Dec 21 2024

Short-Term Funding Mechanism for Govt Spending Passes House

For those who walk the deep weeds of internecine politics, we notice there is an influential component of the Sea Island group still at work within the GOP.

The same Republican “conservatives” who voted to suspend the debt ceiling issue for Joe Biden (Chip Roy, Thomas Massie, Nancy Mace et al), refused to stop the issue of the debt ceiling from surfacing during the Donald Trump administration.

At a certain point we must accept there are elements within the republican apparatus who intend to disrupt President Trump even though they present a false face.

The short-term spending bill has punted the issues of government funding into March 2025. The package passed 366-34, with the support of 196 Democrats and 170 Republicans.

The good news is that most of the hidden non-spending aspects were removed in the much shorter CR extension. The provisions which shielded the administrative state, approximately 1,000 pages of self-interested regulation, were removed. However, the debt ceiling conflict will rise again and could potentially present a problem because they will be attached to future legislative negotiations on Trump policy.

The House “Freedom Caucus” is essentially the voice and mechanism for the Sea Island group to disrupt MAGA plans and President Trump’s economic priorities. The Debt Ceiling is their legislative weapon, a false front technical issue to hide the Freedom Caucus intent. They justify standing against Trump by saying “fiscal conservatism”; but in reality, their history shows their vitriol only extends outwardly when Trump is in office.

The Sea Island multinational and banking group (traditional GOP control elements) are the financial backers of these anti-Trump schemes. The origin of their corporate opposition comes from the way they make money, which is not in alignment with the policy of President Trump.

The same group of influential hedge fund managers, billionaires, multinational corporations, banking groups and political operatives on K-Street who do their bidding (Chamber of Commerce, Club for Growth etc.) are/were behind the effort to lift Ron DeSantis. It is easier to reference them simply by saying The Sea Island Group. This is why we see the same names, the Ron DeSantis supporting politicians, voting against the proposals of President Trump.

They do not support the operational intentions of Donald Trump (economic nationalism), and they use “conservative principles” as the justification for their opposition. Quite simply, it is a ruse. I am sick of watching these Deceptive Conservatives create arguments amid the republican base of MAGA support who do not follow the convoluted mechanics of how they use legislation and votes (cloture) to carry out the objectives of the billionaire donor class. CTH was founded in part on this issue. We have outlined these masks for a long time.

(Via NBC) – WASHINGTON — The Republican-controlled House on Friday evening passed a short-term bill to avert a government shutdown … The vote was 366-34, with all opposition coming from Republicans and one member voting present. It capped a tumultuous week in the House that foreshadowed how the new Congress in January might deal with a mercurial Donald Trump back in the White House. A two-thirds vote was needed because the bill came to the floor under a fast-track process.

The legislation now heads to the Senate which must pass it before 12:01 a.m. to avert a shutdown.

The package funds the government at current levels through March 14, and includes $100 billion in disaster aid and a one-year farm bill — while stripping out a debt limit extension demanded by President-elect Trump earlier in the week. (read more)

These funding fights always break down to accepting a crap sandwich amid a buffet of horrible ingredients. They always suck; however, President Trump’s pragmatic optimal solution approach has always been to plough through it with as little of the crap ingredients as possible, while rapidly positioning to have the benefit of his economic policy as fast as possible.

Lastly, understand this with direct seriousness. The House Freedom Caucus (HFC) wants the Debt Ceiling fight. It is a tool they can use so they can impede the economic agenda of President Donald Trump. This same HFC will -eventually- work to STOP the Musk and Ramaswamy DOGE effort to remove the tentacles of big government.

The HFC are anti-Trump, and they will stand aghast shouting “muh principles” when you point it out; they are, unfortunately, assholes.

Dec 21 2024

Another Debt Ceiling Debate, Another Govt Funding Charade, Another Looming Govt Shutdown

Posted originally on the CTH on December 20, 2024 | Sundance

If the government “shuts down” but nobody notices, is it really a shutdown?

After a group of 38 republicans aligned with almost all democrats in the house, the effort to raise the debt ceiling and fund government failed.

Unbeknownst to most, the debt ceiling was suspended in Jun of 2023. As a result, Joe Biden and congress could spend on Ukraine without worry about the debt ceiling being a hurdle. The UniParty suspended the debt ceiling with a purpose.

Starting Jan 1st, 2025, the debt ceiling issue is scheduled to return. National debt will be whatever it was when the debt ceiling was suspended plus whatever spending Biden and the UniParty did since June of 2023. A new debt ceiling is estimated to be hit by June of 2025 or earlier.

