The rights of all members to fully function as legislators had been taken away by Speaker Pelosi, who legislated in small, secret groups. She knew knowledge was “power.” She used her power to manipulate the legislative process by bringing multi-thousand-page bills to the floor without giving members the ability to read the proposed law or the right to offer amendments. Pelosi treated backbenchers as lemons.

Now, as the hard work of legislating begins, Conservatives should never forget, “No plan ever survives contact with the enemy.” This point is critical since real conservatives have fought excessive spending and increasing national debt for decades, but their efforts have many times been thwarted by Republicans who spend just as much, or more, than Democrats. Based on fiscal year spending, Republicans are bigger spenders than Democrats.

The necessity of member participation. Since every member of Congress is elected by a congressional district of similar size, the average number being 761,169 people, each member should have similar rights to represent the legislative needs of their districts in Congress. Those rights include the right to know what they are voting on and to offer amendments to change bad legislation.

Through a combination of Rules changes and commitments from the Speaker, members will have 72 hours to read legislation before they must vote on it. And, if the legislation is only on one subject, it will be more understandable to them and the American people. All legislators will have the right to offer amendments to cut spending as opposed to being forced to endlessly increase it.  Additionally, special interest riders will need a two-thirds vote for approval. There were 7,200 legislative riders in the $1.7 trillion Omnibus Appropriations Act.

Putting conservatives on the Rules Committee makes them part of the legislative process.  The #Freedom 20 secured the Speaker’s commitment to appoint three real conservatives to the House Rules Committee. If honored, it will give conservatives real input on what is debated on the floor of the House. If the Speaker does not keep his promises, any member can move to remove him.

 Every member of the House is now responsible for addressing the national debt. Now the #Freedom 20 and every member of Congress can run the government for the people, not the special interests. That will be an extremely difficult task. Jimmy Carter left office in 1980 with a $997 billion national debt. Today after four Republican and three Democrat presidents, the national debt is $31 trillion. As the great philosopher Pogo (a comic strip character) stated, “We have met the enemy, and it is us.”

Congress must recognize it created this spending and debt problem. Congress is responsible for addressing it. That said, the #Freedom 20 needs to convince many more members of the House and likely most of the Senate to attend “Spenders Anonymous.” Already, Republicans are on cable tv objecting to cuts in the military. If one department can be left off the table, all departments will be left off the table.

Since a point of order is merely the opening act, conservatives need to do the hard work of proving to spenders the need for budget cuts and debt reductions. Soon the #Freedom 20 will find that a “Point of Order” is great theater but is easily dismissed by a majority of spenders. For over two decades, the Congressional Budget Office identified hundreds of billions of dollars in congressional funding for thousands of expired authorizations stemming from hundreds of expired laws. All points of order were overruled.

In its last report, the CBO identified $461 billion in congressional funding for 1,118 expired authorizations stemming from 442 expired laws. House Rule XVI already prohibits such appropriations; however, the House merely voted to wave the rule and fund the expired programs.

Now however, with the empowerment of all members and a rule that requires all committees to review expired programs, each Republican member of the House should agree to review five expired laws to determine whether they should be reauthorized, amended, or let lapse and report their recommendations to the committee chair. Such a review would analyze the entire list of 1118 expired laws that are being funded. It is a chance to immediately save almost one-half trillion dollars.

# Freedom 20 also secured the right to offer a “Balance Budget Amendment” and a Constitutional proposal to impose term limits on members of Congress. These are two significant issues that most members of Congress would like to ignore. Most members of Congress want their privileged positions for life. Without accountability, however, members of Congress are free to do as they choose and still be reelected. Over 90% of incumbents are reelected, a percentage similar to the reelection rate for the Russian Duma.

There is some camouflage in the new rules. The select committees do not have subpoena power, which must be approved by the chairman of the relevant standing committee. The select committees, however, can waive the 5-minute rule on questioning witnesses, a huge benefit in seeking the truth. They can also make legislative recommendations.  Unfortunately, these select committees will have less investigative power than the Democrats’ infamous “January 6^th” select committee.

 The real dark and cold reality facing the #Freedom 20 is the Senate. The Senate cares little about members of the “lower” House. The Constitution created the Senate to represent states, not people. Notwithstanding the XVII Amendment, Senators view themselves as closer to being a presidential deity than commoners in Congress. A Senator’s function, even Republican Senators,  seems to be distributing taxpayer money to special interests. Eighteen Senators supported the Democrats’ passage of the most recent 4000-page, $1.7 trillion Omnibus Appropriations Act.

