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24

Virginia Redistricting Rout Deals Major Blow To House Republicans

Virginia Redistricting Rout Deals Major Blow To House Republicans Democrats’ decisive win in Virginia Tuesday night has dealt a significant blow to Republican hopes of retaining control of the House. By persuading voters to dismantle the state’s independent redistricting commission – created just six years ago – Democrats wiped out four Republican-held congressional districts. This means Virginia’s House delegation is now on track to shift to a 10-to-1 Democratic advantage, a dramatic reversal for a state that remained firmly in GOP hands not long ago. That said, Democrats dropped $65 million on the races (though the final tally was uncomfortably close), while Punchbowl reports that Republicans are trading blame internally – second-guessing whether they let a chance slip away to blunt the Democratic surge. And with midterms right around the corner, there are few indications that President Trump or House Republican leadership possesses either the strategic focus or message discipline needed to protect their narrow majority. Fresh off Trump’s 2024 presidential win, Republicans, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, clung to control by the slimmest of margins. Pulling off a repeat performance now looks considerably tougher. Betting markets are already pricing in a Democratic win in the House. Will the Democratic Party control the House after the 2026 Midterm elections? Yes 85% · No 16% View full market & trade on Polymarket While party leaders insist a third Trump impeachment is off the table, the shift would almost certainly unleash a barrage of investigations and subpoenas aimed at the White House and Cabinet agencies – with major legal and political ripple effects. Lawmakers could also face even more protracted government shutdowns than the record-length appropriations lapses seen in the current Congress. “I told Mike Johnson in July of last year that, ‘If you go down this road, it’s not going to work out for you,'” Jeffries told Punchbowl Tuesday night. He added: “And at the end of the day, his best-case scenario was that he would net zero seats, but force at least 10 Republicans, who are incumbent members of his conference, into premature retirement. And that is exactly what has happened.” Jeffries earned significant credit for orchestrating Tuesday’s outcome – as Virginia Democrats first had to steer the ballot measure through the state legislature twice, beat back multiple court challenges, and then win over voters. A nonprofit aligned with Jeffries poured $38 million into the effort to secure passage, and he personally managed the operation from beginning to end – designing the referendum strategy, recruiting staff and directing on-the-ground coordination. Many Virginia Democrats initially resisted the high-stakes gamble, requiring Jeffries to personally persuade both the state delegation and the warring legislative chambers to fall in line. True to form, Jeffries remained measured when asked whether Tuesday’s result clinched the majority or signaled an impending blue wave. He did, however, declare victory in the broader redistricting battle. “When you line up the congressional map in Texas and compare it with the response in California, they’re going to lose seats and would be fortunate if in Texas, they win two or three of the five seats that they claimed they were going to steal from Democrats,” Jeffries said. The biggest wild cards left for both sides are Florida and the future of the Voting Rights Act, which is up to the Supreme Court. Tuesday’s result intensifies pressure on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to advance an ambitious congressional map next week capable of delivering Republicans a net gain of three to five seats. Yet DeSantis is encountering pushback from the state’s Republican congressional delegation and the GOP-controlled legislature, many of whom doubt such an aggressive redraw is feasible. Several Florida Republicans caution that Latino voters are not reliably in the GOP column and may not show up for the party the way they did in 2024, urging caution. Spending in Virginia was wildly lopsided. Democrats poured $56.4 million into television and digital ads; Republicans mustered just $24.6 million. Republicans still lost by fewer than 90,000 votes out of more than 3 million cast. According to the report, GOP strategists insist they deliberately avoided nationalizing the contest to keep from energizing the Democratic base. They argue that heavier spending would simply have provoked an even larger Democratic response. They also note that the “No” side outperformed Trump’s 2024 numbers in the state. Former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and onetime House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who helmed the opposition effort, pledged to keep fighting the new map in court. House Republicans, however, were already firing off frantic messages Tuesday night. Several told reporters they had been assured that additional money would make no difference in Virginia – yet the narrow margin suggests otherwise.  The American Action Network, a nonprofit close to Johnson, quietly funneled money to the group bankrolling the “No” campaign, according to a person familiar with the transaction. Meanwhile, only one solidly Republican seat remains, in the state’s southwest corner. GOP Reps. Ben Cline and Morgan Griffith may find themselves forced into a member-versus-member primary. Tyler Durden Wed, 04/22/2026 – 13:00

Apr 22, 202612 votes

Virginia Redistricting Rout Deals Major Blow To House Republicans

Virginia Redistricting Rout Deals Major Blow To House Republicans Democrats’ decisive win in Virginia Tuesday night has dealt a significant blow to Republican hopes of retaining control of the House. By persuading voters to dismantle the state’s independent redistricting commission – created just six years ago – Democrats wiped out four Republican-held congressional districts. This means Virginia’s House delegation is now on track to shift to a 10-to-1 Democratic advantage, a dramatic reversal for a state that remained firmly in GOP hands not long ago. That said, Democrats dropped $65 million on the races (though the final tally was uncomfortably close), while Punchbowl reports that Republicans are trading blame internally – second-guessing whether they let a chance slip away to blunt the Democratic surge. And with midterms right around the corner, there are few indications that President Trump or House Republican leadership possesses either the strategic focus or message discipline needed to protect their narrow majority. Fresh off Trump’s 2024 presidential win, Republicans, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, clung to control by the slimmest of margins. Pulling off a repeat performance now looks considerably tougher. Betting markets are already pricing in a Democratic win in the House. Will the Democratic Party control the House after the 2026 Midterm elections? Yes 85% · No 16% View full market & trade on Polymarket While party leaders insist a third Trump impeachment is off the table, the shift would almost certainly unleash a barrage of investigations and subpoenas aimed at the White House and Cabinet agencies – with major legal and political ripple effects. Lawmakers could also face even more protracted government shutdowns than the record-length appropriations lapses seen in the current Congress. “I told Mike Johnson in July of last year that, ‘If you go down this road, it’s not going to work out for you,'” Jeffries told Punchbowl Tuesday night. He added: “And at the end of the day, his best-case scenario was that he would net zero seats, but force at least 10 Republicans, who are incumbent members of his conference, into premature retirement. And that is exactly what has happened.” Jeffries earned significant credit for orchestrating Tuesday’s outcome – as Virginia Democrats first had to steer the ballot measure through the state legislature twice, beat back multiple court challenges, and then win over voters. A nonprofit aligned with Jeffries poured $38 million into the effort to secure passage, and he personally managed the operation from beginning to end – designing the referendum strategy, recruiting staff and directing on-the-ground coordination. Many Virginia Democrats initially resisted the high-stakes gamble, requiring Jeffries to personally persuade both the state delegation and the warring legislative chambers to fall in line. True to form, Jeffries remained measured when asked whether Tuesday’s result clinched the majority or signaled an impending blue wave. He did, however, declare victory in the broader redistricting battle. “When you line up the congressional map in Texas and compare it with the response in California, they’re going to lose seats and would be fortunate if in Texas, they win two or three of the five seats that they claimed they were going to steal from Democrats,” Jeffries said. The biggest wild cards left for both sides are Florida and the future of the Voting Rights Act, which is up to the Supreme Court. Tuesday’s result intensifies pressure on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to advance an ambitious congressional map next week capable of delivering Republicans a net gain of three to five seats. Yet DeSantis is encountering pushback from the state’s Republican congressional delegation and the GOP-controlled legislature, many of whom doubt such an aggressive redraw is feasible. Several Florida Republicans caution that Latino voters are not reliably in the GOP column and may not show up for the party the way they did in 2024, urging caution. Spending in Virginia was wildly lopsided. Democrats poured $56.4 million into television and digital ads; Republicans mustered just $24.6 million. Republicans still lost by fewer than 90,000 votes out of more than 3 million cast. According to the report, GOP strategists insist they deliberately avoided nationalizing the contest to keep from energizing the Democratic base. They argue that heavier spending would simply have provoked an even larger Democratic response. They also note that the “No” side outperformed Trump’s 2024 numbers in the state. Former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and onetime House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who helmed the opposition effort, pledged to keep fighting the new map in court. House Republicans, however, were already firing off frantic messages Tuesday night. Several told reporters they had been assured that additional money would make no difference in Virginia – yet the narrow margin suggests otherwise.  The American Action Network, a nonprofit close to Johnson, quietly funneled money to the group bankrolling the “No” campaign, according to a person familiar with the transaction. Meanwhile, only one solidly Republican seat remains, in the state’s southwest corner. GOP Reps. Ben Cline and Morgan Griffith may find themselves forced into a member-versus-member primary. Tyler Durden Wed, 04/22/2026 – 13:00

Apr 22, 202616 votes

Senate Bill Wants Commercial Reactors On Federal Land

Senate Bill Wants Commercial Reactors On Federal Land Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Dave McCormick (R-PA) introduced the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Deployment Act (NEIDA) on April 14th, presenting what could be one of the most significant regulatory shifts for U.S. nuclear power in decades.  The legislation would expand the DOE’s authority to license and regulate commercial reactors and fuel-cycle facilities when sited on federal land or built for federal purposes, including electricity supplied to federal power marketing agencies.  The United States should lead the nuclear energy renaissance, not watch it from the sidelines. My Nuclear Energy Innovation and Deployment Act with @SenMcCormickPA will help power America’s future. https://t.co/X8mOPRlMIT — Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) April 14, 2026 It would also create a permanent Nuclear Energy Launch Pad program to streamline demonstration projects on DOE and National Lab sites, with a built-in path to commercial operations under DOE oversight rather than the traditional NRC bottleneck. Under current rules, even projects on federal property like Idaho National Laboratory (INL) typically require full NRC licensing if they want to be used for commercial purposes. NEIDA flips that script. Commercial reactors and related fuel facilities on qualifying federal sites could operate under DOE authority, complete with Price-Anderson liability protections.  The bill also repurposes surplus plutonium as reactor fuel through a milestone-driven program, turning a liability into domestic supply while federal power marketing administrations gain explicit authority to purchase and transmit nuclear-generated electricity. The centerpiece is the Nuclear Energy Launch Pad, which would designate secure federal zones (primarily on DOE and National Lab land) for private companies to test and demonstrate advanced nuclear technologies. Private entities pay the bill, but gain infrastructure support and regulatory certainty. After demonstration, projects could transition seamlessly to commercial operation under DOE licensing.  As we have covered in recent reporting on surging nuclear interest, this framework directly addresses the “valley of death” between pilot and full deployment that has stalled U.S. progress while China and Russia build out capacity at pace. Take Oklo’s Aurora powerhouse already under construction at INL. The company received DOE approval for its Nuclear Safety Design Agreement (NSDA) in March 2026 under the existing Reactor Pilot Program. If NEIDA made that pathway permanent and explicit, Oklo could complete testing and iteration under DOE oversight, then secure a commercial operations license directly from the agency without restarting with the NRC. The shift would provide exactly the certainty developers have long sought. The bill could also create a natural bridge to the Genesis Mission, DOE’s flagship AI and energy-dominance initiative. Genesis is already pushing co-location of data centers on federal land with advanced nuclear power to meet exploding AI-driven power demand. Under NEIDA, reactors licensed and operated by DOE on those same sites could enter straightforward commercial offtake agreements to supply Genesis-linked data centers.  The Launch Pad’s streamlined DOE process, combined with existing experience, could compress timelines dramatically. Consider an AP1000 reactor announced for a federal site: from initial filing to full commercial license, the bill’s framework suggests a matter of months rather than the multi-year NRC odyssey that has become standard.  If enacted, NEIDA does not overhaul the entire NRC system. It would simply carve out a fast lane on federal real estate. In an era of record electricity demand from AI and manufacturing, that lane may prove decisive. Tyler Durden Sat, 04/18/2026 – 16:55

