DonnyFerguson.com
Monday, September 27, 2021
In this issue:
CAPITOL HILL
>>> Boebert introduces Articles of Impeachment against Biden and Harris
>>> Congressman demands Hunter Biden ‘art’ dealer turn over documents on shady sales
>>> Senators and congressmen demand NIH provide answers on possibly illegal scheme to harvest baby organs
COVID NEWS
>>> Judicial Watch sues over Biden “COVID Community Corps” scheme
>>> Biden slaps health care rationing on states that didn’t vote for him
YOUR MONEY
>>> Under Dem tax scheme 80 percent of Americans get no tax cut or a tax hike
>>> Toomey presses Biden SEC chair for regulatory clarity on cryptocurrencies
GREEN SCHEMES
>>> Dem tax scheme slaps farmers with $6500-per-cow Fart Tax
>>> Barrasso hits Biden for killing US pipelines while gifting Russia new pipeline as geopolitical weapon
JUSTICE
>>> Judicial Watch sues for documents on Biden plan to block Georgia voter integrity bill
>>> Teamsters union bosses hit with federal charges after illegally threatening worker
CAPITOL HILL
>>> Boebert introduces Articles of Impeachment against Biden and Harris
Rep. Lauren Boebert upheld her oath to defend the Constitution of the United States by solemnly introducing articles of impeachment against Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
Rep. Lauren Boebert stated: “Joe Biden willfully abandoned his duty as President of the United States and violated his constitutional oath to ‘take care that the laws be faithfully executed’ by failing to ensure the national security of the United States and its citizens. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris handed over billions of dollars of American-made weapons to the very scum of the earth that we spent $2 trillion fighting. The Biden regime is not being held accountable. There have been no resignations, no indictments, no investigations, no congressional oversight, no outcry from the mainstream media, and no apologies—so I’m stepping up to hold Biden and Harris accountable by filing articles of impeachment for giving aid and comfort to America’s enemies and colluding with the Taliban.
“And let me be clear, Vice President Harris is complicit in all of this. She can’t hide as the incompetent Border czar, and she can’t hide from her moral and legal duty to remove Joe Biden via the 25th Amendment due to his clear inability to ‘discharge the powers and duties of his office.’ Biden is supposed to be the commander-in-chief, but he forgot the name of the Pentagon, the Department of Defense, and the Secretary of Defense. His indecision, incompetence, and mental failings cost American lives, and Kamala had a duty to step up and remove Biden from office. She failed, and now 13 American servicemembers are dead. One way or another, Kamala needs to be impeached for her failure to step up and stop this avoidable catastrophe.”
Congressman Jody Hice said: “The President of the United States willingly abandoned American citizens behind enemy lines, and his incompetence and miscalculations contributed to the deaths of 13 U.S. servicemembers. As if that were not enough, he deserted thousands of Afghan allies to be slaughtered. Furthermore, as the Taliban strengthens their hold over Afghanistan, they’ll be doing it with American military equipment thanks to Joe Biden. Afghanistan is well on its way to becoming a terrorist super state that will threaten the region, the world, and the American homeland for years to come, and the responsibility falls entirely on President Biden’s shoulders. He has been woefully derelict in his most basic duties as President and he has proven himself incapable of leading our nation. He must be removed from office as quickly as possible.”
Background:
Joe Biden’s collusion with the Afghan President to lie to the American people is a betrayal of public trust. Biden conspired with the Afghan President to “whether it is true or not…project a different picture” to “change perception.”
Joe Biden colluded with the Taliban, and he gave them a list of Americans being held in Afghanistan. Biden then failed to protect the people he exposed, and he failed to evacuate hundreds of Americans.
Finally, Biden hastily ordered a drone strike that tragically killed 10 civilians, including 7 children.
Throughout the Afghanistan withdrawal, Joe Biden demonstrated that he was not capable of executing his duties as president. Instead of leading the country, he took an extended vacation at Camp David. From the beginning of his administration, Biden has hidden the truth about his cognitive ability, and he refused to take a cognitive test like President Trump did.
Kamala Harris has a duty under the 25th Amendment to recognize Biden’s cognitive decline and address whether he is capable of leading our country. She violated her oath of office by allowing Biden to remain in office even when he is clearly fumbling through basic functions, and his inability to execute the duties of his office fumbled America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Rep. Boebert has continually worked to hold the Biden administration accountable, and in June, she joined 23 of her colleagues in introducing a censure resolution against Joe Biden for his dereliction of duty in allowing the invasion on the southern border to go unchecked.
Reps. Andy Biggs, Jeff Duncan, Ralph Norman, Louie Gohmert, and Jody Hice co-sponsored Rep. Boebert’s articles of impeachment against Joe Biden, and Rep. Ralph Norman also co-sponsored Rep. Boebert’s articles of impeachment against Kamala Harris.