The House needs to find leverage that makes the Senate take it seriously. This standoff brings us to the very brutal part of politics. In the final analysis, the #Freedom 20, or the House in general, has only two ways to leverage its power. The House can refuse to increase the debt limit unless it receives concessions. This tactic forces the Senate to confront the debt reality, but it puts every member of the #Freedom 20 at risk of causing an economic calamity. Worse still, Democrats and many Republican Senators will run to the cameras to call the House members crazy, insurrectionists or anarchists.

The second option is simply to refuse to appropriate money for items of concern to the Senate or the administration until debt concessions are made. The is no provision of the Constitution or any law that requires any member of the House to appropriate money. This approach will require waiting for the next round of appropriations.  A possible first step would be to refuse to appropriate money to fund a federal agency important to the big spenders. My nomination would be the Department of Education. It is the most important agency t Democrats and is owned by their biggest donors, teachers’ unions. Democrats will make concessions to save that Department for the unions.  House Republicans should find an agreement to defund an agency they never wanted.

As the 118^th Congress unfolds, the American public will discover if the #Freedom 20 and Republican House have crossed the Rubicon or whether they are merely taking a siesta on its banks.

The post #Freedom20 Rule Changes Make All in Congress Equal appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.

by John Murphy

According to Congressman Andrew Ogles (R-TN)’s interview with The Epoch Times‘ Roger L. Simon, we know McCarthy made these concessions to win over his opposition:

1. Jeffersonian Motion – It takes only one congressperson to bring a vote on the removal of the McCarthy as Speaker. This was the policy in place before Nancy Pelosi removed it. 
2. A Church Committee to investigate possible overreach in surveillance by the FBI and other government organizations.

If there is one thing libertarians can be optimistic about, it is the appointment of a congressman that was not one of the 20 “Never-Kevins”: Part of the concessions to the Freedom Caucus was to appoint Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) as head of the Church Committee. 

This will give Massie the ability to investigate and bring light to waste in any area of the federal government.  After the revelations made in the past by Snowden and others, as well as Elon Musk recently, finally many mainstream Republicans in the party are ready for investigations into potential overreach.  

1. Bills presented to Congress will be single subject, not omnibus, with all the attendant earmarks, and there will be a 72-hour minimum period to read them.

2. The Texas Border Plan will be put before Congress. From The Hill: “The four-pronged plan aims to ‘Complete Physical Border Infrastructure,’ ‘Fix Border Enforcement Policies,’ ‘Enforce our Laws in the Interior’ and ‘Target Cartels & Criminal Organizations.’”

3. COVID mandates will be ended as well as all funding for them including “emergency funding.”

4. Budget bills would stop the endless increases in the debt ceiling and hold the Senate accountable for the same.

By now libertarians know to set low expectations when it comes to the Republican Party and spending, but with a split government, it sounds like they are comfortable again back to at least talking a good game in regards to COVID funding and the debt ceiling.

We also know from Rep. Lauren Boebert’s (R-CO) comments that

1. A vote on term limits will be a priority

Inevitably there are rumors of the existence of other concessions that have not been made public.  Could there be something related to January 6th?  A Dr. Fauci investigation?  Or a Biden impeachment vote?  Perhaps these are the insider details that we will never know.  

The last four days has shown the establishment running up and down the aisles of Congress in disbelief that they were facing such a struggle with a vote that they expected to be purely procedural.  Some libertarians may have also taken enjoyment in the fact that during the process Congress has been at a legislative standstill.

It will be interesting to see where McCarthy finds “compromise” between the different parts of the modern day GOP. Could this division be a foreshadow of more challenge for the party to find common ground between the establishment and the various groups passionately fighting to define conservatism? And could this be the start of Republicans realizing that libertarianism is the heart of conservatism and that it’s also good politically?

People respect principled politicians and since COVID a whole lot of people have been hoping for a real alternative to the status quo. Freedom is exactly what the people need. And as much as they try to vilify people that think like Massie, in his new position he will be able to be a libertarian voice that represents freedom well. It will be one more step towards convincing non political types that a free society is not only what is morally right but also what generates the most prosperity for everybody. 

The post Libertarians Win With McCarthy’s Concessions For Speaker appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.

By Robert Donachie

House Republicans are scheduled to vote on a bill to repeal the 2010 Dodd-Frank act, according to a statement from House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

McCarthy announced Friday that the House will review and vote on the Financial CHOICE Act next week, but the exact timing of the vote remains unclear. Republicans are expected to pass the measure but will be met with significant backlash from House Democrats who remain opposed to repealing former President Barack Obama’s chief financial legislation, Reuters reports.

