Posted on 10/26/2023 1:37:21 PM PDT by Eleutheria5
Did McCarthy hand him the gavel?
The weird thing is that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies handed him the gavel. I’m not sure why, Jefferies certainly isn’t the “outgoing Speaker”
Jeffries is probably highest ranking because McCarthy is not speaker. If he hadn’t been removed — vacated — he’d probably had done it.
Another burn on McCarthy.
He probably rubbed his balls on the gavel, it would be a democrat thing to do.
seems like he is calmly forceful. I hope he does well, time will tell.
Johnson striking fear in the hearts of neocons is a VERY good sign he’s over the target.
The election of Mike Johnson as speaker of the House has struck terror in the heart of the uniparty, with neoconservatives and Democrats fearing that their reckless Ukraine spending may finally be put to an end.
President Biden is currently exploiting the conflict in Israel and Palestine to secure more funding for Ukraine in a joint package for Israel and Ukraine aid. However, only a small portion of the $100 billion the president is requesting would go to Israel, with the majority — $61.4 billion — going to Ukraine.
With Johnson now speaker and leading the House, Biden’s Ukraine funding request is in a precarious situation. Johnson voted for the initial Ukraine spending bill In April 2022 but has taken a dramatic turn since then, opposing all new Ukraine funding requests and demanding transparency from Ukraine on its use of American tax dollars.
Back in February, Johnson wrote on X: “American taxpayers have sent over $100 billion in aid to Ukraine in the last year. They deserve to know if the Ukrainian government is being entirely forthcoming and transparent about the use of this massive sum of taxpayer resources.”
Likewise, in May 2022, Johnson expressed America First sentiments, saying, “We should not be sending another $40 billion abroad when our own border is in chaos, American mothers are struggling to find baby formula, gas prices are at record highs, and American families are struggling to make ends meet, without sufficient oversight over where the money will go.”
“Republicans for Ukraine,” a nonprofit that believes “the Republican Party must continue to support Ukraine,” has given Johnson an “F” on his support for the war.
Meanwhile, neocon Republican turned Democrat grifter Bill Kristol fretted on X before the speaker vote, writing, “If Mike Johnson wins, and unless he’s made private commitments for a floor vote on Ukraine and funding government: Gaetz wins, MAGA wins, and Trump wins, and institutionalist, responsible, moderate Republicans lose, once again having pitifully folded when the crunch came.”
Ending funding to Ukraine means that President Volodymyr Zelensky will finally be forced to negotiate a peace deal with President Vladimir Putin. From the onset of the war, there has been no end strategy presented by Ukraine or the American Uniparty other than the “total defeat” of Russia. If there is a plan, no one has cued in the American taxpayers who are bankrolling the war effort.
Like with Iraq and Afghanistan, the Uniparty leaders in support of fueling conflict in Ukraine do not have a strategy, arguably because they do not want the war to end. As Federalist Senior Contributor Jonathan S. Tobin wrote, “The continuation of the current stalemate as the death tolls rise benefits only the political interests of Zelensky, Putin, and those who profit from the war.”
Meanwhile, Americans have been suffering under a potentially compromised executive branch, an inflationary economy, and an open border crisis. Perhaps Johnson’s election represents a turning point for Congress, and the issues impacting American day-to-day life will finally be a priority.
>> Jeffries is probably highest ranking
I’ll agree Hakeem is highly rank!
voanews.com-——snip
Biden’s $150 million military package announced Wednesday marks the 49th time that the U.S. has used the presidential drawdown authority to provide Ukraine’s military with equipment from US stockpiles.
The U.S. has provided about $44 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s unprovoked invasion in February 2022.
The Pentagon still has about $5 billion of congressionally approved funding for Ukrainian military aid, after the Pentagon discovered in June that it had overestimated the value of weapons shipped to Ukraine by about $6 billion.
When calculating its aid package estimates, the Defense Department was counting the cost incurred to replace the weapons given to Ukraine, while it should have been totaling the cost of the systems actually sent, officials told VOA at the time the error was found.