Apr 18, 20268 votes

Senate Bill Wants Commercial Reactors On Federal Land

Senate Bill Wants Commercial Reactors On Federal Land Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Dave McCormick (R-PA) introduced the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Deployment Act (NEIDA) on April 14th, presenting what could be one of the most significant regulatory shifts for U.S. nuclear power in decades.  The legislation would expand the DOE’s authority to license and regulate commercial reactors and fuel-cycle facilities when sited on federal land or built for federal purposes, including electricity supplied to federal power marketing agencies.  The United States should lead the nuclear energy renaissance, not watch it from the sidelines. My Nuclear Energy Innovation and Deployment Act with @SenMcCormickPA will help power America’s future. https://t.co/X8mOPRlMIT — Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) April 14, 2026 It would also create a permanent Nuclear Energy Launch Pad program to streamline demonstration projects on DOE and National Lab sites, with a built-in path to commercial operations under DOE oversight rather than the traditional NRC bottleneck. Under current rules, even projects on federal property like Idaho National Laboratory (INL) typically require full NRC licensing if they want to be used for commercial purposes. NEIDA flips that script. Commercial reactors and related fuel facilities on qualifying federal sites could operate under DOE authority, complete with Price-Anderson liability protections.  The bill also repurposes surplus plutonium as reactor fuel through a milestone-driven program, turning a liability into domestic supply while federal power marketing administrations gain explicit authority to purchase and transmit nuclear-generated electricity. The centerpiece is the Nuclear Energy Launch Pad, which would designate secure federal zones (primarily on DOE and National Lab land) for private companies to test and demonstrate advanced nuclear technologies. Private entities pay the bill, but gain infrastructure support and regulatory certainty. After demonstration, projects could transition seamlessly to commercial operation under DOE licensing.  As we have covered in recent reporting on surging nuclear interest, this framework directly addresses the “valley of death” between pilot and full deployment that has stalled U.S. progress while China and Russia build out capacity at pace. Take Oklo’s Aurora powerhouse already under construction at INL. The company received DOE approval for its Nuclear Safety Design Agreement (NSDA) in March 2026 under the existing Reactor Pilot Program. If NEIDA made that pathway permanent and explicit, Oklo could complete testing and iteration under DOE oversight, then secure a commercial operations license directly from the agency without restarting with the NRC. The shift would provide exactly the certainty developers have long sought. The bill could also create a natural bridge to the Genesis Mission, DOE’s flagship AI and energy-dominance initiative. Genesis is already pushing co-location of data centers on federal land with advanced nuclear power to meet exploding AI-driven power demand. Under NEIDA, reactors licensed and operated by DOE on those same sites could enter straightforward commercial offtake agreements to supply Genesis-linked data centers.  The Launch Pad’s streamlined DOE process, combined with existing experience, could compress timelines dramatically. Consider an AP1000 reactor announced for a federal site: from initial filing to full commercial license, the bill’s framework suggests a matter of months rather than the multi-year NRC odyssey that has become standard.  If enacted, NEIDA does not overhaul the entire NRC system. It would simply carve out a fast lane on federal real estate. In an era of record electricity demand from AI and manufacturing, that lane may prove decisive. Tyler Durden Sat, 04/18/2026 – 16:55

