Johnson Scores First Win, Dodging Shutdown and Year-End Bloat thumbnail

Johnson Scores First Win, Dodging Shutdown and Year-End Bloat

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By Family Research Council

That sound you hear in Washington, D.C. is every congressional staffer breathing a sigh of relief. For once, the Hill will be home at a reasonable time for Christmas — not staring down another government shutdown or stuffing an unread trillion-dollar omnibus down the Democrats’ chimney. In the real first hurdle of Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) young tenure, the House did as he asked: they passed a budget bridge to next year that spares America a whole lot of headaches.

By a 336-95 vote, the House decided to cut Mike Johnson some slack — agreeing to his unique “laddered” approach to the continuing resolution (CR) that buys Republicans more time to live up to their fiscal promises. “We were a little bit behind the eight ball here,” Glenn Grothman (R-Wisc.) admitted to Family Research Council President Tony Perkins immediately following the vote. “Your listeners will remember that we went through a long process without a speaker.” Now that the House has one, he pointed out, it will take some extra time for the chamber “to get our work done.”

With just days to go before a government shutdown, Johnson made impassioned pleas for the GOP to come together and agree to a plan that gives the House a window to debate these budgets individually. “We’re not surrendering,” Johnson argued. “We’re fighting, but you have to be wise about choosing the fights. You’ve got to fight fights that you can win — and we’re going to.” But let’s face it, he said. “It took decades to get into this mess. I’ve been at this job three weeks. … I can’t turn an aircraft carrier overnight, but this was a very important first step to get us to the next stage so that we can change how Washington works.”

Leading up to the vote, several Republicans applauded Johnson for doing his best to avoid both a government shutdown and a 2,000-page “Christmas tree omnibus.” “We set that as one of our goals at the first of the year, that we did not want that to happen again,” Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) told Perkins. Under this plan, the House has until January 19 and February 2 to pass two waves of appropriations bills. “I personally like that,” Carter said. “I personally like the idea of doing it as you can. You know, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time, right? Well, let’s take these bites as we can get them, and then we go on and we work until February 2nd on everything else and try to get it done as well.”

Not every Republican agreed, insisting that anything the House passed — including a short-term CR — should have spending cuts. According to Grothman, Johnson openly confronted those critics, asking, “How is this going to end? How are you going to wind up ahead of the game by shutting down the government? Because eventually, it’s going to reopen.” And his point, Grothman said, was that “it will reopen when the Republicans get beat up in the news media. And none of these people who are voting against Mike today, breaking from our new speaker, could give him a reason or an explanation of how this was going to end.”

Johnson deserved better from his party, Grothman believed. “I felt sorry for our speaker. Most Republicans stuck with him, but on this first test, a lot didn’t. … He should have got[ten] … every single Republican to vote for him when he called for the vote. And sadly, [93] Republicans voted against him.”

Democrats filled in the blanks, pushing the CR across the finish line. Some, like Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Ct.), snarkily told the media, “Once again, the Republican majority needs Democratic votes to govern,” as if bipartisanship is suddenly the most shocking thing to happen to the House. And maybe it is. Apparently, Congress is so used to one party imposing its will that regular order and compromise seem foreign.

The 93 Republicans’ objections notwithstanding, Grothman insisted that “the most important thing is who wins the arguments over what’s in these bills” in the new year. “…And [with] this [laddered] CR, you’re not going to be able to [roll] every appropriation bill together [in a last-minute omnibus] and have one of these 2,000-page behemoths. You’re going to have to break out a separate vote on education, a separate vote on national defense, a separate vote on military construction and veterans affairs, general government. Hopefully we’ll get as many separate votes as possible so we know what’s in the bills, which will be really a feather in the cap of Mike Johnson. But in order to get there, we had to win today [and] give him more time to get things done. And we did that.”

To those who complain this CR doesn’t cut spending, Carter said, “I get it. But the point is, we’re not going to be able to get [the appropriations bills] done [by Friday’s deadline]. We’re not going to be able to get all 12 bills with the spending cuts done anytime soon, certainly not before January the 19th. And why not go ahead and do what we can do until then? And I know that there may be a certain amount of leverage when you have all of them together. But, you know, we’ve tried that, and it hasn’t worked,” he insisted. “I’ve always said Washington is about big ideas. This is a big idea [that’s] never been done before. We ought to try it.”

And frankly, Perkins replied, “What would be gained by shutting down the government?” The House has to work “inch by inch, mile by mile,” he said. This proposal “is a step in the right direction. It moves us toward responsible governing.”

Absolutely, Carter agreed. “Let’s take incremental wins when we can. Let’s move the ball down the field. No, it’s not a Hail Mary, no it’s not a long touchdown pass, but it is advancing the ball down the field.” As for blaming the speaker over what might have been done with the CR, Carter called that “unfair.” “Mike Johnson inherited this situation,” he insisted. “… And he’s doing the best he can with it. … Personally, I thought it was a dumb thing to do to vacate the chair and to get rid of the speaker, [Kevin] McCarthy. I thought that was a big error on our part, but it is what it is. It’s done.”

At the end of the day, Grothman believes, “Mike will pull us together. [He’s] such a sincere guy. Everybody knows he’s trying to do the best he can. And of course, right now, because we had a new Democrat sworn in [Monday], we only can afford to lose three votes. So it’s tough to have 218 of 221 stick together,” the Wisconsin congressman admitted. “But if anybody can do it, Mike can do it.”

AUTHOR

Suzanne Bowdey

Suzanne Bowdey serves as editorial director and senior writer at The Washington Stand.

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2023 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

Fiscal Insanity by the Congress of the United States of America thumbnail

Fiscal Insanity by the Congress of the United States of America

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By Geoff Ross

The Congress of the United States has been negligent in protecting tax payer money from fraud waste and abuse for 50 plus years.

The majority of the elected career politicians in Congress are put into power by low IQ Americans who do zero research on the “R” politicians and stay misinformed by the fake news.

Our congress is filled with a lazy group of incompetent jackasses who have spent us and keep spending us into financial ruin.

Members of congress have the power of the purse.

They can stop this deficit insanity as per the U.S. Constitution.

The Congress has the power to balance the federal budget – As expressed in Article I, Section 9 of the U. S. Constitution,

“No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law”

These useless spineless Republican politicians could easily return our republic to fiscal sanity but we have elected a bunch of corrupt lazy useless incompetent socialists and communists with few exceptions.

The new House Speaker has also failed to fund and defund through the enactment of a “regular appropriations acts” commonly called a budget most of the federal agencies required to run the government annually.

He’s kicked the can down the road just like the Republican in Name Only, the fake conservative from Communist ran California Kevin McCarthy. He is on the Continuing Resolution stop gap insane game show.

As matter of record the uniparty Congress has enacted one or more Continuing Resolutions (CRs) in all but three of the 47 fiscal years since the start of the fiscal year was changed to October 1 beginning in Fiscal Year 1977.

Congress has the authority to write the terms of appropriations and outright deny appropriations by funding or defunding programs and activities of most federal agencies including the weaponized & corrupt FBI, DOJ, Homeland Security and the ATF on an annual basis through the enactment of the 12 regular appropriations acts.

The weak spineless Republicans control the House and still they do NOTHING to protect our Republic from the Biden Marxists whose goal in life is to collapse our free market capitalist economy and imprison their political opponents.

Wake up America and stop electing these people into office. If income taxes were totally eliminated this would not even hurt our fiscal bottom line if we would only stop wasting the tax revenue the Treasury Dept. collects from corporate taxes and other revenue streams.

Only former President Trump and Congressman Matt Gaetz R-FL seems to understand this and now they are being mercilessly attacked by the cry baby useless RINOs on a mission to spitefully block their protective measures of our Republic.

Look at the funding for the new FBI building by the incompetent Republican members of congress as an example.

©2023. Geoff Ross. All rights reserved.

New Gov’t Data Suggests Biden Admin’s Anti-Gas Appliance Push Could Make Home Heating Way More Expensive thumbnail

New Gov’t Data Suggests Biden Admin’s Anti-Gas Appliance Push Could Make Home Heating Way More Expensive

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By The Daily Caller

  • Americans using electric heating systems, favored by the Biden administration’s climate agenda, will pay significantly more to keep their homes warm this winter than Americans using natural gas, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
  • Those who use electricity to heat their homes will pay $1,063 on average this winter, while Americans using natural gas will pay an average of $601 to keep their homes warm, according to the EIA data.
  • Attempts to phase out the use of natural gas for home heating and other purposes “would raise costs to consumers, jeopardize environmental progress and deny affordable energy to underserved populations,” American Gas Association President and CEO Karen Harbert told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Americans who heat their homes with electricity could see costs increase this winter as the Biden administration forges ahead with its broad push to diminish the use of fossil fuels in homes and buildings, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Those who rely on electricity to heat their homes will pay an average of $1,063 this upcoming winter, approximately 77% more than Americans using natural gas, who will pay an average of $601 to keep their homes warm, according to the EIA’s projections. The Biden administration, with the encouragement of environmentalist advocacy groups, has proposed regulations and rolled out subsidy programs designed to decrease the use of oil and gas products for home heating and other purposes, citing a perceived need to decrease carbon emissions they generate.

