Politics
Republicans Approve Bill Slashing Pete Buttigieg’s Salary to $1
The House approved a measure late Tuesday that would slash Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s taxpayer-funded government salary to just $1. The bill introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. was passed via voice vote Tuesday.
“I’m proud to announce my amendment to FIRE Pete Buttigieg just PASSED the House. Pothole Pete staged fake bike rides to the White House and used private planes funded by taxpayers to receive awards for the way certain people have sex,” Greene said in a social media post Tuesday. “American taxpayers should not be on the hook for paying for his lavish trips or his salary.”
“Pete Buttigieg doesn’t do his job. It’s all about fake photo ops and taxpayer-funded private jet trip to accept LGBTQ awards for him,” Greene added. “I’m happy my amendment passed, but he doesn’t deserve a single penny.”
Since taking office in 2021, Buttigieg has faced criticism for Republican lawmakers in response to several crises that have faced the Department of Transportation.
For example, in February, after a train carrying vinyl chloride, a dangerous colorless gas, derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, Buttigieg was criticized for his apparent inaction and for waiting several weeks before traveling to the site of the derailment.
In addition, there have been multiple instances of mass commercial airline cancelations during his tenure for various reasons including a pilot shortage. Republicans and Democrats alike had called for Buttigieg to take decisive action to ensure air travelers are protected from such cancellations.
And while Buttigieg has spent much of his tenure addressing commercial delays, he has used government-managed private jets on at least 18 occasions since taking office. Those flights sparked an ongoing inspector general probe and, according to information obtained by Americans for Public Trust (APT), have cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars.
In one instance in September 2022, Pete Buttigieg used a government jet for a round trip journey to Montreal.
During the visit, he attended a ceremony during hosted by a large Canadian gay rights organization where he received a prestigious award for his “contributions to the advancement of LGBTQ rights.”
Buttigieg’s office has further stonewalled additional information about his use of the executive fleet. His use of a fleet of government-managed executive jets is the subject of an ongoing Inspector General audit. Buttigieg and senior staff used the jets for nearly two dozen flights in 2021 and 2022.
“Secretary Pete Buttigieg continues to blow off the American people who simply want to know the true cost of his taxpayer-funded private jet trips,” APT Executive Director Caitlin Sutherland told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. ”
After multiple FOIA requests, a lawsuit, and an ongoing inspector general investigation, Pete Buttigieg’s office still refuses to provide vital details about using a private government jet for a swing state tour, which appears more akin to campaigning than official DOT business.”
“Pete Buttigieg looks to be politicizing his role and making it clear that he believes he’s above accountability and transparency, a dismissive attitude that seems to be endemic throughout the Biden administration,” Sutherland said.
And the transportation secretary came under fire last year after it was revealed he vacationed in Porto, Portugal, while his agency and the White House were locked in tense negotiations with rail worker unions to avert a strike that could have had a dire impact on the U.S. economy.
The Department of Transportation said at the time that the vacation was a “long-planned personal trip.”
Original article source: House approves bill slashing Pete Buttigieg’s salary to $1
Politics
Concerned About Matt Gaetz’s Campaign, Senate Republicans Call for a House Ethics Investigation.
(VOR News) – Given that a growing number of Republican senators are seeking access to the investigation of Matt Gaetz conducted by the House Ethics Committee, Gaetz’s nomination for the position of attorney general may encounter significant opposition in the Senate.
On Thursday, Matt Gaetz submitted his resignation from the House of Representatives, one day after President-elect Trump announced his acceptance of these positions.
The House Ethics Committee has completed its investigation into allegations that Matt Gaetz was involved in drug use and sex trafficking.
Similar allegations were levied against Matt Gaetz.
The investigation commenced in 2021. Dick Durbin, a Democratic senator and current chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued a statement on Thursday requesting that the House ethics panel “preserve and share” their report along with any additional evidence collected regarding Gaetz.
Durbin’s statement was made in relation to his ongoing tenure in his current role. Durbin’s remark was made public on Thursday.
Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn, a senior member of the Judiciary Committee who recently lost the Senate Majority Leader race, informed reporters on Thursday that the Senate “should obtain all pertinent information by any means necessary,” potentially including a subpoena for the ethics report.
Cornyn is a prominent member of the Judiciary Committee. Cornyn is a senior member of the committee that supervises the Judiciary. Cornyn is hired by the organization tasked with overseeing the Judiciary.
“None of us desire to operate without guidance,” he stated to the reporters in the Capitol, and his assertion was entirely accurate. It was an entirely accurate assertion. “This serves to safeguard the president from unforeseen information or revelations that he and his team may not have anticipated.”
While other senators are inquiring about the particulars of the investigation undertaken by the Ethics Committee during the confirmation hearings, Cornyn is aligning with those senators who are insisting on this information.
Cornyn has conceded that he lacks definitive clarification over the Senate’s ability to request data from the House; still, this is the current situation.
A source familiar with the process, who requested anonymity to discuss confidential deliberations, indicated that the House Ethics Committee’s meeting was scheduled for Friday. Nonetheless, it remains uncertain whether the meeting will occur without additional clarification.
That meeting may have been the committee’s vote on Matt Gaetz’s disclosure.
This may have been the committee’s plan. Senator Tommy Tuberville, a Republican from Alabama, stated that Matt Gaetz’s candidacy “will be one of those that will be well-scrutinized.”
According to Tuberville’s account on Thursday, his response to the press was: “It will be a fine-tooth comb, and they were aware of that beforehand.” “It will be a meticulously crafted product.”
Tuberville remarked, “I have known Matt Gaetz for an extended period and have consistently admired him.”