Apr 18, 202612 votes

Wall Or Sieve? Attacks Raise Doubts About U.S. Immigration System

Wall Or Sieve? Attacks Raise Doubts About U.S. Immigration System Authored by Benjamin Weingarten via RealClearPolitics, In the wee hours of Sunday, March 1, a Senegalese immigrant clad in a sweatshirt bearing the words “Property of Allah” opened fire outside an Austin, Texas beer garden, killing three and leaving 14 others wounded. On March 12, at Old Dominion University, a former Virginia National Guard member from Sierra Leone – released early from an 11-year prison sentence for attempting to provide material support to the ISIL – yelled “Allahu Akbar” before shooting and killing a beloved college professor and wounding two other people. That same day, a Lebanese immigrant plowed a pickup truck filled with fireworks and gasoline into a large synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan. After exchanging gunfire with security staff, he killed himself. His brother, it turned out, was a recently eliminated Hezbollah commander in Lebanon.  Amidst the emerging threat environment of the Iran war, these and other attacks on U.S. soil have reignited questions about the U.S. immigration system’s vetting and screening standards. Republican leaders are increasingly asking how, for example, foreign nationals like the Afghan evacuee who shot two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. – killing one of them – or the Egyptian national overstaying his tourism visa who firebombed pro-Israel demonstrators in Colorado last year were able to come here and commit such acts. They are also asking how close relatives of top Iranian officials, including avowed supporters of that country’s regime, have been allowed to live and work in the United States.  Earlier this month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he had terminated the legal status of the niece of Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by the U.S. in a targeted attack in 2020, and her daughter. Rubio described the niece on X as “an outspoken supporter of the Iranian regime who celebrated attacks on Americans and referred to our country as the ‘Great Satan.’ ” While the Trump administration has effectively closed the southern border, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has concluded that “prior screening and vetting measures” of people who cross the border legally “were wholly inadequate,” creating “significant national security and public safety risks [that] compromise the integrity of the immigration system.” Administration critics argue that fears of foreign-born terrorism are vastly overblown. Alex Nowrasteh of the Cato Institute told RealClearInvestigations that the annual chance of being murdered in a terrorist attack on U.S. soil by a foreign-born attacker is “about one in 165 million per year. All politically motivated violence is a tiny threat,” he said. “Exaggerating the threat does not bring us closer to delivering justice to the victims of every violent or property crime who deserve it.” RCI’s review of congressional testimony and research, and interviews with immigration and national security experts, uncovered long-standing flaws in the system – some of which were exacerbated by the Biden administration’s lax immigration policies. Challenges run the gamut from incomplete information about applicants to inconsistent enforcement of the law. Even if relatively few immigrants commit deadly attacks, the vetting system has routinely permitted people with obscure backgrounds and hostile views to visit and live in the U.S.  Robust Design America’s immigration system is complex and multilayered, involving a range of departments and agencies that provide different levels of scrutiny depending on which of the dozens of categories would-be entrants fall into, from tourists to asylum seekers. As with most laws and rules, different administrations vet applicants with varying levels of vigor depending on whether they want to encourage or discourage immigration. Three agencies lead the vetting process. The State Department issues visas; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reviews petitions for immigrants seeking benefits such as citizenship or permanent residency, refugee and asylum claims, and other protections; Customs and Border Protection provides defense at the point at which aliens attempt to enter the country. Across these processes, sometimes with redundancy, authorities conduct biographic and biometric screenings, run name checks across U.S. security databases to search for red flags such as criminal histories or inclusion on terror watchlists, and interview would-be visitors. As designed, the immigration system requires nearly all noncitizens seeking to enter the U.S. to obtain a visa. Nonimmigrant visas cover temporary trips for business or tourism, whereas immigrant visas cover permanent stays that may be family-, employment-, or education-based. Those seeking long-term stays are subject to more rigorous scrutiny. While undergoing detailed background checks, they are generally required to file petitions, secure sponsors, and meet incremental thresholds and standards necessary, for example, to unite with family or work full-time. In 2024, the U.S. issued about 600,000 visas for long-term stay.  The vast majority of visas are issued to tourists and other temporary visitors – nearly 11 million in 2024. They are generally subject to less scrutiny. In theory, those millions of temporary visitors will leave before their visas expire. In practice, a reported 40% of illegal aliens currently in the U.S. – amounting to millions of people – are visa overstayers, illustrating one of the myriad security-related issues plaguing the U.S. Homeland Security system.  “The vetting system is robust,” former senior INS official and immigration judge Andrew Arthur told RCI. But, he added, it “is only as good as the intelligence that the USG possesses and the access that the individual consular officer or OFO [CBP Office of Field Operations] officer has to that intelligence.” To that end, our “biggest vulnerability,” in the words of the Heritage Foundation’s Simon Hankinson, is that officers often lack access to derogatory information held by foreign countries. As Hankinson, a longtime former foreign service officer, recently detailed, this problem pervades even the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, where the citizens of several dozen generally safe and friendly countries – including most EU countries and Japan – may visit America visa-free for up to 90 days. Those waivers come in exchange for security cooperation, including sharing their citizens’ criminal records.  Cracks in the System Critics note that only a few U.S. counterparts automatically check their visiting citizens’ criminal records. The U.S. otherwise must request that home countries run queries. Meanwhile, America lacks information-sharing agreements with many countries altogether. These problems only grow when other nations lack reliable data, or where their authoritative documents may be easily fabricated – one of the justifications for Trump’s travel bans disproportionately hitting the Middle East and Africa. “I worked in India, I worked in Ghana, [where] right outside the consulate, there were stores selling fake degrees, fake passports. I mean, they didn’t even hide it,” Hankinson said. Incomplete data or suspect documents aside, authorities have also highlighted that U.S. databases may not always talk to each other. A June 2024 DHS Inspector General report indicated that “DHS’ biometric system…could not access all data from Federal partners to ensure complete screening and vetting of noncitizens seeking admission into the United States” due to “ongoing technical limitations.” The inspector general also found that border patrol officers lacked the hardware necessary to perform biometric screenings of people arriving by car or truck.  Federal authorities have also not always vigorously enforced their own security protocols. A September 2025 DHS IG report detailed that from March 2020 to March 2024, the State Department issued 12 million nonimmigrant visas without conducting in-person interviews or collecting fingerprints. CBP officers encountering foreign nationals at points of entry were unaware that the State had not fully screened some of them.  Subpar vetting was common regarding the tens of thousands of Afghans admitted to the U.S. in the wake of the Biden administration’s pullout from the country in 2021. In a January 2026 hearing, DHS Deputy Inspector General for Audits, Craig Adelman, submitted written testimony indicating that under Operation Allies Welcome, in several instances “DHS could not demonstrate that it accurately knew who individuals were, where they were located, whether parole conditions were being met, or whether individuals had unresolved risk indicators.” CBP sometimes lacked “access to critical data to properly screen, vet, or inspect” them.  Adelman’s testimony came following the National Guardsman shooting by evacuee Rahmanullah Lakanwal, and the prosecution of Nasir Ahmed Tawhedi, another evacuee who would plead guilty to plotting a mass-casualty attack on behalf of ISIS around Election Day 2024. More broadly, the Government Accountability Office has found that the humanitarian parole processes have generally lacked sufficient anti-fraud measures, making it hard to ensure those fleeing warzones or failed states pose no threat to the U.S. homeland. These findings also come on top of the millions who entered the country illegally during the Biden administration – and related immigrant overstays and backlogs creating security risks all their own. Hundreds of thousands of asylum claimants, for example, have been insufficiently screened historically during prolonged adjudication periods, DHS’ watchdog has found. Hankinson is adamant that “we have not been enforcing our own rules with anything like the tenacity that we should have been. We’ve been really giving the benefit of the doubt to the alien in every circumstance.” Ironically, the president’s opponents also agree that the immigration system is broken. But instead of tweaking the current system, many Democrats and their allies have floated the idea of abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. Good Questions, ‘Bad Odor’ Another potential issue that recent security incidents have raised is whether authorities are properly vetting and screening for indicators associated with the actual threats faced. Federal law, drafted in the shadow of World War II and during the Cold War, generally deemed inadmissible immigrant members or affiliates of totalitarian political parties. Laws later expanded to encompass terrorists and their supporters. But records may not exist of terrorist activities or support among those hailing from failed states. Despite this potential vulnerability, those with whom RCI spoke indicated that immigration officers do not tailor questions to unearth whether visitors harbor a terrorist worldview that could suggest future trouble or merit further scrutiny. Authorities are “looking for Communists and Nazis,” Hankinson told RCI, not “Islamic fanatics…people who believe in Sharia law, who want to cut the hands off criminals, or have women dressed in burkas.”  Dan Cadman, a retired INS/ICE official now at the Center for Immigration Studies, told RCI that “the vetting procedures have not captured Islamist/ adversarial/ subversive ideologies among family members and close associates.” Were such affiliations known, for example, in the case of the would-be Michigan synagogue attacker Ayman Mohamed Ghazali, whose brother was a Hezbollah commander, immigration authorities likely would have subjected him to heightened scrutiny – and perhaps denied him entry.  Cadman attributes the lack of ideological bar to the “bad odor” to which such tests are held, and the fact that they lead to “thorny questions” about when religiously-based views “cross into the arena of politics” and constitutional rights. Progressive groups and others panned the blanket travel restrictions Trump pursued during his first administration sought to impose on myriad Muslim-majority countries as “Muslim bans.” Nevertheless, some analysts have proposed bans of those affiliated with Islamist groups analogous to those of totalitarian political parties already on the books to satisfy such concerns. Several members of Congress appear receptive to this idea as well. Legislation is currently pending before the House and Senate to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to render “advocates for the imposition of Sharia law” inadmissible, and remove Sharia adherents accordingly. Even if such questions could survive First Amendment challenges, some observers doubt they would provide useful answers. David Bier of the Cato Institute told RCI, “There is no evidence that asking people general questions like whether they support terrorism or Sharia law would be an effective way to prevent attacks in the United States.” Arthur, Cadman’s colleague at the Center for Immigration Studies, added that “identifying those who hold hostile beliefs is a difficult endeavor, and one that even the best adjudication and screening system will struggle to achieve.” Whether a change in standards or their implementation might have prevented the recent attacks on U.S. soil by immigrants who became naturalized citizens remains unclear. Arthur says these incidents show “a decline in assimilation on the part of the naturalized citizen and in integration on the part of the United States” – a transcendent problem all its own. Crackdown and Pushback The Trump administration has sought to significantly enhance vetting standards, mitigate risks, and more vigorously enforce the law. The president kicked off his second term with an executive order directing national security authorities to ensure that all aliens are “vet[ted] and screen[ed] to the maximum degree possible,” including for those threatening national security and bearing “hostile attitudes” toward America, its people, and institutions.  In June, the president fully or partially restricted and limited the entry of nationals from 19 countries it deemed to pose security risks, some Muslim-majority, via executive order – a broad measure to mitigate screening and vetting risks.  Democrats assailed these efforts as “bigoted” and “Islamophobic.”  “This discriminatory policy, which limits legal immigration, not only flies in the face of what our country is supposed to stand for, it will be harmful to our economy and communities that rely on the contributions of people who come to America from this wide range of countries,” Democratic Washington state Rep. Pramila Jayapal has said. “Banning a whole group of people because you disagree with the structure or function of their government not only lays blame in the wrong place, it creates a dangerous precedent.” Later that year, in August, USCIS updated its policy guidance to ensure that when immigration officers are evaluating immigration benefit requests, aliens’ support or espousal of the views of terrorist groups, including anti-Americanism, and Jew-hatred, ought to weigh heavily against applicants.  Last December, USCIS paused all pending asylum and benefit applications from the 19 “high-risk countries” identified in the June executive order while conducting a “re-review of approved benefit requests” for all aliens from those countries entering the U.S. on or after the first day of the Biden administration. The administration also extended travel restrictions to 20 additional countries. Among other initiatives, the second Trump administration is also “re-vetting” previously admitted aliens, and engaging in “continuous vetting” of all U.S. visa holders – some 55 million at the time it announced the policy – for violations that could lead to their deportation. It has reportedly revoked 100,000 visas – a 150% increase versus 2024. DHS says that ICE has arrested more than 43,000 potential national security risks, including 1,416 known or suspected terrorists, some 1,392 of which have been removed. It did so in announcing the recent arrest of Salah Salem Sarsour, a Jordanian national who the U.S. asserts was convicted decades ago in Israel of throwing a Molotov cocktail at the homes of Israeli military personnel and illegally attempting to possess weapons. DHS claims Sarsour is “suspected of funding terror organizations and lying on immigration forms” to enter the country, after which he became a green card holder back in 1998. The arrest of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee president generated strong pushback from the ACLU and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, with the former suggesting Sarsour may have been targeted for being “outspoken in his support for Palestinian rights” in violation of the First Amendment – a microcosm of the debates simmering over the president’s immigration policies. Last month, the U.S. Intelligence Community assessed that “increased border security, stricter screening and vetting, and improved international information sharing” have led jihadist groups to focus “more on virtually recruiting U.S.-based aspirants to encourage and enable potential attacks.” With the Trump administration already planning to significantly ramp up denaturalization efforts in response to revelations of fraud perpetrated by immigrants, this assessment and recent attacks from the naturalized population may only further fuel such efforts. Tyler Durden Thu, 04/16/2026 – 16:20