“Natural gas has been one of the principal drivers to achieving our nation’s environmental and economic goals. From providing affordable energy to consumers to driving down emissions, the benefits this fuel has for our nation are tangible and impossible to ignore,” American Gas Association President and CEO Karen Harbert told the Daily Caller News Foundation. Attempts to phase out the use of natural gas for home heating and other uses “would raise costs to consumers, jeopardize environmental progress and deny affordable energy to underserved populations,” she added.

REPORTER:

“We’ve seen them go after gas stoves…how many more home appliances will Americans eventually have to replace?” pic.twitter.com/JgjQyiPGK0

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 24, 2023

The discrepancy in prices is even more pronounced in the Northeast, where the average cost for using electricity to heat a home is expected to be $1,465, a figure that is about 92% higher than the $761 that natural gas users can expect to pay on average, according to the EIA data.

The effort to change how Americans heat their homes using government action is part of a larger push from the Biden administration to have Americans adopt an array of more efficient, and more expensive, electric appliances in order to fight climate change. As it does on the heating front, the administration uses both regulation, such as its move to phase out gas-powered generators and pool pump motors, and subsidies, like the $2,000 heat pump tax credit from the Inflation Reduction Act, to advance its agenda.

Other appliances the administration has targeted include water heaters, refrigerators and clothes washers. Concurrently, federal agencies, led by the Energy Department, are assisting municipal governments to modify their building codes in ways that limit or ban the use of fossil fuels in new buildings.

Well-funded environmentalist organizations like the Sierra Club and Rewiring America have advocated for the electrification of American homes, and a coalition of 23 state governors has teamed up with the White House to aggressively expand heat pump installations in the effort to reduce the share of Americans relying on natural gas to keep their homes at a comfortable temperature.

The push to electrify home heating and appliances despite their typically higher cost is occurring amid a backdrop of high inflation that is especially hurting the country’s working- and middle-class families.

“The political appointees in the White House, guys like John Podesta, are more interested in helping their big money backers in the green movement than they are in helping provide relief for working-class American families,” Tom Pyle, president of the American Energy Alliance, told the DCNF. “Higher electricity prices don’t hurt wealthy coastal elites, but they crush the poor, seniors and those living on fixed incomes.”

The White House and the Energy Department did not respond to requests for comment.

AUTHOR

NICK POPE

Contributor.

RELATED ARTICLE: Huge Swaths Of US Face Elevated Blackout Risks This Winter, Grid Watchdog Warns

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Illegal aliens chant ‘Biden, Biden, Biden’ as they approach U.S. border thumbnail

Illegal aliens chant ‘Biden, Biden, Biden’ as they approach U.S. border

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By Royal A. Brown III

This failure to secure our borders and safeguard our national sovereignty by ignoring our own immigration laws continues and must be stopped.

I’m overstating the obvious by saying the only way to do so is to re-elect Donald J. Trump as POTUS in 2024 as well as primary out all the establishment, elitist, do nothing RINOs still in Congress, replace them with true conservatives not beholden to big $ special interests and; obviously take back the Senate in the process.

Tall order but achievable if all registered Republicans and conservative Independents turn out to vote in 2024 and beat the inevitable steal in the process.

Wouldn’t hurt to get rid of Ronna McDaniels as leader of the RNC and her supporters who have lost most elections since 2018.

Hundreds of Illegal Aliens Chant ‘Biden! Biden! Biden!’ As They Approach the U.S. Border

Sarah Arnold, November 11, 2023

Thousands of illegal migrants are making their way to the open United States border as President Joe Biden continues to roll out the red carpet for their arrival.

The illegal aliens heading for the U.S. chanted, “Biden! Biden! Biden!” Because they know this is their opportunity to walk right into the country, no questions asked.

In Huixtla, Mexico, a caravan of migrants celebrate @JoeBiden & his enabler @RubenGallego for opening our borders.

2,000 miles away, Arizonans brace for the entry of more unvetted immigrants that we cannot feed or house.

It doesn’t have to be like this. pic.twitter.com/3FFD1IMlb5

— Kari Lake (@KariLake) November 10, 2023

According to reports, the mass of illegal migrants is only 2,000 miles away from Arizona. They will arrive at the U.S. border within less than a week.

Biden has claimed he will implement “consequences for illegal entry.” However, that has yet to clearly deter migrants from entering the U.S., as numbers at the border are expected to rise again in the coming weeks.

Since Biden entered office, nearly 10 million migrants have crossed the U.S. border illegally, putting the lives of Americans at risk.

D.C. Democrats continue to neglect the nation’s border despite focusing on invasions of other countries. Biden repeatedly lies, claiming the southern border is closed, but videos and photos prove otherwise. In fact, one of the first things Biden did when he entered office was dismantle Trump-era policies that kept encounters at the border at ease.

Last week, I reported that a massive caravan carrying approximately 7,000 illegal aliens was heading toward the U.S.-Mexico border.

Since the Biden Administration took over, the president’s reckless policies have caused human trafficking to flourish and deadly drugs such as fentanyl to pour into the innocent lives of Americans as laws are being ignored.

Biden is responsible for the devastation the U.S. faces each day the border remains wide open.

“President Biden has done more to reopen the border to illegal immigrants and stimulate the human smuggling industry,” Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said.

Read full article.

©2023. Royal A. Brown III. All rights reserved.

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Americans Are Increasingly Failing To Make Debt Payments As Inflation Continues To Put ‘Strain On Consumers’ thumbnail

Americans Are Increasingly Failing To Make Debt Payments As Inflation Continues To Put ‘Strain On Consumers’

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By The Daily Caller

Americans are increasingly falling behind on their debt payments as inflation continues to erode real incomes, threatening to cause many consumers to declare bankruptcy.

Delinquency transitions, debts that were previously being paid but no longer are despite outstanding obligations, rose rapidly in the third quarter of 2023 in all forms of debt except for student loans, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Poor U.S. economic conditions linked to rising inflation and interest rates have left Americans unable to pay for previous obligations that they once could afford, according to experts who spoke to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“Consumers pay for things three ways: income, savings and credit,” Michael Faulkender, chief economist and senior advisor for the Center for American Prosperity, told the DCNF. “We know that wages have not kept up with inflation over the last 2.5 years and that many households have spent all of the savings accumulated during the pandemic. Therefore, in order to maintain their spending levels, they have been adding to their credit card balances, such that aggregate balances have now eclipsed $1 trillion. Rising credit card debt in a rising interest rate environment with incomes not keeping pace will put more and more households into financial difficulty, resulting in delinquencies.”

Delinquency transitions for credit cards and auto loans saw the biggest increase among debt forms in the third quarter, rising to 8% and 7.4%, respectively, according to the New York Fed. Credit card debt increased to $1.08 trillion in the quarter, rising 4.7% from the second quarter, when it exceeded $1 trillion for the first time in U.S. history.

Real wages for average Americans have declined since President Joe Biden took office, sinking 2.1% from the first quarter of 2021 to the third quarter of 2023, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Americans are increasingly turning to their savings to make up the difference in lost wages, with Americans collectively holding $687.7 billion in savings as of September 2023, compared to more than $1 trillion in May and nearly $6 trillion in April 2020.

“It likely indicates that average Americans are not doing well financially,” Jai Kedia, a research fellow for the Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives at the Cato Institute, told the DCNF. “The quarter-by-quarter increase in delinquencies is probably a signal that the economy is not as good as people thought earlier this year — rather that the hard landing many predicted last year but never came may simply have been delayed.”

An economic soft landing refers to a slowdown in market growth that avoids a recession, as opposed to a hard landing, which would result in a recession, slowing economic growth but also ultimately bringing inflation down. Following the September Federal Open Market Committee meeting, Jerome Powell, chair of the Fed, said a soft landing was not a baseline expectation for the Fed in its fight against inflation.

AUTHOR

RELATED ARTICLE: The US Could Have Trouble Attracting Lenders To Foot The Bill For Its Massive Debt Deluge, Experts Say

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. All rights reserved.

Biden Admin’s Regulatory Overhaul Is Poised To Burden Americans In The Name Of Fighting Climate Change thumbnail

Biden Admin’s Regulatory Overhaul Is Poised To Burden Americans In The Name Of Fighting Climate Change

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By The Daily Caller

President Joe Biden’s administration finalized guidance Thursday likely to burden Americans with costlier regulations to fulfill administration priorities such as combating climate change.

