NEW: GOP Senator Admits Plan
At what cost?
Bipartisanship? Ha! Republicans are on the verge of tanking two major deals that they helped create… Here’s the ugly reason why, and what effect it will have on you. 👇
GOP Senator Grassley says the quiet part out loud
On Wednesday night, the House passed a bipartisan package of tax breaks by an overwhelming 357 to 70 vote.
This should be good news, right? It’s $78 billion in tax cuts and breaks! It puts more money in peoples’ pockets!
It was crafted by a Democratic Senator (Ron Wyden of Oregon) and a Republican House Member (Jason Smith of Missouri)! It pissed off some of the extremes in both parties — with very liberal Democrats and very conservative Republicans voting against it! This is, in theory, how divided government is supposed to work!
Enter Republican Senator from Iowa, Chuck Grassley.
“I think passing a tax bill that makes the president look good mailing out checks before the election, means he could be reelected and then we won’t extend the 2017 tax cuts,” Grassley told Semafor’s Joseph Zeballos-Roig on Wednesday.
Um…. Talk about saying the quiet part out loud!
So, Grassley’s potential opposition to this BIPARTISAN bill of tax breaks for America is that he doesn’t want his party to give President Joe Biden a potential win before the 2024 election? Never mind the ways that the legislation could actually help people between now and then!
This is putting politics first and people second. Plain and simple.
But it’s not the first time this has happened in recent weeks.
Border… what border?
Another bipartisan group in the Senate — led by conservative Republican Oklahoma James Lankford — has been working on legislation for months to address the situation at the southern border.
Late last month, a deal was reached that would “force the federal government to shut down the border for migrants crossing illegally during surges and expedite the asylum process,” according to Axios. Which seems like the sort of thing that Republicans would want! The bill would also approve significant funding for Ukraine in its ongoing war against Russia, a (largely) bipartisan priority.
Great news! Hell, President Joe Biden came out last Friday and said he would sign the measure — sight unseen.
Enter Donald Trump.
“As the leader of our party, there is zero chance I will support this horrible open borders betrayal of America,” Trump said in a speech over the weekend. “I’ll fight it all the way. A lot of the senators are trying to say, respectfully, they’re blaming it on me. I say, that’s okay. Please blame it on me. Please.”
Now, suddenly, lots of Republican Senators are getting antsy about the deal. Here’s Axios again, reporting on the decidedly dim outlook for an immigration agreement:
After four months of intensive negotiations, the Senate is on the verge of abandoning a bipartisan border security deal that Republicans once demanded as a precondition to new military aid for Ukraine… The bill text hasn't even been released, as furious negotiators are keen to point out. But the toxic realities of election-year politics — including an intervention from former President Trump — have pushed the deal to the precipice of collapse.
Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine nailed it in this tweet:
Impact On You
Someone tell me where the Founding Fathers wrote, “Ye shall pass bipartisan legislation on matters of import to the country only during odd years when such measures may not be construed as potentially helping your political opponents.”
The simple reality is this: we can’t put politics before the American people.
This hurts your pocket book. It makes it harder to solve the situation at the border. It’s not how functioning democracies are supposed to work.
This is not the first time in history this has happened. But it is rare to see a party be so blatant about their reasoning for opposing legislation that, in theory, they should like (if not love).
My promise
It can’t continue this way. We must find a better path… immediately.
So when others in the media fail to expose bad actors, I’m determined to hold them accountable.
I’ve got 10,752 subscribers now… growing more than 1,120 in just the last week! If just 20% of my subscribers join me for just $5/month, I can do this work for you full time.
I would be honored if you supported me in my efforts, in this critical time. 👇
Thank you!! – Chris
What doesn’t surprise me in the LEAST is Republicans choosing to withhold a “legislative success” because the success will be conferred upon the person who signs it, ie President Biden.
What DOES surprise me is that the Republicans seem to have no qualms whatsoever about announcing to the world their disgusting partisan motives for doing so!
Honestly, I wonder what kind of world this has become.
While I would concede that MAYBE Democrats have been guilty of planning partisan games with legislation in election years, though I can’t recall a single example of that, the Republican Party has shifted so far toward inaction and the ability to govern than I just don’t see when Democrats have done ANYTHING like this.
As I’ve read in a number of other Substack articles, it seems that the entire purpose of Republicans in Congress and the Senate is to make outrageous statements on Right Wing Media, then use that appearance to generate a fundraising bonanza. Period. Govern? Wait….what?
Let's take a moment to celebrate Chris, the work he has done, and how he is now on his way to 11k subscribers. Next stop 20k! Keep up the good work Chris and congrats again!