Apr 16, 20262 votes

Wall Or Sieve? Attacks Raise Doubts About U.S. Immigration System

Wall Or Sieve? Attacks Raise Doubts About U.S. Immigration System Authored by Benjamin Weingarten via RealClearPolitics, In the wee hours of Sunday, March 1, a Senegalese immigrant clad in a sweatshirt bearing the words “Property of Allah” opened fire outside an Austin, Texas beer garden, killing three and leaving 14 others wounded. On March 12, at Old Dominion University, a former Virginia National Guard member from Sierra Leone – released early from an 11-year prison sentence for attempting to provide material support to the ISIL – yelled “Allahu Akbar” before shooting and killing a beloved college professor and wounding two other people. That same day, a Lebanese immigrant plowed a pickup truck filled with fireworks and gasoline into a large synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan. After exchanging gunfire with security staff, he killed himself. His brother, it turned out, was a recently eliminated Hezbollah commander in Lebanon.  Amidst the emerging threat environment of the Iran war, these and other attacks on U.S. soil have reignited questions about the U.S. immigration system’s vetting and screening standards. Republican leaders are increasingly asking how, for example, foreign nationals like the Afghan evacuee who shot two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. – killing one of them – or the Egyptian national overstaying his tourism visa who firebombed pro-Israel demonstrators in Colorado last year were able to come here and commit such acts. They are also asking how close relatives of top Iranian officials, including avowed supporters of that country’s regime, have been allowed to live and work in the United States.  Earlier this month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he had terminated the legal status of the niece of Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by the U.S. in a targeted attack in 2020, and her daughter. Rubio described the niece on X as “an outspoken supporter of the Iranian regime who celebrated attacks on Americans and referred to our country as the ‘Great Satan.’ ” While the Trump administration has effectively closed the southern border, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has concluded that “prior screening and vetting measures” of people who cross the border legally “were wholly inadequate,” creating “significant national security and public safety risks [that] compromise the integrity of the immigration system.” Administration critics argue that fears of foreign-born terrorism are vastly overblown. Alex Nowrasteh of the Cato Institute told RealClearInvestigations that the annual chance of being murdered in a terrorist attack on U.S. soil by a foreign-born attacker is “about one in 165 million per year. All politically motivated violence is a tiny threat,” he said. “Exaggerating the threat does not bring us closer to delivering justice to the victims of every violent or property crime who deserve it.” RCI’s review of congressional testimony and research, and interviews with immigration and national security experts, uncovered long-standing flaws in the system – some of which were exacerbated by the Biden administration’s lax immigration policies. Challenges run the gamut from incomplete information about applicants to inconsistent enforcement of the law. Even if relatively few immigrants commit deadly attacks, the vetting system has routinely permitted people with obscure backgrounds and hostile views to visit and live in the U.S.  Robust Design America’s immigration system is complex and multilayered, involving a range of departments and agencies that provide different levels of scrutiny depending on which of the dozens of categories would-be entrants fall into, from tourists to asylum seekers. As with most laws and rules, different administrations vet applicants with varying levels of vigor depending on whether they want to encourage or discourage immigration. Three agencies lead the vetting process. The State Department issues visas; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reviews petitions for immigrants seeking benefits such as citizenship or permanent residency, refugee and asylum claims, and other protections; Customs and Border Protection provides defense at the point at which aliens attempt to enter the country. Across these processes, sometimes with redundancy, authorities conduct biographic and biometric screenings, run name checks across U.S. security databases to search for red flags such as criminal histories or inclusion on terror watchlists, and interview would-be visitors. As designed, the immigration system requires nearly all noncitizens seeking to enter the U.S. to obtain a visa. Nonimmigrant visas cover temporary trips for business or tourism, whereas immigrant visas cover permanent stays that may be family-, employment-, or education-based. Those seeking long-term stays are subject to more rigorous scrutiny. While undergoing detailed background checks, they are generally required to file petitions, secure sponsors, and meet incremental thresholds and standards necessary, for example, to unite with family or work full-time. In 2024, the U.S. issued about 600,000 visas for long-term stay.  The vast majority of visas are issued to tourists and other temporary visitors – nearly 11 million in 2024. They are generally subject to less scrutiny. In theory, those millions of temporary visitors will leave before their visas expire. In practice, a reported 40% of illegal aliens currently in the U.S. – amounting to millions of people – are visa overstayers, illustrating one of the myriad security-related issues plaguing the U.S. Homeland Security system.  “The vetting system is robust,” former senior INS official and immigration judge Andrew Arthur told RCI. But, he added, it “is only as good as the intelligence that the USG possesses and the access that the individual consular officer or OFO [CBP Office of Field Operations] officer has to that intelligence.” To that end, our “biggest vulnerability,” in the words of the Heritage Foundation’s Simon Hankinson, is that officers often lack access to derogatory information held by foreign countries. As Hankinson, a longtime former foreign service officer, recently detailed, this problem pervades even the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, where the citizens of several dozen generally safe and friendly countries – including most EU countries and Japan – may visit America visa-free for up to 90 days. Those waivers come in exchange for security cooperation, including sharing their citizens’ criminal records.  Cracks in the System Critics note that only a few U.S. counterparts automatically check their visiting citizens’ criminal records. The U.S. otherwise must request that home countries run queries. Meanwhile, America lacks information-sharing agreements with many countries altogether. These problems only grow when other nations lack reliable data, or where their authoritative documents may be easily fabricated – one of the justifications for Trump’s travel bans disproportionately hitting the Middle East and Africa. “I worked in India, I worked in Ghana, [where] right outside the consulate, there were stores selling fake degrees, fake passports. I mean, they didn’t even hide it,” Hankinson said. Incomplete data or suspect documents aside, authorities have also highlighted that U.S. databases may not always talk to each other. A June 2024 DHS Inspector General report indicated that “DHS’ biometric system…could not access all data from Federal partners to ensure complete screening and vetting of noncitizens seeking admission into the United States” due to “ongoing technical limitations.” The inspector general also found that border patrol officers lacked the hardware necessary to perform biometric screenings of people arriving by car or truck.  Federal authorities have also not always vigorously enforced their own security protocols. A September 2025 DHS IG report detailed that from March 2020 to March 2024, the State Department issued 12 million nonimmigrant visas without conducting in-person interviews or collecting fingerprints. CBP officers encountering foreign nationals at points of entry were unaware that the State had not fully screened some of them.  Subpar vetting was common regarding the tens of thousands of Afghans admitted to the U.S. in the wake of the Biden administration’s pullout from the country in 2021. In a January 2026 hearing, DHS Deputy Inspector General for Audits, Craig Adelman, submitted written testimony indicating that under Operation Allies Welcome, in several instances “DHS could not demonstrate that it accurately knew who individuals were, where they were located, whether parole conditions were being met, or whether individuals had unresolved risk indicators.” CBP sometimes lacked “access to critical data to properly screen, vet, or inspect” them.  Adelman’s testimony came following the National Guardsman shooting by evacuee Rahmanullah Lakanwal, and the prosecution of Nasir Ahmed Tawhedi, another evacuee who would plead guilty to plotting a mass-casualty attack on behalf of ISIS around Election Day 2024. More broadly, the Government Accountability Office has found that the humanitarian parole processes have generally lacked sufficient anti-fraud measures, making it hard to ensure those fleeing warzones or failed states pose no threat to the U.S. homeland. These findings also come on top of the millions who entered the country illegally during the Biden administration – and related immigrant overstays and backlogs creating security risks all their own. Hundreds of thousands of asylum claimants, for example, have been insufficiently screened historically during prolonged adjudication periods, DHS’ watchdog has found. Hankinson is adamant that “we have not been enforcing our own rules with anything like the tenacity that we should have been. We’ve been really giving the benefit of the doubt to the alien in every circumstance.” Ironically, the president’s opponents also agree that the immigration system is broken. But instead of tweaking the current system, many Democrats and their allies have floated the idea of abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. Good Questions, ‘Bad Odor’ Another potential issue that recent security incidents have raised is whether authorities are properly vetting and screening for indicators associated with the actual threats faced. Federal law, drafted in the shadow of World War II and during the Cold War, generally deemed inadmissible immigrant members or affiliates of totalitarian political parties. Laws later expanded to encompass terrorists and their supporters. But records may not exist of terrorist activities or support among those hailing from failed states. Despite this potential vulnerability, those with whom RCI spoke indicated that immigration officers do not tailor questions to unearth whether visitors harbor a terrorist worldview that could suggest future trouble or merit further scrutiny. Authorities are “looking for Communists and Nazis,” Hankinson told RCI, not “Islamic fanatics…people who believe in Sharia law, who want to cut the hands off criminals, or have women dressed in burkas.”  Dan Cadman, a retired INS/ICE official now at the Center for Immigration Studies, told RCI that “the vetting procedures have not captured Islamist/ adversarial/ subversive ideologies among family members and close associates.” Were such affiliations known, for example, in the case of the would-be Michigan synagogue attacker Ayman Mohamed Ghazali, whose brother was a Hezbollah commander, immigration authorities likely would have subjected him to heightened scrutiny – and perhaps denied him entry.  Cadman attributes the lack of ideological bar to the “bad odor” to which such tests are held, and the fact that they lead to “thorny questions” about when religiously-based views “cross into the arena of politics” and constitutional rights. Progressive groups and others panned the blanket travel restrictions Trump pursued during his first administration sought to impose on myriad Muslim-majority countries as “Muslim bans.” Nevertheless, some analysts have proposed bans of those affiliated with Islamist groups analogous to those of totalitarian political parties already on the books to satisfy such concerns. Several members of Congress appear receptive to this idea as well. Legislation is currently pending before the House and Senate to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to render “advocates for the imposition of Sharia law” inadmissible, and remove Sharia adherents accordingly. Even if such questions could survive First Amendment challenges, some observers doubt they would provide useful answers. David Bier of the Cato Institute told RCI, “There is no evidence that asking people general questions like whether they support terrorism or Sharia law would be an effective way to prevent attacks in the United States.” Arthur, Cadman’s colleague at the Center for Immigration Studies, added that “identifying those who hold hostile beliefs is a difficult endeavor, and one that even the best adjudication and screening system will struggle to achieve.” Whether a change in standards or their implementation might have prevented the recent attacks on U.S. soil by immigrants who became naturalized citizens remains unclear. Arthur says these incidents show “a decline in assimilation on the part of the naturalized citizen and in integration on the part of the United States” – a transcendent problem all its own. Crackdown and Pushback The Trump administration has sought to significantly enhance vetting standards, mitigate risks, and more vigorously enforce the law. The president kicked off his second term with an executive order directing national security authorities to ensure that all aliens are “vet[ted] and screen[ed] to the maximum degree possible,” including for those threatening national security and bearing “hostile attitudes” toward America, its people, and institutions.  In June, the president fully or partially restricted and limited the entry of nationals from 19 countries it deemed to pose security risks, some Muslim-majority, via executive order – a broad measure to mitigate screening and vetting risks.  Democrats assailed these efforts as “bigoted” and “Islamophobic.”  “This discriminatory policy, which limits legal immigration, not only flies in the face of what our country is supposed to stand for, it will be harmful to our economy and communities that rely on the contributions of people who come to America from this wide range of countries,” Democratic Washington state Rep. Pramila Jayapal has said. “Banning a whole group of people because you disagree with the structure or function of their government not only lays blame in the wrong place, it creates a dangerous precedent.” Later that year, in August, USCIS updated its policy guidance to ensure that when immigration officers are evaluating immigration benefit requests, aliens’ support or espousal of the views of terrorist groups, including anti-Americanism, and Jew-hatred, ought to weigh heavily against applicants.  Last December, USCIS paused all pending asylum and benefit applications from the 19 “high-risk countries” identified in the June executive order while conducting a “re-review of approved benefit requests” for all aliens from those countries entering the U.S. on or after the first day of the Biden administration. The administration also extended travel restrictions to 20 additional countries. Among other initiatives, the second Trump administration is also “re-vetting” previously admitted aliens, and engaging in “continuous vetting” of all U.S. visa holders – some 55 million at the time it announced the policy – for violations that could lead to their deportation. It has reportedly revoked 100,000 visas – a 150% increase versus 2024. DHS says that ICE has arrested more than 43,000 potential national security risks, including 1,416 known or suspected terrorists, some 1,392 of which have been removed. It did so in announcing the recent arrest of Salah Salem Sarsour, a Jordanian national who the U.S. asserts was convicted decades ago in Israel of throwing a Molotov cocktail at the homes of Israeli military personnel and illegally attempting to possess weapons. DHS claims Sarsour is “suspected of funding terror organizations and lying on immigration forms” to enter the country, after which he became a green card holder back in 1998. The arrest of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee president generated strong pushback from the ACLU and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, with the former suggesting Sarsour may have been targeted for being “outspoken in his support for Palestinian rights” in violation of the First Amendment – a microcosm of the debates simmering over the president’s immigration policies. Last month, the U.S. Intelligence Community assessed that “increased border security, stricter screening and vetting, and improved international information sharing” have led jihadist groups to focus “more on virtually recruiting U.S.-based aspirants to encourage and enable potential attacks.” With the Trump administration already planning to significantly ramp up denaturalization efforts in response to revelations of fraud perpetrated by immigrants, this assessment and recent attacks from the naturalized population may only further fuel such efforts. Tyler Durden Thu, 04/16/2026 – 16:20

Apr 16, 20262 votes

House Effort To End Trump’s Iran War Fails By One Vote: Guess The Lone GOP Dissenter

