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Mike Johnson

 
Mike Johnson Image
Title
Representative
Louisiana's 4th District
Party Affiliation
Republican
2025
2026
Social Media Accounts
Twitter
: @
RepMikeJohnson
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RepMikeJohnson
Facebook
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Representative Offices
Address
2250 Hospital Dr.
Suite
Suite 248
City/State/Zip
Bossier City LA, 71111
Phone
318-840-0309
Address
3329 University Parkway
Building
Building 552
Suite
Room 24
City/State/Zip
Leesville LA, 71446
Phone
337-392-3146
Address
444 Caspari Dr.
Building
South Hall
Suite
Room 224
City/State/Zip
Natchitoches LA, 71497
Phone
318-357-5731
Hours
By appointment
News
02/04/2025 --kron4
The GOP’s ambitious plan to quickly advance President Trump’s legislative agenda is hitting an early speed bump, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) being forced to punt an initial vote on the legislation. Johnson and House GOP leaders repeatedly said that they wanted to start the legislative process on the measure encompassing much of Trump's agenda by [...]
02/04/2025 --reporterherald
The FBI Agents Association’s letter was sent to lawmakers of both parties.
01/31/2025 --reporterherald
It asked agencies to remove the term 'gender' from government forms and swap it out with 'sex.'
01/31/2025 --axios
Senate Republicans are holding their breath over President Trump's tariffs, which kick in Saturday against Canada, Mexico and China.Why it matters: Many senators spent months telling Axios they saw the move from Trump more as a negotiating tactic. But some were concerned about what would happen if he followed through.🚨 Now, sweeping 25% tariffs start this weekend on Canadian and Mexican imports — and 10% on Chinese goods, the White House said Friday. All three countries have vowed to retaliate against broad tariffs.Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told Axios in August that "across-the-board tariffs is not something I have been for in the past." Thune is open to the selective use of tariffs.Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) described Trump's tariffs promises as potentially "problematic."Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), a former Senate Commerce Committee chair, also told Axios in August he's listening, but "not convinced that's the best approach."Between the lines: Senators often cite concerns about tariffs leading to inflated prices for Americans — after a campaign cycle where Republicans repeatedly said former President Biden's policies led to inflation.Zoom in: More tenured senators, especially free traders, have learned the value of waiting instead of staking out positions Trump can upend at any moment.Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is taking a "wait-and-see attitude," he told Reuters. Iowa is a big farm goods exporter."Normally I'd be stronger in my comments because I am a free trader. I used to be in the majority when free trading was a majority of the Congress, but now I am in the minority," he said.😈 The newer senators are on Trump's side, and they're content to let him cook."Everybody runs through the streets saying, 'The sky is falling! The sky is falling!' but it doesn't fall," Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.V.) told Reuters.Zoom out: The list of surprised leaders stretches beyond the Senate."I don't believe that will happen," House Speaker Mike Johnson said earlier this week about across-the-board tariffs.
01/31/2025 --theepochtimes
DeepSeek, which released its first app earlier this month, is not allowed to be downloaded on House devices including computers, phones and tablets.