The Pentagon continues to dip into its aid arsenal despite Congress excluding new aid for Ukraine in a stopgap spending bill passed last month to prevent a government shutdown. Soon after the stopgap spending bill passed, the House ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position as speaker.
snip
whitehouse.gov
MARCH 16, 2022
Briefing Room
Fact Sheet of MARCH 16, 2022-——U.S. Security Assistance for Ukraine
President Biden today, MARCH 16, 2022, announced an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine, bringing the total U.S. security assistance committed to Ukraine to $1 billion in just the past week, and a total of $2 billion since the start of the Biden Administration.
The assistance will take the form of direct transfers of equipment from the Department of Defense to the Ukrainian military to help them defend their country against Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion.
The MARCH 16, 2022 new $800 million assistance package includes:
800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems;
2,000 Javelin, 1,000 light anti-armor weapons,
6,000 AT-4 anti-armor systems;
100 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems;
100 grenade launchers, 5,000 rifles, 1,000 pistols, 400 machine guns, and 400 shotguns;
Over 20 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenade launcher and mortar rounds;
25,000 sets of body armor; and
25,000 helmets.
In addition to the MARCH 16, 2022 weapons listed above, previous US assistance committed to Ukraine includes:
Over 600 Stinger anti-aircraft systems;
Approximately 2,600 Javelin anti-armor systems;
Five Mi-17 helicopters;
Three patrol boats;
Four counter-artillery and counter-unmanned aerial system tracking radars;
Four counter-mortar radar systems;
200 grenade launchers and ammunition;
200 shotguns and 200 machine guns;
Nearly 40 million rounds of small arms ammunition
Over 1 million grenade, mortar, and artillery rounds;
70 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs) and other vehicles;
Secure communications, electronic warfare detection systems,
Body armor, helmets, and other tactical gear;
Military medical equipment to support treatment and combat evacuation;
Explosive ordnance disposal and de-mining equipment; and
Satellite imagery and analysis capability.
In addition to the U.S.-produced short-range air defense systems the Ukrainians have been using to great effect, the United States has also identified and is helping the Ukrainians acquire additional, longer-range systems on which Ukraine’s forces are already trained, as well as additional munitions for those systems.
The United States continues to expedite the authorization and facilitation of additional assistance to Ukraine from our Allies. At least 30 countries have provided security assistance to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began.
In 2022, the Department of State authorized third-party transfers of defensive equipment from more than 14 countries, a number that continues to grow as Allies and Partners increase support to Ukraine.
###
defense.gov
Immediate Release
Oct 26, 2023
Biden Administration Announces Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine
Today, Oct 26, 2023, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced additional security assistance to meet Ukraine’s critical security and defense needs.
This announcement is the Biden Administration’s forty-ninth tranche of equipment to be provided from DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021.
This Oct 26, 2023 package includes additional air defense capabilities, artillery ammunition, anti-tank weapons, and other equipment to help Ukraine counter Russia’s ongoing war of aggression and fight for its independence and freedom.
This package utilizes assistance previously authorized for Ukraine during prior fiscal years under Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) that remained after the PDA revaluation process concluded in June. This security assistance package is another visible signal of the United States’ continued commitment to supporting the Ukrainian people in the face of Russian aggression.
The United States remains committed to working with Allies and partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs, and the Biden Administration calls on Congress to meet its commitment to the people of Ukraine by passing additional funding to ensure Ukraine continues to have what it needs to defend itself against Russia’s brutal war of choice.
Security assistance for Ukraine is a smart investment in our national security. It helps to prevent a larger conflict in the region and deter potential aggression elsewhere, while strengthening our defense industrial base and creating highly skilled jobs for the American people.
The capabilities in this package, valued at up to $150 million, include:
• Additional munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS);
• AIM-9M missiles for air defense;
• Stinger anti-aircraft missiles;
• Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
• 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds;
• Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;
• Javelin anti-armor systems;
• More than 2 million rounds of small arms ammunition;
• Night vision devices;
• Demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing;
• Cold weather gear; and
• Spare parts, maintenance, and other ancillary equipment.
