying the continuing investigation into Hunter Biden, Johnson claims there is evidence to bolster an impeachment hearing of Joe Biden. Notably, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., has dropped from the investigation but continues to support Johnson. Their assessment is based on five years of fabricated stories that started when former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani traveled to Ukraine looking for dirt. Five years of taxpayer money wasted in an effort to get Trump reelected.
Another stunt being played by Republicans in Congress is to pass the blame for border problems on to Joe Biden. At the direction of Trump, Johnson blocked passage of the bipartisan Senate bill that improves border security. The intention of this political chicanery was to impede Congress so that the border crisis would remain Trump’s No. 1 election issue as we move closer to November.
To headline the propaganda, Johnson and Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., also brought impeachment proceedings against Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, knowing that no action would be considered by the Senate. Mayorkas was exercising the law as passed by Congress and approved by the president.
Further, the majority of House Republicans show little interest in providing aid for Ukraine in its war against Russia. Ignoring the severity of that geopolitical event reveals the same neglect for the humanitarian crisis at our country’s southern border. Currently House Democrats and a small group of centrist Republicans are working to force a vote on a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. GOP reluctance to deal with this issue suggests that the Republican Party is reverting to the isolationist policies of the 1930s (which encouraged the Nazi Party to continue its conquest of Europe) — an especially distressing reality.
Some Republican members of Congress have expressed a willingness to join Democrats in passing border legislation and approve an aid package for Ukraine. These members, however, are disappointed and frustrated with House leadership and embarrassed by a minority of Republicans who refuse to address critical national and global problems. A failure in international leadership and addressing humanitarian crises has become the trademark of the Republican Party. They have a fantasy view of democracy, bolstered by loyalty to Trump rather than the U.S. Constitution.
Just a few Republican House members — that’s all it would take — could right this wrong. With members such as Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., resigning, the GOP majority is shrinking. Only a few Republican House members with courage can force Johnson to move the needed legislation to a vote and help preserve this nation’s leadership.