"Squad" Members Behaving Badly [semi-satire]

Semi-News/Semi-Satire ^ | 4 Feb 2024 | John Semmens

[John Semmens]

Members of the progressive "Squad" comprised of far left Democrats in Congress were in the news this week. Reps. Cori Bush (D-Mo) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mi) were the only two members of the House of Representatives to vote against the No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act. This legislation bars anyone who participated in the October 7 murder spree of Israeli civilians from immigrating to the United States.

Tlaib defended her vote, saying that "the perpetrators of the October attack are precisely the persons targeted by the Israeli Defense Forces for extermination. If we don't give them refuge their chances of surviving the Israeli manhunt are slim. They are the very wretched refuse that our Statue of Liberty promises to given haven to. The No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act dishonors this promise."

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Mn) told members of the Somali community in Minnesota that "we are Somalis first and Muslims second. I am our country's representative inside the American government. I have let President Hassan Sheikh know that he can count on me to represent our country's interests both through my votes in Congress and my influence with President Biden."

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga) questioned "the propriety of a member of Congress representing the interests of a foreign government. We take an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies. It strikes me that her assertion that she is Somali first contradicts this oath."

Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo) is facing allegations that she inappropriately used $62,000 in campaign funds to pay her paramour Cortney Merritts for personal security (Merritts is now her husband). She called the allegations "frivolous. Everyone knows that while crime has been getting worse over the past few years the police offer very little in the way of protection against assault, rape, and murder. As they say, when seconds count, the police are only minutes away. I'm too important a person to have to settle for calling 911. Besides, the amount I paid Cortney is tiny compared to the $600,000 Fani Willis paid her man for less valuable work."

Ironically, the ineffectiveness of police protection may have been aggravated by her own support of the defund the police demands following the death of George Floyd while in police custody in 2020. At that time she told people who couldn't afford to hire their own security to "suck it up. Defunding the police has to happen. We need to defund the police and put that money into social safety nets because we're trying to save lives."

The House of Representatives passed a bill authorizing the deportation of illegal immigrants arrested for drunk driving. The vote tally was 274 in favor and 150 opposed. Every Republican voted for the bill. All the no votes came from Democrats. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass) explained her no vote, saying "I see no reason why migrants should be treated so harshly. Passage of this measure contradicts the President's desire to welcome as many new future citizens to America as possible. They will be important allies in our fight against the enemies of democracy."

If you missed any of the other Semi-News/Semi-Satire posts you can find them at...

https://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,523581.0.html

[thinden]

from the headline I expected to read that they were doing videos in the senate office building hearing room

[Liz]

2016: Ilhan Omar meets with President Mohamud at Villa Somalia

Hiiraan Online, Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Minnesota legislator Ilhan Omar and her husband meet with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud

Mogadishu (HOL) - Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met with Ilhan Omar, a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives in the United States on Tuesday at Villa Somalia. Accompanied by her husband, Ilhan Omar was welcomed to the presidential palace by Abdirahman Osman.

Ilhan Omar is the first Somali-American legislator in the history of the United States. She was born in Mogadishu before fleeing to a Kenyan refugee camp on the onset of the Somali civil war.

President Mohamud thanked Ilhan for visiting her motherland and congratulated her on victory this past November. The pair met briefly and discussed the political atmosphere in Somalia including upcoming elections.

During their meeting, Ms. Omar welcomed the 30% quota allocated for women in parliament and urged the President to do anything in his power to achieve that benchmark.

[Gay State Conservative]

I’d be more interested to see “Squad” members behaving goodly.

[Liz]

publiccitizen.com

snip

WRT Omar in Somalia, In the House, official foreign travel is subject to House Rule 10, Clause 8, 22 U.S.C. § 1754 and other legal provisions, and is okayed by the Speaker of the House (Pelosi in 2016).

Official travel includes travel paid for out of the Members’ Representational Allowance or with committee funds, as well as the travel of Members or staff abroad as part of a CODEL [xx] Although the Committee on House Administration explains the general guidelines for official travel, it encourages each committee to establish its own specific limitations on official travel reimbursements.

The General Services Administration provides local per diem rates to use as a guide at http://www.gsa.gov/search.htm.[xxi]

In general, official travel must be relevant to the responsibilities of the officeholders and their committees, and official travel expenses must be ordinary and necessary. Ordinary and necessary expenses include the cost of transportation, housing, food, and incidentals, such as parking, toll, and ticket change fees.[xxii] [xxiii] In the House, ordinary and necessary expenses do not include the cost of living, commuting, consuming alcohol, and uncanceled reservations except in circumstances beyond members’ control.[xxiv]

In the House, only members, employees, consultants, vendors, and witnesses may receive reimbursement for official travel without the written approval of the Speaker of the House.[xxv] In the Senate, only members and witnesses in certain circumstances may receive reimbursement for official travel. However, members may invite non-members, such as spouses, to official events and pay their travel expenses with campaign funds (if the travel is officially-related) or personal funds (if the travel is either officially-related or personal).[xxvi]

The House specifies that official travel expenses may be shared by members or committees, but the expense apportionment must reflect their actual expenses.[xxix]
Combined Official Travel (Mixed-Purpose Travel)

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