House Effort To End Trump’s Iran War Fails By One Vote: Guess The Lone GOP Dissenter Two parallel war-related votes in the House and Senate reveal growing dismay and political fractures over President Trump’s Iran war, as the Strait of Hormuz remains locked down and ceasefire still seems distant. The Republican-controlled House voted Thursday to reject a resolution ordering the White House to end the war with Iran, as Memorial Day approaches and Americans are anxious over gas prices and general rising costs at the grocery store. The vote was 213-214, almost entirely along party lines, with dominant Republicans overwhelmingly sticking with Trump – not so much as allowing formal robust Congressional debate. There was one notable exception who broke ranks. via Reuters The lone Republican outlier was Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who voted for the measure to impose Constitutional guardrails over what the Executive can do in terms of waging war overseas. But on the other side, a lone Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, voted against it. Additionally, Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, merely registered a vote of “present” while three Republicans did not vote at all. Rep. Gregory Meeks of NY (Dem) pushed the measure which “directs the President to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran.” “Donald Trump has dragged the American people into a war of choice, launched without congressional authorization. The president has no coherent strategy, and this open-ended, undefined military engagement is precisely what the War Powers Resolution was designed to restrain,” Meeks said on the floor before the vote. “Every day we delay, we inch closer to a conflict with no exit ramp.” —NBC But it shows waning support amid fears the US is getting bogged down in a new quagmire in the Middle East (which we should note Trump strongly and eloquently campaigned against). Per Politico: It marks the second time the House has declined to intervene since the war began. But the 213-214 vote was even tighter than the last attempt in early March, as several Democrats who previously broke ranks to support the military campaign switched their votes to oppose it. Parallel to the House side, the Senate also just swatted down an effort to choke off US weapons flows to Israel.  In the opening days of Operation Epic Fury, statements by President Trump and White House officials including Rubio strongly suggested that they moved in Israel’s interests, as the Netanyahu government made the case that a nuclear-armed Iran must face preemptive attack or else Israel would be in the crosshairs. Two Senate resolutions led by Bernie Sanders aiming to block arms sales to Israel failed Wednesday, even as they pulled backing from roughly 75% of Democrats. Republicans, however, closed ranks and almost unanimously voted them down. Massie is in a reelection bid which will decide his political future, even as Trump has ramped up the personal attacks: EXCLUSIVE: Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie raised more than $2.5 million in the first quarter of 2026, according to figures shared with the Daily Caller. Of Massie’s 20,665 donors in the first quarter, approximately 76% were first-time contributors while 993 donors from… https://t.co/70jjA4bahn pic.twitter.com/caF0t7MsWE — Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 13, 2026 Sanders had targeted specific packages, including a $295 million sale of bulldozers and a $151.8 million shipment of 12,000 1,000-pound “dumb bombs”. But both measures went down: 59-40 and 63-36. But what the Senate vote reveals is that what previously used to be automatic, bipartisan support for arming Israel is starting to fracture, with Democrats increasingly uneasy since Israel’s high casualty Gaza campaign following the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attack, and the more recent Israeli official admissions that the death toll was over 70,000 killed. However, the Israeli stance is that at least a few tens of thousands of these were Hamas militants or ‘Hamas-linked’. Tyler Durden Thu, 04/16/2026 – 14:45

Apr 16, 20268 votes

House Effort To End Trump’s Iran War Fails By One Vote: Guess The Lone GOP Dissenter

House Effort To End Trump’s Iran War Fails By One Vote: Guess The Lone GOP Dissenter Two parallel war-related votes in the House and Senate reveal growing dismay and political fractures over President Trump’s Iran war, as the Strait of Hormuz remains locked down and ceasefire still seems distant. The Republican-controlled House voted Thursday to reject a resolution ordering the White House to end the war with Iran, as Memorial Day approaches and Americans are anxious over gas prices and general rising costs at the grocery store. The vote was 213-214, almost entirely along party lines, with dominant Republicans overwhelmingly sticking with Trump – not so much as allowing formal robust Congressional debate. There was one notable exception who broke ranks. via Reuters The lone Republican outlier was Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who voted for the measure to impose Constitutional guardrails over what the Executive can do in terms of waging war overseas. But on the other side, a lone Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, voted against it. Additionally, Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, merely registered a vote of “present” while three Republicans did not vote at all. Rep. Gregory Meeks of NY (Dem) pushed the measure which “directs the President to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran.” “Donald Trump has dragged the American people into a war of choice, launched without congressional authorization. The president has no coherent strategy, and this open-ended, undefined military engagement is precisely what the War Powers Resolution was designed to restrain,” Meeks said on the floor before the vote. “Every day we delay, we inch closer to a conflict with no exit ramp.” —NBC But it shows waning support amid fears the US is getting bogged down in a new quagmire in the Middle East (which we should note Trump strongly and eloquently campaigned against). Per Politico: It marks the second time the House has declined to intervene since the war began. But the 213-214 vote was even tighter than the last attempt in early March, as several Democrats who previously broke ranks to support the military campaign switched their votes to oppose it. Parallel to the House side, the Senate also just swatted down an effort to choke off US weapons flows to Israel.  In the opening days of Operation Epic Fury, statements by President Trump and White House officials including Rubio strongly suggested that they moved in Israel’s interests, as the Netanyahu government made the case that a nuclear-armed Iran must face preemptive attack or else Israel would be in the crosshairs. Two Senate resolutions led by Bernie Sanders aiming to block arms sales to Israel failed Wednesday, even as they pulled backing from roughly 75% of Democrats. Republicans, however, closed ranks and almost unanimously voted them down. Massie is in a reelection bid which will decide his political future, even as Trump has ramped up the personal attacks: EXCLUSIVE: Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie raised more than $2.5 million in the first quarter of 2026, according to figures shared with the Daily Caller. Of Massie’s 20,665 donors in the first quarter, approximately 76% were first-time contributors while 993 donors from… https://t.co/70jjA4bahn pic.twitter.com/caF0t7MsWE — Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 13, 2026 Sanders had targeted specific packages, including a $295 million sale of bulldozers and a $151.8 million shipment of 12,000 1,000-pound “dumb bombs”. But both measures went down: 59-40 and 63-36. But what the Senate vote reveals is that what previously used to be automatic, bipartisan support for arming Israel is starting to fracture, with Democrats increasingly uneasy since Israel’s high casualty Gaza campaign following the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attack, and the more recent Israeli official admissions that the death toll was over 70,000 killed. However, the Israeli stance is that at least a few tens of thousands of these were Hamas militants or ‘Hamas-linked’. Tyler Durden Thu, 04/16/2026 – 14:45

Apr 16, 20268 votes

House Effort To End Trump’s Iran War Fails By One Vote: Guess The Lone GOP Dissenter

House Effort To End Trump’s Iran War Fails By One Vote: Guess The Lone GOP Dissenter Two parallel war-related votes in the House and Senate reveal growing dismay and political fractures over President Trump’s Iran war, as the Strait of Hormuz remains locked down and ceasefire still seems distant. The Republican-controlled House voted Thursday to reject a resolution ordering the White House to end the war with Iran, as Memorial Day approaches and Americans are anxious over gas prices and general rising costs at the grocery store. The vote was 213-214, almost entirely along party lines, with dominant Republicans overwhelmingly sticking with Trump – not so much as allowing formal robust Congressional debate. There was one notable exception who broke ranks. via Reuters The lone Republican outlier was Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who voted for the measure to impose Constitutional guardrails over what the Executive can do in terms of waging war overseas. But on the other side, a lone Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, voted against it. Additionally, Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, merely registered a vote of “present” while three Republicans did not vote at all. Rep. Gregory Meeks of NY (Dem) pushed the measure which “directs the President to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran.” “Donald Trump has dragged the American people into a war of choice, launched without congressional authorization. The president has no coherent strategy, and this open-ended, undefined military engagement is precisely what the War Powers Resolution was designed to restrain,” Meeks said on the floor before the vote. “Every day we delay, we inch closer to a conflict with no exit ramp.” —NBC But it shows waning support amid fears the US is getting bogged down in a new quagmire in the Middle East (which we should note Trump strongly and eloquently campaigned against). Per Politico: It marks the second time the House has declined to intervene since the war began. But the 213-214 vote was even tighter than the last attempt in early March, as several Democrats who previously broke ranks to support the military campaign switched their votes to oppose it. Parallel to the House side, the Senate also just swatted down an effort to choke off US weapons flows to Israel.  In the opening days of Operation Epic Fury, statements by President Trump and White House officials including Rubio strongly suggested that they moved in Israel’s interests, as the Netanyahu government made the case that a nuclear-armed Iran must face preemptive attack or else Israel would be in the crosshairs. Two Senate resolutions led by Bernie Sanders aiming to block arms sales to Israel failed Wednesday, even as they pulled backing from roughly 75% of Democrats. Republicans, however, closed ranks and almost unanimously voted them down. Massie is in a reelection bid which will decide his political future, even as Trump has ramped up the personal attacks: EXCLUSIVE: Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie raised more than $2.5 million in the first quarter of 2026, according to figures shared with the Daily Caller. Of Massie’s 20,665 donors in the first quarter, approximately 76% were first-time contributors while 993 donors from… https://t.co/70jjA4bahn pic.twitter.com/caF0t7MsWE — Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 13, 2026 Sanders had targeted specific packages, including a $295 million sale of bulldozers and a $151.8 million shipment of 12,000 1,000-pound “dumb bombs”. But both measures went down: 59-40 and 63-36. But what the Senate vote reveals is that what previously used to be automatic, bipartisan support for arming Israel is starting to fracture, with Democrats increasingly uneasy since Israel’s high casualty Gaza campaign following the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attack, and the more recent Israeli official admissions that the death toll was over 70,000 killed. However, the Israeli stance is that at least a few tens of thousands of these were Hamas militants or ‘Hamas-linked’. Tyler Durden Thu, 04/16/2026 – 14:45

Apr 16, 202613 votes

Trump Urges Extending Foreign Surveillance Program As Some Lawmakers Push For US Privacy Protections

Trump Urges Extending Foreign Surveillance Program As Some Lawmakers Push For US Privacy Protections Via Headline USA, Congress is set to take up the reauthorization of a divisive program that lets U.S. spy agencies pore over foreigners’ calls, texts and emails, with supporters like President Donald Trump saying it has saved lives while critics point to longstanding concerns about warrantless surveillance of Americans. (AP Illustration/Peter Hamlin) A key provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act permits the CIA, National Security Agency, FBI and other agencies to collect and analyze vast amounts of overseas communications without a warrant. It incidentally sweeps up the conversations of any Americans who interact with those foreigners targeted for surveillance. The program expires Monday, and critics want changes, including a requirement for warrants before authorities can access the emails, phone calls or text messages of Americans. They also want limits on the government’s use of internet data brokers, who sell large volumes of personal information gleaned online, offering the government what critics say amounts to an end-run around the Constitution. Despite bipartisan criticism, the chances of significant reforms dropped when Trump announced his support for the program’s renewal, saying it had proven its worth in supplying information vital to recent U.S. actions in Venezuela and Iran. “The fact is, whether you like FISA or not, it is extremely important to our military,” Trump said on Truth Social Tuesday. U.S. authorities say the program, known as Section 702 of the law, is vital to national security and has saved lives by uncovering terror plots. Critics question what they call a dangerous infringement on civil liberties and privacy. In a Truth Social post, Trump said a different FISA provision was used to spy on his 2016 campaign but that he supported Section 702’s renewal despite misgivings that political adversaries could use parts of the law against him in the future. He called on lawmakers to extend the foreign surveillance program for another 18 months. “My administration has worked tirelessly to ensure these FISA reforms are being aggressively executed at every level of the Executive Branch to keep Americans safe, while protecting our sacred Civil Liberties guaranteed by our Great Constitution,” Trump wrote. Trump is a longtime critic of the nation’s intelligence services and was once opposed to Section 702 before he reversed himself. “KILL FISA” Trump posted on social media in 2024, when the provision was last reauthorized. Trump isn’t the only one-time critic to change their mind: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard sponsored legislation to repeal Section 702 as a Hawaii congresswoman but now supports it after being tapped to coordinate the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies. Gabbard says new protections added since her time in Congress helped change her mind. In addition to a requirement for a warrant to access Americans’ data, critics also want greater protections on how the FBI or other agencies can search communications and how that is reported to the public. “Journalists, foreign aid workers, people with family overseas, all could have their communications swept up in this surveillance merely because they talked to someone outside of this country,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. The longtime critic of the law is pushing for changes that he said will ensure the government isn’t violating civil rights in secret. Several Republicans also have suggested changes, such as the warrant requirement. “National security and civil liberties are not mutually exclusive,” said Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz. “We can give our intelligence professionals the tools they need to target foreign threats while ensuring that Americans are not subjected to unconstitutional surveillance.” Gabbard’s office releases an annual report showing the number of foreign surveillance targets and number of searches likely to identify an American. For 2025, the number of foreign surveillance targets increased to nearly 350,000 from almost 292,000 in 2024. Searches using terms likely to identify an American decreased slightly to 7,724 from 7,845 in 2024. The totals are incomplete because agencies like the FBI have found ways to access the data without reporting the searches publicly, said Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. FBI officials repeatedly violated their own standards when searching for intelligence related to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and racial justice protests in 2020, according to a 2024 court order. “It’s reminiscent of J. Edgar Hoover’s tenure at the FBI,” Goitein said, referring to the FBI’s founding director who used illegal surveillance to harass and spy on Americans. “They can pretty much target anyone.” Despite bipartisan concerns about the law and its implications for civil liberties, time is running out for Congress to make any changes before Monday’s expiration. Trump’s support also reduces the odds that enough Republicans will break ranks and join Democrats to push for reforms. Wyden said Section 702 votes are routinely delayed until the last minute, then lawmakers are told that national security demands they vote yes. Lawmakers are told, he said, that “if they vote for any amendments, the program will die and terrible things will happen and it will be all their fault.” The best chance for inserting changes likely is the House, where a large number of lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns. But Rep. Rick Crawford, an Arkansas Republican who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, is backing Trump’s call for an 18-month renewal. Crawford has taken aim in the past at what he calls the weaponization of intelligence but said last month that he believes the government can empower spy agencies while also holding them accountable. “We can walk and chew gum at the same time,” Crawford said. Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press.  Tyler Durden Thu, 04/16/2026 – 13:45