# # # #
>>> Congressman demands Hunter Biden ‘art’ dealer turn over documents on shady sales
House Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.) wrote to Georges Bergès, owner of the Georges Bergès Gallery, reiterating his request for all documents and communications related to the exorbitant prices the gallery set for selling Hunter Biden’s art. Mr. Biden’s prior questionable dealings raise serious concerns given the history of foreign governments using high value art to evade U.S. sanctions, the extravagant prices for which Mr. Biden—a new, untrained, celebrity artist—is selling his art, and the Biden family’s history of using proximity to political power for self-gain.
“For years, Mr. Biden has attempted to profit off his father’s position in government, and the art deals are merely the latest iteration of these efforts. The investigation into Mr. Biden’s business ventures, and those who have aided him in his dubious endeavors, has been ongoing for over two years, and, if necessary, will continue into the next Congress,” wrote Ranking Member Comer.
On September 7, 2021, Ranking Member Comer sent an initial request seeking all information related to Mr. Biden’s artwork. The art gallery has not responded.
“The documents requested from you will inform and are pertinent to our oversight of any attempts to seek improper influence with the Biden Administration by anonymous benefactors, and understanding the process you are purportedly undertaking to shield the Administration from any influence by those procuring Mr. Biden’s art. Additionally, your documents and information could inform legislation related to ethics regulations,” concluded Ranking Member Comer.
Ranking Member Comer has requested all documents and communications between the gallery and Mr. Biden; all communications and documents between the gallery and the White House, including the ethics guidelines; all price setting documents and communications surrounding Mr. Biden’s art; all documents showing who purchased Mr. Biden’s art; and all documents showing who attended the opening of Mr. Biden’s art shows. In the most recent letter, Ranking Member Comer also requests a briefing from Mr. Bergès on this matter.
# # # #
>>> Senators and congressmen demand NIH provide answers on possibly illegal scheme to harvest baby organs
U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), and Steve Daines (R-Mont.), along with Reps. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) and Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.), this week sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, and National Institute of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins requesting a complete investigation into the University of Pittsburgh's abortion procedures and research. Recent reports from the NIH show the university may have violated federal law by altering abortion procedures solely to obtain fetal tissue. Even worse, the reports show that university researchers may have harvested organs from babies who were old enough to live outside the womb.
In the letter, the senators wrote:
"Exploiting the body parts of aborted children for research purposes is repulsive and should stop, regardless of the outcome hoped for by researchers. Research using abortive fetal tissue is unethical, wrong, and has also been proven ineffective. Despite being used in clinical research since the 1920s, fetal tissue has not produced a single clinical treatment."
Additional co-signers of the letter include Sens. John Boozman (R-Ark.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), John Thune (R-S.D.), James Risch (R-Ind.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Michael Rounds (R-S.D.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), James Inhofe (R-Okla.); and Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), Jake LaTurner (R-Kan.), Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), Michael Cloud (R-Texas), Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Brian Babin (R-Texas), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Chris Jacobs (R-N.Y.), Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.), William Timmons (R-S.C.), Ann Wagner (R-Mo.), Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Steve Womack (R-Ariz.), Matthew Rosendale (R-Mont.), Ben Cline (R-Va.), Roger Williams (R-Texas), Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.), Jody Hice (R-Ga.), Scott Franklin (R-Fla.), Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.), Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), David McKinley (R-W.Va.), Bob Good (R-Va.), Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.), Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.), Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), David Kustoff (R-Tenn.), Andy Harris (R-Md.), John Rose (R-Tenn.), Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), Mike Bost (R-Ill.), Michelle Fischbach (R-Minn.) and Michael Burgess (R-Texas) cosigned the letter.
Read the full text of the letter here and below.
Dear Attorney General Garland, Secretary Becerra, and Director Collins,
We are alarmed by public records obtained from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) which show that the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) may have violated federal law by altering abortion procedures to harvest organs from babies who were old enough to live outside the womb. We ask for a complete investigation into the activities of this organization and a full report of findings and any remedial measures necessary.
