Free Republic

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to take up a new challenge to the Affordable Care Act, a move that will again thrust the law into a high-profile battle before the high court.The Supreme Court's move is somewhat surprising, considering there is still no split in the lower, circuit courts. But the high court agreed to King v. Burwell, a case in which the Fourth Circuit court upheld an IRS rule that extends the distribution of health insurance subsidies to states served by the federal insurance marketplace.The challenge to the law is viewed as having the potential to cripple Obamacare in...

HC-5, a drab, wood-paneled conference room in the Capitol basement, was quiet last Wednesday as Paul Ryan pushed for immigration reform. All eyes were on the Wisconsin Republican as he touted the economic benefits of bringing illegal immigrants into the work force. He assured his colleagues, who were clustered in cliques — moderates here, old bulls there — that stronger border security remains the leadership’s priority. As Ryan spoke, freshman Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who was behind him in line, listened carefully. He was calm and upright, and unlike a handful of conservative rabble-rousers in the back, he didn’t sigh...

Not only did Iowa voters decide to send another Republican from Iowa to the U.S. Senate to join Chuck Grassley there, voters elected Republicans in three out of the four congressional races in Iowa. Congressman Steve King, a Republican from Kiron easily won his bid for a seventh term. (SNIP) In the northwest Iowa counties, the Ernst to Braley ratios were 76/20 in O’Brien County, 87/11 in Sioux County, 78/18 in Osceola County, and 84/14 in Lyon County.

Rep. John Barrow’s ad two years ago about how “my grandfather used this little Smith and Wesson here to help stop a lynching” was widely recognized as one of the best of the cycle. The Augusta Democrat is out today with a sequel in which he bears his grandfather’s gun again, and pulls out his concealed carry permit along with it. (SNIP) The main critique of Allen is that he supported, and Barrow voted against, a supplemental appropriations bill passed in early August to focus on the children coming across the Mexican border. It included a lot of money for...

In a few minutes, six-term Republican incumbent Steve King will debate his Democratic challenger Jim Mowrer in Storm Lake. Iowa Public Television's "Iowa Press" is hosting the debate, and C-SPAN is also televising. (SNIP) He is third in offering amendments on House floor after Jeff Flake and Sheila Jackson-Lee. You can't always pass a bill but he has highest percentage of success in getting amendments passed. Mowrer says Senator Flake [of Arizona] has asked King to stop claiming that, because it's not true. They show the King tv ad I transcribed above. Mowrer asked to comment. He says it's false....

Rep. Steve King, (R-Kiron) and Jim Mowrer, (D-Boone) Thursday, October 23 Storm Lake, Iowa

A popular military enlistment program for immigrants with specialized skills is now stuck in bureaucratic limbo — after the Pentagon announced last month it would begin allowing some young immigrants without legal status into the program. Army officials confirmed Thursday that the program, called Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest, has been suspended while the service tries to finalize screening procedures for the immigrants who want to enlist. (SNIP) And a new requirement instituted in 2012 mandates that all MAVNI applicants go through a high-level security check, called a single-scope background investigation. But DACA recipients would not be able...

[...] Perhaps most important for court-watchers, the plaintiffs further noted that contrary to the government’s claims, “there is still technically a conflict between the two Circuits.” That’s because under the D.C. Circuit’s rules, the decision to grant en banc review “vacated the panel’s judgment, but not its opinion.” So yes, Virginia, there’s still a circuit split.

<p>New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will speak at U.S. Rep. Steve King’s annual pheasant hunt in Iowa this month — but he won’t be shooting game himself.</p> <p>Ann Trimble-Ray, an advisor to the King reelection campaign, said Christie will be present at a fundraising luncheon in Iowa on Saturday, but he won’t be hunting because he’s on a campaign swing visiting other candidates.</p>

Contrary to popular belief, I don’t like writing negative article about Republicans. I especially don’t like criticizing Republican candidates running for office in the final month of the campaign. As I sat down to write this article at 9:15 p.m. last night, I had no clue what I was going to be writing about. I thought perhaps I’d write about the Des Moines Register’s latest Iowa Poll that shows Governor Terry Branstad leading his Democrat opponent by 15 points. (SNIP) Had Young taken the stage at the District nominating convention back in June and said, “Hi, I’m David Young, and...

[....] So why the changes and why did Washington and Nevada request and use tax payer funds to develop electronic tax credit technology if they “intended to use” the technology already developed by HHS? There are two possibilities: Either HHS had decided it needed a tax credit calculator or it hadn’t. If it had – why didn’t it share this technology and collaborate with the states from Day One, which would have reduced the amount of tax funded grants? Also, a significant amount of the $4.8 billion awarded to states was allocated to develop tax credit calculator technology. Why had...