Biden’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is enacting new guidance that would require regulators to consider priorities like inequality and climate change when analyzing the costs and benefits of regulation. The White House argued the guidance is necessary so that regulations are issued with up-to-date analysis and information.Critics, however, argue the new guidance would lead to costlier regulations in the name of the Biden administration’s agenda.

“Adjusting how cost-benefit analysis is conducted in a way to make it easier to issue heavy-handed and costly regulations is unwise at anytime, particularly when Americans continue to suffer under punishingly high inflation,” Republican Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford stated, according to The New York Times.

The new regulations will in practice allow for stronger climate regulations by factoring in the projected economic costs of climate change and global warming, according to the NYT.

The regulations are based on Biden’s January 2021 “Memorandum on Modernizing Regulatory Review,” which accounts for contributions to progressive policies when considering proposed rules.

“We write to express our opposition to the proposed revisions, which are seemingly designed to fast-track progressive policies that do not have a majority of votes in Congress necessary for passage into law,” Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and a coalition of Senate Republican committee ranking members wrote in a letter pushing back on the memorandum.”

The rules are also based on an April “Executive Order on Modernizing Regulatory Review,” according to the White House fact sheet on the final guidance, which the OMB pointed the Daily Caller News Foundation toward.

The order references regulatory moves that likely would lead to “adversely affect[ing] in a material way the economy, a sector of the economy, productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, public health or safety, or State, local, territorial, or tribal governments or communities” and takes “equity” into account.

Americans may also bear the regulatory cost for other nations because “effects occurring beyond the borders of the United States can result in benefits and costs that accrue to U.S. citizens and residents,” according to the fact sheet.

The OMB’s White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) finalized the regulations.

“This updated guidance will help agencies more accurately estimate the impacts of their regulations and thereby enable them to craft better regulations which, in turn, means lower costs for consumers; cleaner food, air, and water; less fraud and exploitation; increased workplace safety; more innovation; and a stronger economy,” the White House OIRA fact sheet asserts.

The White House did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

AUTHOR

JASON COHEN

Contributor.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

‘It Ruins Their Case’: Attorney Reveals Why New York Judge Tried To Hush Trump During Testimony thumbnail

‘It Ruins Their Case’: Attorney Reveals Why New York Judge Tried To Hush Trump During Testimony

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By The Daily Caller

A legal spokesperson for former President Donald Trump said that the judge in Trump’s civil fraud trial was trying to hush the former president because Trump’s explanations wrecked the case against him.

Trump and attorney Alina Habba clashed with Judge Arthur F. Engoron during the former president’s testimony Monday, with the judge threatening to remove Trump from the courtroom. Engoron ruled that Trump was liable for fraud Sept. 26, and ordered that several business licenses Trump held were to be rescinded, but an appeals court ruling stayed the order Oct. 6.

“There was a fiery exchange with the judge,” Habba told Fox Business host Larry Kudlow. “Frankly, I can’t even say it was with the judge and I… I’m very polite, I’m very professional when I’m in the courtroom, but the judge did not like him finishing or explaining because it wasn’t good for his case. He is interfering. He made his decision, let’s not forget that, Larry. He made a decision on summary judgment. He found liability already.”

WATCH:

Democratic Attorney General Letitia James of New York sued Trump in September 2022, alleging he overstated the value of real estate holdings in order to obtain loans.

“We’re wasting all this time, and he won’t even let the president, who is the person they’re trying to get to, explain why he certified to certain values,” Habba said. “Why? Because the minute he starts to explain it, it ruins their case. He was worth more than his statement of financial conditions, and Miss James, her politics are not allowing to backtrack. She needs a PR team, I’m telling you.”

Real-estate experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation that Engoron’s ruling greatly undervalued Mar-a-Lago, the Florida estate owned by Trump, which some considered to be worth more than $250,000,000.

“We are obviously going to move to completely dismiss this case. There should be a mistrial based on some of the things you mentioned today that I can’t talk about,” Habba added later. “There should be a mistrial here. Bias in general, I’ll say. There is a judicial code of ethics. Those ethics extend to the entire courtroom and when you violate the rules of judicial ethics there need to be certain things that hold you accountable.”

AUTHOR

HAROLD HUTCHISON

Reporter.

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TUCKER ON X:

Ep. 37 The two defining tragedies of our time — the war in Ukraine and the presidency of Joe Biden — are both finally coming to an end.

TIMESTAMPS:
(00:17) Glenn Greenwald joins
(05:41) Will the Ukraine War Hawks ever apologize?
(07:25) Using foreign wars to punish Americans… pic.twitter.com/vTVXqNNPhT

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) November 7, 2023

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Top Hunter Biden Prosecutor Confirms Key Detail Of IRS Whistleblower Testimony, Jim Jordan Says thumbnail

Top Hunter Biden Prosecutor Confirms Key Detail Of IRS Whistleblower Testimony, Jim Jordan Says

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By The Daily Caller

Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss, special counsel in the ongoing Hunter Biden investigation, confirmed a key allegation made by IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley, Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan said Tuesday.

Weiss testified before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday and said he requested special attorney authority under section 515 in the spring of 2022, Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan told reporters. Weiss was not given the special attorney authority and did not have special attorney authority before his special counsel appointment in August, Jordan said.

.@Jim_Jordan to reporters on David Weiss’s transcribed interview:

“When he was specifically asked, did you ever request special attorney authority under Section 515, Mr. Weiss’s response was yes, in the spring of 2022. So that that goes to the heart of the matter.

He requested…

— House Judiciary GOP 🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) November 7, 2023

“When he was specifically asked, did you ever request special attorney authority under Section 515, Mr. Weiss’s response was yes, in the spring of 2022. So that that goes to the heart of the matter,” Jordan stated.

“So to me, that’s the key takeaway. He won’t answer a lot of questions. But that’s the key takeaway, because this whole deposition was about the changing story we got from DOJ, regarding the authority that he had,” he continued.

“And that answer, I think the key is, is entirely consistent with what Mr. Shapley said after the October 7, 2022 meeting, when he said USA Weiss requested Special Counsel authority when it was sent to DC and Main DOJ denied his request and told him to follow the process.”

Shapley testified to the House Ways and Means Committee in May and recalled an Oct. 7, 2022, meeting where Weiss allegedly stated that he requested special counsel authority and got denied by the Department of Justice (DOJ) after Biden-appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves refused to cooperate on potentially charging Hunter Biden for alleged tax offenses in D.C.

Shapley’s attorneys have released handwritten notes and an email containing Shapley’s account of the Oct. 7, 2022, meeting. Weiss denied Shapley’s accusations in a July letter to Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.

In his letter to Graham, Weiss said he did not request special counsel authority and alluded to internal discussions about special attorney authority, without disclosing the results of those discussions.

Special attorney authority under section 515 would have authorized Weiss’ office to level charges against Hunter Biden outside of his district without needing to collaborate with the U.S. Attorneys in those jurisdictions.

Two IRS officials testified that Weiss and Shapley developed a rift after the Oct. 7, 2022, meeting, resulting in Shapley being removed from the Hunter Biden case.

Graves testified before the Judiciary Committee in October and confirmed his decision not to cooperate with Weiss in March 2022, according to a transcript reviewed by the Daily Caller.

Likewise, Biden-appointed U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California E. Martin Estrada confirmed he refused to cooperate with Weiss in October 2022, according to a transcript reviewed by the Daily Caller. Shapley accused both U.S. attorneys of declining to cooperate on the case when he testified to the Ways and Means Committee.

Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Weiss special counsel in August after Hunter Biden’s guilty plea agreement collapsed in court and IRS Whistleblowers Shapley and Joseph Ziegler testified publicly.

Garland testified before the Judiciary Committee in September and asserted that Weiss had “full authority” over the Hunter Biden investigation.

He said the U.S. attorneys “could refuse to partner” with Weiss on the case and insisted Weiss could have requested additional authority under section 515 and that he would have approved it.

“All he would have to do is ask me for 515 authority, and I would sign it right away,” Garland said in response to a question from Republican South Carolina Rep. Russell Fry.

Weiss said he had “ultimate authority” over the case in a June 7 letter to Rep. Jordan. He wrote another letter to Jordan in late June in which he said his charging authority was geographically limited. Garland defended the consistency of Weiss’ letters during his September testimony.

Both whistleblowers accused the DOJ of giving Hunter Biden special treatment during its investigation into his taxes and firearms possession. The Ways and Means Committee released a trove of documents in September supporting the IRS whistleblower testimony.

Hunter Biden is suing the IRS for alleged illegal disclosures by the IRS whistleblowers in their testimony and media interviews. Hunter’s defense attorney, Abbe D. Lowell, wrote a letter to Weiss in August making similar accusations against the whistleblowers.