The NIH documents detailing Pitt's grant request were obtained in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from the Center for Medical Progress. Between fiscal years 2016 and 2020, NIH awarded approximately $1.5 million to Pitt for a project related to the GenitoUrinary Developmental Molecular Anatomy Project (GUDMAP) program.[1] The GUDMAP program was intended to provide the scientific and medical community tools to study "congenital diseases of the genitourinary tract (kidneys, bladder, ureter, uretha)" by obtaining such organs from aborted babies for research.[2] In its application for funding to be a GUDMAP "tissue hub and collection site" Pitt states that its Health Science Tissue Bank (HSTB) has been involved in procuring and disbursing the body parts of aborted babies for years, noting that "the fetal tissue IRB [Institutional Review Board] has been in place since 2005."[3] The application contains references in several places regarding the HSTB to the Pitt Institutional Review Board (IRB)[4] but also states that the IRB forms are in the process of being altered[5] and the IRB review is pending.[6]
First, Pitt's application raises concern that it has failed to comply with federal law prohibiting the alteration of abortion procedures solely for the purpose of obtaining fetal tissue, which states that an attending physician may have "no part in any decisions as to the timing, method, or procedures used to terminate a pregnancy."[7] It is not clear that Pitt has complied with these legal requirements based on the following statements on Pitt's grant application:
Pitt states that "ischemia time is minimized" when it obtains fetal tissue.[8] NIH defines "ischemia" as "time a tissue, organ, or body part remains at body temperature after its blood supply has been reduced or cut off but before it is cooled or reconnected to a blood supply."[9] It would be illegal for Pitt to alter the "timing, method, or procedures" of the abortion to minimize ischemia time.
Pitt states that it "tailor[s] [its] collection processes on a case-by-case basis to maximize the needs of investigators."[10] It would be illegal for researchers to have any part in the decisions surrounding the obtainment of fetal tissue from elective abortions.
Second, if the organs were harvested from babies born after induced abortion, we are concerned that some of these babies were born alive, could have survived with appropriate care, and may have died as a result of having their organs harvested. Pitt's application states that it can obtain access to the organs and tissues of unborn babies between 6-24 weeks gestation, but it partners with another organization to obtain unborn babies between 25-42 weeks gestation.[11] Babies as young as less than 22 weeks gestation have been known to survive outside the womb with appropriate care.[12] The statements about "warm ischemia" raise questions about the cause of death for these babies. As noted above, Pitt states that it sought to minimize the time between when the blood supply to an organ was reduced and when the organ is cooled or reconnected. If the organs are harvested from a baby born after induced abortion, it is possible the baby was delivered alive, and the removal of the organs was the cause of the baby's death.
Exploiting the body parts of aborted children for research purposes is repulsive and should stop, regardless of the outcome hoped for by researchers. Research using abortive fetal tissue is unethical, wrong, and has also been proven ineffective. Despite being used in clinical research since the 1920s, fetal tissue has not produced a single clinical treatment.[13]
Based on these considerations, for the federal awards given the project number 1U24DK110791, please provide full and clear responses to the following information requests going back to the beginning of the grant project period to today:
The number of cases at each gestational age involving abortion, miscarriage, stillbirth, and neonate utilized in the GUDMAP program during the grant project period;
Detailed protocols for Dilation & Curettage, Dilation & Evacuation, and Labor Induction followed to obtain fetal tissue for the GUDMAP program;
The detailed biospecimen collection IRB application and approval for the Health Science Tissue Bank;
Documentation to verify the physiological status of babies delivered by labor induction upon tissue harvest;
The number of fetal tissue collection procedures from babies delivered by labor induction;
Documentation of the number of babies delivered by labor induction that were deceased, and cardiac activity had ceased prior to fetal organ and tissue collection;
Documentation of when "warm ischemia" time was recorded with reference to death when collecting organs and tissue from abortion, miscarriage, stillbirth, and neonate;
Documentation on the specific steps that were taken to minimize warm ischemic time when collecting organs and tissue from abortion, miscarriage, stillbirth, and neonate;
Details on how specimens are collected and transferred to the Tissue Hub and the personnel involved at each step;
Documentation of how compliance is ensured (including any reporting and oversight mechanisms) with regard to each of the following statutes and regulations:
The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act (18 U.S.C. 1531);
Research protections for pregnant women and fetuses (42 U.S.C. 289g, 289g-1, and 45 C.F.R. 46.204);
Research protections for neonates (45 C.F.R. 46.205); and,
Prohibitions regarding fetal tissue (42 U.S.C. 289g-2, 45 C.F.R. 46.206).
We appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to your prompt and thorough response to each of these requests. We ask for a response by the date of October 12, 2021
# # # #
COVID NEWS
>>> Judicial Watch sues over Biden “COVID Community Corps” scheme
Judicial Watch announced it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services seeking all records related to the so-called COVID-19 Community Corps (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (No. 1:21-cv-02315)).
Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after HHS failed to reply to an April 19, 2021, FOIA request for:
All records regarding the Department of Health and Human Services’ “COVID-19 Community Corps” program, which was announced by the department on April 1, 2021. This request includes the following:
All records depicting the application process and selection criteria for organizations participating in the program.
All records related to the consideration of any organization considered for participation in the program that were not selected.
All records concerning any awarded or proposed related grants or contracts with any organization participating in the program.