President Trump told Speaker Mike Johnson -using the CR as a vehicle- to push the restart of the debt ceiling back for 2 years. This would allow for continuance of the tax cuts that President Trump wants to make; plus, economic drivers like no tax on tips, no tax on social security, no tax on overtime, a 15% tax bracket for companies who build, invest and manufacture in the USA. Expanding the economy is the goal.

Our government considers tax cuts as government spending. So, if congress does $4 trillion in tax cuts, the government considers that $4 trillion in additional spending.

The debt ceiling reinitiating next year will make President Trump have to figure out how to pass the tax cuts without going over the debt ceiling and triggering a default.

By not moving the non-existent debt ceiling back two more years, the 38 “true conservatives” stopped the American people from getting more of our money returned via tax cuts and they keep more money in the government.

DOGE was planned to come in under the Trump plan to reduce the size of government at the same time ultimately addressing the issue of the 38 conservatives.

WASHINGTON DC – […] Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) told a gaggle of reporters outside of the speaker’s office that the bill they plan to put forth would likely be similar to the Donald Trump-backed version that failed on the House floor by a wide margin Thursday evening. She said the vote was planned for 10 a.m.

“I think we’re very close to a deal,” she said, adding that it’s “very close to President Trump’s plan yesterday.”

Johnson and House conservatives are huddling in his office Friday morning as a government shutdown deadline looms in less than 24 hours. Separately, House Democrats are scheduled to have a closed-door meeting later in the morning as they wait to see what happens next. (more)

https://twitter.com/JohnStossel/status/1870127238953197713

Dec 20 2024

Brian Glenn: The Base Couldn’t Care Less If This Tyrannical Government Stays Funded

Posted originally on Rumble By Bannons War Room on: Dec 19, 2024 at :6:30 pm EST

Dec 20 2024

Newsom Declares State of Emergency

Posted originally on Dec 20, 2024 by Martin Armstrong

Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency over the bird flu. Of the 34 reported cases, 33 were working directly in farms. There is no grave danger to the public at large. This publicity stunt is merely a way for Newsom to have more power over his state ahead of Trump’s inauguration.

Newsom enjoyed endless power under COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions. I’ve met countless people who call themselves “pandemic refugees” as they were forced to flee California during the pandemic as it became one of the most oppressive states in the nation.

“This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak. Building on California’s testing and monitoring system — the largest in the nation — we are committed to further protecting public health, supporting our agriculture industry, and ensuring that Californians have access to accurate, up-to-date information. While the risk to the public remains low, we will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of this virus,” Newsom declared.

Over 600 dairy farms are under quarantine in California due to the bird flu. I explained that the USDA will begin testing ALL dairy farms across America, despite no known instance of someone becoming sick from consuming dairy. There have not been any recorded cases of person-to-person spread either.

Newsom may now issue executive orders and proclamations under the premise that this virus is not posing a risk to the public at large. He may now assume direct control over emergency management and state operations, as well as expanding current budgets. He could actually make expenditures from any state fund available for his use. There is a deeper power play ploy at hand behind these actions.

Dec 20 2024

Postal Truck EV Fail – $3B Govt Waste

Posted Dec 20, 2024 by Martin Armstrong

Governments are eager to spend your tax dollars on useless initiatives to save the planet from global warming. The Biden Administration spent BILLIONS on investing in EV infrastructure that never came to fruition. I spoke on how Biden approved of a $7.5 billion spending package to build EV charging stations throughout the nation, but only SEVEN were produced in over a two-year span. His most recent climate debacle that came to light rests on decarbonizing the Postal Service.

The government provided the Postal Service with funding to purchase 60,000 “Next Generation Delivery Vehicles” (NGDVs) from defense contractor Oshkosh. Oshkosh has never produced an electric truck and it is obvious why Biden avoided other more established EV manufacturers. Congress approved $3 billion to spend on this $10 billion project derived from the Inflation Reduction Act – the largest guise for climate spending in US history.

Out of that $3 BILLION, only 93 vehicles have been delivered since 2022. Countless issues have been reported with these NGDVs from leaks to airbags. Worse, Oshkosh was never equipped to handle the production of 3,000 vehicles, and has stated that they have only been able to produce ONE truck per day. They are now working to refine their manufacturing to create 80 trucks per day. Again, there were other avenues and established factories.

Does anyone believe those small mail trucks are truly polluting the environment? Should the American people simply accept that they may not receive mail when the weather is less than ideal? “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds” unless forced to drive electric!