Beloved Democrat lawmaker passes away after battling illness



Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia passed away on Wednesday at the age of 75 after battling esophageal cancer, according to a statement released by his family.

Connolly, who dedicated his life to public service, passed away peacefully in his Virginia home surrounded by his family, the statement said. Connolly spent 14 years on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and 17 years as a member of Congress.

'We were fortunate to share Gerry with Northern Virginia for nearly 40 years because that was his joy, his purpose, and his passion.'

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"Gerry lived his life to give back to others and make our community better," Connolly's family said in a statement. "He looked out for the disadvantaged and voiceless. He always stood up for what is right and just. He was a skilled statesman on the international stage, an accomplished legislator in Congress, a visionary executive on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, a fierce defender of democracy, an environmental champion, and a mentor to so many."

"But more important than his accomplishments in elected office, Gerry lived by the ethos of 'bloom where you are planted,'" the statement reads. "From the Silver Line to the Oakton Library, Mosaic District to the Cross County Trail and beyond, his legacy now colors our region."

Connolly eventually rose to ranking member in the House Oversight Committee but announced last month that he would be stepping down after his cancer returned. Connolly had been elected to the position in December against Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York despite his diagnosis.

Democrats and Republicans alike mourned Connolly's passing, remembering the friendships he had on both sides of the aisle.

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“I’m deeply saddened by the passing of Ranking Member Gerry Connolly," House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said in a statement. "He was a dedicated public servant who represented Virginia’s 11th Congressional District with honor and integrity. We mourn the loss of our friend and colleague, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.”

"We were fortunate to share Gerry with Northern Virginia for nearly 40 years because that was his joy, his purpose and his passion," the family statement continued. "His absence will leave a hole in our hearts, but we are proud that his life's work will endure for future generations."

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Trump tears into Thomas Massie over CR opposition: 'HE SHOULD BE PRIMARIED'



President Donald Trump lashed out at Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who said on Monday that he would vote against the GOP-led continuing resolution.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) can afford to lose only one Republican vote on the CR given his party's historically narrow House majority. Democrats have also vowed to vote against the CR, leaving Johnson with the challenge of rallying every Republican behind the bill.

Massie, arguably the most principled fiscal conservative in Congress, already claimed the sole "no" vote the conference can spare, adding to the mounting pressure on Republicans. Trump, in turn, took to Truth Social to air his grievances.

'Someone thinks they can control my voting card by threatening my re-election. Guess what? Doesn’t work on me.'

"Congressman Thomas Massie, of beautiful Kentucky, is an automatic 'NO' vote on just about everything, despite the fact that he has always voted for Continuing Resolutions in the past," Trump said. "HE SHOULD BE PRIMARIED, and I will lead the charge against him."

"He's just another GRANDSTANDER, who's too much trouble, and not worth the fight," Trump added. "He reminds me of Liz Cheney before her historic, record breaking fall (loss!). The people of Kentucky won't stand for it, just watch."

While Trump's condemnation would have worked on most Republicans, Massie has been famously immune to the political pressures of GOP leadership, and that includes the president.

Behind the scenes, Republican leadership has been hustling to get the CR passed.

"Someone thinks they can control my voting card by threatening my re-election," Massie said. "Guess what? Doesn’t work on me. Three times I’ve had a challenger who tried to be more MAGA than me. None busted 25% because my constituents prefer transparency and principles over blind allegiance."

Massie is always considered an immovable "no" vote in every spending fight, leaving the rest of the Republican conference to sink or swim. Apart from Massie, several Republicans are still on the fence about Tuesday's CR vote, including Reps. Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Cory Mills of Florida, Tony Gonzales of Texas, Rich McCormick of Georgia, Beth Van Duyne of Texas, Kat Cammack of Florida, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.

Despite some holdouts, Johnson is gunning for a repeat of February's reconciliation vote, where Republicans voted in lockstep to get the budget blueprint passed, with Massie as the only exception.