01/31/2025 --dailycaller
'Give massive tax cuts to billionaires — the people who need it the most'
01/31/2025 --nbcsandiego
A government memo aimed at implementing President Donald Trump’s order rolling back protections for transgender people rippled through the federal government Friday as agencies scrambled to make changes to strip “gender ideology” from websites, contracts and emails.The Office of Personnel Management directed agency heads to have staff remove pronouns from their government emails, disband employee resource groups, and terminate grants and contracts related to the issue. The directive was sent Wednesday, and the changes were ordered to be instituted by 5 p.m. Friday. It also asked agencies to remove the term “gender” from government forms and swap it out with “sex.”A Bureau of Prisons web page originally titled “Inmate Gender” was relabeled “Inmate Sex” on Friday. A breakdown of transgender inmates in federal prisons was no longer included. Much public health information was taken down from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website: contraception guidance; a fact sheet about HIV and transgender people; lessons on building supportive school environments for transgender and nonbinary kids; details about National Transgender HIV Testing Day; a set of government surveys showing transgender students suffering higher rates of depression, drug use, bullying and other problems.Some pages appeared with the message: “The page you’re looking for was not found.”Trump AdministrationJan 28Trump signs executive order aimed at curtailing gender transitions for everyone under 19newsJan 27Trump signs executive orders on military related to DEI, transgender troops and vaccinesAt the State Department, all employees were ordered to remove gender-specific pronouns from their email signatures. The directive, from the acting head of the Bureau of Management, said this was required to comply with Trump’s executive orders and that the department was also removing all references to “gender ideology” from websites and internal documents.“All employees are required to remove any gender identifying pronouns from email signature blocks by 5:00 PM today,” said the order from Tibor Nagy. “Your cooperation is essential as we navigate these changes together.”An official from the U.S. Agency for International Development said staffers were directed to flag the use of the word “gender” in each of thousands of award contracts. Warnings against gender discrimination are standard language in every such contract. The official spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, under a Trump administration gag order prohibiting USAID staffers from speaking with people outside their agency.The official said staffers fear that programs and jobs related to inclusion efforts, gender issues and issues specific to women are being singled out and possibly targeted under two Trump executive orders.Trump’s executive order, signed on his first day back in office, calls for the federal government to define sex as only male or female and for that to be reflected on official documents such as passports and policies such as federal prison assignments. ___Mike Stobbe in New York and Amanda Seitz, Matthew Lee and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed to this report.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
01/27/2025 --register_herald
President Donald Trump boasted about his first week in office as he rallied House Republicans to advance tax cuts, border security and other conservative priorities. He spoke Monday to lawmakers' annual policy retreat at Trump National Doral Miami, a posh...
01/27/2025 --qconline
The Justice Department said Monday it fired more than a dozen employees who worked on criminal prosecutions of President Donald Trump.
01/27/2025 --nbcnews
President Donald Trump joked about running for a third term, which would be barred by the Constitution, during a speech to House Republicans.
01/23/2025 --kron4
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is denying any involvement in a Republican-led committee’s decision not to subpoena Cassidy Hutchinson, after The Washington Post reported Thursday that one of his aides urged the panel against doing so out of fear of surfacing lewd texts GOP lawmakers allegedly sent to the former White House staffer. The Washington Post, citing [...]
01/23/2025 --wsav
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is denying any involvement in a Republican-led committee’s decision not to subpoena Cassidy Hutchinson, after The Washington Post reported on Thursday that one of his aides urged the panel against doing so out of fear of surfacing lewd texts GOP lawmakers allegedly sent to the former White House staffer. The Washington Post, [...]
01/23/2025 --kron4
President Trump’s decision to pardon hundreds of protesters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — including many accused of assaulting police officers — is dividing House Republicans, with some lawmakers touting the day-one decree and others criticizing it as ill-advised. Trump’s blanket pardon for roughly 1,500 rioters in the hours after he was [...]
01/19/2025 --bostonherald
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey joined other U.S. governors in lowering flags for Carter, but her office did not respond when asked if she would follow California’s example and raise them for Trump.
01/19/2025 --axios
On Sunday, millions of U.S. TikTok users were sent a message less than 24 hours after the app went dark: "As a result of President Trump's efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!"Yes, but: While Trump's vow to delay the app's divestment deadline might earn him some likes online, key GOP lawmakers who pushed for a ban over national security concerns could be a bit ticked off. And despite Trump's vow to issue an executive order on day one to delay the enforcement of a bipartisan law, TikTok still might be racing against the clock to strike a deal.Here's what you may have missed when newsmakers hit the airwaves this Sunday, Jan. 19.1. MAGA's TikTok turnaround Rep. Mike Waltz speaks about the law banning TikTok in the U.S. on CNN's "State of the Union" on Jan. 19.Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), a prominent congressional China hawk, said last year President Biden's presidential campaign should be "ashamed" for joining TikTok when federal agencies had to remove the app from their devices."We know the Chinese Communist Party are using this as a data collection bonanza," he said, contending the campaign's presence on the platform as "a superhighway" for election interference. "I've called for a full-on ban," Waltz said at the time, calling action on TikTok "long overdue."Trump, who once spearheaded the effort to ban the app, eventually joined TikTok as well.The latest: But on Sunday, Waltz, now the incoming national security adviser, said he's confident the Trump administration can "save TikTok" while protecting U.S. user data.That could mean "an outright sale," as is stipulated in the bipartisan law that set the stage for the app's ban, or "some mechanism of firewalls to make sure that the data is protected here on U.S. soil," Waltz said on CNN's "State of the Union.""So it's possible China will still own [TikTok]?" host Dana Bash asked, adding, "Isn't that totally capitulating to China?"Waltz replied that it's "not capitulating at all." He continued, "TikTok can continue to exist ... whether that's in American hands, owned by an American company, or whether the data and the algorithms are fully protected from Chinese interference."Zoom out: But House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told NBC's "Meet the Press" that "we will enforce the law," and Trump's vows to "save TikTok" mean the president-elect wants to see "a true divestiture.""It's the Chinese Communist Party and their manipulation of the algorithms," Johnson said. "They have been flooding the minds of American children with terrible messages, glorifying violence and antisemitism and even suicide and eating disorders."The only way to extend the deadline, Johnson said, is if there's an "actual deal" in the works. But he noted, "We don't have any confidence in ByteDance," TikTok's parent company.House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) noted on CNN that presenting a remedy other "than someone else purchasing TikTok who's not affiliated with the Chinese communist party" would mean there would have to be "some kind of change in the law."Yes, but: Trump's vision may look a little different."[My]y initial thought is a joint venture between the current owners and/or new owners whereby the U.S. gets a 50% ownership in a joint venture set up between the U.S. and whichever purchase we so choose," Trump wrote in his social media statement expressing his intent to issue an executive order pushing back the apps' lights-out date.It's clear that ByteDance does not want to sell its famous algorithm. And there is no evidence of an in-progress deal, though investor Kevin O'Leary said he's made a $20 billion offer.What we're watching: Trump 2.0 — and perhaps, the path to TikTok 2.0 — start Monday.And as White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer made clear Sunday on ABC's "This Week," the ball is in Trump's court.2. Israel-Hamas ceasefire commences Brett McGurk speaks during a Jan. 19 interview on CBS News' "Face the Nation."The early hours of the Gaza ceasefire saw three female Israeli hostages released from Hamas captivity after more than 470 days.The latest: Some 800 aid trucks are set to enter Gaza today, said Brett McGurk, the lead U.S. negotiator on the hostage deal — a dramatic increase from daily averages.As of Friday reporting from Reuters, UNRWA data showed 523 aid trucks had entered Gaza in January. Janti Soeripto, the president and CEO of Save the Children, said on CBS News' "Face the Nation" that there are some 300,000 children in Gaza who are in "real acute need of malnutrition treatment." Her organization is also trying to reconnect more than 17,000 children separated from their families during a war that has seen more than 45,000 Palestinians killed.What they're saying: "This was not put together in the last week," McGurk said. "This was put together really since May when President Biden laid out this framework."McGurk said the Biden administration has been working "seamlessly" with the incoming Trump team."This is a testament to President Biden and to President Trump allowing us to work together," he said, characterizing his partnership with Trump Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff as "historic."Waltz characterized the hostage return as a "Reagan moment" for Trump, referencing the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis.The terms of the deal were "inherited" from the Biden administration, Waltz said, but he contended "this deal would have never happened had President Trump not been elected."The bottom line: Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that the question over whether Trump deserves some credit for the deal is one "historians will have to answer moving forward." 3. Johnson: Trump isn't behind Turner's ousting House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks on NBC News' "Meet the Press" during a Jan. 19 interview.House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) denied Sunday that his decision to oust Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) as the House Intelligence Committee chair was prompted by President-elect Trump.The intrigue: Turner's ousting has generated frustration and disbelief from Republicans who fear their razor-thin majority would shrink further if the Ohio congressman decides to vote against the GOP agenda in retaliation for Johnson's actions.What they're saying: Johnson told NBC News' Kristen Welker that "the notion that this was directed by the incumbent administration is just simply false."Yes, but: Turner told CBS News that Johnson said "concerns from Mar-a-Lago" were among the reasons for his removal.State of play: Johnson said he feels he can still count on Turner's vote as he's a "team player."The speaker added that he and Turner are "good friends, trusted friends and colleagues. He will still be one of the top leaders in the House. In fact, I reappointed him and asked him to serve again, and he graciously agreed."Turner will be the chairman of the U.S. delegation for NATO's Parliamentary Assembly, a position he previously held in 2011. He was president of the assembly from 2014 to 2016. He also serves on the Armed Service and Oversight and Government Reform committees.More from Axios' Sunday coverage:Bannon: Billionaire CEOs have surrendered to TrumpArctic blast, tied to the polar vortex, spreads all the way to SoutheastTrump's 2.0 inauguration draws more celebrities
01/19/2025 --foxnews
While the Constitution does not specify who must administer oaths, Chief Justice John Roberts is expected to swear in Donald Trump on Monday, continuing a two-century-old tradition.
