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George Santos Steps Back From House Committee Assignments

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On Tuesday, New York Rep. George Santos (R) told House Republicans that he would recuse himself from his committee positions as he faces investigations and calls to resign after fabricating parts of his life and work experience.

According to The New York Times, Santos spoke with Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Monday evening about his decision. McCarthy reportedly said it was an “appropriate decision” until Santos “could clear everything up.” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) told the Times that Santos’ decision is not permanent and that he may return once his issues are resolved.

Previously, Townhall covered that Santos got assignments on the Science Committee and the Small Business Committee. Reportedly, he was hoping for the House Committee on Financial Services or the House Foreign Affairs Committee. At the time, it was up in the air if Santos would get committee assignments at all.

To recap, after Santos won his congressional seat in the 2022 midterms, The New York Times published an article exposing major discrepancies in Santos’ resume. This included where he attended college, as well as his previous jobs. (Read more from “George Santos Steps Back From House Committee Assignments” HERE)

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GOP House Members ‘Furious’ Over Now Having to Pass Through Metal Detectors Before Entering Chamber

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Several House Republicans are reportedly “furious” that they now have to pass through metal detectors before entering the lower chamber. The extra security measure was added in response to last week’s deadly attack on the Capitol building by a pro-Trump mob.

NBC News correspondent Leigh Ann Caldwell tweeted Tuesday afternoon, “I never thought I’d see this. Metal detectors have been set up for members before they enter the House floor. A clear indication that Democratic leadership does not trust some right-wing House members.” . . .

The first Republican to resist was freshman Rep. Lauren Boebert (Colo.), who earlier this month made headlines about bringing her own firearm into work. . .

MSNBC reported that “Republican Reps. [Louie] Gohmert, [Steve] Stivers, [Van] Taylor, Boebert, [Debbie] Lesko, and [Larry] Bucshon were among those seen not complying with police at added security checkpoints in the U.S. Capitol.”

(Read more from “GOP House Members ‘Furious’ Over Now Having to Pass Through Metal Detectors Before Entering Chamber” HERE)

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WATCH: Republicans Force Their Way Into Secret Impeachment Proceedings, Causing Adam Schiff and Witness to Walk Out; Top Republicans Demand Democrats Call Whistleblower to Testify Publicly

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By The Blaze. Decrying a lack of transparency in the House Democrats’ impeachment process against President Donald Trump, House Republicans gathered in the basement of the Capitol Wednesday morning to demand entry into proceedings they’ve been barred from thus far. And they reportedly got in.

At a news conference outside the SCIF, dozens of Republican representatives announced that they would seek to gain entry to the secure room — in which the Democrats of the three committees behind the current impeachment push were conducting a deposition — by demanding to be let in as a group.

SCIF stands for Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility. It’s a secure room where classified intelligence and other secret information is discussed. Congress’ SCIF is where much of the House Democrats’ investigation has so far taken place and where Republicans not on the investigating committees have not been allowed to enter. . .

According to a senior GOP source who witnessed what happened next, the group went into the anteroom of the SCIF and chanted, “Let us in” outside the door guarded by Capitol Police. After that, the source said, the door opened, someone grabbed it, and a group of Republican members forced their way in.

After members attempted to sit in on the closed-door testimony that was occurring, “Chairman Schiff immediately left with the witness,” Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) told reporters while flanked by a handful of other House Republicans. (Read more from “Republicans Force Their Way Into Secret Impeachment Proceedings, Causing Adam Schiff and Witness to Walk Out” HERE)

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Top Republicans Demand Democrats Call Whistleblower to Testify Publicly

By CBS News. The top Republicans on the House committees pursuing the impeachment inquiry are demanding the public testimony of the whistleblower who reported concerns about President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, as well as other officials referenced in the individual’s complaint, according to a letter obtained by CBS News.

