Free Republic

The most visible obstacles to enacting the agenda of President Donald Trump in Congress are individual Republican senators who have been blocking critical items from passing the Senate. So far, it has ensnared Republican attempts to repeal and replace Obamacare. But now it appears to be gumming up the works on tax cuts, too, as members cannot seem to agree on the state and local government tax exemption, cutting spending and other budget treatment issues for the tax plan. And one suspects the southern border wall and other border security measures could die similar deaths in the Senate. At least...

State Representative Mike Braun, R-District 63, raised over $1 million since he announced his bid for U.S. Senate in Indiana in August. The conservative businessman from Jasper was first elected to the Indiana House of Representatives in 2014. “Our fundraising success as a campaign is a clear signal that Hoosiers are ready for a leader with private sector experience who can deliver results and make conservative change happen in Washington,” Mr. Braun said in a statement. The fundraising numbers are an impressive haul juxtaposed to his two main opponents–the feuding Republican Reps. Luke Messer and Todd Rokita–whom he said are...

Another conservative outsider, successful businessman and conservative state Representative Mike Braun of Jasper, has announced he is entering a 2018 Indiana Republican Senate Primary. Braun is the founder and CEO of Meyer Distributing, a nationwide auto parts distribution company with locations in 38 states and headquartered in Jasper, Indiana. The Indiana Republican Senate Primary has already drawn interest from two incumbent Republican Congressman; Rep. Todd Rokita (IN-4) and Rep. Luke Messer (IN-6) who are both seeking the nomination to take on incumbent Democrat Senator Joe Donnelly of South Bend. Messer recently announced that he was running for the Senate seat,...

President Donald Trump has not been able to fully implement his agenda, in no small part because the Senate is not confirming his nominees, conservatives say, urging the Republican Senate leadership to prioritize and expedite the confirmation process. The Conservative Action Project, in an Oct. 10 memo, noted that Trump has had fewer executive branch nominees confirmed than former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama at the same point in their first terms in office. It says that Bush had 358 of 610 nominations confirmed by now, and Obama had 341 of 505 nominees approved. The comparable figures for...

Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell walked back his announced intention to eliminate a longtime tool of bipartisanship in the Senate by doing away with blue slips — something that Republicans used and abused in order to block former President Barack Obama’s judicial nominees during his time in office. McConnell had told The Weekly Standard on Tuesday that he planned on removing the importance of blue slips, rendering them as a symbolic gesture as opposed to a procedural mechanism. But McConnell's spokesman, Don Stewart, told HuffPost on Wednesday that the Republican Party did not intend on eliminating blue slips. The blue slip is not a rule...

This will be a weekly post. No legislation. No confirmations. Exactly WHAT do they do on the Senate floor??

The man eyeing Attorney General Jeff Sessions' Senate seat, Roy Moore, was unequivocal when asked whether he has ruled out re-electing Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell as majority leader. “Yes.” Moore replied without hesitation. “He has repeatedly let down the president’s agenda and the proof is in the inaction we see on ending Obamacare, toughening immigration laws, and getting tax reform on the road to passage.” Asked whom he would support over McConnell, the former judge told me: “Let’s see who’s running against him.”

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Cygnal polling, a Montgomery based polling firm, has released the results of a new poll that puts GOP candidate Roy Moore ahead of Democrat Doug Jones by 8 points, with 9% of respondents undecided. The poll also found higher interest levels than from either of the previous two rounds of primary voting. More than 90% of respondents said they were “definitely likely” to show up to vote, which is 5-7% higher than surveys from the first round of primary voting and the GOP runoff. Cygnal President Brent Buchanan said in a news release, “This race between Moore...

Flirting with what some may see as political treason, bigwig Trump loyalists led by Stephen K. Bannon, Dave Bossie and Tony Perkins are considering “Never Trump” former Senate aide Boyd Matheson to replace Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch next year. Mr. Hatch, 83, has acknowledged thinking maybe it’s time to hang it up after 41 years in the Senate. Mr. Bannon has said he is determined to help show Mr. Hatch the door — maybe by backing Mr. Matheson, 51, for a primary run. “Boyd is considering it, regardless of Sen. Hatch’s decision (or anyone else’s decision for that matter),” Matheson...

