Free Republic

Despite Democratic tactics to delay the confirmation vote, the Senate confirmed Russell Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Republicans backed Vought’s nomination, arguing he proved a qualified candidate for the role since he previously held the position during President Donald Trump’s first term. Democrats, however, raised multiple concerns about his nomination and said his views on the Impoundment Control Act, which reinforces that Congress holds the power of the purse, disqualified him from the role. Democrats held a 30-hour-long protest against Vought's nomination, delivering speeches in the middle of the night on Wednesday in an attempt...

Big Oil is calling on President-elect Donald Trump to keep the U.S. in the Paris climate agreement after withdrawing from the treaty during his first term. The Paris Agreement, established at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in 2015, is a legally binding treaty between nearly 195 parties who are committed to international cooperation on climate change. Trump officially withdrew from the treaty in 2020, but the U.S. was reinstated to the climate agreement in 2021 after President Biden took office. After winning a second term in the 2024 election, Trump is expected to consider a second withdrawal from the agreement....

As former President Donald Trump ramps up his 2024 presidential campaign, new polling reveals that while more than half of Americans believe he intentionally did something illegal after his indictment, many believe it was politically motivated. Trump was arraigned Tuesday in New York City on charges stemming from alleged 2016 hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, making him the first former president in American history to be criminally charged. A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll found that 48% of Americans think Trump should suspend his presidential campaign following the indictment, up 5 points from last week. The survey...

Democratic Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., is calling for serious action against the rising crime crisis and for prosecution of repeat offenses after she was reportedly assaulted by a man who had a rap sheet full of violent crimes. "I got attacked by someone who the District of Columbia has not prosecuted fully over the course of almost a decade, over the course of 12 assaults before mine that morning," Craig told CBS News in an interview. "And so I think we have to think about how in the world can we make sure that we’re not just letting criminals out."...

Most voters would rather see Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., as the GOP nominee in 2024 over former President Donald Trump, according to a new poll that also found the majority of Democrats do not think President Biden should seek re-election next cycle. When asked who they would rather see as the 2024 GOP nominee, DeSantis or Trump, 63% said DeSantis would have their vote, while only 36% were rooting for Trump to win the primary. A Marquette Law School poll revealed that in a hypothetical 2024 matchup between DeSantis and Biden, the two candidates were tied among registered voters, both...

Democratic senator Catherine Cortez Masto leads her Republican opponent in the race for Nevada senate where voters say inflation and the economy is the most important issue, according to a new poll. The new Suffolk University/Reno Gazette Journal poll revealed that Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., holds a seven-point lead over her Trump-endorsed opponent Adam Laxalt, 45% to 38%. Twelve percent of likely voters remain undecided in the heated Senate race. According to the poll, 34% of Nevadans believe inflation and the economy are the most important issues in the state, trumping abortion and climate change as the leading priority...

The Democratic Party's midterm prospects have been hampered by President Joe Biden's low approval rating, high gas prices, and an unsteady economy, but the tables may be turning in a more favorable direction for the party just months before the heated 2022 midterm elections. Political pundits have predicted a red wave, but the mood of the electorate may be shifting in the closing months before November. On Thursday, the Cook Political Report deemed Senate control this fall a "toss-up," following recent polls that suggested several Republican candidates are trailing behind their Democratic opponents in key races.

Vulnerable House Democrats will not say if they support the Manchin-Schumer Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, or if it is wise to raise billions in new taxes during an economic recession. The nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) revealed in an analysis last week that the Manchin bill, which would spend $433 billion on climate change initiatives, would increase taxes by billions of dollars, including on middle-class earners. According to the JCT, Americans making less than $200K per year would have their taxes increased by $16.7 billion. For taxpayers earning between $200,000 and $500,000, the bill would increase taxes by...