GOP Budget Increases Military Spending, Cuts Domestic Funding

Secular Talk

The L.A. Times states, “House Republicans released a 2016 spending blueprint Tuesday that seeks to fulfill the GOP goal of balancing the budget in 10 years, but does so by slashing Medicare and other safety net programs while dramatically boosting military spending.”

The budget re-visits old right-wing proposals a “signature proposal for overhauling Medicare with a voucher-like private insurance option,” states the L.A. Times.

U.S. News and World Report wrote that there was a potential stalemate between conservatives who are “deficit hawks” vs. conservatives who are “defense hawks.” The vote in the House was 228 to 199.

“Leadership managed to convince enough members of the far-right Freedom Caucus, led by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to support a proposal that met dual goals of balancing the budget and increasing military spending, giving them enough support to pass a budget without the help of Democrats or Republicans insisting against any increase in spending,” states U.S. News and World Report.

Republicans see the budget rules as the best way to tackle a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, since only a simple majority of votes in the Senate are required under a special budget process called reconciliation. So they see “de-funding” Obamacare as the best way to “repeal” it.

The budget “purports to cut $5.6 trillion off the deficit and balance the budget within a decade, repeals the Affordable Care Act and slashes nondefense discretionary spending,” states U.S. News and World Report.

In February, the House of Representatives voted to repeal The ACA (“Obamacare”) for the 56th time, states the New York Times. It didn’t work out. The law is already up and running and insuring people.

The Senate passed a Republican-authored budget plan early on Friday that “is similar to one passed by House Republicans on Wednesday,” states Reuters. It seeks $5.1 trillion in domestic spending cuts over 10 years while boosting military funding.

Reuters:

“The 52-46 vote on the non-binding budget resolution put Congress on a path to complete its first full budget in six years. It came at the end of a marathon 18-hour session that saw approval of dozens of amendments ranging from Iran sanctions to carbon emissions and immigration policies.”

“…both documents seek to ease the path for a repeal or replacement of President Barack Obama’s signature health care reform law.”

Does this sound like a budget that the President will sign into law?

(Updated post)

What Does Boehner’s Visit To Netanyahu Mean?

TYT Network

U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, who invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak to Congress this month, will visit Israel in the coming weeks, his spokesman said Friday.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz calls Speaker Boehner “U.S. President Barack Obama’s arch rival and the man who invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make his controversial speech in Congress.”

Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the U.S. Congress on March 3rd seemed oriented towards undermining peace negotiations with Iran. Why – because he wants war? The terms of the deal have not even been released yet? Why the rush? A letter from 47 opposition senators directly to Iranian leadership in regards to the peace deal also made the situation more complex – and “two-faced.”

Senior Israeli officials who asked to remain anonymous said Boehner will begin his visit – which has not yet been announced publicly – on March 31st, states Haaretz. He will be heading a delegation of Republican Congress members.

Boehner To Visit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, who invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak to Congress this month, will visit Israel in the coming weeks, his spokesman said Friday.

Boehner “looks forward to visiting the country, discussing our shared priorities for peace and security in the region, and further strengthening the bond between the United States and Israel,” aide Kevin Smith said to Bloomberg in an e-mail.

Bloomberg states that Boehner’s office claims the trip was planned “months ago.”

Israeli officials said the final agreement for the visit was given during Netanyahu’s trip to the United States, claims Haaretz.

Netanyahu’s speech was March 3rd. Sources state Netanyahu asked lawmakers to oppose a nuclear deal that is being negotiated between Iran and the U.S., Germany, Russia, China, Britain, and France.

John Boehner Expected to Announce New House Investigation Into Hillary Clinton’s E-Mail Practices

House Speaker John Boehner is expected to announce this week a new “special investigation” into Hillary Clinton’s email practices as Secretary of State, including her admission that more than 31,000 emails were destroyed because she determined them to be personal, top House Republicans told ABC News.

This investigation is separate from the ongoing Benghazi investigation., claims the Huffington Post.

During a news conference last week, Clinton did not describe the details of how the review of her email was conducted, but said it was “thorough” and that she went “above and beyond” what she was required to do in turning over many of her emails to the State Department.

ABC’s “This Week” program said top Republicans had briefed it about Hillary’s investigation, but did not give details.

Clinton, expected to launch her campaign soon for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, has faced a storm of criticism over her email habits.

She used a personal email address instead of a government one, as well as a personal server, during the period she was secretary of state, from 2009 to 2013.

Clinton told a news conference on Tuesday her private email address was a “convenience” so she would not have to carry two mobile devices.

She sent and received 62,320 emails while at the State Department. After a review process, 30,490 were provided to the State Department at its request, a Clinton spokesman said last week, according to the Huffington Post. The remaining 31,830 were private and personal records, the spokesman said.

More here:

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/hillary-clinton-emails-john-boehner-expected-announce-house/story?id=29648251

(Updated post)

Netanyahu Invite Skips Over White House

When you have to say “I don’t believe I am poking anyone in the eye,” then you are probably poking someone in the eye…

CNN discusses John Boehner’s direct invite to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu and why the White House may be upset.

CNN

Huh? Rep. Louie Gohmert To Challenge Boehner For Position Of Speaker Of The House?

According to the Dallas Morning News, Texas tea party Rep. Louie Gohmert declared that he will challenge Speaker John Boehner for the position of Speaker of the House.

The Dallas Morning News: “In a statement issued by his office early Sunday, Gohmert said the November elections, in which Republicans gained control of the Senate and padded their House majority, should have emboldened the Speaker to get tough on President Barack Obama.

“’Voters made clear they wanted change,’ he said. Instead, he added, Boehner ‘forced through the CRomnibus’ – a far-reaching spending bill – ‘by passing it with Democratic votes and without time to read it.’”

Gohmert is widely reviled by Democrats as not being the sharpest tool in the shed.

In the video above, Gohmert states that the Democrats are the “Party of No.”

Secular Talk video.

http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2015/01/texas-tea-partier-louie-gohmert-to-challenge-speaker-john-boehner.html/

Lindsey Graham Not Happy With Conspiracy-Debunking Benghazi Report

TYT video.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) still doesn’t believe the Benghazi reports. Recently, the seventh investigation – which was Republican-led – came to a conclusion and a report was released.

According to the Denver Post, the House Intelligence Committee report was released on the Friday before Thanksgiving week. Many of its findings are similar to those of six previous investigations by other congressional committees and a State Department panel. The eighth Benghazi investigation is being carried out by a House Select Committee appointed in May.

This report was issued by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Congressman Mike Rogers, R-Michigan.

Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union. Lindsey Graham blasted the House GOP-led investigation that debunked myths about the 2012 Benghazi attack.

The House Intelligence Committee took two years to compile, and found there was no outright intelligence failure during the attack, there was no delay in the rescue of U.S. personnel, and there was no political cover-up by Obama administration officials.

After Graham was asked whether the report exonerates the administration, he initially ignored the question, and then said “no.”

“I think the report is full of crap,” Graham said.

Similar to six previous government reports, the one released by the Committee on Friday said that the administration had not intentionally misled the public about what occurred during the attacks in the talking points it created for officials to use in television appearances that turned out to be inaccurate.

It also said that no order was given by the military to “stand down” in responding to try to save the four Americans killed in the attacks.

This report is separate from the Special Committee created by Speaker John Boehner. The Special Committee is led by Representative Trey Gowdy, a Republican from South Carolina, who has a budget of $3.3 million for the investigation. PoliticusUSA states that $14 million of taxpayer money has already been spent on Benghazi investigations.