No longer impeded by Republican blocking tactics, Democrats are on track to win confirmation of up to 88 of President Barack Obama’s top judicial nominations this year, a total that would be the highest for any president in two decades. Last year, Democrats made it harder for Republicans to derail Obama’s nominations by weakening the Senate’s rule on filibusters. So far this year, the chamber has approved 76 federal court of appeals and district court judges, all of them lifetime appointments. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is hoping to confirm a dozen more before adjournment later this week —...

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley doesn't intend to make changes to Senate procedures that could make it easier for President Donald Trump's judicial nominees to be confirmed more quickly, despite calls from powerful voices inside and outside the Capitol to do so. The veteran Iowa Republican is under pressure to ditch the chamber's "blue slip" tradition that permits members of the minority party to have significant input into which judicial nominees are confirmed. "The Chairman of the Judiciary Committee will determine how to apply the blue slip courtesy for federal judicial nominees, as has always been the practice," said...

There was much in the news yesterday about Mitch McConnell ditching the blue-slip procedure in the Senate. But it's all smoke and mirrors McConnell is trying to fool conservatives and halt the donor backlash. Regarding blue-slips, McConnell will defer to Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, who will keep the blue-slip procedure (see story link below) so Mitch can say "wasn't me!" However, McConnell will not get rid of the 30-hour cloture debate rule, which is the REAL cause of delay within the Senate. From the Weekly Standard article (link below): The so-called “30 hours rule”—which provides for 30 hours of debate...

President Trump offered some kind words for Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa., and his bid to unseat Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., in 2018, saying that the Republican congressman is "going to win big" in the race. Trump made the remarks while opening up an event in Harrisburg, Pa., early Wednesday evening on tax reform.

The pro-Donald Trump organization Great America Alliance announced on Wednesday that it is endorsing Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) for U.S. Senate in Tennessee, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey for U.S. Senate in West Virginia, and statewide insurance auditor Matt Rosendale for U.S. Senate in Montana.

President Trump could have a direct role in picking the winner of the eight border wall prototypes currently being built and tested by Homeland Security, a department spokesman confirmed Wednesday. While Mr. Trump was prohibited by contracting law from being involved in the selection of the eight finalists, he could be involved in picking the final best designs — though it’s not year clear what role he will play, said David Lapan, the spokesman. The president last month said he would be deeply involved. “I’m going to go out and look at them personally, I’m going to pick the right...

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley's office said Wednesday he is reviewing the chamber's "blue slip" tradition, after Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pledged to eliminate the tool used to block judicial nominees. "The chairman of the Judiciary Committee will determine how to apply the blue slip courtesy for federal judicial nominees, as has always been the practice," said Taylor Foy, Grassley spokesman, in an email to the Washington Examiner. "Over the years, chairmen have applied the courtesy differently, but the spirit of consultation has always remained." Under the Senate's blue slip procedure, a state's senators are consulted by the White...

The GOP leader may not personally be a fan of blue slips, but he’s not getting rid of them, says his spokesman. WASHINGTON ― Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will continue to honor the blue slip rule ― an arcane but hugely consequential Senate tradition that lets lawmakers block a president’s judicial nominees from their home states ― even though a news article suggested he would get rid of it, his spokesman said. The Weekly Standard reported Wednesday that McConnell said in an interview that Democrats would no longer be allowed to use the rule to deny some of...

In their book "Shattered," Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes report that within 24 hours of losing the presidential election, Hillary Clinton was ordering her campaign to argue that it was hacked by Russia. Just as reporters leaped to find "news" to corroborate her allegations of a "vast right-wing conspiracy" (VRWC for short) during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, they have lunged at stories of Russian interference to validate VRWC 2.0. Second verse, same as the first. The media outlets most deeply invested in the narrative about Russia having somehow masterfully manipulated the 2016 election are beginning to struggle as the actual...

A Republican super PAC backed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has no plans thus far to support Roy Moore in Alabama’s special Senate election. “First of all, we hope those who helped Moore in the primary will stay focused on keeping this seat in Republican hands,” Senate Leadership Fund spokesman Chris Pack told HuffPost. “In terms of spending, we’re monitoring the race closely to see if Democrats demonstrate this is a competitive race.”

It is a privilege to live in a country where someone like myself, raised by parents with 10th grade educations, can live the American dream. I am a small businessman, a coach, a father, a husband -- not a career politician. I ran for office because I believe in the American dream -- the faith that education, initiative, and hard work can earn anyone a better life in this country -- is a dream worth defending. I was raised to believe that in America, the greatest country on Earth, each of us has a voice in our government. This is...