Hunter Biden was indicted in September on three federal gun charges in connection with his October 2018 purchase of a firearm in Delaware while he battled a crack cocaine addiction. He pleaded not guilty to the charges in October and later downplayed them in a Thursday op-ed for USA Today.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

AUTHOR

JAMES LYNCH

Investigative reporter. James Lynch can be reached on Twitter @jameslynch32.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

‘Answer The Question’: Sparks Fly As Trump Spars With Judge In NYC Fraud Case thumbnail

‘Answer The Question’: Sparks Fly As Trump Spars With Judge In NYC Fraud Case

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By The Daily Caller

Former President Donald Trump was told not to make “speeches” soon after taking the stand Monday to testify during his New York civil fraud trial.

Judge Arthur Engoron reminded the former president to stay on topic and told his lawyer “this is not a political rally,” according to The Hill. His sons and co-defendants, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., testified in the trial last week.

“I’m sure the judge will rule against me because he always rules against me,” Trump said in response to a question about his role in preparing financial statements, according to CNN.

“You can attack me, you can do whatever you want, but answer the question,” Engoron said, per the outlet.

Judge Arthur Engoron ruled before the trial started that Trump and his business exaggerated his net worth and assets, deceiving banks and insurance companies. Democratic Attorney General Letita James, who brought the case against Trump, is seeking to prevent him from doing business in the state and secure $250 million in damages.

Trump argued during his testimony that the New York Attorney General’s office underestimated Mar-a-Lago’s value. He said the value of his “brand” alone would have increased the value of his properties, according to The Hill.

“If I wanted to build up the statement, like you said I did before you found out just how rich we are, I would’ve added brand value here and I would’ve increased it by tens of millions of dollars,” Trump said, per CNN.

Engoron told Trump’s lawyer Chris Kise to “control” his client.

“I would think, respectfully — of all witnesses — your honor would want to hear everything this witness has to say,” Kise said, per The Hill. Engoron responded that he did “not want to hear everything this witness has to say.”

“I beseech you to control him if you can,” Ergoron said, according to CNN. “If you can’t I will. I will I excuse him and draw every negative inference that I can.”

Trump also said during testimony that the trial was “very unfair.”

“I hope the public is watching,” Trump said, per The Hill.

Trump Jr. testified Thursday that he relied on the company’s accountants, according to CBS News.

“These people had an incredible, intimate knowledge and I relied on them,” he said, per the outlet.

Engoron issued a gag order against Trump early October after he made a post on Truth Social referring to Allison Greenfield, Engoron’s clerk, as the “girlfriend” of Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Since then, he’s issued $5,000 and $10,000 fines against Trump for violating the order and expanded it to prevent his attorneys from making comments referring to “confidential communications” between him and his staff.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

AUTHOR

KATELYNN RICHARDSON

Contributor.

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RELATED POSTS ON X:

Trumps lawyer is 🔥 pic.twitter.com/yJuYzNbV8W

— Hodgetwins (@hodgetwins) November 7, 2023

pic.twitter.com/ziQ6D7O5cN

— MARY WICKER (@MARYWICKER20) November 6, 2023

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

House Passes H.R. 8126 the ‘Israel Aid Bill’ Funded by IRS Cuts thumbnail

House Passes H.R. 8126 the ‘Israel Aid Bill’ Funded by IRS Cuts

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By The Daily Caller

The House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday that would send military aid to Israel during its conflict with Hamas, which will be funded by cuts to funding for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

The Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024 would provide funds to the Department of Defense to replace equipment provided to Israel as military aid, fund research for new air defense systems that are being developed by Israel, such as the Iron Beam aerial laser program, and fund the Department of State’s programs to evacuate U.S. citizens from the region as well as protect U.S. diplomatic missions under new threats due to the conflict. The bill was passed by a vote of 226 yeas to 196 nays, with most Democrats voting against the bill.

“House Republicans are bringing forward a bill to ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself as it fights to eliminate the threat from Hamas,” wrote House Majority Steve Scalise in an email to the Daily Caller News Foundation ahead of the vote. “Israel has every right to defend itself against such heinous actions, and we must stand with them in their fight against our shared enemies for self-determination, democracy, and freedom.”

H.R. 6126 – Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024 by Daily Caller News Foundation on Scribd

The bill was introduced by Republican Rep. Kay Granger of Texas, the chair of the House Appropriations Committee, along with 100 other Republican co-sponsors. It has been strongly opposed by Senate Democrats, with Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray tweeting that “[t]he House GOP’s bill is dead on arrival” in the upper chamber, and the Biden administration stating that President Joe Biden would veto the bill if presented to him.

Biden had previously proposed a supplemental appropriations bill worth over $100 billion to fund aid not only to Israel but also to Ukraine during its war against Russia as well as provide funds for border security and immigration processing at the U.S. border with Mexico. That request was widely criticized by House Republicans, who indicated that the proposal would not receive support in their chamber, where they hold a majority.

A nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) review of the bill’s budgetary effects estimated that it would increase the fiscal deficit by nearly $12.5 billion over ten years until 2033. The CBO noted that funds cut from the IRS are intended to support enforcement actions against delinquent taxpayers, which “would result in fewer enforcement actions over the next decade and in a reduction in revenue collections,” according to the office’s report to Congress.

“Speaker Johnson and House Republicans released a totally unserious and woefully inadequate package that omitted aid to Ukraine, omitted humanitarian assistance to Gaza, had no funding for the Indo-Pacific, and made funding for Israel conditional on hard-right, never-going-to-pass proposals. What a joke,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday.

National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Will Reinart criticized Democrats in a statement to the DCNF for opposing the bill “as terrorists continue their barbaric attacks.”

Ahead of the bill’s consideration by the House, several House Republicans indicated to the DCNF that they would not have voted for a bill providing military aid unless it was offset by corresponding spending cuts.

“We are in the worst fiscal crisis our country has ever faced,” said Republican Rep. Bob Good of Virginia to the DCNF. “We ought to require offsets, cuts to … the IRS expansion in order to fund [the bill]. We shouldn’t be borrowing from China, borrowing from our kids’ and grandkids’ future to fund the Israeli funding. Even though it’s good policy, we literally don’t have the money.”

“We need to have the offsets,” Good said when pressed on whether he’d support a bill to aid Israel without offsetting cuts. This point was echoed by Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus.

“Funding for many of those things needs to be offset because we are running trillion-dollar deficits at this point,” Perry told the DCNF. “Since the president refuses to be the adult in the room … that’s going to be the House of Representatives,” he added.

“I do not believe we should write another blank check to anyone, including ourselves, we must pay for it. And the American people must see that it’s going to cause something if we’re going to give another $14 billion to Israel,” said Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas in comments shared with the DCNF. “If you see me in the end having to vote against Israel funding, just make sure you heard it here first, right? I support Israel. But I am not going to continue to go down this road where we bankrupt our country.”

Schumer and the Israeli Mission to the United States did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

AUTHOR

ARJUN SINGH

Contributor.

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RELATED POST ON X:

Mike Johnson will NOT consider a spending bill for Israel that doesn’t include other spending cuts.

This is what testicular fortitude looks like. pic.twitter.com/k5u87TsfjF

— Joey Mannarino (@JoeyMannarinoUS) November 2, 2023

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

House Passes EPA Spending Bill That Defunds Several Biden Climate Initiatives thumbnail

House Passes EPA Spending Bill That Defunds Several Biden Climate Initiatives

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By The Daily Caller

The House of Representatives passed its sixth appropriations bill to fund certain government agencies related to the environment on Friday that would defund many of the Biden administration’s climate-change-focused initiatives.

The Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024 allocates over $25 billion to fund conservation programs, agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management(BLM) and Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) as well as cultural promotion agencies such as the national endowments for the arts and humanities. After spending over 12 hours considering amendments to the bill on Thursday and Friday morning, the House passed the bill by a vote of 213 yeas to 203 nays, with all Democrats but one voting against the bill.

“In drafting this bill, we worked very hard to rein in federal spending while prioritizing critical needs within our Subcommittee’s allocation,” said Republican Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho’s 2nd District, who introduced the bill, at a meeting of the House Appropriations Committee in July to consider the bill. “Cutting funding is never easy and it can often be an ugly, arduous process. But with the national debt in excess of $32 trillion and inflation at an unacceptable level, we must make tough choices to ensure we do not saddle our children and grandchildren with overwhelming debt.”

🚨NOW: I’m leading the FY24 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations debate.
 
Tune in! https://t.co/aEYhT2auJu pic.twitter.com/fVnOWFr4TW

— Cong. Mike Simpson (@CongMikeSimpson) November 2, 2023

Amid widespread Republican opposition to the many climate change initiatives of the Biden administration, the House considered over 130 amendments on the floor to the bill, mostly from Republican members seeking to deny funds for these initiatives. Many of their amendments failed to pass due to bipartisan opposition.