All related records of communication between any representative of the Department of Health and Human Services and any representative of any organization participating in the program.
The HHS website describes the COVID-19 Community Corps as “an initiative to increase confidence in COVID-19 vaccines and reinforce basic prevention measures.” The government program also seeks to enlist minors (16 and older). The site reports “over 4,000 organizations and almost 10,000 individuals across the United States have joined the COVID-19 Community Corps. They’ve committed to take action to encourage their families, friends, and members of their communities to get vaccinated for COVID-19.”
“The federal government organizing a ‘corps’ of private individuals, minors, corporations, and unions to push controversial COVID policies is concerning,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “Also concerning is the Biden administration’s unlawful refusal to turn over records about this program to the American people.”
# # # #
>>> Biden slaps health care rationing on states that didn’t vote for him
The White House on Thursday began to advise federal agencies to prepare for the first government shutdown of the Covid-19 era and the administration’s Office of Management and Budget is alerting federal agencies that, barring a new appropriations bill, they are expected to execute shutdown plans next week. Americans for Limited Government President Richard Manning issued the following statement in reaction to the developing story:
“Federal government office buildings have been virtually vacant for the past eighteen months because federal workers still haven’t returned from the Covid shutdown. What’s more, in the past three years, federal workers pay has been guaranteed in the event of a ‘shutdown’ which explains why Speaker Pelosi has had the House of Representatives on recess for all of September. If there is a ‘government shutdown,’ it lies directly on the doorstep of the Speaker, Majority Leader and the president. Their on-going choice to take their non-existent majority in the Senate and three vote majority in the House of Representatives and attempt to fundamentally transform America through it, has created the likely shutdown. They wanted to run the federal government on a strictly partisan basis, so now they own the consequences of that decision.
“Over the next seven days, Democrats will need to work with Republicans to strike out their extremist agenda and include some policy language that limits government power in a number of areas to fix the chasm of distrust they have created. One obvious area that must be addressed is the Biden threat to ration Covid medicines as a weapon to force compliance with his forced vaccination dictates.
“Sen. Marco Rubio has drafted legislative language to allow local hospitals to order Covid cures such as monoclonal antibodies treatment directly from the manufacturer, rather than having to go through federal or state government. This would cut off Biden’s ability to deny access to medicines to those most in need. The reality of health care rationing under a federal government controlled health care system is now out in the open, and can no longer be denied.
“I would like to see Sen. Rubio’s proposal included as an amendment to any government funding bill under consideration. This would go a significant way toward ending the Biden administration’s attempt to ration healthcare by inserting the government between a patient and their doctor.”
# # # #
YOUR MONEY
>>> Under Dem tax scheme 80 percent of Americans get no tax cut or a tax hike
A new analysis by the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation shows how few taxpayers will meaningfully benefit from the bill recently approved by the House Ways and Means Committee, as well as the fact that taxpayers across all income levels will face a tax increase under the bill in a direct violation of President Biden’s pledge to not raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000 per year.
“The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act cut taxes across all income groups, especially for the middle class,” said Crapo. “This nonpartisan analysis shows that less than a third of all Americans will benefit from Democrats’ tax plans, with more than two thirds either experiencing no benefit or facing immediate tax hikes. The middle class and small businesses in particular will be getting very little—except for more taxes.”
Under the House Tax Bill:
Few taxpayers benefit from the changes.
In 2023, more than two thirds of all taxpayers will get essentially no benefit from the House Tax Bill or will experience a meaningful tax increase. By 2027, more than 85 percent of all taxpayers will fall into this category.
These results apply across the income spectrum, including with respect to nearly 60 percent of those earning between $20,000 and $30,000 and nearly three quarters of all taxpayers earning between $30,000 and $100,000.
Even those on the very bottom are more likely to get no benefit, with 64 percent of Americans earning less than $10,000 no better off than they currently are.
Many middle-class taxpayers will specifically be worse off.
In 2023, taxpayers of every income level will see meaningful tax increases, including:
Nearly five percent of taxpayers earning between $40,000 and $50,000;
Nine percent of those earning between $50,000 and $75,000;
18 percent of those earning between $75,000 and $100,000;
35 percent of those earning between $100,000 and $200,000; and
59 percent of those earning between $200,000 and $500,000.
These results conclusively show that Democrats are willing to violate President Biden’s pledge for tens of millions of hard-working Americans.
Things only get worse for the middle class over time.
In 2031, more than 80 percent of taxpayers earning between $20,000 and $500,000 will either
see no benefit or will face a tax increase
In 2031, more than three quarters of taxpayers earning between $100,000 and $200,000 will face a tax increase.