“This is a jobs bill for Main Street. It will rein in the overreach of Dodd-Frank that has allowed the big banks to get bigger while small businesses have been unable to get the loans they need to succeed,” Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said in a statement. “With the Financial CHOICE Act, the era of taxpayer-funded bailouts and too big to fail is over.”

House Republicans revealed the Financial CHOICE Act in mid February. The bill is the Republican leadership’s most aggressive plan so far to loosen regulations after the financial crisis of 2007. President Donald Trump has taken the lead thus far for Republicans on banking and regulatory reform, signing multiple executive orders in February aimed at repealing Dodd-Frank and other rules. (RELATED: Trump Signs Executive Order To Rip Up Dodd-Frank Disaster)

Dodd-Frank was originally intended to increase transparency by implementing a consistent set of regulations aimed at closing loopholes and making firms accountable for their own mistakes. The bill attempted to shift the burden of major financial mistakes from taxpayers to market participants, ensuring those who partake in risky investment practices would bear the financial burden of their mistakes. Dodd-Frank promised to “end too big to fail” and “promote financial stability.”

Despite the Act’s intentions, large banking institutions have grown dramatically since the passage of Dodd-Frank, and small community banks have incurred serious losses trying to keep up. Crippling regulations saddled smaller banks, forcing American consumers to market with fewer investment vehicles and greater costs.

Prior to Dodd-Frank, some 75 percent of banks offered free-checking. That figure fell to 39 percent just two years after Dodd-Frank came into effect. Consumers are paying more and getting less because of Dodd-Frank. Low-income consumers suffer the most, according to research by the International Center for Law and Economics.

The CHOICE Act would impose new restrictions on financial regulators, and eliminate the powers granted to regulators after 2007.

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The post House To Vote On Dodd-Frank Repeal appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.

By Juliegrace Brufke

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he doesn’t believe Russian President Vladimir Putin ever paid President Donald Trump or Republican California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, telling reporters his 2016 comments were “a bad joke.”

McCarthy’s clarification come after The Washington Post reported he made the allegations shortly before Trump was nominated — telling his colleagues, “There’s two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump — swear to God.” According to WaPo, House Speaker Paul Ryan asked members to keep the comments private.

“It’s a bad joke, that’s all there was to it,” he told reporters Wednesday.

McCarthy said in retrospect he regrets making the joke, asserting he wasn’t making a serious accusation.

“I don’t even remember it transpiring, it was a simple joke,” he continued. “It was a bad thing to joke about — that’s all there is to it.”

Rohrabacher said he isn’t taking offense to the comments, adding he believes the majority leader made the comments in jest.

“He does that — he sort of makes jokes like that, there’s nothing wrong with that,” he told reporters. “It would be wrong for everybody to think that was a news story.”

Rohrabacher said he’s talked to McCarthy since the story dropped, adding members of congress misspeak often, and his remark shouldn’t be taken seriously.

“You have to be very careful when you’re using humor,” he continued.

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The post McCarthy Says 2016 Comment Saying Putin Is Paying Trump Was A ‘Bad Joke’ appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.

By Juliegrace Brufke

House Republicans said they need more information but are deeply concerned over reports President Donald Trump allegedly asked then-FBI director James Comey to drop the investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

The New York Times reported Monday that a memo written by Comey alleges the president asked him to end the Flynn investigation.

“I hope you can let this (the Flynn investigation) go,” the memo claims Trump said during a meeting shortly after Flynn resigned for misleading Vice President Mike Pence about conversations he had with the Russian ambassador.

House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz said he is ready to subpoena the memo if it exists, tweeting his committee needs to see it “sooner rather than later.”

Republican Study Committee Chairman Mark Walker, who sits on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said there are factors that need to be taken into consideration before they can determine how to proceed.

“There are two schools of thoughts on this: One, was this just Trump being Trump and saying, ‘Hey, you know, take better care of my guy Flynn.’ Or was this something legitimate where there was some undue influence? That remains to be seen, and I don’t know the answer to that — so we’re just sort of watching and waiting,” he told reporters.

Walker said until he sees what’s in the memo, it’s hard to speculate on whether Comey needs to testify before Congress.

“I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, but I’d be remiss if I said, from what I’m hearing … for me to say I’m not concerned a little bit about it would be a little disingenuous on my part,” he said.

Florida Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo called for the House to summon Comey for a hearing, saying his public testimony is an “absolute necessity.”

“If the allegations that are being made are true, it would be deeply, deeply troubling,” Curbelo told reporters Tuesday. “It’s disconcerting and would open a new chapter of scandal —  it’s very disconcerting.”

House Republican leadership said they are hoping to get more information soon.

“In today’s Washington, I find there are a lot of allegations and small truths,” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters.

House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers said she is interested in seeing Comey testify.

“We’re all learning more about what happened. We need the White House to be open and transparent with us so we can get to the bottom of it,” she said.

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The post House Republicans Concerned By Reports Trump Asked Comey To Halt Flynn Investigation appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.

By Juliegrace Brufke

The lower chamber is slated to make its second attempt Thursday at repealing and replacing Obamacare after weeks of negotiations following leadership pulling the bill off the floor in March due to a lack of consensus among GOP lawmakers.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy confirmed they have enough votes and the House Committee on Rules will act on an amendment, introduced by Michigan Rep. Fred Upton, providing $8 billion to help cover people with pre-existing conditions.

“As you know we have already debated a large portion of this, we’ll finish off the rest of debate and we’ll take the vote,” he told reporters.

House Majority Whip said they made an effort to address hesitant lawmakers concerns over the legislation to ensure they had enough votes to bring it to the floor.

“We’ve been working really hard to make sure that our members had all the information that they needed — there were a lot of good questions being asked, there were a lot of important changed that were being asked to get this passed,”  he told reporters Wednesday.

The bill is expected to pass by a narrow margin due to a number of members expressing concerns it doesn’t do enough to protect people with pre-existing conditions. Push back was seen following an amendment — brokered between Tuesday Group Co-Chairman Tom MacArthur and House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows — was added allowing states to waive out of a number of the Affordable Care Act’s Title I regulations.

Leadership dismissed allegations pre-existing conditions wouldn’t be covered under the revised legislation, noting the addition of the Upton amendment adds additional protection for vulnerable Americans. According to House Chief Deputy Whip Patrick McHenry, its addition helped sway a sizable amount of members that were on the fence.

“I think it’s a very good close,” he told reporters ahead of the vote announcement.

McCarthy echoed McHenry’s sentiments, saying it allows Republicans to make good on their campaign promise to assure no one loses coverage while bringing down costs.

“There was a concern that they had, if the state took a waiver, even though there was double protection for the pre-existing conditions, could there ever be a loop — and this (the Upton amendment) took that all out of the way.

If the bill passes, it will then move to the Senate where a large portion of the language will likely be stripped out.

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The post Leadership Confident They’ll Get The Votes To Pass Obamacare Repeal appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.

By Robert Donachie

The House Freedom Caucus (HFC) is signaling its willingness to throw support behind Republicans’ newest plan to repeal and replace Obamacare.

Following the humiliating defeat of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) in March, the White House and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan are desperately trying to court conservatives and moderate Republicans behind some version of Obamacare repeal.

HFC Chairman, Congressman Mark Meadows, proved to be a formidable roadblock for President Donald Trump and Republican leadership during the first repeal effort. The North Carolina congressman was able to whip conservatives into standing against the AHCA, which, in addition to unanimous Democratic opposition, proved enough to kill it.

The chairman said Thursday that the group wants to see health insurance waivers related to community ratings — a feature of Obamacare that bars insurers from charging different premium rates with exceptions based on age and cost-of-living.

“If those offers that were made over the last couple of days actually appear in the legislation, the majority, if not almost all of the Freedom Caucus, will vote for this bill,” Meadows told reporters Thursday.

The HFC is facing criticism for its opposition to the repeal bill Trump and Ryan proposed. The president led the charge, taking swings at the group after it stood against the AHCA.

“The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don’t get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018,” Trump tweeted. The president also directly called out Meadows and others in the HFC leadership.

Conservative group Heritage Action’s CEO Mike Needham came out in full support of Meadows and the HFC on a phone call with reporters Wednesday morning.

Needham called the HFC the “grown ups in the room,” throughout the process of negotiating Obamacare repeal, during a phone call with reporters. The executive said the HFC has been one of the few groups willing to negotiate. He also believes they remain consistent in their policy preferences and recommendations.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy hinted Thursday morning that the new effort is gaining momentum but that any push for a vote will not come for a matter of weeks.

“I realize how important it is to keep up momentum so be assured that conversations will continue … should we be prepared to advance our bill through the House in the coming two weeks, we will advise members immediately and give you sufficient time to return to Washington,” McCarthy wrote Thursday morning in an e-mail to House Republicans.

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The post House Freedom Caucus Shows Support For New Obamacare Repeal appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.