Among the amendments passed by the House was a provision to deny funds for enforcing prohibitions on plastic straws, which was offered by Republican Rep. John Rose of Tennessee. Another such amendment, offered by Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, denies the government funds to prevent domestic pollutants from adversely affecting foreign countries.

One amendment, by Republican Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee, denies funds to implement a provision of the Inflation Reduction Act(IRA) that raises minimum rents and royalties for oil and gas projects. Perhaps the most narrowly passed amendment was one advanced by Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, which denies funds to implement any of President Joe Biden’s climate-change-focused executive orders, which was approved by one vote.

The bill has been opposed by Biden, whose administration released a statement indicating that he would veto it. “These levels would result in deep cuts to clean energy programs and other programs that work to combat climate change, essential nutrition services, law enforcement, consumer safety, education, and healthcare,” wrote the Office of Management and Budget about the bill’s funding levels, adding that it “include[s] billions in additional rescissions from the [Inflation Reduction Act] and other vital legislation.”

In parallel, the Senate has proposed a separate appropriations bill for these departments and agencies, which provides $19 billion more than the House bill and largely supports Biden’s environmental agenda, including $100 million for environmental justice programs, according to a press release from the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

AUTHOR

ARJUN SINGH

Contributor.

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House Passes Israel Aid Bill Funded By IRS Cuts

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Job Gains Fall Short Of Explanations As Unemployment Ticks Up thumbnail

Job Gains Fall Short Of Explanations As Unemployment Ticks Up

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By The Daily Caller

The U.S. added 150,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in October as the unemployment rate ticked up to 3.9%, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released Friday.

Economists had anticipated that the country would add 180,000 jobs in October compared to the 336,000 jobs that were added in September and that the unemployment rate would remain at 3.8%, according to Reuters. On Wednesday, at the conclusion of its Federal Open Market Committee meeting, the Federal Reserve announced that it would be keeping its federal funds rate steady in the range of 5.25% and 5.50%, a 22-year high, after a series of 11 rate hikes that started in March 2022 in an effort to tame inflation.

The healthcare sector reported the largest increase in jobs, adding 58,000 for the month of October, with the government following closely behind, adding 51,000 for the month, according to the BLS. Employment in manufacturing fell by 35,000 in October, reflecting strike activity in the sector, particularly from the United Auto Workers, who engaged in a partial strike against Ford, Stellantis and General Motors.

The number of jobs added in previous months was once again revised down, with August adding 165,000 jobs instead of 227,000 and September adding 297,000 jobs instead of 336,000, according to the BLS. The U.S. economy added 101,000 fewer jobs than previously thought due to these revisions.

The economy grew at a blistering pace in the third quarter of 2023, with Gross Domestic Product rising 4.9% year-over-year. The gain was driven by consumer and government spending, while average Americans drain their savings, boosting consumption.

Initial UI claims rise slightly but remain relatively low; continuing claims rises above 1.8 million; in addition to layoffs, businesses are not replacing voluntary job leavers at previous pace, so initial claims are filtering through to continuing more – expect this to continue: pic.twitter.com/gT3EIU5V8a

— E.J. Antoni, Ph.D. (@RealEJAntoni) November 2, 2023

Inflation remained elevated in September, rising 3.7% year-over-year, the same as in August, far from the Fed’s 2% target. Inflation has decelerated since its peak of 9.1% in June 2022.

“Last month’s jobs report was nowhere near as rosy as the headline numbers made it appear, as the hiring in September was essentially all part-time jobs and disproportionately public sector,” Antoni told the DCNF. “Also, real weekly earnings fell, both month-over-month and year-over-year. The broader economic outlook remains soft, with a recession likely in early 2024. Slower job growth, and then eventual job losses, will assist in determining precisely where we are on that timeline.”

While September’s job report showed higher-than-expected growth, the number of Americans employed in full-time jobs dropped by 22,000. In that same time period, the number of Americans employed in part-time positions increased by 151,000 as more Americans took part-time jobs and even second or third jobs to make ends meet.

AUTHOR

WILL KESSLER

Contributor.

RELATED ARTICLE: One Of The 2010s’ Trendiest Startups Plans To File Bankruptcy: REPORT

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Biden ‘Depleted’ Israeli Weapons to Back Ukraine: Congressman thumbnail

Biden ‘Depleted’ Israeli Weapons to Back Ukraine: Congressman

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By Family Research Council

Before Hamas launched a terrorist attack on Middle Eastern Jews, the Biden administration had weakened Israeli defenses by diverting hundreds of thousands of artillery shells out of Israel to support the war in Ukraine. A Republican congressman says it is “unclear” Biden’s actions fully complied with U.S. law.

The New York Times revealed in January that the Biden administration had begun transferring “hundreds of thousands” of 155-millimeter artillery shells from the War Reserve Stocks for Allies–Israel (WRSA-I) to Ukraine. The military stockpiles pre-positioned weapons, as well as critical equipment and supplies, in strategic locations “for rapid response in a global operation,” the Defense Department notes, but these weapons may also be given to a host nation — or transferred to another. “It’s their ammunition, and they don’t really need our permission to take it,” said one Israeli official. Some in Tel Aviv felt helpless to prevent the Democratic president from making a strategic decision that put their security at risk. “We can’t really say no without creating a big crisis with the Biden administration,” stated a former senior Israeli official.

But the U.S. Congress, which has oversight over the munitions cache, can ask how the Biden administration’s foreign policy priorities have impacted Israeli defense, not to mention U.S. security. “As Congress is slated to consider legislation in support of Israel’s defense, it is important for Congress to be fully informed as to what munitions are available in WRSA-I and the extent to which the Biden administration has depleted this stockpile to support Ukraine’s war effort,” wrote Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) in a letter to the Biden administration last Thursday. Roy requested that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin provide a full “inventory assessment of United States defense articles currently located” in WRSA-I, either publicly or in a classified hearing, due to the sensitive nature of the report.

Roy is not the only one asking the Biden administration to account for its stewardship of U.S. munitions; federal law (10 U.S. Code § 2229a) mandates that the Pentagon provides a “list of major end items of equipment drawn from the prepositioned stocks during [each] fiscal year and a description of how that equipment was used and whether it was returned to the stocks after being used.” When the administration submits its budget, it must also detail “any strategic plans affected by changes to the levels” of the stockpiles “and a description of any action taken to mitigate any risk that such changes may create.”

But Roy found it “unclear whether this reporting requirement has been consistently applied” to WRSA-I.

Numerous politicians in the Capitol have complained the Biden administration has refused to provide meaningful details about any aspect of its foreign policy. When Biden administration officials testify before Congress about Ukraine, “They don’t give you any kind of substance” about “the war’s prosecution or alleged progress,” Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) told Laura Ingraham on Wednesday, shortly after Defense Secretary Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The Biden officials asked senators to pass a $68.3 billion “emergency” bill appropriating $10.6 billion for Israel — and $44.4 billion for Ukraine. In all, Biden has asked Congress for an “unprecedented” $106 billion package granting $14.3 billion to Israel, $61.4 billion to Ukraine, $9.1 billion in “humanitarian” aid bound largely for Hamas-controlled Gaza, and $7.4 billion for the Indo-Pacific region. It also includes $14 billion often described as “border defense” but that critics point out will expedite the processing and release of illegal immigrants into the interior of the United States.

Much of that aid seems destined to be misappropriated. Senate Republicans say Hamas will steal any humanitarian aid intended for Palestinian civilians. “This is not speculation — just last week, we saw reports that Hamas stole fuel and medical equipment from UNRWA, which the organization initially admitted but then subsequently denied. UNICEF medical kits were even found on the bodies of Hamas terrorists from the horrific October 7th attack,” wrote Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and numerous colleagues on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the extent of Ukraine’s theft of U.S. aid has come to light. “People are stealing like there’s no tomorrow,” a top Zelensky aide told Time magazine, which reported “corruption has grown rife” within the government.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) has agreed to bring up aid for Israel separately from Biden’s requested Ukrainian aid package, which is 4.3 times larger. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he is “conceptually” in “the same place” as Biden and his Democratic counterpart, Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), opposing Speaker Johnson’s plan to split up the aid package. Yet McConnell has said “providing assistance for Ukrainians to defeat the Russians, that’s the number one priority of the United States right now, according to most Republicans.”

The House proposal would offset the $14.3 billion in Israeli aid by cutting an equivalent amount of money from the IRS budget. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre accused the measure of “[t]hreatening to undermine American national security unless House Republicans can help the wealthy and big corporations cheat on their taxes” and undermining “the source of funding for Israel’s self-defense.”

The Biden administration has repeatedly shown its preference for the war in Ukraine over Israel. While Joe Biden promised to stand with Ukraine “today, tomorrow, and for as long as it takes,” he has already pressed Israel for a humanitarian “pause” in retaliating against Hamas.

Critics say Biden is waging “one of the most ruthlessly effective proxy wars in modern history” against Russia in Ukraine. “The key to the strategy is to find a committed local partner — a proxy willing to do the killing and dying — and then load it up with the arms, money and intelligence needed to inflict shattering blows on a vulnerable rival,” wrote Hal Brands, a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. “That’s just what Washington and its allies are doing to Russia today.”

A Gallup poll released Thursday finds the American people tiring of Biden’s priorities. Forty-one percent of Americans believe the United States is doing “too much to help Ukraine,” and 61% oppose an open-ended flow of U.S. money and materiel to the Zelensky government.

“If we don’t support Ukraine, then Putin wins,” Austin testified on Halloween.

“These people have no clue what they’re doing,” said Senator Tuberville. “We’d better get back to worrying about the problems of this country first. We’re declining as a nation.”

AUTHOR

Ben Johnson

Ben Johnson is senior reporter and editor at The Washington Stand.

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🚨 BREAKING: House Republicans have PASSED the new Israel Aid bill, this is a standalone bill without any Ukraine funding attached.

This bill offsets $14.3 billion in Israel aid with $14.3 billion in cuts to the IRS.

DO YOU SUPPORT THIS? 🙋🏻‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/ou9F3SuSJx

— Proud Elephant 🇺🇸🦅 (@ProudElephantUS) November 2, 2023

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2023 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

HAMAS OFFICIALS: Iran Has Given Our Organizations $ Billions, Paying For ‘Every Weapon’ And Funding Our Jihad thumbnail

HAMAS OFFICIALS: Iran Has Given Our Organizations $ Billions, Paying For ‘Every Weapon’ And Funding Our Jihad

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By Middle East Media Research Institute

Over the past few years, MEMRI has translated top officials from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and even the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) talking openly about how Iran is funding their organizations’ military activity.

MEMRI has compiled these clips into a video exposing these leaders discussing the weapons, funding, training, and “guidance” that Iran has given to their organizations for terrorism and for waging jihad. Among other things, they describe their “strategic relationship” with Iran, assess Iran’s funding of the Palestinian resistance at billions of dollars, and explain how IRGC Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in January 2020, had personally overseen the arming, equipping, and training of the Palestinian resistance factions.

The clips in this compilation, from Iranian and Arabic-language television channels, feature Hamas leaders Yahyah Sinwar, Ismail Haniya, and Khalil Al-Hayya; PIJ leader Ziyad Nakhalah and senior official Muhammad Shalah; PFLP secretary-general Talal Naji, and Iranian analyst Emad Abshenas, and others.

Below are the MEMRI TV clips included in this compilation.

Hamas Leader In Gaza Al-Sinwar: “Our Complete Gratitude Is Extended To The Islamic Public Of Iran – They Have Provided Us With Money, Weapons, And Expertise” – May 26, 2021

PIJ Leader Nakhalah: Iran Has Paid The Palestinian Resistance Billions Of Dollars – It Pays For Every Weapon Used By The Resistance – April 17, 2023

Iranian TV Report About PIJ Leader Nakhalah’s Tehran Visit: IRGC Qods Force Commander Says “At Least 15 Operations Against Israel Are Carried Out Every Day Under Iran’s Guidance”; IRGC Says Iran Will “Exhaust All Means To Support The Palestinian Militias” – August 6, 2022

Senior Hamas Official Khalil Al-Hayya: Iran “Supports Hamas And The Resistance Forces… With Money And Weapons” – March 19, 2023

Senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad Official Muhammad Shalah: “Iran Supports Us With Rockets” – April 24, 2022

Senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad Official Muhammad Shalah: “Iran Supports Us With Rockets” – April 24, 2022

PFLP Secretary-General Talal Naji: Iran “Has Made A Great Contribution And Invested A Lot Of Effort In Developing The Military Capabilities Of The Palestinian Resistance”; IRGC Qods Force Commander Soleimani Personally Supervised Weapons Development – August 11, 2021

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EDITORS NOTE: This MEMRI column is republished with permission. All rights reserved.

Dozens Of GOP Reps Urge Speaker Johnson, Mitch McConnell To Repeal Biden Natural Gas Tax thumbnail

Dozens Of GOP Reps Urge Speaker Johnson, Mitch McConnell To Repeal Biden Natural Gas Tax

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By The Daily Caller

Several dozen Republican lawmakers wrote to the newly-elected Speaker of the House asking him to repeal an emissions reduction program from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), according to a copy of the letter obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Rep. August Pfluger of Texas wrote the letter, which urges House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to repeal the IRA’s Methane Emissions Reduction Program (MERP) natural gas tax before the year’s end by including the MERP repeal in a possibly forthcoming legislative package. Pfluger and other prominent Republican signatories, such as Reps. Dan Crenshaw of Texas, Byron Donalds of Florida and Jeff Duncan of South Carolina, slammed the MERP as an excessive and unwieldy regulation that would stymie innovation and drive up costs for the American energy industry.

“The MERP is an inappropriate and highly unworkable tax on methane emissions,” the letter states. “If implemented, the ill-conceived natural gas tax will handicap technological innovation, reduce supplies of affordable energy, and increase both costs and emissions,” the letter continues, adding that “in order to lower costs for American families, we must repeal burdensome regulation, secure supply chains and unleash American energy.” 

Dem’s New Spending Bill Imposes Methane Tax To Fund ‘Environmental Justice’ Programs https://t.co/qUY46FNZfk

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 30, 2022

The MERP imposes a tax on emissions beyond 25,000 annual tons of carbon dioxide or an equivalent amount of pollution, according to the letter. Companies will be forced to collect the relevant data and pay a fee of $900 for every metric ton above 25,000 starting in 2024, which increases to $1,200 per extra metric ton in 2025 and then $1,500 per extra ton in 2026 and beyond.

“Through Congress’s historic investments in America, the Methane Emissions Reduction Program provides significant resources to states and stakeholders to reduce releases of harmful methane pollution, particularly in overburdened communities, to protect public health and slow the rate of climate change,” an EPA spokesperson told the DCNF. “The Biden-Harris Administration through EPA is implementing the program as Congress intended, working closely with states and industry to deploy resources and develop solutions that will cut emissions at their source.”

The tax is a “statutory codification” of the forced collection of emissions data under a specific sub-section of the Clean Air Act, according to the letter. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is looking to overhaul that particular section of the Clean Air Act such that the agency can increase the scope and costs of the MERP.

New fees or taxes on energy companies will raise costs for consumers, creating a burden that will fall most heavily on lower-income Americans,” the letter states. “In fact, this tax alone will drive up the cost of household energy bills for the 180 million Americans and 5.5 million businesses that rely on natural gas. At a time of persistent inflation and record energy prices, this increase is unthinkable for consumers.”

The White House did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

AUTHOR

NICK POPE

Contributor.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

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Biden’s $110 Billion Fiasco

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By Center For Security Policy

Now that the US House of Representatives has finally, after four tries, elected a Speaker, business can resume in that chamber.

As all money bills by law must originate in the House and not in the Senate, one of the first pieces of business will be to take up President Joe Biden’s aid “package” that covers money for Ukraine and Israel as well as money for illegals in the United States and for other purposes.

It makes sense to scuttle the Biden aid package and break it into separate parts. Some of it can be funded (after careful review and clarification); some of it is dangerous and should be dropped by Congress.

The Biden proposal covers only one year of funding for Ukraine (and is in addition to hundreds of millions already in the pipeline for that country).

The Biden package is for an astonishing $110 billion. In one way or another, $61.4 billion will go to Ukraine or be used for operations supporting the Ukraine war, such as more funding for the Pentagon and additional money for intelligence.

An astonishing $16.3 billion would go for what the administration calls “economic security and operational assistance.” This money is earmarked to pay the ongoing salaries of Ukrainian civilian and military officials and to pay for their retirement.  Nearly half a billion will go to pay for settling Ukrainians in the United States.

Biden is counting on support for Israel as the catalyst to carry Ukraine aid over the top on Capitol Hill. He is asking for $14.3 billion for Israel, although it isn’t clear how this amount was arrived at or what it covers. Furthermore, since the Gaza war continues and trouble is brewing on the West Bank, on the Lebanese border, and in Syria, needs are changing almost on a daily basis. It may be too soon to project what Israel will need.

It is worth noting that Israel never made an official request for money from the United States. It did ask for more Iron Dome interceptor missiles and for additional ammunition. The Israeli request was unclear whether it would be funded from existing foreign-assistance legislation, or directly paid for.

Biden is also asking for $10 billion for “humanitarian” assistance including $850 million for migration and refugee assistance. It isn’t clear what refugees the money is supposed to cover, nor is it self-evident why the United States should support refugees from Gaza or elsewhere in the Middle East.