If Democrats go on to include a repeal of the state and local tax (SALT) cap--as they have pledged to do--recent analyses from the Tax Foundation and others have shown that the net effect would essentially wipe out any tax hit on the wealthy, leaving the middle class to shoulder the brunt of the tax burden in their bill.
This analysis comes on the heels of a prior analysis, requested by Senator Crapo and House Ways and Means Ranking Member Kevin Brady (R-Texas), that found workers will shoulder the burden of the tax hikes and that within 10 years of a corporate tax increase, two thirds of the corporate tax burden would be borne by lower- and middle-income taxpayers.
# # # #
>>> Toomey presses Biden SEC chair for regulatory clarity on cryptocurrencies
U.S. Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) is asking Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler to provide public guidance surrounding emerging technologies like cryptocurrencies.
In a letter to Chairman Gensler, Sen. Toomey said:
“For investors to benefit from a fair and competitive marketplace, regulators must proactively provide rules of the road to industry. Unfortunately, the SEC has instead adopted a strategy of regulation-by-enforcement in this area.”
During last week’s Senate Banking Committee hearing, Senator Toomey raised concerns over the SEC’s regulation by enforcement approach to cryptocurrencies.
“At the hearing, you noted the SEC’s success in pursuing crypto-related enforcement actions,” Senator Toomey continued. “In many of these enforcement actions, the SEC did not identify the securities involved or the rationale for their status as securities, which would have provided much-needed public regulatory clarity. This approach appears related to your belief that ‘the probability is quite remote that . . . any given [cryptocurrency] platform has zero securities.’ However, the SEC has a responsibility to do more than just provide probabilistic estimates.”
Senator Toomey’s concern with the SEC’s lack of regulatory clarity on digital assets is shared by others, including SEC Commissioners Hester Peirce and Elad Roisman.
The senator concludes by requesting answers to a number of detailed questions to provide Congress, industry and innovators clarity on the SEC’s regulation of cryptocurrencies.
“In an effort to obtain that additional guidance, attached are questions for the record for the recent hearing. Many of them would give industry clarity on developing promising technologies within the confines of existing laws and regulations. Please provide detailed answers so that innovators have the guidance they need to ensure domestic investment and innovation in these technologies.”
# # # #
GREEN SCHEMES
>>> Dem tax scheme slaps farmers with $6500-per-cow Fart Tax
As more is learned about the House Democrats latest 2,500+ page tax and spending spree reconciliation bill, more information is coming to light about the contents and the consequences of what is included in their plans. Specifically, the legislation would raise taxes on working families and small businesses while fueling higher prices on goods and services in order to give tax breaks and handouts to the Democrats’ wealthy friends.
House Budget Committee Republican Leader Jason Smith (MO-08) issued the following statement in response to the Democrat push for tax hikes on working families to reward the wealthy:
“When you look at just some of what Democrats are proposing in their tax and spending spree, it is crystal clear that their goal is to funnel more money to their wealthy friends and elites by raising taxes on working families and job creators. It is a slap in the face to hardworking Americans whose wages are already being taxed in the form of higher prices for goods and services brought on by the Biden Administration’s inflation crisis. The Congressional Budget Office has even said ‘inflation has eroded the purchasing power of families.’ Rather than continuing to fight amongst themselves over how to jam their reckless socialist agenda through the House and Senate, Democrats should stop and explain their priorities and answer why they think working families should have to pay for handouts to the wealthy.”
The Democrats’ plan to tax working families and raise their cost-of-living includes but is not limited to:
Trillions in new spending that will further fuel the highest inflation the country has seen in forty years.
$54.3 billion tax increase on grieving families with an enhanced death tax.
$78 billion tax increase on small businesses by limiting the 20% small business deduction.
$96.8 billion tax increase on low- and middle-income Americans with 94% of the regressive tobacco tax falling on people making under $200,000 a year.
$540.1 billion tax increase on American employers when the Joint Committee on Taxation has confirmed that two-thirds of a tax increase on employers falls on low- and middle-income Americans over the long term.
New regulations to deter domestic and traditional energy production and increase the price Americans will pay to put gas in their cars, heat and cool their homes, and keep the lights on.
$242 increase in yearly energy costs per family from EPA tax on methane emissions which could also leave dairy farmers paying an additional $6,504 per cow per year.
The Democrats’ plan to give breaks and handouts to the wealthy includes but is not limited to:
$42.3 billion in tax credits for the wealthy to purchase electric vehicles (EV).
78% of EV credits are claimed by those making $100,000 or more per year.
$12,500 tax subsidy to a family making $800,000 to buy an EV.
$11.6 billion in special tax credits would go to big businesses to purchase their own electric vehicle fleets.
$28,000 in taxpayer funded paid leave benefits handed out to households making $500,000.