01/19/2025 --foxnews
House Speaker Mike Johnson said President-elect Trump’s mass deportation plan to restore safety and security to the country won't cost trillions of dollars.
01/19/2025 --cbsnews
On this "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" broadcast, incoming National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Middle East envoy Brett McGurk join Margaret Brennan.
01/19/2025 --theepochtimes
TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, went dark on Saturday but came back online Sunday.
01/15/2025 --sltrib
Utah joins a growing number of Republican-led states to raise American flags to full-staff for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration next week amid a monthlong period of mourning for the death of late Democratic President Jimmy Carter.
01/15/2025 --nbcnews
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has informed Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, he will no longer be chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, according to a GOP leadership source and a Republican lawmaker familiar with the matter.
01/15/2025 --theepochtimes
Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) has been in Congress since 2003.
01/15/2025 --kron4
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will not make Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in the 119th Congress, a source familiar with the decision confirmed to The Hill. Turner had been the top Republican on the committee, a position selected by the Speaker, since the start of 2022, chosen [...]
01/15/2025 --foxnews
Speaker Mike Johnson is replacing Rep. Mike Turner as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee after a debacle that started with a warning about Russian space nuclear technology last year.
12/29/2025 --theepochtimes
Political allies and opponents alike honored the 39th president after he died in Georgia on Sunday.
12/29/2025 --rawstory
Just one month after Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris, some of the president-elect's supporters in the small town of New Castle, Pennsylvania are concerned about whether or not their benefits are at risk under his incoming administration, The Washington Post reports.Per the report, part-time tax consultant Lori Mosura abandoned the Democratic Party and backed Trump because, in her opinion, "He is more attuned to the needs of everyone instead of just the rich."She added, "I think he knows it’s the poor people that got him elected, so I think Trump is going to do more to help us."READ MORE: 'No one thinks he’s strong': GOP insiders think Johnson’s days as speaker are numberedNow that Trump's Cabinet nominees and Republican lawmakers are urging the MAGA leader to cut federal spending, the 55-year-old is unsure she made the right decision at the polls.The Post reports:The uncertainty comes after the recent high-stakes showdown in Congress over the federal funding bill. Lawmakers narrowly avoided a shutdown after agreeing to fund the government until March. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had unveiled a bipartisan bill to put off a shutdown, but Trump and Musk railed against what they said was unnecessary spending in the initial package.Tom Scott, who leads Lawrence County Community Action Partnership, a social service agency that assists New Castle residents. told the Post, "Everybody is on hyperalert. You have to be concerned because you don’t know which programs could be targeted” for spending reductions.'"Speaking to the Post, Mosura had a message for the president-elect: "We helped get you in office; please take care of us. Please don’t cut the things that help the most vulnerable."READ MORE: 'Can’t certify the election': GOP reps say 'protracted' speakership battle could delay TrumpThe Washington Post's full report is available here (subscription required).
12/29/2025 --fox5sandiego
Barkley rushed for 167 yards to top 2,000 on the season, backup quarterback Kenny Pickett ran and threw for scores before departing with injured ribs, and the Eagles clinched the division title by routing the Dallas Cowboys 41-7 on Sunday.
12/29/2025 --bostonherald
Sen. Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican, recently floated a proposal to elect billionaire Elon Musk, a Trump adviser and ally, as speaker. The speaker is not required to be an elected House member.
12/29/2025 --foxnews
Members of Congress on both sides of the political aisle are paying tribute to late former President Jimmy Carter.
12/29/2025 --marinij
Stalling the protections is wrong and will unnecessarily prolong a dangerous digital environment for America's youth.