In reaction to the inquiries directed at Matt Gaetz, other Republican senators chose to abstain from commenting. Representative Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, delivered a clear statement declaring, “no comment.”
When queried about Gaetz, Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa responded by commending Elise Stefanik, a congresswoman from New York and a nominee for the Trump administration. Stefanik is a candidate for the role of Secretary of State. Ernst made the statement to National Public Radio while commuting on the Senate subway.
He characterized the situation as “highly intriguing.” “Elise is exceptional!” She remarked about Gaetz as the metro vehicle departed the station: “He faces a formidable challenge.” She stated this while the vehicle was leaving the station.
Cornyn stated to the reporters, “I am unfamiliar with the individual.” That was his observation. In response to the inquiry on any worries about Matt Gaetz candidacy, this reply was made.
SOURCE: NPR
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President-Elect Trump Picks Matt Gaetz to Be Attorney General
Trump Shakes Up Pentagon Names Pete Hegseth Defence Secretary
Politics
President-Elect Trump Picks Matt Gaetz to Be Attorney General
President-elect Donald Trump has named Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz, 42, his attorney general. This position doubles as the country’s top prosecutor and the director of the Department of Justice.
Trump announced the nominee in a post on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, noting Matt Gaetz’s experience as a lawyer and member of the House Judiciary Committee.
He also stated that Gaetz’s nomination would be part of his strategy to rid the government of perceived opponents. Trump has frequently accused Democrats of “weaponizing” the Justice Department against him, a charge he reiterated in Wednesday’s statement.
Matt will halt weaponized government, secure our borders, dismantle criminal organizations, and restore Americans’ severely eroded faith and confidence in the Justice Department, Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Donald Trump has sent shockwaves across Washington by appointing former Democratic congressman Tulsi Gabbard as the new director of national intelligence.
The moves sparked quick criticism that the president-elect ignores qualifications to put his most fervent followers in charge of the country’s most important government agencies.
Even before Gaetz and Gabbard were named, Trump aroused eyebrows by naming Pete Hegseth, an army veteran and Fox News commentator, as his contender for defense secretary.
Trump has also made more conventional picks for prominent jobs, such as choosing Florida Senator Marco Rubio to be Secretary of State.
Gaetz’s planned appointment as attorney general comes as President Trump threatens to restructure the US Department of Justice in retaliation for criminal investigations and indictments initiated against him by federal prosecutors in recent years.
Tulsi Gabbard was the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) Vice-Chair from 2013 to 2016 when she resigned to support Bernie Sanders for the Democratic presidential candidacy.
Tulsi is an Iraq War veteran and Army reservist. Three years ago, she received the rank of lieutenant colonel in the United States Army Reserve.
“As a former Candidate for the Democrat Presidential Nomination, she has broad support in both Parties – She is now a proud Republican!” According to Trump’s remarks.
“I am confident that Tulsi will bring the courageous attitude that has distinguished her remarkable career to our intelligence community, championing our constitutional rights and securing peace through strength. “Tulsi will make us all proud!”
Once confirmed, Tulsi Gabbard will advise Trump, the National Security Council, and the Homeland Security Council on national security issues.
Politics
Trump Shakes Up Pentagon Names Pete Hegseth Defence Secretary
US President-elect Donald Trump has picked Pete Hegseth, a decorated Army veteran and Fox News broadcaster, as his defense secretary. The announcement sent shockwaves across the Pentagon and defense industry.
Many in Washington expected the nominee to be a seasoned legislator or someone with defense policy experience. Trump’s choice of Hegseth caught them completely off guard.
In his first political post, 44-year-old Pete Hegseth will be in charge of the world’s most powerful military. He previously served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
When he announced his decision on Tuesday, Trump praised it as “tough, smart, and a true believer in America First.” He also emphasized the former soldier’s schooling at Princeton and Harvard institutions and his combat experience in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice – our military will be great again, and America will never back down,” the president wrote on Facebook.
The president-elect also highlighted Hegseth’s work as a published novelist. He stated that The War on Warrior “reveals the leftwing betrayal of our warriors and how we must return our military to meritocracy, lethality, accountability, and excellence.”
Hegseth was a major in the Minnesota National Guard who worked as a prison guard in the Guantánamo Bay detention camp and Iraq and Afghanistan and has been an outspoken critic of what he calls “woke” policies inside the US military and its leadership.
“The dumbest phrase on planet earth in the military is our diversity is our strength,” Hegseth stated on a webcast last month.
One of his responsibilities as defense secretary could be to carry out Trump’s campaign vows to remove US generals accused of supporting progressive agendas within the military.
Trump stated that entrepreneur Elon Musk, another political novice, would help the administration decrease costs.
Trump’s government is taking shape following his victory in last week’s presidential election. Hegseth was part of a flurry of security appointments, including Trump’s selection of John Ratcliffe to lead the Central Intelligence Agency.
If confirmed by the US Senate, Hegseth will arrive at the Pentagon with decisions to make on topics such as military aid to Israel during its fight in Gaza and backing for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s invasion.
Trump wants the United States to distance itself from foreign conflicts in general. During the election campaign, he criticized the Biden administration’s spending to aid Ukraine.
Also on Tuesday, Trump stated that he wanted South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to play a key role as homeland security secretary. Trump appointed another military veteran, Michael Waltz, as national security advisor, which means he will counsel the president on international dangers.
According to sources at the BBC’s US partner CBS News, Senator Marco Rubio, who shares Waltz’s strong views on China, is anticipated to be Trump’s future secretary of state. However, the selection has not yet been verified.
Republicans have regained control of the Senate and the upper chamber of Congress and are closing in on a majority in the House and the lower chamber as vote counting continues.
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