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BREAKING: Republican Senators Have Had Enough…
… and, with a 52-46 vote, invoked cloture on the nomination process of Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence. If the Dems use all of the 30 allowable hours for blah-blah-blah, she’ll be confirmed just past midnight on Wednesday morning. If they don’t, around 7 PM this evening.
Immediately following Gabbard’s confirmation vote, cloture will be invoked on the nomination of RFJ Jr. for HHS. Depending on the aforementioned Dem behavior, he’ll be confirmed either Wednesday evening or in the wee hours of Thursday morning.
PS:
Thursday morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on sending Kash Patel out for a full vote in the Senate. I imagine a similar “clock” will start ticking on his nomination. So, by close of Monday at the latest, it looks like Trump will have DNI, HHS, and FBI heads in place.
Published in Politics
We are 20% of the way through Trump’s first 100 days and the GOP has done very little. Few confirmations and now talk of a CR for the REST OF THE YEAR. With a GOP like this, who needs enemies?
Not only that, but at least one of those three is probably worth having.
Meanwhile, acting appointees are cheerfully firing and reshuffling below the water line pending appointee appointees.
Since FDR, at least, hasn’t the President usually made strong announcements about what he wants Congress to enact, and had allies in Congress lined up to take the lead in pushing the legislation? Isn’t that the way LBJ got things done in Congress? Wasn’t he constantly on the phone with members of Congress, cajoling and whatever.
It’s not the ideal that the Founders had in mind when they created the three branches, but it’s not really unconstitutional to go about it this way, either.
I don’t know this history very well, so maybe I don’t understand all the ways a President usually gets his agenda through Congress. There might be people here on Ricochet who know more. But if nothing is getting done, maybe President Trump needs to get off his lazy a** and get to work on this.
Save the date, and tune in.
UPDATE:
Snow storm in DC preventing any more Senate activity today. Gabbard vote will take place tomorrow at 11 AM.
Axios has a tracker for appointments. I don’t know what is taking so long. Actually, it is probably resistance from lobbyists. And 4″ of snow.
Feb 5? That’s kinda old. And where is Kash Patel?
It was accurate as of 01/05. The only confirmation since then, due to Dem procedural slow-walking tactics, was Russ Vought for OMB, on Jan 6.
Thankfully, the Republican Senators have sharpened their elbows. Gabbard, RFK Jr. will be confirmed by end of business on Friday. Next up: Kash Patel, probably by end of business on Monday.
Yeah, that was quite an omission on Axios’s part.
I think you mean Feb, not Jan.
Yup.
Lindsay Graham is saying that ICE needs $175 Billion extra and the military needs $150 Billion more. I don’t think the Senate GOP is interested in balancing the budget. How can ICE need $175 Billion. If they catch and deport one million aliens, they would be spending nearly $200,000 per person. That seems extravagant.
At minimum, we should first see how much DOGE can cut. From what I’ve been reading/hearing, there should be more than enough to cover both ICE and military increases, while still saving lots.
Probably it’s best not to tell us where you heard that.
But here’s something else you can read:
The Federal Spending Boom Rolls On : Calling all DOGErs. Outlays rose 15% in the first third of fiscal 2025.
Oh, they’re nibbling, alright. Musk said today they were going to look at the finances of bureaucrats with high net worth that didn’t seem commensurate with a government salary. That’s a veiled threat to Congress.
If you think Senate Republicans have had enough now, just wait until Musk’s gang of teenage hackers starts excoriating and defunding the hundreds of pork projects in their states. It’s going to be glorious.
“Glorious”, eh? Interesting. That’s a characterization that someone who’s pining for, even salivating at the prospect of Senate Republicans putting a stop to the excoriation and defunding of congressional pork would choose to use. Not a sentiment that one would expect from a … conservative. Unless, of course, one’s conservatism takes a backseat to one’s loathing of … Trump. Say, a Bill “The deep state is far preferable to the Trump state” Kristol type … “conservative”.
More nibbling. Maybe he can find his own Charles Littlejohn to look into the finances of government workers–like Charles Littlejohn did with Trump’s IRS records. Or maybe he wants to go to jail himself.
Meanwhile inflation continues upward, according to today’s news.
Indeed it does. Drudge isn’t concealing this unhappy news.
It is done. Meet our shortly to be sworn in Director of National Intelligence:
Yet another example of someone attributing to me views I don’t hold on the basis of statements I didn’t make. Perhaps I should offer remedial reading instruction to Ricochet’s Trump supporters as it appears that only they exhibit this deficiency. My statement consisted of a mere 34 words, not one of which conveyed approval of (1) Senate Republicans putting a stop to anything, or (2) congressional pork or opposition to the defunding thereof.
My statement was: “If you think Senate Republicans have had enough now, just wait until Musk’s gang of teenage hackers start excoriating and defunding the hundreds of pork projects in their states. It’s going to be glorious.” It’s clear to any competent speaker of English that what I expect to be glorious will be the reaction of Republican senators to Musk’s part-time “auditors” spotlighting and taking their axes to pork in the senators’ constituencies, and that’s all. My conservative credentials are unimpaired.
I thought it was clear enough. I think there is a solid 20% of Republicans that are OK with actually cutting WASTE, FRAUD, and ABUSE. I would describe it more as illuminating than glorious, but it will definitely be something! This is the season of reveal in the Trump show.
This, too, is now done. Meet our shortly to be sworn in HHS Secretary:
I read today that the GOP House might have a worked out a plan for spending. Progress! I also read that the GOP Senate has some MAHA bills in the queue. Progress!
I have a plan, too. Even more progress!
I know years ago I promised you a plan, but regrettably, like the one Trump promised for healthcare, I still have only concepts of a plan, so no progress at all, I’m afraid.
What exactly is *itch McConnell’s problem? He voted against several of the Cabinet nominees.
We need to get Kash Patel through next.
Senate will be back on Tuesday, at which point the Dem filibuster will be broken, the 30 hour “debate” clock starts ticking, after which Patel will be voted out of committee for a full senate vote. So, it looks like Patel will be confirmed sometime on Thursday at the latest.
Maybe some are having second thoughts after being conned into voting to approve Pete Hegseth, who is showing his rookie ineptitude in negotiations with Russia and Ukraine.