12/29/2025 --rollcall
Former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter are seen during the Inauguration of George W. Bush in 2001. (CQ Roll Call file photo)
12/29/2025 --axios
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) warned his Republican colleagues on Sunday about potentially removing House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) from his post when the 119th Congress is sworn in this week. Why it matters: With a slim GOP majority in the House, Johnson can only afford to lose one vote among Republicans when the House votes on its new leader, and a battle over who that will be could delay other aspects of Congress — including certifying President-elect Trump's win. What they're saying: "The fact is that Mike Johnson inherited a disaster when Matt Gaetz and several of my colleagues teamed up with 208 Democrats to remove Kevin McCarthy, which will go down as the single stupidest thing I've ever seen in politics," Lawler said Sunday on ABC News' "This Week." "Removing Mike Johnson would equally be as stupid. The fact is that these folks are playing with fire. And if they think they're somehow going to get a more conservative speaker, they're kidding themselves," Lawler said.Zoom out: Johnson's odds of keeping the gavel grew slimmer after Trump torpedoed the stopgap spending bill and Congress spent the Friday before Christmas working to fend off a government shutdown.The bill that eventually passed didn't include a debt ceiling increase, a key demand from Trump and several MAGA allies. Following the bill's passage, several Republicans have openly voiced their opposition to Johnson continuing to lead the House, with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) saying he won't vote for him. Others, including Reps. Scott Perry (R.Pa.) and Andy Harris (R-Md.), have said they're undecided on how they'll vote. Driving the news: "Mike Johnson is arguably the most conservative speaker that's ever been elected to the office," Lawler said before praising the job Johnson has done "despite the best efforts of some of these same people" who now want him ousted. "I'm not going to bend to their will," Lawler said of those pushing to remove Johnson. "So, if they think somehow that they are going to end up in a stronger position by removing Mike Johnson, they're not."Lawler also cautioned that Congress has a "lot of work to do on behalf of the American people" and a House Speaker battle would delay the start of that. "We can't get anything done unless we have a speaker, including certifying President Trump's election on January 6th. So, to waste time over a nonsensical intramural food fight is a joke," he said.
12/29/2025 --axios
President-elect Trump is set to return to the White House in a few weeks, but Connecticut Gov. Chris Sununu said Sunday that he hasn't permanently altered the GOP. Driving the news: Fractures have formed among Trump allies and members of the Republican Party as they engage in battles over H-1B visas and the future of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), prompting conversations about the extent of the president-elect's hold on the party. What they're saying: "Trump is Trump. There's no Trump-lite. There's no Trump 2.0 coming up. I always say that Trump is who he is, and because he's built up himself in the American psyche for 40 years," Sununu said on CNN's "State of the Union." When asked if the president-elect had permanently marked the GOP, the governor said no, but said Republicans are now more "hardcore" conservatives than the traditional conservatism of the past. Trump "brings a different style to it, which I have a lot of issues with at times, to be sure," Sununu said. "Fundamentally on principle," the GOP hasn't changed from its ideology, he said. Zoom out: Sununu, who will leave office on January 2 after four terms, supported Nikki Haley in the 2024 GOP primary, said Sunday that the president-elect wasn't "my first choice and not my second or third or fourth choice." But "he won the primary. He won the nomination. And he won the vote handily of the American people," he said. "He's got to come through, right? At this point, it's about delivering. I think this term will be fundamentally different than the first term for a variety of reasons," Sununu said. "He's not in his fifth year as president. He's kind of in his ninth, if you will, especially as leader of the party and the voice of the party."
12/25/2024 --eastbaytimes
Also: Wrong solution | Hikes don't jibe | No substitute | Power purchased. Mercury News reader letters to the editor for Dec. 26, 2024.
12/25/2024 --theepochtimes
'Maybe we should have some basic cognitive test for elected officials? This is getting crazy,' Musk posted on X.