In May 2022, Speaker-elect Johnson said, “We should not be sending another
$40B tax dollars abroad without sufficient oversight over where the money will go,
<><>when our own border is in chaos,
<><>American mothers are struggling to find baby formula,
<><>gas prices are at record highs,
<><>and American families are struggling to make ends meet.”
Congressional Research Service
US Foreign aid to Israel
60 page detailed report
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/RL/RL33222/44
The concerned Israeli lobby made sure Congress is required by law to ensure that U.S. military aid in the Middle East region doesn’t damage Israel’s military superiority over its neighbors. That requirement enjoys broad bipartisan support and has served as a benchmark for ensuring Israel receives robust U.S. support.
Biden keeps gaslighting Americans about the “need” for
American foreign aid tax dollars to Ukraine and Israel.
Here’s why they DONT need it:
About $113.1 billion in tax dollars were authorized in 2022 for Ukraine, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Most of it–about $67.1 billion–was defense-related. The other $46 billion included:
<><>$26.9 billion for economic support;
<><>$7.9 billion for international disaster assistance;
<><>$6.6 billion in assistance for refugees;
<><>$1.5 billion for assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia;
<><>plus $3.1 billion for other non-defense spending.
US tax dollars helped Ukraine
<><>pay the salaries of 618,000 educators, 517,000 health workers, and 56,500 first responders
<><>helped sustain critical healthcare services,
<><>helped meet pension responsibilities for 9.8 million people,
<><>assisted 1.3 million internally displaced persons,
<><>provided housing assistance to 4.1 million people,
<><>provided social assistance to 240,000 low-income families
<><>helped subsidize 480,000 persons with disabilities,
<><>bought supplies for farmers,
<><>financed finding markets for small business.
Israel’s defense budget ALONE is about $25 billion per year.....nearly as large as the entire GDP of Gaza, according to the CIA World Factbook. So what passes for an economy in shambles in Gaza is less than 5% the size of Israels booming, technologically advanced, and robust $550 billion national economy.
Israel is an economic and military Goliath relative to the Gaza/Hamas terrorist Tom Thumbs. They do not need any virtue signaling from Biden but he is one of a slew of obeisant US politicians each trying to outdo the other in showing fealty to a foreign govt.
Why do we have to go into debt for these money grubbing foreign billionaires?
Monies generations not yet born are saddled with.
Why cant they stand on their own two feet?
Why cant they do their own borrowing?
Why cant they finance their own security?
I hope he has the stamina and strength. The opposition will have knives and pitchforks out for him in short order.
I listened to Johnson’s speech. It was very good, just a little too long.
I’ve never intentionally listened to a House Speaker speak.
I’m strangely intrigued by this new cat. I’ll listen over the weekend between good football matchups.
I only listen. Can’t sit still and watch anything. Got too much to do.
I watched the whole thing on the link...thank you. I like him! Let’s see what happens. I know he can be tough...tough is what we need.
Thanks
I hope he has the stamina and strength. The opposition will have knives and pitchforks out for him in short order.
* * *
Well said, TomGuy.
I am cautiously optimistic after watching Mike Johnson speak for the first time.
He’s got good head on this shoulders and communicated with great charm. He was friendly to the opposition yet conveyed a quiet and determined direction for change in the House
He didn’t waste the listener’s time. He mentioned his family history and love of God and country. But he wrapped that background into the mission ahead of making the House work again for We the People.
Unfortunately,Johnson has zero experience in the private sector. At age 51, Wiki shows he’s been a lawyer and professor, so we can’t expect he has he wisdom needed to manage a large organization.
But nonetheless I think this is a big step forward and it would be wonderful to see Trump elected with a guy like this managing the house == as opposed to Pelosi, McCarthy, and Paul Ryan.
Thank you, Matt Gaetz, for moving the football.
He’s been an attorney and a professor in the private sector-his specialty is constitutional law. Not an extensive resume, but he sounds good to me-hope it is real...
Mike,,
,, 1st strike praising that snake Kevin.
Civil is the best the traitor scum deserve,,,and smash mouth is what is necessary.
..expose
every millimeter
of scum evil
they live on
and in
and for..
.
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