Apr 16, 20269 votes

Trump Urges Extending Foreign Surveillance Program As Some Lawmakers Push For US Privacy Protections

Trump Urges Extending Foreign Surveillance Program As Some Lawmakers Push For US Privacy Protections Via Headline USA, Congress is set to take up the reauthorization of a divisive program that lets U.S. spy agencies pore over foreigners’ calls, texts and emails, with supporters like President Donald Trump saying it has saved lives while critics point to longstanding concerns about warrantless surveillance of Americans. (AP Illustration/Peter Hamlin) A key provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act permits the CIA, National Security Agency, FBI and other agencies to collect and analyze vast amounts of overseas communications without a warrant. It incidentally sweeps up the conversations of any Americans who interact with those foreigners targeted for surveillance. The program expires Monday, and critics want changes, including a requirement for warrants before authorities can access the emails, phone calls or text messages of Americans. They also want limits on the government’s use of internet data brokers, who sell large volumes of personal information gleaned online, offering the government what critics say amounts to an end-run around the Constitution. Despite bipartisan criticism, the chances of significant reforms dropped when Trump announced his support for the program’s renewal, saying it had proven its worth in supplying information vital to recent U.S. actions in Venezuela and Iran. “The fact is, whether you like FISA or not, it is extremely important to our military,” Trump said on Truth Social Tuesday. U.S. authorities say the program, known as Section 702 of the law, is vital to national security and has saved lives by uncovering terror plots. Critics question what they call a dangerous infringement on civil liberties and privacy. In a Truth Social post, Trump said a different FISA provision was used to spy on his 2016 campaign but that he supported Section 702’s renewal despite misgivings that political adversaries could use parts of the law against him in the future. He called on lawmakers to extend the foreign surveillance program for another 18 months. “My administration has worked tirelessly to ensure these FISA reforms are being aggressively executed at every level of the Executive Branch to keep Americans safe, while protecting our sacred Civil Liberties guaranteed by our Great Constitution,” Trump wrote. Trump is a longtime critic of the nation’s intelligence services and was once opposed to Section 702 before he reversed himself. “KILL FISA” Trump posted on social media in 2024, when the provision was last reauthorized. Trump isn’t the only one-time critic to change their mind: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard sponsored legislation to repeal Section 702 as a Hawaii congresswoman but now supports it after being tapped to coordinate the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies. Gabbard says new protections added since her time in Congress helped change her mind. In addition to a requirement for a warrant to access Americans’ data, critics also want greater protections on how the FBI or other agencies can search communications and how that is reported to the public. “Journalists, foreign aid workers, people with family overseas, all could have their communications swept up in this surveillance merely because they talked to someone outside of this country,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. The longtime critic of the law is pushing for changes that he said will ensure the government isn’t violating civil rights in secret. Several Republicans also have suggested changes, such as the warrant requirement. “National security and civil liberties are not mutually exclusive,” said Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz. “We can give our intelligence professionals the tools they need to target foreign threats while ensuring that Americans are not subjected to unconstitutional surveillance.” Gabbard’s office releases an annual report showing the number of foreign surveillance targets and number of searches likely to identify an American. For 2025, the number of foreign surveillance targets increased to nearly 350,000 from almost 292,000 in 2024. Searches using terms likely to identify an American decreased slightly to 7,724 from 7,845 in 2024. The totals are incomplete because agencies like the FBI have found ways to access the data without reporting the searches publicly, said Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. FBI officials repeatedly violated their own standards when searching for intelligence related to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and racial justice protests in 2020, according to a 2024 court order. “It’s reminiscent of J. Edgar Hoover’s tenure at the FBI,” Goitein said, referring to the FBI’s founding director who used illegal surveillance to harass and spy on Americans. “They can pretty much target anyone.” Despite bipartisan concerns about the law and its implications for civil liberties, time is running out for Congress to make any changes before Monday’s expiration. Trump’s support also reduces the odds that enough Republicans will break ranks and join Democrats to push for reforms. Wyden said Section 702 votes are routinely delayed until the last minute, then lawmakers are told that national security demands they vote yes. Lawmakers are told, he said, that “if they vote for any amendments, the program will die and terrible things will happen and it will be all their fault.” The best chance for inserting changes likely is the House, where a large number of lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns. But Rep. Rick Crawford, an Arkansas Republican who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, is backing Trump’s call for an 18-month renewal. Crawford has taken aim in the past at what he calls the weaponization of intelligence but said last month that he believes the government can empower spy agencies while also holding them accountable. “We can walk and chew gum at the same time,” Crawford said. Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press.  Tyler Durden Thu, 04/16/2026 – 13:45

Apr 16, 202611 votes

Trump Urges Extending Foreign Surveillance Program As Some Lawmakers Push For US Privacy Protections

Trump Urges Extending Foreign Surveillance Program As Some Lawmakers Push For US Privacy Protections Via Headline USA, Congress is set to take up the reauthorization of a divisive program that lets U.S. spy agencies pore over foreigners’ calls, texts and emails, with supporters like President Donald Trump saying it has saved lives while critics point to longstanding concerns about warrantless surveillance of Americans. (AP Illustration/Peter Hamlin) A key provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act permits the CIA, National Security Agency, FBI and other agencies to collect and analyze vast amounts of overseas communications without a warrant. It incidentally sweeps up the conversations of any Americans who interact with those foreigners targeted for surveillance. The program expires Monday, and critics want changes, including a requirement for warrants before authorities can access the emails, phone calls or text messages of Americans. They also want limits on the government’s use of internet data brokers, who sell large volumes of personal information gleaned online, offering the government what critics say amounts to an end-run around the Constitution. Despite bipartisan criticism, the chances of significant reforms dropped when Trump announced his support for the program’s renewal, saying it had proven its worth in supplying information vital to recent U.S. actions in Venezuela and Iran. “The fact is, whether you like FISA or not, it is extremely important to our military,” Trump said on Truth Social Tuesday. U.S. authorities say the program, known as Section 702 of the law, is vital to national security and has saved lives by uncovering terror plots. Critics question what they call a dangerous infringement on civil liberties and privacy. In a Truth Social post, Trump said a different FISA provision was used to spy on his 2016 campaign but that he supported Section 702’s renewal despite misgivings that political adversaries could use parts of the law against him in the future. He called on lawmakers to extend the foreign surveillance program for another 18 months. “My administration has worked tirelessly to ensure these FISA reforms are being aggressively executed at every level of the Executive Branch to keep Americans safe, while protecting our sacred Civil Liberties guaranteed by our Great Constitution,” Trump wrote. Trump is a longtime critic of the nation’s intelligence services and was once opposed to Section 702 before he reversed himself. “KILL FISA” Trump posted on social media in 2024, when the provision was last reauthorized. Trump isn’t the only one-time critic to change their mind: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard sponsored legislation to repeal Section 702 as a Hawaii congresswoman but now supports it after being tapped to coordinate the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies. Gabbard says new protections added since her time in Congress helped change her mind. In addition to a requirement for a warrant to access Americans’ data, critics also want greater protections on how the FBI or other agencies can search communications and how that is reported to the public. “Journalists, foreign aid workers, people with family overseas, all could have their communications swept up in this surveillance merely because they talked to someone outside of this country,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. The longtime critic of the law is pushing for changes that he said will ensure the government isn’t violating civil rights in secret. Several Republicans also have suggested changes, such as the warrant requirement. “National security and civil liberties are not mutually exclusive,” said Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz. “We can give our intelligence professionals the tools they need to target foreign threats while ensuring that Americans are not subjected to unconstitutional surveillance.” Gabbard’s office releases an annual report showing the number of foreign surveillance targets and number of searches likely to identify an American. For 2025, the number of foreign surveillance targets increased to nearly 350,000 from almost 292,000 in 2024. Searches using terms likely to identify an American decreased slightly to 7,724 from 7,845 in 2024. The totals are incomplete because agencies like the FBI have found ways to access the data without reporting the searches publicly, said Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. FBI officials repeatedly violated their own standards when searching for intelligence related to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and racial justice protests in 2020, according to a 2024 court order. “It’s reminiscent of J. Edgar Hoover’s tenure at the FBI,” Goitein said, referring to the FBI’s founding director who used illegal surveillance to harass and spy on Americans. “They can pretty much target anyone.” Despite bipartisan concerns about the law and its implications for civil liberties, time is running out for Congress to make any changes before Monday’s expiration. Trump’s support also reduces the odds that enough Republicans will break ranks and join Democrats to push for reforms. Wyden said Section 702 votes are routinely delayed until the last minute, then lawmakers are told that national security demands they vote yes. Lawmakers are told, he said, that “if they vote for any amendments, the program will die and terrible things will happen and it will be all their fault.” The best chance for inserting changes likely is the House, where a large number of lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns. But Rep. Rick Crawford, an Arkansas Republican who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, is backing Trump’s call for an 18-month renewal. Crawford has taken aim in the past at what he calls the weaponization of intelligence but said last month that he believes the government can empower spy agencies while also holding them accountable. “We can walk and chew gum at the same time,” Crawford said. Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press.  Tyler Durden Thu, 04/16/2026 – 13:45