12/25/2024 --dailykos
With time running out, the administration is scrambling to secure its legacy ahead of an incoming president who has vowed to shred it all.By Marcus Baram for Capital & MainEven before Election Day, environmental groups were suggesting ways that the Biden administration could protect the president’s climate agenda from an incoming president who has vowed to increase fossil fuel production and repeal major climate initiatives.Since then, Biden has taken many of those steps — backing a proposal to curtail public financing for oil and gas projects around the globe, limiting oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, protecting the endangered sage grouse and announcing tough new regulations banning or restricting the use of the chemicals trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene, which are linked to cancers and other severe health problems.But with just weeks to go before Donald Trump returns to the White House, vowing to slash regulations on the oil and gas industry and derail climate action, the Biden administration has still not addressed some of the most important policies that otherwise might not survive Trump’s second term.Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event in Philadelphia on Oct. 14, 2024.“There’s a lot that Biden can still do in his remaining six weeks in office to stop the expansion of fossil fuels and send a powerful signal to distance himself from the incoming Trump administration and its fossil fuel cronies,” said Collin Rees, U.S. program manager of the climate nonprofit Oil Change International.The administration recently released a long-awaited study on the economic and environmental impacts of new liquefied natural gas exports — which concluded that “unfettered exports would drive up gas prices and lead to a huge increase in greenhouse gas emissions” — but it stopped short of recommending a ban on such exports. Trump has vowed to renew LNG exports on his “very first day back,” though the study’s conclusions could be used to challenge some of those project approvals.The Biden administration could deny liquefied natural gas export authorization permits for pending LNG terminals and even “claw back and deny” permits already issued by the administration, Rees said. He noted that if all pending projects are approved, U.S.-sourced liquefied natural gas emissions would exceed the European Union’s total greenhouse gas emissions.The Environmental Protection Agency could take several steps as well — including granting California a waiver to enforce its ban on the sale of new gasoline-powered cars and trucks in the state by 2035. The administration is expected to grant such a waiver to California and 11 other states, the New York Times reported.“Approving these waivers before Biden leaves office would create legal and procedural hurdles for any attempts to undo them, safeguarding long-term climate protections,” said Seth Nelson of the climate group Evergreen Action. “Finalizing waivers such as the Advanced Clean Cars II waiver is a vital step toward reducing climate pollution in the automotive sector and advancing the industry’s long-term decarbonization.”In addition, the EPA’s enforcement office is reportedly rushing to assess penalties and reach settlements with companies accused of environmental violations — on the assumption that the Trump administration will offer them leniency.In a statement to Capital & Main, a spokesperson for the Trump transition team said: “The Harris-Biden’s last-ditch effort to pass their green new climate scams, which the American people just roundly rejected in the election, will not deter President Trump’s Administration from using every tool to unleash America’s energy dominance.”The White House did not respond to Capital & Main’s requests for comment.The Biden administration is also rushing to push out climate-related grants, recently announcing that it had awarded more than $100 billion for climate-related projects. Among the most recent awards are $256 million in Rural Energy for America Program grants and loans from the Agriculture Department, a $120 million contract to electrify some federal buildings in the D.C. region and $147 million to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to help assess the impact of climate change on fisheries.Biden officials told Reuters that they are on track to exceed their goal of getting more than 80% of the Inflation Reduction Act funding out the door by the end of his term next month.“When funds are obligated, they are protected,” an official told Reuters. “They are subject to the terms of the contract, so when those contracts are signed and executed, this becomes a matter of contract law more than a matter of politics.”The majority of the IRA’s grants and subsidies have gone to red states, and lawmakers in those states are vigorously pushing to keep them. Eighteen Republican House members wrote a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson in August urging him not to scrap clean-energy tax credits in the law.And environmentalists are urging the administration to extend its conservation legacy — when he took office, Biden vowed to set aside 30% of the country’s lands and waters for conservation by 2030. Among the recommended designations: Chuckwalla National Monument, a massive desert region south of Joshua Tree National Park, and the Owyhee, a million-acre watershed in Oregon that is threatened by the ranching industry.Climate scientists and environmental officials in the administration are also taking steps to protect themselves from a Trump team; from 2017-2020 the first Trump administration reversed more than 100 federal rules and shut down studies.A union that represents thousands of workers at the EPA recently secured a contract that includes protections for “scientific integrity” and is designed to “prevent inappropriate interference in scientific work” by allowing disputes to be heard by independent arbitrators instead of political appointees, among other measures.Marie Owens Powell, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees Council 238 and a gas station storage tank inspector for the EPA, told HuffPost’s Dave Jamieson: “You can’t be forced to change data or the interpretation of the data, as long as it’s based in sound science.”Among other steps the Biden administration could take as it nears the final curtain, Rees said, would be to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline, reject the GulfLink crude oil export terminal off the coast of Texas and release a “nationally determined commitment” that includes funding for climate mitigation and adaptation in Global South countries and a 80% reduction in domestic greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2035.Copyright 2024 Capital & Main
