Trump threatens Republican lawmakers after 6 defy him in House vote on Canada tariffs



Six congressional Republicans joined 213 Democrats on Wednesday in voting to effectively kill President Donald Trump's Canada tariffs.

Although House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) downplayed the president's ire over the act, Trump appeared sufficiently peeved on Truth Social, where he threatened the political futures of those GOP lawmakers who stood out of line.

The background

On his first day back in office, Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border. The following month, he issued an executive order expanding the scope of the national emergency to address perceived drug-related threats at America's northern border, claiming that Canada's response to the alleged threats was unsatisfactory.

Citing the need for "decisive and immediate action," he slapped 25% tariffs on various goods from Canada except for oil and gas, which he slapped with a 10% tariff. In July, Trump increased the tariff rate from 25% to 35%.

'They are among the worst in the World to deal with.'

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have complained about the tariffs in the months since, and in October, four Republican senators joined their Democrat colleagues in passing a resolution disapproving of the president's tariffs on imports from Canada.

The vote

The House passed a resolution on Wednesday evening to terminate the national emergency declared on Feb. 1 in a 219-211 vote — several hours after House Speaker Mike Johnson warned against "trying to limit the president's power while he is in the midst of negotiating American First trade agreements,"

The six Republicans who helped pass the resolution were Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.), Don Bacon (Neb.), Kevin Kiley (Calif.), Jeff Hurd (Co.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), and Dan Newhouse (Wash.).

The resolution is headed now to the Senate, where it stands a good chance of passing given the upper chamber's track record. Trump can, however, ultimately veto it — and it appears unlikely that either chamber has the requisite two-thirds majority support to surmount a veto.

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Photo by EVAN VUCCI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Newhouse explained his decision on Wednesday evening, stating, "Washington State’s economy is heavily intertwined with that of our neighbors to the North. Canada is our state’s second largest export market with billions of dollars in Washington commodities being sold there every year."

In addition to complaining about rising prices and the fallout of reciprocal tariffs, Newhouse noted that "Congress should not tie its own hands on our Constitutional authority to levy tariffs."

Hurd volunteered an even lengthier defense wherein he stressed that "Article I gives Congress the authority to regulate commerce with foreign nations and to levy tariffs" and that the normalization of "broad emergency trade powers today" would enable future presidents to "rely on the same authority in ways many of us would strongly oppose."

"I support the goal of strengthening American industry. Where I differ is on the method," noted Hurd.

Bacon said ahead of the vote that Congress should not "outsource our responsibilities" and that "tariffs are a tax on American consumers."

Kiley suggested to CBS News that his opposition came down to protecting "the powers that belong to our branch of government."

Massie, who has repeatedly defied Trump, stated that his goal "is to defend the Constitution and represent the people" and that "taxing authority is vested in the House of Representatives, not the Executive."

The reaction

In the immediate wake of the vote, Mike Johnson told CNN that the president was "not upset. I just left the White House. He understands what’s going on. It’s not going to affect or change his policy. He can veto these things if they come to it."

Trump did, however, evidence some vexation, writing on Truth Social, "Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time, and that includes Primaries!"

"TARIFFS have given us Great National Security because the mere mention of the word has Countries agreeing to our strongest wishes," continued Trump. "TARIFFS have given us Economic and National Security, and no Republican should be responsible for destroying this privilege."

Trump's anger spilled over into another post, where he noted, "Canada has taken advantage of the United States on Trade for many years. They are among the worst in the World to deal with, especially as it relates to our Northern Border."

"TARIFFS make a WIN for us, EASY. Republicans must keep it that way!" added the president.

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FEMA is doing a national emergency test tomorrow, but what’s it REALLY about?



FEMA, a federal agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, was implemented to prepare for, protect against, respond to, and recover from natural disasters, manmade incidents, and terrorist attacks.

Occasionally, FEMA deems it appropriate to test the EAS, otherwise known as the Emergency Alert System, and the WEA system, which sends wireless emergency alerts to cellphones, to ensure all is in order.

“The wireless (WEA) portion of the test is going to be directed at all consumer cellphones tomorrow,” reports Glenn Beck.

Citizens with cellphones can expect to receive a text message in the language their phone, or “wireless handset,” is programmed to.

“I just would like to point out no one should be in charge of our Emergency Alert System that calls your cellphone a 'handset' or a 'wireless,'” says Glenn.

“This will be the second test that they've done to all cellular devices,” he explains. “It’s been like 12 years, 15 years since we’ve had a test.”

Which begs the question: why now? Why conduct a test tomorrow of all days?

“In completely unrelated news,” says Glenn sarcastically, “the former Soviet Union is also running a test, and they're running it today.”

“Their test is of the emergency, ‘holy crap, get out of your house; only a third of Russia is going to survive,’ nuclear blast test,” he continues.