Behind the scenes, Republican leadership has been hustling to get the CR passed.

OMB Director Russ Vought met with members of the House Freedom Caucus and adjacent fiscal conservatives in early March to pitch the Trump-backed funding bill ahead of the vote, as Blaze News first reported. Trump also met with the same group 48 hours later in order to rally remaining Republican holdouts. As a result, the HFC officially endorsed the CR despite historically opposing CRs generally.

It's clear that Republicans are putting in the work. Now we will have to wait and see if it pays off.

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Spending skeptics rally behind Trump's CR pitch as government shutdown looms



With a government shutdown looming over Congress, Republicans have largely united behind President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) pitch to put through a clean continuing resolution.

Although the text for the CR has not been finalized, House Republicans have come out of closed-door meetings with a positive outlook.

As Blaze News first reported, fiscal conservatives and members of the House Freedom Caucus huddled with Director Russell Vought and other top Office of Management and Budget officials on Monday night, with one White House source in the room describing the meeting as "congenial." The optimism carried through Wednesday afternoon when the same Republicans met with Trump to hear his pitch on a clean CR.

'There is overwhelming support to back the president's agenda to be able to advance and to be able to give room for DOGE and Elon Musk and to give room to Russ Vought and OMB to deliver to the American people.'

"Government funding runs out next week, and Democrats are threatening to shut down the Government - But I am working with the GREAT House Republicans on a Continuing Resolution to fund the Government until September to give us some needed time to work on our Agenda," Trump said in a Truth Social post following the meeting.

"Conservatives will love this Bill, because it sets us up to cut Taxes and Spending in Reconciliation, all while effectively FREEZING Spending this year, and allowing us to continue our work to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN," Trump said. "VERY IMPORTANT - Let’s get this Bill done!"

The benefit of a clean CR is that it would continue Trump's momentum, whereas a government shutdown would stifle it.

'I will try to convince as many of my colleagues as possible that if this is the tool the president needs, we really have a once in a generation opportunity.'

"If [Trump] thinks that a clean CR, put that in air quotes, clean CR, is the way to go for the rest of the fiscal year ... I'm all for it," HFC Chairman Andy Harris (R-Md.) told Blaze News.

"It would be a heavy lift with some conservatives, that’s what they said about the budget resolution and the debt-ceiling increase. But, I think we can achieve this heavy lift," Harris added. "It will take some work over the next week."

To Harris' point, passing a clean CR with such a slim Republican majority will likely be a heavy lift. With respect to reconciliation, Republicans could afford to lose only one vote, and yet, Johnson managed to pull it off.

"I will try to convince as many of my colleagues as possible that if this is the tool the president needs, we really have a 'once in a generation' opportunity," Harris said. "We shouldn't pass it up, because the alternative is to deal with the Democrats."

Republican Rep. Chip Roy (Texas), another past CR skeptic, also came away from closed-door meetings with a positive outlook.

"There is overwhelming support to back the president's agenda to be able to advance and to be able to give room for DOGE and Elon Musk and to give room to Russ Vought and OMB to deliver to the American people," Roy said in a press gaggle Wednesday following the meeting with Trump.

Roy argued that a clean CR would freeze spending at current levels, "which is going to be able to make sure that we hold spending in check" while DOGE and its Capitol Hill allies continue identifying areas of fraud, waste, and abuse.

For other spending skeptics like Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee, continuing DOGE-style cuts is a non-negotiable in order to secure their votes.

'I'm looking at it in a favorable manner. But that doesn't mean I'll vote for it.'

Burchett, who has historically defected during spending fights, told Blaze News that so far, he is "not too inspired" by the Republicans' pitch for a clean CR.

"If they would add the cuts from DOGE, all of them, I could lean in that direction," Burchett told Blaze News. "We got elected to do some things, and DOGE is doing it. I think we ought to take that out for a vote and see what happens."

