Tag: Republicans

Who are the 11 senators who voted against the burn pits bill for veterans?

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)1 Comment

Who are the 11 senators who voted against the burn pits bill for veterans?

Senators Mitt Romney, Thom Tillis, Rand Paul, Tommy Tuberville, Richard Shelby, Pat Toomey, Mike Crapo, James Lankford, Mike Lee, Cynthia Lummis, and James Risch ultimately voted against the bill.

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Political commentators were less surprised to see Mr Paul oppose the bill, as the libertarian frequently opposes federal spending — unless it directly benefits him.

Mr Paul said the bill would put the economy “at risk” and attempted to include an amendment to the legislation that would cut spending on foreign aid in order to offset the cost. That amendment was ultimately voted down.

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Mr Paul had no problem asking for federal aid when his home state of Kentucky saw severe damage caused by tornadoes in 2021. He has regularly opposed federal aid bills for other disasters, and has previously attempted to attach amendments that reduce foreign aid spending to offset the costs of disaster relief.

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Mr Tillis, Mr Lee, and Mr Lankford said they opposed the bill over fears that it would allow more people to get treatment at the VA and increase wait times for veterans seeking healthcare. While wait times are never ideal, waiting weeks or even months for treatment is still a shorter wait than simply never being eligible for healthcare.

Cut all foreign aid!

New York Times columnist: Deeper mistrust between Biden and Zelenskyy than people know

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Thomas Friedman wrote Monday in a column for the New York Times that there was a deeper mistrust between the White House and Volodymyr Zelenskyy than what has been reported.

New York Times columnist: Deeper mistrust between Biden and Zelenskyy than people know

Related:

Why Pelosi’s Visit to Taiwan Is Utterly Reckless

The timing could not be worse. Dear reader: The Ukraine war is not over. And privately, U.S. officials are a lot more concerned about Ukraine’s leadership than they are letting on. There is deep mistrust between the White House and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky — considerably more than has been reported.

And there is funny business going on in Kyiv. On July 17, Zelensky fired his country’s prosecutor general and the leader of its domestic intelligence agency — the most significant shake-up in his government since the Russian invasion in February. It would be the equivalent of Biden firing Merrick Garland and Bill Burns on the same day. But I have still not seen any reporting that convincingly explains what that was all about. It is as if we don’t want to look too closely under the hood in Kyiv for fear of what corruption or antics we might see, when we have invested so much there. (More on the dangers of that another day.)

On The ‘Woke’ Flight To Taiwan + More

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

On The ‘Woke’ Flight To Taiwan

That too old ‘woke’ lady with the massive freezer full of very expensive ice-cream let it know through Taiwanese media that she wants to arrive in Taipei tomorrow, August 2, at 22:30 local time (14:30 UTC) and stay over night.

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There is also this thought, by Cynthia Chung, which might become relevant:

In October 2019, Jake Sullivan, who became U.S. National Security Advisor in 2021, stated in an interview that the U.S. needed a clear threat to rally the world and play the role of saviour of mankind and that China could be that organizing principle for U.S. foreign policy. In the 2019 interview, he acknowledges that the problem was that people were not going to believe that China is a global threat, that their view of China is too positive and that the United States would need a “Pearl Harbour moment,” a real focusing event to change their minds, something he calmly stated that “would scare the hell out of the American people.”

She correctly traces such ‘Pearl Harbour moment’ thinking back to neo-conservative movement. Chung closes with this:

Thus, when Jake Sullivan observes that there is not enough anti-China sentiment to bolster an image of the United States as a “saviour of mankind” against China and that America is in need of a “Pearl Harbour moment” I would be very wary.

The circus around Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan in the coming days, and evident glee that is coming forth from many of these neocons frothing at the mouth over this prospect is a clear sign that something incredibly reckless and stupid is about to happen.

Pelosi’s airplane might indeed be shot down on her completely irrelevant and unnecessary trip to Taiwan, and if it is, don’t be surprised if it was the Americans themselves who are behind it, who have shown they are willing to do anything for that “Pearl Harbour moment.”

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Pelosi expected to visit Taiwan, Taiwanese and US officials say and Could Get Us All Killed!

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)1 Comment

Nancy Pelosi Taiwan Visit Could Get Us All Killed

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Pelosi expected to visit Taiwan, Taiwanese and US officials say

Officials also believe the Chinese leadership doesn’t completely grasp the political dynamics in the United States*, leading to a misunderstanding over the significance of Pelosi’s potential visit. The officials say China may be confusing Pelosi’s visit with an official administration visit, since she and Biden are both Democrats. Administration officials are concerned that China doesn’t separate Pelosi from Biden much, if at all.

The ‘eccentric, bigoted’ Pelosi does not care about others’ thoughts, but Biden is the key in the 82-year-old’s planned Taiwan trip

Pelosi is in the presidential line of succession, thus the administration takes extra care of her security when she travels overseas, the White House said on Tuesday, according to CNN.

They’re well aware that Pelosi is the second in line of Presidential succession!

US Congressional Republicans preparing ‘lend-lease’ law to transfer arms to Taiwan

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

US Congressional Republicans preparing ‘lend-lease’ law to transfer arms to Taiwan

The bill would authorize the president to lend or lease weapons and military equipment to the Taiwan. In exchange, the country’s government is required to repay the cost of “restoring or replacing” the borrowed weapons over a 12-year time frame.

The bill does stipulate that the White House can opt to renegotiate the repayment sum if it deems the money would take away from the national security of both Taiwan and the U.S.

Previously:

Japanese Lawmakers Make Rare Taiwan Visit to Discuss Potential Conflict + Taiwan not included on Pelosi’s travel list. Crimea drone attack.

‘There Needs to Be a Reckoning’: Republicans Introduce a Bill to Make Feds At-Will Employees

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

‘There Needs to Be a Reckoning’: Republicans Introduce a Bill to Make Feds At-Will Employees

Roy said in a statement that his bill preserves protections against discrimination and whistleblower retaliation. But in the case of discrimination, EEOC would be required to toss all of its policies regarding complaints that originate from federal agencies and apply the same standards it uses in private sector cases.*

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However, the bill’s purported whistleblower protections suggest just the opposite, Kettl said. OSC only has a 14-day window in which to make nonbinding recommendations on whether an adverse personnel action constitutes retaliation. Another provision requires the deduction of 25% of a federal employee’s retirement annuity if a court finds their appeal to be “in bad faith or frivolous.”

What’s wrong with that?! Why should bureaucrats have special protections that everyday working people don’t?! If they don’t like it, then change it for all workers!

Related:

Following Trump’s Lead, GOP Pushes Bill to Make Federal Workers Fireable ‘At Will’