$2.3 billion tax cut for mega-university endowment income.
$125 million tax credit for wealthy university donors in the name of “research infrastructure.”
$1,200 average monthly childcare subsidy for a family of four making $200,000 per year.
$50 billion to award free college to any students, including those from millionaire families.
$82,000 in a government homebuying subsidy would be available to individuals making $200,000 a year.
$10,000 more in Obamacare premium tax credits for families making over $200,000 per year than for families making $50,000 per year.
$36,000 tax cut for the top 1% of filers if the cap on state and local tax deduction is removed.
# # # #
>>> Barrasso: Biden killing US pipelines while gifting Russia new pipeline as geopolitical weapon
U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) delivered remarks on the Senate floor on the Biden administration’s unwillingness to act and fully sanction Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
Excerpts from Senator Barrasso’s Remarks:
“I come up to join and add my voice to that of Senator Cruz, the senator from Texas, about Joe Biden's surrender to Vladimir Putin.
“Energy is called the master resource for a reason. It powers our country, military, nation, and the economy.
“Yet, Joe Biden on his first day in office seemed to take us from a nation of energy dominance to energy dependence, canceling the Keystone X.L. Pipeline and now approving this pipeline, Nord Stream 2.
“I come to add my voice to the many who have spoken out against the president -- in expressing our deep concerns about this administration's unwillingness to fully sanction the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and to allow it to move ahead.
“I'm sure Senator Cruz, as part of his discussion this afternoon, will talk about the confirmation hearing of Tony Blinken to be Secretary of State.
“We asked him specifically about the pipeline and he said he would stop it even though it was down to the last 100 yards, they would stop it.
“That's not what happened. We saw Joe Biden surrender.
“For years we've been sounding the alarm about this Russian trap. This pipeline, who built it? Gazprom. Who are they? They are the Russian state owned natural gas monopoly.
“We all heard in the past Senator McCain talk about Russia acting as a gas station. At one time he went on to say that Russia was a mafia-run gas company disguised as a country.
“The dangerous pipeline is going to double the amount of Russian natural gas going to Germany via the Baltic Sea.
“Completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is going to further tighten its grip on European gas supplies and extend the threatening influence because, energy is the master resource.
“We know Russia uses energy to coerce, to manipulate. They use it as a geopolitical weapon. They coerce and manipulate our allies and our partners in Europe.
“Many of our NATO allies, Germany in particular, are becoming dependent upon and addicted to Russian gas.
“Europe already gets 40% to 45% of its gas imports from Russia. The new export pipeline helps Russia undermine Europe's efforts to diversify energy sources, suppliers, as well as the routes.
“Nord Stream 2 makes Europe more energy dependent on Russia and of course more prone to Russian influence.
“At the same time it's going to further fuel Russian aggression, Russian intimidation, and Russian instability across Europe.
“Putin is a powerful foe who aims to divide Europe and to destroy the NATO alliance. He's been broadcasting those plans. This is not a surprise.
“The Nord Stream 2 pipeline would mean a massive money transfer from our NATO allies straight into the Kremlin's coffers.
“This means more resources to put towards Russia's destabilizing activities. We continue to see an increase in these destabilizing activities.
“Russia occupies territory in Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova.
“Russia launched a military build-up on Ukraine's border.
“Russia poisoned a political opposition leader.
“Russian hackers are creating economic chaos by disrupting American supply chains.
“Russia's could use these cash reserves. In what way? A way to fund aggression in Europe and around the world.
“It's interesting, Putin even funds environmental activists in Europe to shut down energy where they would be exploring for natural gas and oil.
“He wants environmental activists to protest any efforts for European countries to develop their own gas resources so he can hold them hostage in this way as well.
“Well, President Biden's weakness on Putin's pipeline is going to have serious consequences, not just the financial ones for Russia, not just those in Europe, but worldwide.
“And for our security and for the security of our allies, I believe we must stop this Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
“That's why Congress has overwhelmingly, this body, passed several pieces of bipartisan legislation.
“People say to me can't you do anything in a bipartisan way in Congress anymore? I say well, we certainly did when it came to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
“We passed bipartisan legislation imposing sanctions on this very project. Yet this administration, the Biden administration, the surrendering Biden administration, is unwilling to implement the laws that are on the books.
“President Biden waived congressionally mandated sanctions on Nord Stream 2 A.G., which is the company overseeing the pipeline construction.
“By using a national interest waiver, this administration gave Russia the green light to speed ahead to completion of this pipeline.
“There is strong opposition to President Biden's deliberate failure to follow the law when it comes to this pipeline and the supply of energy from Russia to Europe.
“On March 3rd of this year, I led a group of 40 senators in sending a letter outlining our concerns.