Apr 16, 202618 votes

We Need The Help Goy – Trump expands the allotment of additional H-2B visas for more foreign workers

Reported by: Disclose.tv President Trump was walking into the lobby of one of his Florida golf clubs earlier this year when a group of associates with ties to his businesses approached him with a proposal to increase the number of visas for seasonal guest workers, according to people familiar with the matter. Bernd Lembcke, the former manager of Mar-a-Lago who recently retired after a 30-year stint working at Trump’s properties, and Peter Petrina, a longtime Mar-a-Lago member, made the case to the president in January that the hospitality industry needed more workers ahead of the winter and spring peak tourism season. Adrian Tudor, a manager at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, helped facilitate the conversation, the people said. The January meeting came after the administration late last year announced it planned to cut the number of seasonal worker slots, known as H-2B visas, to roughly 30,000 below the previous year’s nearly 65,000. Weeks after the meeting, the administration quietly reversed itself and released the maximum number of visas allowed under the law. Trump’s businesses have long relied on the program to hire temporary foreign workers at some of his properties across the country, including Mar-a-Lago. The January meeting was the culmination of a fierce lobbying campaign to persuade the administration to reverse course by industry leaders and members of Congress, such as Rep. Andy Harris (R., Md.), a Trump ally whose district along Maryland’s eastern shore relies heavily on the visas to pick crabs. Trump took the lobbying campaign seriously, the people said. He called his advisers and directed them to work to expand the allotment of additional temporary visas through the H-2B program. The visa program is used heavily by landscapers, fisheries and vacation towns that have trouble finding enough Americans willing or able to work only a few months out of the year. It is a frequent tension point between Trump’s anti-immigration political base, who think Americans would take the jobs in question if they paid better, and more business-minded Republicans. The White House said the administration allowed more H-2B visas to be made available because, through its crackdown on illegal immigration, it has taken away work authorization from more than a million immigrants by terminating their temporary legal statuses. “The Trump Administration’s number one priority is protecting American jobs and wages, while adequately responding to the demands of President Trump’s rapidly growing economy,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said. Petrina leads the Seasonal Employment Alliance, which advocates for securing the maximum number of H-2B visas each year. Since 2016, Congress has allotted 33,000 visas for the winter and summer hiring seasons, for a total of 66,000. The law allows the president to nearly double that number if he determines the economy could use the extra visa slots. Trump’s top immigration adviser, Stephen Miller, is skeptical of the program and worked throughout Trump’s first term to limit the number of extra visas the administration issued. That view is shared by conservative outside immigration groups that have been cheering the president’s planned mass deportations. Other prominent voices in the administration are more favorable to the program, including Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. The Trump administration announced Dec. 31 that it would only grant 35,000 additional visas for fiscal year 2026, far fewer than the nearly 65,000 maximum allowed by Congress. The administration said the move marked a nearly 50% reduction in supplemental visas when compared with fiscal years 2023-25. Two weeks after the January meeting at Trump’s Florida golf club, which hasn’t been previously reported, the administration changed course, saying it would authorize an additional 64,716 H-2B visas for the fiscal year. People familiar with the decision said the lobbying campaign helped sway Trump to expand the number of H-2B visas. “I think they convinced the president that this was worthwhile, and that, in fact, going up to the amount that had been issued in the past years, which brought up to about 65,000 additional visas, was the right thing to do,” Harris said in an interview. The lobbying campaign to expand the number of visas issued under the H-2B program went beyond the president. David Jurcak, the president of the Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island, Mich., said that during a state Republican dinner in September, he approached then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about authorizing more visas through the program. Jurcak said Noem helped set up a call with DHS officials to discuss the issue. “I said to her, as we are going through immigration challenges, this is something where we could point to a good thing as part of the immigration policies,” Jurcak said in an interview. The H-2B program is one of the rare immigration-related policies that the president has advocated for expanding. Since Trump’s election victory in 2024, the Trump Organization, through its properties, has sought to hire workers through the H-2B program, including cooks, bellmen and bartenders, according to job postings on the Labor Department’s website. Trump has for months led a crackdown on illegal immigration. He has enacted mass deportations across the country, enhanced vetting for visa applicants and increased the American military presence at the U.S.-Mexico border. In Case You Missed It: Ukraine criminalizes antisemitism with new law signed by Zelensky Fell For It Again – Trump administration agrees to keep flying rainbow pride flag For breaking news from one of the most over the target and censored names in the world join our 100% Free newsletter at Newsletter, The best way to get the information you want. Also follow us at Gab Follow us on Gab.com , Like, comment, and subscribe. Telegram, Join our Telegram chat Shop Patriot and Detox the Deep State by shopping with our sponsors. RedPillLiving.com, Home of Sleepy Joe – the world’s most powerful all natural sleep formula. The Serapeum.com, The Hidden History of Man & The Mystery Babylon Religion of The Deep State.

Apr 16, 202620 votes

We Need The Help Goy – Trump expands the allotment of additional H-2B visas for more foreign workers

Reported by: Disclose.tv President Trump was walking into the lobby of one of his Florida golf clubs earlier this year when a group of associates with ties to his businesses approached him with a proposal to increase the number of visas for seasonal guest workers, according to people familiar with the matter. Bernd Lembcke, the former manager of Mar-a-Lago who recently retired after a 30-year stint working at Trump’s properties, and Peter Petrina, a longtime Mar-a-Lago member, made the case to the president in January that the hospitality industry needed more workers ahead of the winter and spring peak tourism season. Adrian Tudor, a manager at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, helped facilitate the conversation, the people said. The January meeting came after the administration late last year announced it planned to cut the number of seasonal worker slots, known as H-2B visas, to roughly 30,000 below the previous year’s nearly 65,000. Weeks after the meeting, the administration quietly reversed itself and released the maximum number of visas allowed under the law. Trump’s businesses have long relied on the program to hire temporary foreign workers at some of his properties across the country, including Mar-a-Lago. The January meeting was the culmination of a fierce lobbying campaign to persuade the administration to reverse course by industry leaders and members of Congress, such as Rep. Andy Harris (R., Md.), a Trump ally whose district along Maryland’s eastern shore relies heavily on the visas to pick crabs. Trump took the lobbying campaign seriously, the people said. He called his advisers and directed them to work to expand the allotment of additional temporary visas through the H-2B program. The visa program is used heavily by landscapers, fisheries and vacation towns that have trouble finding enough Americans willing or able to work only a few months out of the year. It is a frequent tension point between Trump’s anti-immigration political base, who think Americans would take the jobs in question if they paid better, and more business-minded Republicans. The White House said the administration allowed more H-2B visas to be made available because, through its crackdown on illegal immigration, it has taken away work authorization from more than a million immigrants by terminating their temporary legal statuses. “The Trump Administration’s number one priority is protecting American jobs and wages, while adequately responding to the demands of President Trump’s rapidly growing economy,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said. Petrina leads the Seasonal Employment Alliance, which advocates for securing the maximum number of H-2B visas each year. Since 2016, Congress has allotted 33,000 visas for the winter and summer hiring seasons, for a total of 66,000. The law allows the president to nearly double that number if he determines the economy could use the extra visa slots. Trump’s top immigration adviser, Stephen Miller, is skeptical of the program and worked throughout Trump’s first term to limit the number of extra visas the administration issued. That view is shared by conservative outside immigration groups that have been cheering the president’s planned mass deportations. Other prominent voices in the administration are more favorable to the program, including Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. The Trump administration announced Dec. 31 that it would only grant 35,000 additional visas for fiscal year 2026, far fewer than the nearly 65,000 maximum allowed by Congress. The administration said the move marked a nearly 50% reduction in supplemental visas when compared with fiscal years 2023-25. Two weeks after the January meeting at Trump’s Florida golf club, which hasn’t been previously reported, the administration changed course, saying it would authorize an additional 64,716 H-2B visas for the fiscal year. People familiar with the decision said the lobbying campaign helped sway Trump to expand the number of H-2B visas. “I think they convinced the president that this was worthwhile, and that, in fact, going up to the amount that had been issued in the past years, which brought up to about 65,000 additional visas, was the right thing to do,” Harris said in an interview. The lobbying campaign to expand the number of visas issued under the H-2B program went beyond the president. David Jurcak, the president of the Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island, Mich., said that during a state Republican dinner in September, he approached then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about authorizing more visas through the program. Jurcak said Noem helped set up a call with DHS officials to discuss the issue. “I said to her, as we are going through immigration challenges, this is something where we could point to a good thing as part of the immigration policies,” Jurcak said in an interview. The H-2B program is one of the rare immigration-related policies that the president has advocated for expanding. Since Trump’s election victory in 2024, the Trump Organization, through its properties, has sought to hire workers through the H-2B program, including cooks, bellmen and bartenders, according to job postings on the Labor Department’s website. Trump has for months led a crackdown on illegal immigration. He has enacted mass deportations across the country, enhanced vetting for visa applicants and increased the American military presence at the U.S.-Mexico border. In Case You Missed It: Ukraine criminalizes antisemitism with new law signed by Zelensky Fell For It Again – Trump administration agrees to keep flying rainbow pride flag For breaking news from one of the most over the target and censored names in the world join our 100% Free newsletter at Newsletter, The best way to get the information you want. Also follow us at Gab Follow us on Gab.com , Like, comment, and subscribe. Telegram, Join our Telegram chat Shop Patriot and Detox the Deep State by shopping with our sponsors. RedPillLiving.com, Home of Sleepy Joe – the world’s most powerful all natural sleep formula. The Serapeum.com, The Hidden History of Man & The Mystery Babylon Religion of The Deep State.