No one has explained why it is in the US interest to take these people in, given the terrible track record of refugees from the Middle East in Europe.  No doubt other Arab countries, or Iran, could take Palestinian refugees, but none of them are willing and none want the trouble that would result, sooner or later, after their arrival.

The truth is if the US takes Palestinian refugees in, many will turn out to be terrorists. Their bosses in Gaza and Iran will make sure that happens.

Read more.

AUTHOR

Stephen Bryen

Senior Fellow.

EDITORS NOTE: This Center for Security Policy column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

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Biden is Sanctioning Hamas While Funding Hamas

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By Jihad Watch

Is USAID still operating under a terrorism funding exemption license?

The Biden administration has rolled out some new sanctions on Hamas and other terrorist groups.

“Today’s action underscores the United States’ commitment to dismantling Hamas’s funding networks by deploying our counterterrorism sanctions authorities and working with our global partners to deny Hamas the ability to exploit the international financial system,” Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in a statement.

“We will not hesitate to take action to further degrade Hamas’s ability to commit horrific terrorist attacks by relentlessly targeting its financial activities and streams of funding,” he added.

Among the individuals targeted includes Khaled Qaddoumi, described as Hamas’s liaison to the Iranian government, as well as a number of Iranian military members who trained Hamas militants.

Also sanctioned was the Al-Ansar Charity Association, which the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said funds the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a Hamas-affiliated militant group.

The Biden administration and Democrats have been reluctant to sanction the IRGC, these sanctions target some IRGC figures. And while this is good, Biden announced $100 million in aid to Gaza going through USAID. which, according to a statement by Samantha Power, will work with “our trusted UN, International Committee of the Red Cross, and Red Crescent partners are ready to distribute to those in need.”

The Red Crescent locally has a history of terror ties. There’s nothing trusted about it. Or the UN.

Rep. James and the House Oversight Committee are asking some tough questions.

In a letter to USAID administrator Samantha Power, Republicans on the oversight panel led by chair James Comer (R-Ky.) requested that by Nov. 7 the agency provide materials showing how it has assessed the risks that aid could be diverted.

“It is vital to fully account for U.S. funds intended for humanitarian purposes to ensure they do not directly or indirectly fund terrorism,” the GOP lawmakers wrote in the letter, which was first obtained by Axios.

Among the documents requested are any reports since 2020 detailing aid that was or could be diverted by terrorist groups and the assessments of a USAID body that oversees risk management.

That is crucial because, documents have revealed that the State Department knew already that it’s high risk.

In 2021, State Department officials warned that “there is a high risk Hamas could potentially derive indirect, unintentional benefit from U.S. assistance to Gaza” and asked for a special exemption from sanctions on funding terrorists.

In 2022, Biden met with Palestinian Authority terror leader Mahmoud Abbas and boasted that, “I reversed the policies of my predecessor and resumed aid to the Palestinians — more than a half a billion dollars in 2021.”

Samantha Power and USAID aren’t denying that Hamas can benefit, only offering a toothless warning.

“We have been clear that any interference by Hamas will jeopardize the continuation of that life-saving assistance,” a USAID spokesperson told Axios.

Note the language carefully. Not ‘cut off’, “jeopardize”. What does jeopardize mean? Absolutely nothing. Biden has made it clear that Gaza aid is a priority. It’s not going to be cut off. Samantha Power offers no meaningful and clear consequences for cutting off the aid. And you can’t sanction Hamas and fund Hamas at the same time.

The real tell will be the information that Rep. Comer is searching for and the question of whether USAID to Gaza is still operating under a special terrorist funding exemption license.

If it is, that’s an admission that we’re still funding Hamas.

AUTHOR

DANIEL GREENFIELD

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EDITORS NOTE: This Jihad Watch column is republished with permission. All rights reserved.

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THE WAR ON X: WW III • The Global War Against Islamic Terrorism — Day 16

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By Dr. Rich Swier

Today October 23rd, 2023 we are now seeing the violence that Hamas began 16 days ago is now spreading like wild fire across the Middle East, Europe and in America.

Demonstrations, some violent, are being led by supporters of Hamas. This is the global Islamic jihad we have been predicating for years.

Here are some of the top headlines for today:

These tweet on X say it all.

This is utterly psychotic and evil. The US is “working around the clock” to resupply Hamas.
To be clear. “Humanitarian aid”= Resupply to Hamas https://t.co/j8WoDwXVf0

— Caroline Glick (@CarolineGlick) October 21, 2023

This interview with Brother Rachid was taped on Friday, October 21st for RAIR Foundation and the story can be read here. Brother Rachid has a wildly popular TV show in the Arabic World where be brings people out of Islam and into Christianity.

WATCH: EXCLUSIVE With Hunted Islamic Expert Brother Rachid: ‘Muslims Will Be the Majority, They Will Govern the West’

WW III • The Global War Against Islamic Terrorism

2 Weeks ago, Hamas started a war against Israel. This is what’s happened since then: pic.twitter.com/IGtIbeRuIx

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 22, 2023

When I’m President, if foreign students are out there celebrating terrorism, I will cancel their visas and send them home. pic.twitter.com/BPcVls2w7e

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) October 21, 2023

“Hi, I’m a dead terrorist.” pic.twitter.com/hupHkZW2z8

— The Mossad: Satirical, Yet Awesome (@TheMossadIL) October 22, 2023

pic.twitter.com/8SpfTIwHph

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 22, 2023

Americans are still being held hostage by Hamas terrorists — and Joe Biden is at the beach pic.twitter.com/uQDmIbFTYo

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 22, 2023

This Gazan happily filmed himself watching rockets attacking Israel, UNTIL Israel retaliated.
Now he’s crying!
This made my day! 😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/YDHAG3WJxY

— 🇺🇸ProudArmyBrat (@leslibless) October 23, 2023

BREAKING REPORT: Federal Authorities reveal HAMAS may now be entering the United States through the southern border.

For years pretty much everyone, but the Democrat party took notice to our BORDER CRISIS..

They NEVER proactively addressed the problems.

They are REACTIVE… pic.twitter.com/VwT4OW5uOP

— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) October 23, 2023

HAPPENING NOW:

Palestinians relocated their pro-HAMAS rally to the parking lot of a Jewish supermarket in #Skokie, Illinois today where Jews were scheduled to be rallying in support of Israel.

Masked, pro-terrorist men can be seen on video here screaming anti-Israel and… pic.twitter.com/KAAtTmPaKJ

— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) October 22, 2023

Intense air strikes, happening now in Gaza. Israel warned you! pic.twitter.com/r9RiZGi3i1

— 🇺🇸ProudArmyBrat (@leslibless) October 22, 2023

This is how Israeli soldiers treat Palestinians >>#StandWithIsrael pic.twitter.com/DrDDvaVwu8

— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) October 22, 2023

One day after the pro-Palestine rallies in London, in which some protesters urged for jihad and curses on infidels and Jews, a large pro-Israel rally gathered in Trafalgar Square. There is a pride flag variation in the crowd, but no one ripped it down unlike what happened here… pic.twitter.com/0K0pt1Ulzx

— Andy Ngô 🏳️‍🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) October 22, 2023

WATCH: ‘Bring Them Home’ solidarity rally participants read the names of the kidnapped. 🇮🇱♥️ pic.twitter.com/na0ZYbkpuB

— Jewish News (@JewishNewsUK) October 22, 2023

©2023. Dr. Rich Swier. All rights reserved.

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Biden’s Billions For Hamas

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By The Geller Report

“The U.S. is working round the clock to resupply Hamas.”

By: Daniel Greenfield, Oct 21, 2023

“Biden’s Deputy National Security Advisor couldn’t explain how the US can prevent Hamas from taking control of the goods”

The Biden administration is widely broadcasting that it’s made a budget request of almost $106 billion for Israel and Ukraine. In reality, most of that, $61.4 billion, is going to Ukraine. There’s $14 billion to hire more border patrol officers, asylum processors and judges, $4 billion for foreign aid in the Pacific and an official figure of $14 billion for Israel, but in reality it’s smaller than that because the Biden administration has also rolled in embassy security costs across the Middle East into that package. The actual aid package for Israel is probably closer to $9 billion or so.

But that’s not the really troubling part.

The Biden request asks for $9.15 billion in “humanitarian assistance”. It phrases this as providing “life-saving humanitarian assistance and support for innocent civilians devastated by Putin’s unjust war in Ukraine, Hamas’ attack on Israel, and the numerous other natural and man-made crises around the world. This includes life-saving humanitarian assistance in Gaza and support for Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and surrounding areas.”

The incredible chutzpah here is that Biden is asking Congress to fund “life-saving humanitarian assistance and support for innocent civilians devastated by… Hamas’ attack on Israel” that’s not going to the actual Israeli orphans who have lost their families, but to “humanitarian assistance in Gaza and support for Palestinian refugees in the West Bank”.

That is to say a bunch of this money will be going to Hamas.

