Free Republic

… Restoring the voting rights of former felons drew national attention after Florida lawmakers weakened a voter-approved constitutional amendment and after a new election police unit championed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis arrested 20 former felons. Several of them said they were confused by the arrests because they had been allowed to register to vote. At least 14 states have introduced proposals this year focused on restoration of voting rights, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. An Oregon proposal would allow felons to vote while incarcerated. A Tennessee bill would automatically restore voting rights once a sentence is completed,...

Since the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges seven years ago, same-sex couples have enjoyed the same marriage protections as other couples. But right now, that fundamental freedom is under real, direct and urgent threat. In June, the Republican supermajority on the Supreme Court eviscerated long-standing precedent and the right to privacy with its disgraceful decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Justice Clarence Thomas took explicit aim at marriage equality: urging the court to reconsider Obergefell and upend the lives of countless families across the country. While his legal reasoning is twisted and unsound, we must take Justice...

"We’ve all heard of people being cancelled, thrown off social media, even fired from jobs … But how many years before a Christian minister [who speaks] on marriage and sexual orientation is reported [to] a government anti-terrorism program?"For Reverend Dr. Bernard Randall, that time has already come. The chaplain of a Church of England School was suspended, fired for gross misconduct, and reported to child protective services simply for restating what the Church of England believes. If his story sounds like a distant outlier, it’s not. Randall’s nightmare will be every Christian’s nightmare if our Senate passes the Respect for...

BREAKING: Republicans join Democrats to pass same-sex ‘marriage’ bill in massive defeat for conservativesTwelve Republican senators joined with all Democrats to pass the bill, which is set to be Joe Biden's first major legislative achievement on LGBT issues. (LifeSiteNews) – In perhaps the greatest defeat conservatives have ever suffered at the hands of Republican Party, the Senate today advanced Democrats’ bill to enshrine same-sex “marriage” into federal law in a vote of 62 to 37.Twelve Republican senators joined with all Democrats to pass the bill, the “Respect for Marriage Act,” including: Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Rob Portman of Ohio,...

Sen. Lindsey Graham gave credit Sunday to President Biden for several bipartisan legislative accomplishments, such as on infrastructure, gun control and social media. The praise from the South Carolina Republican came as Senate Democrats were advancing their tax and climate spending bill along party lines, a move that has infuriated Republicans amid the highest inflation rate in four decades. “He’s signed things that made sense. The infrastructure bill, the gun thing, we’ve been working on this for years. We sort of found the sweet spot,” Mr. Graham said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We worked on the EARN IT...

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said on Wednesday there is “growing momentum” on gun violence legislation after another bipartisan senators’ meeting on the matter was held earlier that day. “Today a group of eight bipartisan Senators met to continue negotiations on a gun violence bill that can get a broad, bipartisan vote in the Senate. This follows a similar meeting yesterday,” he tweeted. “There is growing momentum to get something done and we agreed on a plan to keep working.”

Republican and Democratic senators negotiating over a legislative proposal to respond to mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas, will hold a Zoom call Tuesday in hopes of reaching a deal on a basic framework by next week. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who has been tasked by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to negotiate with Democrats, said the talks have been ongoing on the phone and in person. “We’re already having those discussions in person and on the phone. Look forward to meeting on Tuesday through a Zoom call to try to see if we can agree on a...

On Monday, a very emotional MSNBC “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough delivered a rant directed at Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and other Democratic leaders to pass Roe v. Wade and codify it into law. After outlining how the leaked draft U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade shared the same “constitutional foundation” as interracial marriage and contraceptive rights, Scarborough suggested Schumer get a “bipartisan vote” instead of trying to “get the whole loaf.”

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), the Senate’s key swing vote, met with lawmakers from across the ideological spectrum Monday evening as part of a new push for bipartisan climate change legislation. Manchin spokesperson Sam Runyon told The Hill via email that the meeting was “an effort to gauge bipartisan interest in a path forward that addressed our nation’s climate and energy security needs head on.” The meeting was first reported by NBC News, which said that Manchin and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) organized the meeting.

Thursday, House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) appeared on FNC’s “Your World” to tout possible Supreme Court pick Michelle Childs, who he is promoting to be appointed by President Joe Biden to fill the vacancy to be left by Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer. Clyburn revealed he had gotten a favorable response from his fellow South Carolina congressional colleagues Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) when he suggested Childs.

At the end of the day, senators care more about protecting themselves and their colleagues from unpredictable, inconvenient floor votes than they do about passing legislation.Official Washington’s conventional wisdom about the Senate filibuster is a fairy tale. It is utterly unmoored from the choices being made by individual senators, party caucuses, and the body as a whole. Every person who has ever told you that the mean, nasty, outdated legislative filibuster is the source of Senate gridlock and the obstacle to common-sense legislating in Congress has either swallowed, or is peddling, a lie. In an op-ed in the Washington Post...

Former President Trump on Sunday doubled down on his criticism of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other Senate Republicans who voted in favor of passing a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. “All Republicans who voted for Democrat longevity should be ashamed of themselves, in particular Mitch McConnell, for granting a two month stay which allowed the Democrats time to work things out at our Country’s, and the Republican Party’s, expense!” Trump said in a statement. The former president called Republican lawmakers who voted in favor of the bill “RINOs” — a widely used term he favors that means...

And all at once, summer collapsed into fall. - Oscar WildeOctober runs hot and cold; sometimes as warm as a summer day in technicolor, other times gunmetal gray and stark. But mostly what we remember of October – indeed, what’s etched in perpetuity on our soul – is the glorious luminosity of its clear days, the rustle of crisp leaves on the wind and the musky-sweet smell of leaves piling up.As sure as it is the end of summer it is the beginning of something new – winter. Whether you love it or hate it is beside the point, it...

Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said he’ll support the nomination of Jeff Flake as U.S. ambassador to Turkey after meeting with Flake Tuesday. “My friend Jeff Flake is a thoughtful and accomplished public servant who will represent the United States well in a complex region of the world,” Romney said in a statement to Deseret News. “He understands the importance of standing for U.S. interests in Turkey, and I look forward to supporting his nomination when it comes before the Senate.” When his nomination was announced by the Biden administration in July, the former Republican senator...

A group of moderate Democrats is clashing with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over when to vote on a roughly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill – potentially imperiling a key part of President Biden's legislative agenda. The House returned from its August recess this week and is holding a crucial procedural vote Monday night on rules for debate on three measures: the budget resolution that will serve as the blueprint for Democrats' tax and spending plan, the infrastructure bill and a separate voting-rights measure. But a coalition of nine centrist Democrats has been at an impasse with Pelosi and progressive lawmakers...

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell praised President Joe Biden on Wednesday for working with Republicans to pass an infrastructure bill. “I think the president deserves a lot of credit for getting the Democrats open to reaching a bipartisan agreement on this bill,” McConnell said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

On Monday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “MTP Daily,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) stated that by embracing “using growth projections to pay for some portions of the bipartisan bill,” Republicans have given Democrats a tool to argue the reconciliation bill is paid for. Kaine said, “I want to pay for this bill. Now, just remember, Garrett, there [are] a couple of different ways you can pay for a bill like this. So, first, is you raise revenues. And the Finance Committee is given the instruction that basically says, raise at least, I think it’s a billion dollars, and they’ll likely do that...

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has teed up a vote for the weekend on the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan, ending debate late Thursday evening by filing cloture on the sweeping measure. While the final vote time remains unclear, the Senate is scheduled to come back into session on Saturday at noon, with lawmakers out of session on Friday for late Sen. Mike Enzi’s (D-Wyo.) funeral. Top lawmakers in the upper chamber had hopes of passing the measure on Thursday evening, but parties remained at odds over votes on additional amendments.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) announced Wednesday that she would not support the Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget bill after Senate Republicans and Democrats secured a deal for her bipartisan infrastructure bill. Sinema told Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) that she does not support such an expensive infrastructure bill. In comparison, her and Republicans’ infrastructure bill costs $1.2 trillion. “I have also made clear that while I will support beginning this process, I do not support a bill that costs $3.5 trillion — and in the coming months, I will work in good faith to develop this legislation with my colleagues...

The group of senators working on a bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure framework have reached a deal, they announced Wednesday. “As of late last night — and really early this morning — we now have an agreement on the major issues,” Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), the deal’s chief GOP negotiator, said after meeting with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to inform him of the final details. “We are prepared to move forward,” said Portman, who spent Tuesday evening with White House counselor Steve Ricchetti holed up at the Capitol ironing out the kinks.