The request is the first time Republican lawmakers involved in the impeachment probe have formally asked Democrats to call witnesses, a possible indication they intend to pursue more traditional channels to counter the investigation even as members seek to disrupt the proceedings themselves. (Read more from “Top Republicans Demand Democrats Call Whistleblower to Testify Publicly” HERE)

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House Republicans Eye Short-Term Debt Ceiling Fix, Ahead of White House Meeting

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Conservative lawmakers are exploring the possibility of a short-term increase in the debt ceiling, perhaps trying to seize the opening after President Obama said a day earlier he would consider the option.

Members of the Republican Study Committee, the most conservative bloc in the House, told Fox News they’re looking at that possibility. Their inclination is to consider a short-term increase only if there is an agreement on a broader spending framework.

But the option could help buy time for lawmakers to nail down the specifics of a longer-term deal. The U.S. government is facing what the Treasury Department says is an Oct. 17 deadline to raise the nation’s debt ceiling.

Though a short-term deal would by definition be only a stopgap fix, the development Wednesday pointed to at least a sliver of possible common ground — something to potentially work toward, after nine days of a partial government shutdown during which lawmakers seemed to mostly talk past one another.

“Clearly, Republicans want to avoid default,” Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, said, adding they also want to cut spending.

Read more from this story HERE.

House Republicans Work Immigration Behind Scenes

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

Immigration overhaul legislation has been dormant in the House for months, but a few Republicans are working behind the scenes to advance it at a time the Capitol is immersed in a partisan brawl over government spending and President Barack Obama’s health care law.

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, has been discussing possible legal status for the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. He’s also been working with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, a fellow Virginia Republican, on a bill offering citizenship to immigrants brought illegally to the U.S. as children.

Reps. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, and Ted Poe, R-Texas, are working on a plan to create a visa program allowing more lower-skilled workers into the country.

Goodlatte and the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, hold out hopes for floor action by late October on a series of immigration bills that already have passed their committees.

“I would think that would be the next agenda item in the queue after we’re done with this mess,” McCaul said this past week, referring to bitter divisions over the health law, the level of government spending and the growing federal debt.

Read more from this story HERE.

House Republicans: We’ll Move on Immigration Reform Sometime This Year

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Photo Credit: TownHall

Photo Credit: TownHall

Remember immigration reform? Like Syria, it was a scalding-hot topic for awhile, only to recede to back-burner status as other political conflagrations took its place in the national spotlight. There’s been some drama percolating behind the scenes, though, and it looks like the issue may re-emerge in the coming months, as House Republicans have indicated that they’ll take it up before the calendar flips to 2014:

House Republicans intensified their outreach to Latino groups last week, offering renewed pledges that the House will deal with immigration reform this year. The effort has revived hope among advocates that a bipartisan deal can be reached to address the fate of the nation’s 11 million undocumented workers and students. The chances of a comprehensive deal passing Congress remain doubtful, advocates cautioned, and they worry that the legislative process will spill into 2014, presenting new complications in a year when lawmakers face reelection battles. But they were encouraged by signals from key GOP leaders that the House is willing to move forward on legislation that could produce a breakthrough in the stalled negotiations. Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) said Thursday that his panel is working on four new pieces of legislation dealing with border-control laws. He did not disclose details but emphasized the need to resolve the status of people living in the country illegally.

Lots of caveats there. The House is likely to “deal with” reform, but the bill won’t necessarily be “comprehensive,” and a key committee chairman is holding his cards close to the vest on how the legal status question will be resolved. House leadership could either break the bill up into bite-sized pieces, or pursue a broader reform package along the lines of Rep. Raul Labrador’s proposal…

Read more from this story HERE.

Reid on Immigration Reform: ‘If We Go to Conference, We Will Win’

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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on Friday that if House Republicans end up sending their collection of immigration bills to a conference with the Senate, Democrats and illegal immigration advocates would win.

“If we go to conference, we would win,” Reid told a Nevada radio station.

Reid’s comments are the latest in a long line of Senate Democrats and House Republicans openly stating that the plan for amnesty for all of America’s illegal aliens rests in the House passing a group of immigration bills, then going to a conference with the Senate “Gang of Eight” bill.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), a member of the Gang of Eight, said on Wednesday that the House GOP piecemeal strategy is “OK by us” because the Senate would combine all the bills in a conference.