“On this letter signed by 40 senators, we called out the Biden administration for refusing to impose sanctions on entities involved in the construction of this very pipeline.
“The letter says ‘the failure of this administration to identify and impose new sanctions signals its willingness to allow President Putin to gain a stranglehold over Europe's gas supply and increase its geopolitical leverage.’
“We called on the administration to correct its misguided actions by quickly and fully implementing the sanctions mandated by U.S. law.
“ It's been over six months, and President Biden still refuses to follow the law.
“Through his inaction, President Biden is gifting Russia a new geopolitical weapon.
“One of the things I found most astonishing, in terms of this administration taking us from energy dominance to energy dependence, is what happened just last month.
“The Biden administration seeing the impact of rising energy costs, rising gasoline costs, people in Wyoming paying more than $25 extra every time they fill their tank compared to the day that President Biden came into office.
“His National Security Advisor actually went to say we need to ask OPEC-Plus to produce more oil, more energy. Who is OPEC-Plus? It is Saudi Arabia and it is Russia.
“On our Energy Committee of which I'm the ranking member Senator Murkowski, the senator from Alaska, came to the committee and told members of the committee that currently the United States is using more energy produced from Russia than it is from her home state of Alaska.
“What does that tell you about this administration and the commitment of this administration to energy needs in our own country?
“It is very disturbing to see the president act in such a reckless way regarding our nation, our economy, our energy security, and continuing to give gifts like this to our enemies.
“It is much better to sell energy to our friends than have to buy energy from our enemies.
“But that's what appeared on the White House website. Put there by the National Security Advisor to the president just last month, asking Saudi Arabia and OPEC-Plus to produce more energy to help lower the cost at the pump for people in the United States, here at home.
“Why do you think we haven't, Mr. President? We killed the Keystone X.L. Pipeline.
“Put a long-standing moratorium on oil and federal lands. Which there still has not been a lease sale since the day you signed that executive order and the day you came into office.
“We need to force the president to act on this critical issue of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
“Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives, with Nancy Pelosi as the Speaker of the House, passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act imposing new mandatory sanctions on Nord Stream 2.
“It would repeal the national interest waiver for sanctions under existing law. This is an incredibly important step, and I would look forward to it quickly becoming law.
“Protecting this Russian trap that they have laid for the Germans and for Europe, the noose around the neck, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline – it is in our national security interest to block that, but yet this administration is not doing it, and I believe it's a grave mistake on the part of this administration.
“While President Biden has failed to do the right thing, there is still time. The administration can reverse course and fully sanction the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
“If President Biden refuses, Congress is prepared to take strong actions to protect the energy security of our nation and our allies.
“I thank Senator Cruz for allowing me to join in support of the comments that he's making. We have been wonderful partners, and other members on the floor, in a bipartisan way, with a specific focus on what is happening with Russia and its efforts to undermine the United States, to undermine NATO, and to try to reestablish the former Soviet Union, which Vladimir Putin has stated is his goal all along.”
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JUSTICE
>>> Judicial Watch sues for documents on Biden plan to block Georgia voter integrity bill
Judicial Watch announced it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for records of communications between the DOJ and various left-wing groups and individuals concerning the DOJ’s decision to challenge Georgia’s election integrity law (Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:21-cv-02427)).
Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit on September 15, 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, after the DOJ failed to respond to a July 26, 2021, FOIA request to the Justice Department’s Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division for the following records:
All documents and communications between (1) the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, or any of their officers, employees, members, agents, or affiliates, and (2) any of the following people and organizations, including any of their officers, members, agents, parent organizations, affiliated entities, branches, subordinate organizations, or chapters, concerning the U.S. Department of Justice’s Voting Rights Act Section 2 lawsuit against the State of Georgia, et al., in the Northern District of Georgia, Civ. No. 21-2575:
ACLU Foundation of Georgia, American Civil Liberties Union, League of Women Voters, Brennan Center for Justice, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Common Cause, NAACP, Georgia State Conference of the NAACP, Campaign Legal Center, Fair Fight, Fair Fight Action, Stacy Abrams, Perkins Coie LLP, Marc Elias.
The Justice Department’s lawsuit challenging Georgia’s election law asks the court to strike down major parts of the act, including strengthened voter ID requirements for voting by mail.
“The leftists who control the Justice Department have a long record of working hand in glove with extremist and partisan interest groups who oppose any efforts to make it harder to steal votes and elections,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
A week after the DOJ filed its lawsuit against Georgia, on July 1 of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld two Arizona voting provisions that Democrats and civil rights groups had challenged as disproportionately burdening minority voters. Judicial Watch and the Allied Educational Foundation filed amici curiae (friends of the court) briefs in support of Arizona’s law. The court’s decision is what Fitton called “a knockout blow to the Left’s tsunami of harassing lawsuits challenging virtually any effort by any state to modestly increase the security of elections and minimize the impact of voter fraud.” In response to the Supreme Court ruling, the Left appears to have become, in Fitton’s words, “desperate to short circuit the efforts of states to implement security measures such as voter ID.”