But even with provisions to codify DOGE cuts, Burchett says it may not be enough to swing his vote in favor of the CR.

"I'm looking at it in a favorable manner," Burchett told Blaze News about a DOGE-style CR. "But that doesn't mean I'll vote for it."

Like with reconciliation, Republicans are operating with incredibly narrow margins. Johnson can afford to lose only one GOP vote, which is likely to be claimed by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky. With the odds seemingly stacked against them, we will have to wait and see if Republicans can pull off another legislative miracle.

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Speaker Johnson scores major victory as House narrowly passes his budget



House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) managed to flip enough Republican votes to narrowly pass his "big beautiful" reconciliation bill Tuesday night, securing a major victory for the speaker.

Leading up to the late-night vote, Johnson was facing four Republican "no" votes on his reconciliation bill despite having President Donald Trump's endorsement. Given the GOP's historically narrow House majority, Johnson could afford to lose only one vote, which made reeling in Republican defectors a tall task.

Nevertheless, Johnson flipped three of the four Republican holdouts for a final 217-215 vote tally. To nobody's surprise, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky was the lone Republican holdout.

'The House laid the groundwork to fund America First priorities while bending the spending curve down.'

"House Republicans got it done tonight. This vote was a key step in the process to deliver President Trump’s full America First agenda," Johnson said in a statement following the vote. "I’m grateful to my colleagues, especially Chairman Arrington and Chairman Smith. Tomorrow, we roll up our sleeves and get right back at it."

"Big First Step Win for Speaker Mike Johnson, and AMERICA," Trump said in a Truth Social post Wednesday. "Now let’s start to BALANCE THE BUDGET. IT CAN BE DONE!!! DJT."

Although a handful of Republicans gave Johnson a hard time, several fiscal conservatives were in support of the bill before it ever hit the floor. Republican Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona and Chip Roy of Texas, who have historically been defectors in previous spending fights, affirmed their support for the Trump-backed bill.

"Last night, the House laid the groundwork to fund America First priorities while bending the spending curve down," Biggs said in a Wednesday post on X. "House Republicans are committed to fulfilling the mandate delivered by the American people."

'I am hopeful and optimistic, and we’ll see if they can pull it off.'

The budget blueprint sets the stage to extend Trump's tax cuts, which are set to expire at the end of the year. The bill additionally allocates much-needed border and defense spending while also reducing certain aspects of spending.

The House is now caught up with the Senate, which approved its own budget blueprint the week before. Although both the House and the Senate are addressing Trump's policy priorities like border funding, tax extensions, and spending cuts, the Senate has opted for a two-bill approach as opposed to the House's single-bill approach.

With the Senate bill acting as a backup, Republicans are hopeful they can get Johnson's budget proposal through.

“I am hopeful and optimistic, and we’ll see if they can pull it off,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said.

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The handful of Republican holdouts Johnson has to reel in for reconciliation



As Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) works around the clock to rally Republicans behind his "big beautiful" reconciliation bill, some members of the GOP are still holding out.

Ahead of the highly anticipated vote, Johnson was tasked with reeling in both moderates and fiscal conservatives who had reservations about reconciliation. Moderates in blue and purple districts felt the cuts in the budget blueprint went too far, while fiscal conservatives felt the cuts didn't go far enough. Notably, Johnson can afford to lose only one Republican vote to get reconciliation out the door.

Despite the diversity of opinion within the Republican conference, Johnson told Blaze News that he has no intention of reaching across the aisle to get his budget proposal passed, noting that reconciliation has always been a "partisan exercise."

'None of us are going to get everything we want, but we will be able to pass what I think could be one of the most consequential pieces of legislation in many, many years, maybe decades.'

Still, he made some inroads, particularly among moderates, who usually acquiesce after some lobbying from the Republican leadership.

Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska came out of a meeting Monday saying he felt "a little more comfort" about Johnson's proposal. Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York similarly went from leaning no on reconciliation to undecided and eventually to lean yes all in one day.

"I disagree with my colleagues," Malliotakis said of fiscal conservatives Tuesday. "Unfortunately there are some that want to vote no on this resolution because they say it doesn't go far enough and we need to cut more. But we need to do this with a scalpel, I've said this repeatedly, not a sledgehammer."

The sledgehammer-wielding Republicans Malliotakis is referring to include the usual suspects.

As of now, Johnson remains optimistic, focusing his efforts on whipping his conference behind the budget resolution.

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who has historically opposed many of the GOP's spending proposals, said Monday that "if the Republican budget passes, the deficit gets worse, not better." Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana similarly voiced her opposition to the resolution on Sunday, citing fiscal concerns.

Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee took issue with the budget proposal, saying he wanted more assurances on spending cuts and a permanent extension on President Donald Trump's 2017 tax cuts. Republican Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio also criticized the bill, saying there was "no path" to pass the resolution without addressing the looming funding deadline on March 14. As of now, there has been no proposed continuing resolution to avert a government shutdown before mid-March.

Although Johnson doesn't currently have the votes on paper, he has secured major cuts in the bill with the help of past budget critics like Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, giving him a leg up in ongoing negotiations. As of now, Johnson remains optimistic, focusing his efforts on whipping his conference behind the budget resolution.

"We're not going to have any Democrats, which means we are going to have to have every single Republican," Johnson told Blaze News.

"I'm convinced that, at the end, it's going to work," Johnson added. "None of us are going to get everything we want, but we will be able to pass what I think could be one of the most consequential pieces of legislation in many, many years, maybe decades."

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Exclusive: Chip Roy introduces key bill protecting American land from CCP influence



Republican Rep. Chip Roy (Texas) introduced legislation Tuesday that would bar members of the Chinese Communist Party from purchasing land in the United States, according to the bill text obtained exclusively by Blaze News.

The Securing America's Land from Foreign Interference Act would direct the president to "take actions as may be necessary" to prevent the purchase of public or private land in the United States by members of the CCP or under the influence of the CCP.

'If the Soviets were doing this 50 years ago, Congress would have already taken action; we need to look at the CCP with the same seriousness.'

China currently controls over 270,000 acres of land in the United States, with foreign investors overall controlling nearly 45 million acres of U.S. farmland, according to the latest data published by the Department of Agriculture.

"The Chinese Communist Party shouldn't be able to buy American land, and they especially shouldn't be able to buy our farmland or land near critical infrastructure like military bases, like we let them do now," Roy told Blaze News.

"If the Soviets were doing this 50 years ago, Congress would have already taken action; we need to look at the CCP with the same seriousness," Roy added.

In Texas alone, a Chinese-based energy company has purchased 130,000 acres of land close to Laughlin Air Force Base. Another Chinese company called Fufeng Group also purchased 300 acres of farmland just 12 miles from the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota.

"That's why I first introduced the original language of this bill back in 2021," Roy told Blaze News. "Now — with a federal trifecta in the House, Senate and White House Republicans have no excuse not to force this issue and pass legislation barring the CCP from buying any American soil."

Roy's bill is co-sponsored by Republican Reps. Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Brandon Gill of Texas, Eric Burlison of Missouri, Pat Fallon of Texas, Mark Green of Tennessee, Troy Nehls of Texas, Michael Guest of Mississippi, Jake Ellzey of Texas, Pete Stauber of Minnesota, Randy Weber of Texas, and Nathaniel Moran of Texas.

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BEASTMODE: CNN’s Ratings Are Lower Than 'SpongeBob' Reruns, GOP Rep Tells Jim Acosta

Rep. Tim Burchett (R., Tenn.) skewered CNN’s poor ratings Wednesday, telling anchor Jim Acosta that SpongeBob SquarePants reruns and Cartoon Network get more viewers.

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