Read more from this story HERE.

House Republicans Feel Summer Recess Heat on Immigration

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Photo Credit: APHouse Republicans are facing heavy pressure from both sides of the immigration debate as they return to their home districts for August recess with no clear indication as to how they’ll vote on the issue.

The decision to pass comprehensive immigration reform has essentially been in the hands of the Republican-controlled House since the Democrat-led Senate passed such a bill in June.

House Republicans were under pressure before they even left their Capitol Hill offices to start the five-week recess, which is traditionally dedicated to face-to-face talks with hometown voters.

The American Federation of Government Employees sent a letter Tuesday to House lawmakers urging them not to work with senators on their “dangerous” bill.

Among the major concerns is that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is not equipped to process the potential onslaught of new applications.

Read more from this story HERE.

Rep. Graves: Grassroots Need to Keep Up Pressure to Defund Obamacare

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Photo Credit: APRep. Tom Graves (R-GA) told Breitbart News on Friday that a majority of House Republicans have now signed onto his legislation to defund Obamacare in the upcoming Continuing Resolution (CR), passing a threshold that meets the informal Hastert Rule that requires a majority of the majority to support legislation before it comes up for a vote.

“Well it sends a real strong message,” Graves said of the reaching the milestone during a phone interview on Friday morning. “I think as of yesterday we had 121 cosponsors. That’s a very rapid growth of cosponsoring, including House leadership such as Lynn Jenkins, signing onto the bill this week.”

“So, we have the majority of the majority that meets the Hastert Rule,” he explained. “We’ll see if those numbers continue to grow. Members have come up to me even this morning asking if they could sign on and where would they go to do that. I think we’re going to see the momentum continue.”

In fact, since the interview Graves conducted with Breitbart News on Friday morning, the bill picked up yet another cosponsor and is up to 122. Since there are 234 GOP members in the House, a total of 117 cosponsors are needed for any piece of legislation to cross the threshold to meet the Hastert Rule.

Graves credits a lot of the success thus far to the grassroots and Tea Party movement, which has been helping pressure members of Congress to get in the fight.

Read more from this story HERE.

Gang of 8 Senators Join With Multinational Corporations to Target Tea Party House Members Opposing Amnesty

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Photo Credit: APBy John Bresnahan, Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer. Big Business, Senate Republicans and Democrats backing immigration reform have a target in their crosshairs: House Republicans.

Senators like John McCain (R-Ariz), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) met with tech giants such as Microsoft, Google and Intel, and pro reform groups like FWD.us to discuss a coordinated campaign to target more than 100 House Republicans on reforming the nation’s immigration laws when they are at home in their districts over the next month, according to sources familiar with the meeting.

Graham suggested getting people to target Republicans at town hall meetings. Schumer said he wanted pastors giving sermons about the need for immigration reform.

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), his former House colleague, should bring a negotiated immigration compromise to the floor even if it doesn’t have the support of the majority of Republicans, according to sources present.

McCain urged the group to push for the Senate bill by discussing its component parts — but not mentioning the overall bill. Read more from this story HERE.

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Amnesty Bill Will Put Citizens in Direct Competition With Illegal Aliens for Student Loans, Other Federal Benefits

By Aaron Klein. American citizens may soon find themselves competing with illegal aliens to secure government student loans and federal work-study assistance.

A WND review of the Senate’s immigration reform bill finds the legislation allows illegal aliens who are granted provisional status and who initially entered the United States before reaching 16 years of age to secure both federal student loans and federal work-study programs.

The provisional citizens would still need to meet the academic requirements necessary to obtain the aid.

The discovery is contrary to claims by proponents of the immigration reform bill who have repeatedly insisted the newly legalized residents will not be eligible for public funds.

The student financial assistance is not the only public benefits allowable under the legislation. Read more from this story HERE.