12/25/2024 --dailykos
ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio, the first openly transgender lawyer to argue before the Supreme Court, took to Instagram Tuesday to praise President Joe Biden’s choice to withdraw a proposal protecting transgender athletes.“I think this is a very important and good move to withdraw this proposed regulation,” Strangio said in the video.Biden’s proposal would have prohibited schools from enacting bans on transgender student-athletes trying to participate on the teams that align with their gender identity while allowing schools to enforce some restrictions on competitive sports. But Strangio believes trying to push the proposal through ahead of felon-elect Donald Trump’s second term would open the door for more harm to the transgender community. “The regulation would have been immediately withdrawn when the Trump administration came in. Even worse, they could have left the notice of proposed rule-making in place, which would have given the Trump administration easy access to, in essence, gut protections for trans people in schools through that proposed regulation just sitting there,” he said. Attorney and transgender rights activist Chase Strangio speaks to supporters outside of the Supreme Court on Dec. 4, 2024.Strangio has been at the forefront of the culture war being waged against transgender people in the United States. The attorney argued before the Supreme Court earlier this month, challenging a Tennessee law which bans transgender minors from accessing gender-affirming medical care. The Supreme Court has yet to render a ruling, but Tennessee isn’t an outlier on this topic, as 26 states have passed laws restricting gender-affirming care for minors. Support for limiting minors from accessing things like puberty blockers or gender reassignment surgery is seemingly growing not just in the U.S., but internationally as well. Those in favor of these types of bans argue that there have been a number of children expressing regret later on in life, resulting in lawsuits and traumatic “detransitioning.”In response to this perspective, ACLU spokesperson Gillian Branstetter told Daily Kos following the Supreme Court hearing that limiting access to transgender medical care for minors under the guise that it might cause irreparable harm is misguided. “Leaving them to experience their puberty also leaves them with permanent physical changes that could require extensive surgery and medical care to reverse [should they have to wait until they are 18],” Branstetter said.While studies are ongoing, the portion of people who have reported regret after transitioning remains around 1 percent. Anti-trans legislation was a major campaign tool for Donald Trump and other right-leaning politicians, with millions spent on anti-trans ads and hundreds of anti-trans bills popping up across the country every year since 2020.On Capitol Hill, GOP Rep. Nancy Mace and House Speaker Mike Johnson pushed through an anti-trans bathroom ban in November effectively targeting the single transgender member of Congress, Rep.-elect Sarah McBride. Johnson also managed to muscle through an anti-trans provision in the latest defense spending bill, banning transgender minors in military families from using military health insurance TRICARE for any gender-affirming care.Biden signed the defense bill into law Monday, but not before expressing his dismay and saying the anti-trans provision “interferes with parents’ roles to determine the best care for their children.”“With the time remaining in this administration, the Department is focused on several priorities including court-ordered settlements and helping borrowers manage the final elements of the return to repayment,” the Department of Education wrote in its statement.And while Strangio applauded Biden’s actions on transgender athlete protection, he called Biden’s choice to sign the defense bill a “disaster.”Right now, Daily Kos is falling short of our 2024 goal. Your donations are how we make ends meet. Can you please donate $5 right now so we can close the books on 2024?
12/24/2024 --nbcnews
President-elect Trump prepares his plans for his first day back in office. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) joins Meet the Press NOW to Mike Johnson's speakership and the new year on Capitol Hill. NBC News campaign embed Alex Tabet profiles President-elect Trump’s pick for Attorney General, Pam Bondi.
12/24/2024 --nbcnews
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) joins Meet the Press NOW to discuss the future of Mike Johnson’s speakership and what’s ahead in the new year on Capitol Hill.
12/24/2024 --dailycaller
Mike Johnson Has Work To Do To Earn Back Republicans' Trust In 2025
12/24/2024 --foxnews
President Biden signed a bill into law Monday increasing overall military spending despite objection to the bill over stripping coverage of transgender medical treatments
12/24/2024 --morganton
The House Ethics Committee's long-awaited report into Rep. Matt Gaetz documents a trove of salacious allegations of misconduct. Here's a look at some of the committee's key findings.
 
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