Judicial Watch remains front and center in the fight for clean elections, from its historic election integrity victory in L.A. County, to the current election-related lawsuits in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Colorado.
In 2018, the Supreme Court upheld a voter-roll cleanup program that resulted from a Judicial Watch settlement of a federal lawsuit with Ohio. Kentucky began cleaning up hundreds of thousands of old registrations in 2019 after it too entered into a consent decree in 2018 to end another Judicial Watch lawsuit.
Based on this research, in 2020, a federal court ordered the State of Maryland to produce complete voter registration records for Montgomery County that include the registered voters’ dates of birth.
In September 2020, Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Illinois Conservative Union (ICU) and three of its officers, after Illinois state officials refused to allow them to obtain a copy of the state’s voter registration database. In June 2021, a federal court ruled the lawsuit could proceed.
Judicial Watch Attorney Robert Popper is the director of Judicial Watch’s clean elections initiative.
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>>> Teamsters union bosses hit with federal charges after illegally threatening worker
Long Beach-area Savage Services employee Nelson Medina is hitting Teamsters Local 848 union bosses with federal charges asserting that union officials have threatened to have him fired for refusing to join the union, pay full dues, and pay other fees demanded by union officials. The charges were filed at National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Region 21 in Los Angeles with free legal aid from National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys.
Medina’s charges come amidst a flurry of Foundation-backed legal action by California workers against Teamsters Local 848. Medina himself filed a Request for Review this July at the NLRB in Washington, DC, challenging a dubious mail-vote process Teamsters officials pushed to gain monopoly bargaining power at his workplace. According to Medina’s Request for Review, at least 12 of his coworkers never had their votes counted in the election due to errors by the NLRB Region and postal service, though union lawyers somehow produced tracking numbers for two ballots that were originally considered late and demanded they be included in the count. Medina argued this indicated illegal ballot harvesting by union officials.
Just last week, Local 848 bosses were also forced to depart Airgas worker Angel Herrera’s Ventura, CA, workplace after he and his coworkers filed a petition for an NLRB-administered vote to remove the union from the workplace. Herrera’s colleagues had been involved in litigation against Local 848 officials since 2020, and filed at least two different majority-backed petitions seeking the end of Local 848’s monopoly bargaining power.
Medina’s charges recount that he sent Teamsters officials a letter on August 15 exercising his right to reject formal union membership. His letter also demanded that union officials provide him his rights as a nonmember under the Foundation-won CWA v. Beck Supreme Court decision, which prohibits union officials from requiring nonmembers as a condition of employment to pay anything to the union beyond fees directly related to bargaining expenses.
Because California lacks Right to Work protections, private sector workers who oppose a union’s presence in their workplace can still be required to pay union fees to keep their jobs. Right to Work protections in 27 states ensure union membership and all union financial support are strictly voluntary.
In an attempt to work around California’s lack of Right to Work, Medina and his coworkers have submitted a petition with sufficient signatures to prompt the NLRB to hold a “deauthorization vote,” after which union officials (even in a state without Right to Work) would be stripped of their forced-dues power if a simple majority of workers vote to do so.
About a month after Medina’s August letter, the charge notes, union officials informed Savage Services management by mail that if Medina and 12 fellow employees did not complete membership applications and submit full dues for the month of September, they should be terminated before September’s final week.
Medina’s charge argues that the union’s attempt to force him into full membership, full dues payment, payment of other non-legally-required fees, and the tiny window union officials gave him to comply with their demands despite not directly giving him notice are all glaring violations of his rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).
The charge also asks the NLRB to seek an immediate stop to union officials’ coercive actions, demanding injunctive relief for Medina and the 12 others under Section 10(j) of the NLRA. The charge cites “the imminent threat of termination” and “the pending deauthorization petition in this bargaining unit” as reasons injunctive relief must be granted.
“Teamsters Local 848 officials seem to be on a rampage throughout Southern California, brazenly violating the rights of any workers who dare to object to their one-size-fits-all bargaining power and forced-dues demands,” observed National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Even amidst vehement worker opposition, Teamsters officials have repeatedly shown a preference for compulsion over trying to persuade workers to support them voluntarily.”
“Mr. Medina has been courageous in his continuing struggle to ensure that union coercion and legal finagling don’t determine the fate of his and his coworkers’ freedom in the workplace, and we are proud to support him in his efforts,” Mix added.
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