[...] In King news, on Friday the federal government filed its brief in opposition to the plaintiffs’ petition for certiorari before the Supreme Court. Conspicuously absent from this brief is any mention of MIT economist Jonathan Gruber. The federal government routinely cited his work in its prior briefs in both Halbig and King, but not here. The Court is scheduled to consider the King cert petition in November. [...]

Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, who narrowly won the 2012 Iowa caucuses, will headline a fundraiser later this month for U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Kiron. The event will take place Oct. 22 in a private home in Dakota Dunes, S.D. (SNIP) In a release, Santorum said King is the kind of congressman people need. “We need Steve King in Congress to stand up for America, our sovereignty, values, and economy... Steve understands the burden illegal immigration creates on American workers and their wages.

Congressman Steve King released the following statement in response to the California Egg Law lawsuit being rejected. This lawsuit was filed by the state of Missouri, along with five others, to eliminate a California law that prohibits the sale of eggs laid by hens held in cages they deem “too small.” Mr. King’s Protect Interstate Commerce Act (PICA), which the California lawsuit originates from, was attached to the House Farm Bill during markup in the House Agriculture Committee last year but was ultimately not accepted with the final Farm Bill Act of 2014. This act would prohibit any state from...

David Young of Iowa's 3rd Congressional District wants to give work permits to 12 million illegals. The only story available is copyright. The retiring Tom Latham was more conservative on every issue than this David Young character. I hope Joni Ernst can still win the Senate race. David Young worked for Grassley. Grassley and Jeff Sessions were probably the 2 best on the Judiciary in terms of exposing Chuck Schumer. What has Young learnt on immigration from his time with Grassley? I know Grassley says he doesn't like using the word amnesty but Grassley pretty much trashed every aspect of...

Congressman Steve King confirmed today Donald Trump will be in Iowa on October 18 to headline a fundraiser for the 4th District U.S. Representative. The event will be held at a private residence in West Des Moines. “I look forward to having Donald J. Trump again visit Iowa,” King remarked. “It’s good to have another outspoken fiscal conservative support my re-election campaign.” Hosts for the King fundraiser are Senator Charles Grassley, Congressman Tom Latham, Governor Terry Branstad, Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds, and Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann. Information on the event, and reservations, can be obtained by contacting...

The most notorious moment of Representative Steve King's career was cleverly calculated. The immigration debate had undergone a sea change in favor of reform, with bipartisan Senate passage of a sweeping bill in the months after Hispanics carried President Obama to a resounding reelection victory. (SNIP) This really irritated King. "It was wrong," he tells TPM in a wide-ranging interview in his Capitol Hill office. "I go down to the border and … I see these guys that are coming across." (SNIP) "I'd suggest that we have now more objectively characterized Dreamers," he snarks, "and [Durbin] hasn't yet said thank...

Karl Rove, writing in the WSJ in defense of the the Rubio-Schumer senate amnesty plan… "There is growing public support for providing a pathway to citizenship for those now in the country illegally…support for a pathway has grown most among Republicans." (SNIP) Aside from his personal advocacy, Rove’s various Super PACs– which he operates through a statutory labyrinth of plausible deniability– spent millions selling conservatives on Rubiocare. (SNIP) The irony here is that all three players– Karl Rove, Alison Lundergan Grimes, and Mitch McConnell– support amnesty… Mitch McConnell voted for amnesty in 1986 [RC #335, 10/17/86] Mitch McConnell co-sponsored amnesty...

It’s “the A-Word,” and it can damn any immigration bill to oblivion. The word is “amnesty,” or as one immigration-control advocate calls it, “the death word.” It’s a charge that a lot of people want to make and nobody wants to hear. (SNIP) “For some, you would think amnesty is in the eye of the beholder because there are some critics who have nothing constructive to offer who criticize every proposal as amnesty or amnesty light,” says Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican. (SNIP) “I’ve seen no guest-worker program that didn’t include amnesty — amnesty defined by Webster’s,” says Rep. Steve...

Newspapers and other media organizations will pay for statewide polls for presidential and gubernatorial elections, but their budgets don’t allow for congressional polling. Public polling data for congressional campaigns is hard to come by, which is why the Loras College Poll of Iowa’s four congressional districts is unique. The latest Loras poll gives us a peek into the four congressional races in Iowa, two of which are competitive open seats. The poll shows that Iowa’s two incumbent Congressmen, Democrat Dave Loebsack and Republican Steve King, currently hold sizable leads over their challengers. (SNIP) Congressman Steve King is leading his Democrat...