Biden is soliciting money for the victims of the “Hamas attack” that will go to Hamas.

If you think I’m exaggerating, the administration has already admitted it twice.

In 2021, State Department officials warned that “there is a high risk Hamas could potentially derive indirect, unintentional benefit from U.S. assistance to Gaza” and asked for a special exemption from sanctions on funding terrorists.

In the first days of October, Secretary of State Blinken overrode a hold by Senator Jim Risch on $75 million in funding for UNRWA, which is largely staffed by Hamas. Risch had imposed a hold along with other Republican senators, requiring that Blinken certify every 180 days that UNRWA meets accountability criteria because of its “long history of employing people connected to terrorist movements like Hamas” and “using its schools to store Hamas weapons.”

Here’s Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer explaining to CNN that nothing has changed.

We’re going to take the word of rapists and killers that they’re not going to misuse foreign aid.

As Caroline Glick notes at JNS,

When questioned by CNN, Biden’s Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer couldn’t explain how the United States can prevent Hamas from taking control of the goods entering Gaza.

Resupply of Hamas is an operational disaster for Israel.

Hamas’s military infrastructure is almost entirely located in a warren of underground tunnels. An estimated 40,000 terrorist fighters and Hamas’s military leadership are living and operating from within the tunnels. To defeat Hamas, Israel needs to fight those forces above ground, not below ground where their tactical advantage is decisive.

Biden has already promised $100 million in “humanitarian aid” to Gaza. What does the $9.15 billion package offer?

There’s $3.4 billion to assist refugees from Ukraine and “provide life-saving humanitarian assistance in Israel, and in areas impacted by the situation in Israel. These resources would support displaced and conflict affected civilians, including Palestinian refugees in Gaza and the West Bank, and to address potential needs of Gazans fleeing to neighboring countries.”

While an estimated 300,000 Israelis have been displaced by the war (you’ve heard about that in the media, right?) the emphasis here seems to be on the Arab Muslim “refugees”.

The war isn’t even in the West Bank, but they’re still preparing to spend money there anyway.

There’s $5.6 billion in “International Disaster Assistance” again for Ukraine and “life-saving humanitarian programming in Israel and areas impacted by the situation in the West Bank and Gaza” and beyond to “Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt.”

How much of that money will be spent in Gaza? Who knows. Whatever money is spent will benefit Hamas.

How literally? On Oct 4, a few days before the attacks, USAID was bragging that it was helping upgrade water and sanitation systems in Gaza. People noted that Hamas has openly bragged about repurposing pipes for rockets.

But Biden will help the “innocent civilians devastated by… Hamas’ attack on Israel” by sending money to Hamas.

EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

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Congress Can End the Nonprofit Status of Pro-Hamas Groups

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By Jihad Watch

The IRS has allowed Pro-Hamas groups to benefit from tax-exempt status.

“We give our heart, we give our life, we give our blood to the Palestinian people,” Manolo De Los Santos of The People’s Forum declared at a pro-Hamas rally in Manhattan. “Continue to resist. We stand with you. By any means necessary.”

“By any means,” the crowd chanted. A code phrase for violence and terrorism.

“We will use whatever we have in our hands,: De Los Santos continued. “A rock or something else. We will defend the Palestinian people.”

DeSantos had previously tweeted a celebratory Hamas video using paragliders and then armed terrorists attacking Israel with the message, “Long Live the Palestinian Resistance!”

In an official statement, The People’s Forum described the Hamas attacks that murdered over 1,000 Israeli civilians, the elderly, women and children, as an “unprecedented liberation struggle” by “Palestinian resistance factions”.

When it isn’t supporting the rape of women and the kidnapping of children, it’s promoting North Korea, Venezuela, and Cuba, and celebrating the “hopes and aspirations of more than a million people who joined the American Communist Party.”

And The People’s Forum is also a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit approved by the IRS.

If the name sounds like a Chinese Communist front group, that’s because it’s funded by a Maoist millionaire named Neville Roy Singham who operates out of China and funds a network of organizations like The People’s Forum. Singham’s office faces “a red banner that reads, in Chinese, ‘Always Follow the Party.’ Resting on a shelf is a plate depicting Xi.”

Also there at the pro-Hamas rally in Manhattan was Nodutdol: a pro-North Korean organization demanding the “reunification” of Korea. South Korea has accused Nodutdol of being controlled by North Korea. The organization has claimed that North Korean defectors who risked their lives to escape are guilty of “imperialist propaganda” and that claims of atrocities are fictional. Despite that Nodutdol is embedded within the DSA and often takes part in pro-terrorist rallies.

On the same day as the Hamas attack, Nodutol tweeted “power to every Palestinian fighting for their freedom, and glory to every martyr who dies fighting. For every martyr that falls, a new one will rise.” Like The People’s Forum, Nodutol is a 501(c)(3) IRS approved tax-exempt charity.

The David Horowitz Freedom Center had previously profiled the IRS decision to continue providing tax-exempt status to the Alliance for Global Justice, a Marxist organization, which uses that status to sponsor Black Lives Matter chapters, the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition in support of a cop killer, as well as bail funds whose mission is freeing rioters and criminals.

Among the organizations AFGJ sponsors is the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network which was banned by Israel as a subsidiary of the PFLP terrorist organization.

Germany has announced that it’s also banning Samidoun as part of its crackdown on all Hamas activities in Germany. Despite that the IRS has yet to pull AFGJ’s tax-exempt status.

Samidoun responded to the Hamas attacks by promoting banners featuring “solidarity with Al Aqsa Flood”, the name of the Hamas operation, a rally calling for “solidarity with the heroic resistance”, and another one urging “let’s celebrate”.

Samidoun’s support for Hamas atrocities, including the kidnapping of Israeli women and children, was made clear in its Instagram post boasting that, “the resistance” is “seizing occupation settlers” and hailed the “resistance operation, titled the Al-Aqsa Flood by Mohammed Deif, commander in chief of the Izz el-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas”.

There is no ambiguity whatsoever about Samidoun’s support for even the worst crimes of Hamas. Despite that it continues to benefit from AFGJ’s tax-exempt status which allows its fiscal sponsor to take in money from George Soros, the Ben and Jerry’s Foundation, and others.

The David Horowitz Freedom Center also exposed the support for Hamas by chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine. The national organization of Students for Justice in Palestine praised the Hamas attacks as a “historic win for the Palestinian resistance” and put out a ‘toolkit’ which explained that the Jewish victims were “not civilians” and could be freely targeted. Its poster for a ‘Day of Resistance’ featured an image of the paraglider that Hamas terrorists had used to massacre and rape young Israelis at a music festival.

Despite its support for terrorism, Students for Justice in Palestine enjoys nonprofit status.

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization, a Marxist-Leninist group, which promotes pro-terror content through its Fight Back News, celebrated the Hamas attacks, including the attacks on civilian communities which it cheered as “Palestinians have taken over the armed settlements that surround Gaza.”

“The Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS), the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and so many others represent the aspirations of a free people, Palestinians who insist on the end to occupation. Freedom Road Socialist Organization rejects the notion that freedom fighters are terrorists. We are proud to stand with the resistance,” it concluded.

The Communist group is funded through the Lucy Parsons Center, a radical bookstore in New York City named after a Communist activist, which enjoys nonprofit status. also issued a statement to “celebrate Palestinian Resistance!”

These are only a few of the examples of IRS approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit groups or those funded by them celebrating Hamas atrocities. This is in clear violation of the tax code which bars such activities.

IRS regulations specifically state that “exempt purposes may generally be equated with the public good, and violations of law are the antithesis of the public good”. They clearly lay out that, “violation of constitutionally valid laws is inconsistent with exemption under IRC 501(c)(3)” and that “planned activities that violate laws are not in furtherance of a charitable purpose”.

But the IRS has refused to enforce the rules and regulations against Islamic terrorists.

When Lori Lowenthal Marcus, a journalist, applied for tax exempt status for her pro-Israel group, the IRS informed her that it “has to give special scrutiny to organizations connected to Israel.”

Lori Lowenthal Marcus told Front Page Magazine that, “One of the excuses given to Z Street by an IRS official was that the IRS had to make sure we were not ‘engaged in terrorism’ because we mentioned ‘terror’ in our mission statement. The part of Z Street’s mission that mentioned terror? ‘We will not engage with, negotiate with or appease terrorists.’”

Offered clear examples of organizations that actually support terror, the IRS has done nothing.

Congress however could change that by regulating nonprofit groups that support terrorism. Taxpayers should not be subsidizing terrorists and their propagandists. And the tax code on this matter should not consist of general guidelines, but clear and unbreakable laws.

The IRS has failed to act. Congress can hold the IRS and pro-Hamas nonprofits accountable.

AUTHOR

DANIEL GREENFIELD

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EDITORS NOTE: This Jihad Watch column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

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