Another completely unrelated fact is that our Emergency Alert System “was established in the Cold War when we realized, hey, we could all be dead in 18 minutes. So let's do a minute-long tone and then come out and say, 'Hey, by the way, we're going to give you some information here,'” says Glenn.

“So, anyway, nothing to worry about tomorrow.”


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Biden signs measure to end COVID-19 national emergency



More than three years after then-President Donald Trump proclaimed the COVID-19 outbreak a national emergency, President Joe Biden on Monday signed a measure to terminate the national emergency.

When the H.J. Res. 7 measure passed the House chamber earlier this year, only 11 Democrats voted to approve it, but a larger number of Senate Democrats voted for passage when the measure cleared the Senate chamber in a 68-23 vote.

The Biden administration had opposed the measure that the president signed on Monday.

"The Administration strongly opposes enactment of H.R. 382 and H.J. Res. 7, which would be a grave disservice to the American people," a statement of administration policy dated January 30, 2023 noted.

"The COVID-19 national emergency and public health emergency (PHE) were declared by the Trump Administration in 2020. They are currently set to expire on March 1 and April 11, respectively. At present, the Administration's plan is to extend the emergency declarations to May 11, and then end both emergencies on that date," the administration's statement said, warning that "an abrupt end to the emergency declarations would create wide-ranging chaos and uncertainty throughout the health care system."

While the measure Biden signed puts the kibosh on the national emergency, Politico indicated that it does not impact the public heath emergency.

"Based on current COVID-19 trends, the Department of Health and Human Services is planning for the federal Public Health Emergency for COVID-19 (PHE), declared under Section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, to expire at the end of the day on May 11, 2023," a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services press release from late February stated.

Trump has already launched a 2024 presidential bid. Biden, who hosted the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, has said that he plans to run but has stopped short of making a formal announcement.

In a statement on Monday about a deadly shooting in Louisville, Kentucky, Biden went after Republicans.

"How many more Americans must die before Republicans in Congress will act to protect our communities?" Biden asked in the statement, claiming that "from Florida to North Carolina to the U.S. House of Representatives, we've watched Republican officials double down on dangerous bills that make our schools, places of worship, and communities less safe."

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22 Democrats fight to keep COVID emergency alive, but fail in decisive Senate vote



The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday on a Republican resolution to terminate the COVID-19 national emergency first declared by former President Donald Trump on March 13, 2020.

To the chagrin of a gang of Democratic lawmakers keen to preserve emergency powers in the name of "consistency," the resolution, first introduced by Republican Rep. Paul Gosar (Ariz.) passed the Senate without amendment by a Yea-Nay vote of 68-23.

Facing significant Democratic opposition, it previously passed the House on February 1 in a 229-197 vote.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R--Ala.) noted Thursday, "The national emergency gave the government unprecedented power over our lives. Those days are coming to an end."

The Democrats and lone independent who opposed the executive's relinquishment of emergency powers were:

  • Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut;
  • Cory Booker and Bob Menendez of New Jersey;
  • Maria Cantwell and Patt Murray of Washington;
  • Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland;
  • Debbie Stabenow of Michigan;
  • Tina Smith of Minnesota;
  • Tom Carper of Delaware;
  • Tammy Duckworth of Illinois;
  • Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer of New York;
  • Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz of Hawaii;
  • Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts;
  • Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden of Oregon;
  • Alex Padilla of California;
  • Jack Reed of Rhode Island; and
  • Peter Welch (D) and Bernie Sanders (I) of Vermont.

It will now go to President Joe Biden for ratification. A White House official has indicated that Biden will ultimately sign it into law, reported the Hill.

"The President strongly opposes HJ Res 7, and the administration is planning to wind down the COVID national emergency and public health emergency on May 11. If this bill comes to his desk, however, he will sign it, and the administration will continue working with agencies to wind down the national emergency with as much notice as possible to Americans who could potentially be impacted," said the official.

In January, the White House stated, "If the PHE were suddenly terminated, it would sow confusion and chaos into this critical wind-down. ... Due to this uncertainty, tens of millions of Americans could be at risk of abruptly losing their health insurance, and states could be at risk of losing billions of dollars in funding."

The Associated Press noted that Biden's forthcoming ratification of the resolution will be the second time in recent weeks the president has signed legislation he previously made a big show of opposing.

On March 20, he signed into law a resolution to block a radical Washington, D.C., crime bill, disappointing many of the 173 Democrats who had voted against it in Congress.

White House officials indicated that Biden's latest acquiescence has much to do with timing, granted the resolution was initially set to deprive the executive branch of the wide-reaching powers, which it had temporarily enjoyed, back in February.

Biden was aiming for May 11 as the date on which to wind down the national COVID emergency status.

Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) told The Hill that Biden's apparent about-face was "frustrating"; at best an "unacceptable lack of clarity in their message to us."

"This is a problem," added Kildee.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) said, "I find it surprising and I'd like to see a little more consistency."

Democratic Rep. Rick Larsen (Wash.) said in January that ending the emergency "would be harmful and irresponsible."

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Joe Biden wants to spend $22 billion of taxpayer money on pandemic he declared is 'over'



President Joe Biden recently declared the COVID-19 pandemic is "over."

But that has not stopped his administration from asking Congress to approve more than $20 billion in new pandemic-related funding.

What are the details?

The White House is asking Congress to approve $22.4 billion "to meet immediate short-term domestic needs" that are allegedly connected to the pandemic.

That money will go toward testing, accelerating "research and development of next-generation vaccines and therapeutics," helping the U.S. prepare for future COVID-19 variants, and to support the global pandemic response. It's not clear how, with the exception of testing, any of those stated needs are, in the words of the White House, "immediate short-term domestic" priorities.

"[O]ur COVID-19 response efforts continue to require additional funding," the White House said in a release.

"In March, we requested that Congress provide supplemental COVID-19 funding and repeatedly warned that without congressional action, we would be forced to make difficult trade-offs and pull existing funding from critical efforts to meet the most pressing needs," the release continued. "That is precisely what has happened."

The request comes as lawmakers in Washington negotiate a stopgap spending bill that would prevent a partial government shutdown when the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30.

As the Washington Post highlighted, Republicans are understandably seizing on the apparent double standard and pointing out that Biden's rhetoric contradicts his policies.

For example, the legal justification for canceling $10,000 of student loan debt per borrower is the alleged national emergency stemming from the pandemic. Meanwhile, Biden officials have argued that migrants should no longer be expelled from the U.S. under Title 42 because the pandemic is a relic of the past.

What does the WH say?

Administration officials were called in for clean-up duty this week after Biden's "60 Minutes" interview.

An official, for instance, told CNN the official policy of the U.S. government has not changed, and that a declaration of national emergency over the pandemic will be extended in October.

On Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre muddied the waters further with confusing remarks when asked about Biden's declaration.

"Just to step back for a second," she said. "When he made those comments, he was walking through the Detroit car show, the halls of the Detroit car show, and he was looking around. We have to remember the last time that they had held that event was 3 years ago.

"We are in a different time. He’s been very consistent about that," she went on to say, attributing Biden's work as president for the improving pandemic.

\u201cWH @PressSec says Biden didn't actually mean the Covid pandemic is over despite saying it: "Just to step back for a second, when he made those comments, he was walking through the Detroit car show, the halls of the Detroit car show, he was looking around."\u201d
— Tom Elliott (@Tom Elliott) 1663764433

Biden inadvertently sabotages legal justification for student loan debt plan with telling admission



President Joe Biden appeared to inadvertently sabotage on Sunday the legal justification for his student loan forgiveness plan.

What did Biden say?

Speaking in a "60 Minutes" interview, host Scott Pelley asked Biden whether the pandemic is "over" considering he attended the Detroit Auto Show last week, the event's first occurrence since 2019.

In response, Biden declared without exception that the pandemic is "over."

"The pandemic is over. We still have a problem with COVID. We're still doing a lotta work on it," the president said.

"But the pandemic is over. If you notice, no one's wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape," he continued. "And so I think it's changing. And I think this is a perfect example of it."

President Joe Biden: The 2022 60 Minutes Interview youtu.be

What are the implications of his admission?

Last month, Biden announced his student loan forgiveness plan will cancel $10,000 of student loan debt per borrower who annually earns $125,000 or less and $20,000 of debt per Pell Grant recipient.

On the same day as the announcement, the Biden administration released the legal justification for the Biden's plan. A memo released by the Education Department claimed a post-9/11 law, known as the HEROES Act of 2003, authorized broad and sweeping debt cancelation.

That memo read:

The HEROES Act, first enacted in the wake of the September 11 attacks, provides the Secretarybroad authority to grant relief from student loan requirements during specific periods (a war,other military operation, or national emergency, such as the present COVID-19 pandemic) andfor specific purposes (including to address the financial harms of such a war, other militaryoperation, or emergency).

The Secretary of Education has used this authority, under both this and every prior administration since the Act’s passage, to provide relief to borrowers in connection with a war, other military operation, or national emergency, including the ongoing moratorium on student loan payments and interest.

Questions of legality aside, Charles Cooke at National Review explained the implications of Biden's admission.

"But, even if one were to ignore all [of the questions of legality], one could still not get past the fact that the powers to which Biden laid claim can be applied only when there is an active emergency, and that the active emergency Biden is citing has now passed," Cooke wrote.

For what it's worth, the Biden administration is expected to formally extend the COVID national emergency in mid-October.