AZ Congressional Delegation

Senate advances funding bill to avert a government shutdown

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The Septuagenarian Ninja Turtle, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, is delivering  on his end of the bargain to avert a government shutdown on October 1. The Hill reports, Senate advances bill to prevent shutdown:

Republican leaders Senator Mitch McConnell and John Boehner speak after a bipartisan meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House in WashingtonA short-term bill to fund the government through Dec. 11 overcame a key procedural hurdle in the Senate on Monday, just days before the deadline to avoid a shutdown.

Senators voted 77-19 to end debate on the continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government. The move paves the way for final passage before the Oct. 1 deadline.

Arizona Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake voted against Cloture on H.R. 719. So they are for shutting down the federal government over defunding Planned Parenthood. Contact their offices and give them a piece of your mind.

Nineteen Republican senators—including Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Rand Paul (Ky.)—voted against moving forward, citing concerns about funding for Planned Parenthood and the overall spending levels it contains.

The “Filibuster Twins” decided not to attempt a speaking filibuster after promising the religious zealots at the Values Voters Summit this past weekend that defunding Planned Parenthood  is a priority for them. The Christian Right got played again.

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Rep. Martha McSally trying to have it both ways on GOP’s ‘Planned’ government shutdown

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McSallyRep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) consistently votes with the rest of the Arizona GOP congressional delegation who are members of the farther-far-right GOP House Freedom Caucus. She recently voted for the 20 week abortion ban and to defund Planned Parenthood as part of the GOP House Freedom Caucus aka the “Shutdown Caucus” plan to shut down the federal government this week over defunding Planned Parenthood.

This past week the GOP-friendly media in Arizona announced that Rep. McSally would not vote for a continuing resolution (CR) appropriation bill that defunds Planned Parenthood because it would result in a government shutdown. She is trying to have it both ways after enabling the GOP crazy base with her votes on abortion and defunding Planned Parenthood, but stopping just short of  supporting a government shutdown, McSally: Don’t shutter government over Planned Parenthood funding, as if she should receive praise for doing what is the baseline expectation of most Americans, that their member of Congress will act responsibly and not shut down the government.

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Rep. Matt Salmon says Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is ‘the next guy in the crosshairs’

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Matt SalmonRep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ) — a co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus, which just forced House Speaker John Boehner to announce his resignation — said Friday that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell  is probably “the next guy in the crosshairs.” GOP Rep: McConnell Is ‘The Next Guy In The Crosshairs’:

“Mitch McConnell is infinitely worse as a leader than Boehner,” Salmon told reporters Friday. “He surrenders at the sight of battle every time.”

Boehner was under extreme pressure from the House Freedom Caucus, which was pushing for a government shutdown over Planned Parenthood funding. McConnell has put in motion a plan to avert the shutdown.

“I was texting back and forth with one of my friends on the Senate side, Mike Lee,” Salmon said, referring to the Utah senator. “And I said, the next guy in the crosshairs is probably going to be McConnell.”

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The GOP’s ‘Planned’ government shutdown may be averted, but only temporarily

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Since the TanMan, Weeper of the House John Boehner, announced this morning that he is quitting at the end of October, the GOP’s “Planned” government shutdown may have been averted, but only temporarily.

The mutineers of the GOP House Freedom Caucus just lost any leverage they held over the Tan Man with Rep. Mark Meadows’ resolution to vacate the speakership. Boehner’s response was “Oh yeah! You can’t fire me, I quit!” Boehner is now a freed man who can negotiate with Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats for a “clean” CR spending bill before he surrenders his gavel, because there is nothing they can do to him.

Debt-celing-hostage-crisis-2-what-now-468The “clean” CR is only short-term, to December 11. Do you know why this is? Because that is when the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the federal debt ceiling will be reached, CBO: Debt ceiling will be hit by early December, so Tea-Publicans can tie their annual lunacy over the federal debt ceiling together with the next CR to take the country hostage again, and maybe give Americans a government shutdown just in time for Christmas.

Here is the latest developments. On Thursday, the Senate rejected the effort to strip funding from Planned Parenthood as designed:

The Senate on Thursday rejected a short-term spending bill that would defund Planned Parenthood, thwarting the opening move by Republican leaders to avoid a government shutdown on Oct. 1.

Senators voted 47-52 on ending debate on the short-term continuing resolution, well short of the 60 votes needed. The legislation would have funded the government through Dec. 11.

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Pope Francis Addresses Congress

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PopeFrancis.2The big question preceding Pope Francis’ address to a joint session of Congress was whether anyone opposed to his views would be so disrespectful as to disrupt the Pontiff’s speech.

It appears that only Arizona’s Rep. Paul Gosar behaved badly, by boycotting the Popes’ speech.

Best headline of the day: Congress mostly behaved during the Pope’s speech. And of course, Boehner cried. So much so, it became distracting.

Vatican officials had asked lawmakers to remain seated and quiet during the address, but our Congress critters ignored them. The Pope was interrupted by applause and standing ovations as if this was a State of The Union Address. This may have given the appearance of partisanship at times. It was not the fault of  Pope Francis. Blame the usual suspects.

Here are some highlights from Pope Francis’ address to a joint session of Congress, the first ever by a Pope. Transcript: Pope Francis’s speech to Congress:

I am most grateful for your invitation to address this Joint Session of Congress in “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

First interruption by a standing ovation. The Vatican’s protocols were immediately disregarded.

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