Apr 16, 20266 votes

Major Israeli PAC Flips: Tel Aviv Should Pay Out-Of-Pocket If It Wants US Weapons

Major Israeli PAC Flips: Tel Aviv Should Pay Out-Of-Pocket If It Wants US Weapons via Middle East Eye The pro-Israel advocacy group J Street is now calling for an end to “direct” US military support to Israel, per a new policy document published this week. The group had previously backed Washington’s continued provision of defensive weapons systems, such as the replenishment of Israel’s Iron Dome, at no cost to Israelis.  Now, it says the US “should continue to sell” short-range air and ballistic missile defense capabilities to Israel, but Israel should use its own money to pay for them.  Source: Times of Israel “Israel faces real security challenges that require a significant defense investment. With a per capita GDP comparable to leading US allies such as the United Kingdom, France and Japan, as well as an annual defense budget of over $45 billion, it has the financial means to address these challenges,” J Street said.  “It does not require almost $4 billion per year in US financial subsidies to purchase weapons,” it added. “Continuing this assistance is both unnecessary and politically counterproductive, creating avoidable tensions in US domestic politics and in the bilateral relationship.” The way the current military aid package operates is that the US provides Israel with American taxpayer funds, and those funds are put into US weapons companies to acquire equipment.  On its website, J Street says that it “organizes pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy Americans to promote US policies that embody our deeply held Jewish and democratic values and that help secure the State of Israel as a democratic homeland for the Jewish people”.  Political tide turns J Street’s shift follows a distinct change in attitudes towards Israel among the American public after what has been widely labeled genocide in Gaza, where over 72,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel’s war on the enclave broke out in October 2023.  But perhaps more importantly for the group, whose support base is made up of Democrats, the party’s future is changing course. Progressive New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is widely believed to be seeking higher office, announced earlier this month that she would no longer vote for any US military support to Israel, despite having previously backed the provision of defensive weapons, much to the disappointment of many of her supporters.  It is notable, however, that her statement followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s surprise declaration earlier this year that Israel will not seek to renew its military aid package with the US in 2028. “I want to taper off the military aid within the next 10 years,” all the way down to zero, Netanyahu told The Economist in January.  J Street’s new position demands that any future US arms sales that Israel pays for out-of-pocket “be fully consistent with American law”, which echoed Ocasio-Cortez’s statement. US law prohibits security assistance to any country whose government engages in a consistent pattern of gross human rights violations or blocks or restricts the transport or delivery of US-backed humanitarian aid. This moment demands a reset. J Street is calling for the U.S. to end unconditional financial military subsidies to Israel and to move towards a relationship where we treat Israel like any other ally. J Street supports: – Phasing out taxpayer-funded military aid by 2028, when the… — J Street (@jstreetdotorg) April 13, 2026 “US arms sales to Israel should be further conditioned to incentivize alignment with American interests and laws – as has been the case with other allies and partners – when their behavior is inconsistent with US interests,” J Street said. At the same time, the group acknowledges that Washington and Israel generally share the same interests anyway. “The US also benefits meaningfully from the relationship. Intelligence sharing has been critical in campaigns such as the fight against ISIS, while joint operations such as Israel’s 2006 strike on Syria’s secret nuclear facility have advanced shared security goals.” It added that because “approximately 500,000 American citizens live in Israel”, selling it weapons should continue to be a US national security priority.  Tyler Durden Wed, 04/15/2026 – 20:05

Apr 16, 202615 votes

Swalwell Resigns From Congress – Effective TODAY, After Fresh Rape Allegation And Corroborating Campaign Records

Swalwell Resigns From Congress – Effective TODAY, After Fresh Rape Allegation And Corroborating Campaign Records Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) resigned from Congress on Tuesday, effective today, capping a stunning collapse of his political career just one day after he suspended his bid for California governor. The move came hours after a new accuser, Lonna Drewes, held a press conference in Beverly Hills alleging that Swalwell drugged, raped, and choked her unconscious in a West Hollywood hotel room in July 2018. Drewes, a former model and fashion technology entrepreneur, told reporters she met Swalwell three times that year while he offered political connections for her business. On the third encounter, she claims she had one glass of wine she believes was spiked, became incapacitated, and was assaulted at the Montrose Hotel. She said she thought she was going to die. Drewes did not pursue a rape kit at the time but says she told friends, kept journal entries, and preserved texts and photos. Her team filed a formal complaint with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department the same day. Lonna Drewes on Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA): “I had contact with Eric Swalwell on three separate occasions…On the third occasion I believe he drugged my drink…he raped me and he choked me…I did not consent to any sexual activity…I have never doubted what happened. I stand… pic.twitter.com/1mJPrZPQrx — CSPAN (@cspan) April 14, 2026 The allegation is the latest – and most detailed – in a string of at least five public accusations of sexual misconduct against Swalwell. He has denied all of them. What makes Drewes’ claim particularly damaging is fresh documentation tying Swalwell to the scene. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed the alleged assault occurred in the 900 block of Hammond Street – the exact location of the Montrose Hotel. Campaign finance expert Rob Pyers flagged, and Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin amplified, FEC records showing “Swalwell for Congress” spent $361 ($353 + $8 travel) at that hotel on July 18, 2018 – the precise date referenced in the sheriff’s statement. NEW: The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says the alleged rape of Lonna Drewes by Eric Swalwell took place in July 2018 in the 900 block of Hammond Street. This comes back to the Montrose Hotel. Campaign finance expert @rpyers has flagged a travel expense from Swalwell’s… pic.twitter.com/jEH19r9Ihp — Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) April 15, 2026 Swalwell’s office cited the mounting accusations and an ongoing House Ethics Committee investigation as the reason for his exit. He had already faced a separate criminal probe by the Manhattan DA’s office over a prior assault claim. Rumors of a Wider Capitol Hill Reckoning Swalwell’s resignation has sparked online speculation about additional lawmakers potentially facing scrutiny. Much of the chatter has centered on a list of names that originated in a post by former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) on Monday. In it, Santos claimed that while in Congress he had heard “rumors and or allegations” of lewd or alleged sexual misconduct involving several members and staff or reporters. He listed: Eric Swalwell (D-CA) Tony Gonzalez (R-TX) Max Miller (R-OH) Dan Meuser (R-PA) Matt Rosendale (former Rep., R-MT) Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) Nancy Mace (R-SC) Anthony DeEsposito (former Rep., R-NY) Mark Green (former Rep., R-TN) Lori Chavez (former Rep., R-OR) Ritchie Torres (D-NY) Brian Steil (R-WI) Cory Booker (D-NJ) Reality check on the list: At least two names have already acted. Swalwell is out. Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-TX) also resigned Tuesday after admitting to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide; TMZ had been covering that story extensively. Several others on the list (Rosendale, DeEsposito, Green, Chavez, Menendez) are already former members of Congress.  Tyler Durden Tue, 04/14/2026 – 21:20

Apr 15, 202620 votes

Congress Returns From Recess – Here’s What’s On Its To-Do List

Congress Returns From Recess – Here’s What’s On Its To-Do List Authored by Joseph Lord via The Epoch Times, Lawmakers will return to Capitol Hill this week with a long to-do list as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) remains in a partial shutdown. Ending that shutdown—which as of April 13 reached its 58th day—will be a top priority for lawmakers, even as they remain divided along party lines on how to move forward with the funding. Lawmakers will also work on reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a controversial surveillance law that includes the collection of American citizens’ personal data which is set to expire on April 20. They’ll also consider a budget request from the White House raising the Pentagon’s budget to $1.5 trillion—by far the largest military budget ever requested. Here’s what to know. DHS Funding Congress’s No. 1 priority will be to find a way forward as DHS remains shut down—though at present, a compromise still seems distant as the two chambers remain at odds on how to move forward. Democrats have demanded significant reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and parts of Customs and Border Patrol (CBP)—both subsidiaries of DHS—in exchange for supporting new funding for the department. They have tied these demands to the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Nicole Renée Good in Minneapolis during altercations with immigration enforcement agents. Republicans have rejected parts of these demands, particularly a proposed prohibition on agents wearing masks while in the field, citing the need to protect officers from being doxed by activists. Some House Republicans have also pushed for the passage of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a voting bill, as a condition of any reforms to ICE and CBP. However, Senate Democrats have consistently opposed the bill, which doesn’t seem to have a clear path forward in Congress. Before leaving for the spring recess, the Senate passed a bill that would have fully funded DHS with the exception of ICE and CBP, whose immigration enforcement operations have already been funded through September 2029 by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) rejected this deal as a “joke.” Instead, the House passed a 60-day stopgap that would have fully funded DHS. That bill has been rejected by Senate Democrats for its lack of reforms. Ahead of Congress’s recess, President Donald Trump signed an executive order granting full pay to agents of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), whose increasing employee absences had led to record-breaking security queues at airports across the country. FISA Section 702 Another top priority for lawmakers will be passing a reauthorization of Section 702 of FISA, a surveillance law that’s due to expire on April 20. On March 25, Trump—a former critic of Section 702—requested that Congress pass a “clean” reauthorization of the law. “I have called for a clean 18-month extension,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. Section 702 targets intelligence from foreign nationals thought to be outside the United States. Yet, it also enables intelligence agencies to gather “incidental” information from Americans who are in contact with targeted non-U.S. persons—all without a warrant. Although intelligence officials must obtain a warrant to access Americans’ data directly, Section 702 has long caused bipartisan discomfort on Capitol Hill and beyond. Previously, Congress had approved a two-year extension of the program with 56 major reforms designed primarily to prevent misuse of Americans’ data by agents with access to Section 702 data. It was signed into law by former President Joe Biden in April 2024. Trump acknowledged his previous opposition to—and run-ins with—Section 702. Nevertheless, Trump said, “When used properly, FISA is an effective tool to keep Americans safe.” Trump’s $1.5 Billion Pentagon Budget Request Another top issue for lawmakers this week will be Trump’s request for a $1.5 trillion military budget—the largest increase in military spending since World War 2. In the April 3 budget proposal, the White House formally requested the historic Pentagon budget increase, though the amount had been floated by Trump for weeks. The proposal suggests that this amount could be passed through a two-track process. The bulk of the funding, $1.1 trillion, would be passed through the normal appropriations process. This amount could likely pass easily, as it’s aligned with the gradual increases seen over recent years. The second track in the White House proposal would come through a $350 billion reconciliation package—allowing Republicans to bypass a filibuster from Senate Democrats entirely. It would fund this in part, the proposal states, through a $73 billion reduction in non-defense spending, White House Office of Management and the Budget Director Russ Vought is scheduled to testify before the House Budget Committee on April 15, and to testify before its Senate counterpart on April 16. Iran War While the U.S. and Iran are currently in a ceasefire, signs of its fragility are already becoming clear—meaning that the issue will be a key focus for lawmakers this week. On Friday, peace talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, fell apart after Iran refused U.S. demands to dismantle its nuclear program. The United States demanded as well that Iran turn over its supply of enriched uranium. After the peace talks failed, Trump stated that, beginning at 10 a.m. ET on Monday, the U.S. will set up a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, as U.S. ships have already begun sweeping the area for Iranian mines. Meanwhile, Democrats—with the support of some Republicans—have vowed to take action under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which curbs a president’s power to wage war without explicit congressional approval. Before the break, a bid by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to take action under the War Powers Resolution via unanimous consent was blocked by Republicans. However, Jeffries has vowed to force another vote on the issue this week. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has also stated that Senate Democrats will attempt to force a vote on the matter this week. “Congress must reassert its authority” over war-making powers, Schumer said at a news conference on April 8. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) have consistently backed action under the War Powers Resolution related to the Iran conflict, citing Congress’s constitutional role in declaring wars. