Free Republic

President Donald Trump is calling on Republican lawmakers to support “The One Big Beautiful Bill” that would cut taxes and stop illegal aliens from receiving Medicaid. Trump took to Truth Social to urge Republicans to galvanize behind the bill. “Republicans MUST UNITE behind, ‘THE ONE, BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL!’ Not only does it cut Taxes for ALL Americans, but it will kick millions of Illegal Aliens off of Medicaid to PROTECT it for those who are the ones in real need,” he wrote. “The Country will suffer greatly without this Legislation, with their Taxes going up 65%. It will be blamed...

California has a $6.2 billion budget deficit for Medicaid services, and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's latest budget proposal projects the state will spend a staggering $8.4 billion to cover Medi-Cal, the state's version of Medicaid, for illegal immigrants in 2024-2025. Two new reports by the Bureau of Economic Analysis found the U.S. economy has become increasingly reliant on government handouts. Entitlements are growing faster than tax receipts and wages. Private wages grew by $67 billion in early 2025, while government payments to recipients surged by $162 billion. In North Carolina and California, growth in Medicaid benefits was the leading contributor...

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) claimed Tuesday on MSNBC’s “The Last Word” that Republican lawmakers are feeling bullied and therefore “unhappy with President Donald Trump’s leadership. Host Lawrence O’Donnell said, “I know you were at the Senate Finance Committee hearing today, and you made some very good points, especially about small business. But what I wanted to show viewers tonight was exclusively what the Republicans had to say. I thought that was so important about what is becoming now, this observable fracture in the Republican Party, Donald Trump finally, finally has some Republican senators voicing opposition questions, challenges to his policy.”

Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) claimed Friday on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” that Republican lawmakers and President Donald Trump’s voters are panicking over tariffs. Gottheimer said, “I think you’re going to see a lot of people panic and start to say, this is not what we signed up for. I did hear that from a Trump voter today who said, I did not sign up for higher costs, higher taxes. What’s going on here with all this chaos? And I think that’s what you’re going to see more of.”

Zeynep Tufekci and Jeremy Howard played a decisive role in shifting CDC guidance and ushering in mask mandates across America. Zeynep’s role in the COVID story goes far deeper than most realize. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeynep_Tufekci But alas, the pro-mask establishment responded with a trump card of their own: a New York Times op-ed by sociologist Zeynep Tufekci, Here’s Why the Science Is Clear That Masks Work, highlighting a statement of clarification from Cochrane’s editor-in-chief, Karla Soares-Weiser, that the review’s conclusion had been “open to misinterpretation, for which we apologize.” This new trump card was a disaster for mask opponents—the proverbial queen of...

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) claimed Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that in 2026, congressional Republicans “will feel like rats on a sinking ship.” Host Kristen Welker said, “Some Democrats are saying they want leadership to show more fight in this moment. They think that’s what’s required and you were instrumental in urging President Biden out of the 2024 race when he wasn’t convinced. I’ve had conversations with Democrats who says this moment feels similar. Are you making the same mistake that President Biden did?”

We all know how poorly members of Congress behave and represent the American people, but now lawmakers are dropping damning information allegedly revealing how dire the situation on Capitol Hill really is. As TGP readers know, several members have shown multiple signs of cognitive decline, and there are two glaring examples that immediately come to mind. The first is late California Senator Dianne Feinstein. Feinstein held onto office despite being so diminished mentally that she had no choice but to give up power of attorney to her daughter as the New York Post notes. Then, in December 2024, Texas GOP...

Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) claimed on CNN’s “News Central” that some of her Republican colleagues privately say President Donald Trump’s actions on Ukraine have gone too far. Shaheen said, “Vladimir Putin is a murderous dictator. He is a thug who understands one thing, and that is strength, and anytime he thinks he can get the better of Donald Trump, he is going to do that.” She continued, “We have ten Democrats and ten Republicans, a fifth of the senate on that resolution, because there is bipartisan support in the United States Senate for Ukraine. I think most of us were...

Transgender activists stormed the Iowa Capitol on Thursday as lawmakers consider a bill that would eliminate “gender identity” as a protected class from state civil rights law. “Hundreds of Iowans again packed the Iowa Capitol rotunda to protest the bill, waving pride flags, holding signs and chanting ‘no hate in our state’ and ‘you represent us.’ A line of protesters led out the building’s door as more people waited to be let inside,” the Des Moines Register reported.

California lawmakers are offering their comfort to families shaken by ravaging wildfires in Los Angeles County that have forced thousands to evacuate after flames emerged on Tuesday morning. “We are closely monitoring the LA fires and are greatly concerned and heartbroken by the devastation,” Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) wrote in a Wednesday post on X. “I’ve also been in contact with Chief Buchanan and the @LBFD, who has deployed response units to Pacific Palisades and Pasadena. We are all grateful for local firefighters and first responders from across the county and the state, who are working hard to protect our...

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi outperformed the S&P 500 index by over 280% in 2024, but she still fell behind nine of her congressional colleagues.Pelosi’s portfolio’s 70.9% increase from Dec. 29, 2023, to Dec. 30, 2024, was nearly triple the S&P 500’s 24.9% return, but it fell well below those of Republican North Carolina Rep. David Rouzer and Democratic Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who saw returns of 149% and 142.3% — topping the list of members of Congress. Democratic Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, Republican Texas Rep. Roger Williams and Democratic Kentucky Rep. Morgan McGarvey’s portfolios also saw double-digit increases,...

Californians already paying the highest gas prices in the country could have another tax hike headed their way, if proposed changes to the state’s low carbon fuel standard are adopted. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) — which consists of board members appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Democrat-controlled legislature — is scheduled to vote just days after the election on a new proposal that would lower carbon emissions faster, but increase the cost of petroleum refineries. CARB has the authority to impose regulations without legislative oversight. Twenty-five Republicans are sounding the alarm and urging the board to delay...

As political tensions rise in the U.S., Congress is preparing for the possibility of a major “mass casualty event” that could dramatically change its makeup. With recent assassination attempts and increasingly heated public discourse, lawmakers are considering drastic steps, including a possible Constitutional Amendment that would allow for the direct appointment of House representatives in the event of mass vacancies. According to the Constitution, any emerging vacancies in the House must be filled through elections, unlike Senate vacancies which can be filled by appointment. However, following the events of 9/11, a law was enacted to enable rapid elections if over...

A group of two dozen former House Democrats has sent a letter to President Joe Biden calling for him to step aside to prevent a GOP takeover of Washington. Instead, they want him to allow for an “open convention” this summer to decide the 2024 ticket. In their letter, the 24 Democrats — which include former House members and one former senator — make clear that they do not doubt Biden’s “extraordinary record.” But they warn that if the president stays on the ballot, it would mean the party not only loses the White House, but would decimate their ranks...

<p>The interview was seen as the president’s make-or-break moment to try and reassure voters and leaders within the party that the lackluster performance on stage — when Biden appeared to lack energy, had a raspy voice and stumbled over his words — was a one-time thing.</p>

Senate Democrats are launching a new investigation into the foreign payments made to Jared Kushner's investment firm. Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden announced the probe on Wednesday, saying that the panel would investigate the billions of dollars that Affinity Partners manages from foreign sources. Kushner started Affinity in July 2021, less than six months after leaving the White House as a senior adviser to former President Donald Trump. The firm quickly attracted big-time investors from the Middle East and within weeks, landed $2 billion from the Saudi public investment fund. Affinity continues to overwhelmingly derive the majority of its...

Almost a dozen Republican lawmakers trekked up to New York City on Thursday to support former President Donald Trump as he faces charges of falsifying business records years ago, brought by a Democrat district attorney in the midst of the 2024 presidential election. The lawmakers included Reps. Andy Biggs (AZ), Lauren Boebert (CO), Michael Cloud (TX), Eli Crane (AZ), Matt Gaetz (FL), Bob Good (VA), Diana Harshbarger (TN), Anna Paulina Luna (FL), Ralph Norman (SC), Andy Ogles (TN), and Mike Waltz (FL). pic.twitter.com/cbb123Vk49 — Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) May 16, 2024 “The cavalry has arrived to the courthouse,” a Gaetz aide...

Arizona State Democrat lawmakers teamed up with pro-abortion Planned Parenthood to host “Drag Queen Story Hour” at the state Capitol, according to Arizona State Senate Republicans. Arizona State Senate Republicans shared a brief video of the event on social media, showing a man with hot pink eyebrows and a beard encouraging parents to allow their children to transition to the opposite gender. He was reportedly reading from Queer and Fearless: Poems Celebrating the Lives of LGBTQ+ Heroes. “When is it time to choose a new name? Why does someone become an activist? How does one begin?” he began.

Several politicians praised students from the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill for protecting the American flag from anti-Israel protesters. UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee H. Roberts was seen raising the American flag back to the top of the flag pole after pro-Palestinian protesters took it down and replaced it with the Palestinian flag. After Roberts left, pro-Palestinian protesters reportedly once again began attempting to remove the flag, leading a group of students to move in to hold the flag up off the ground and defend the flag from protesters.

New York’s squatter nightmare has gotten so far out of control that even liberal lawmakers are finally moving to plug the loopholes that have facilitated the crisis. Democratic as well as Republican lawmakers in Albany are pushing measures to crack down on the outrageous scourge, including one bill introduced by lefty Sen. John Liu (D-Queens) that was included in the just-completed state-budget agreement. Liu credited coverage by The Post and others for bringing “to our attention a problem that needed to be addressed.” You bet it needs addressing. Until now, anyone who stayed in a home beyond for a certain...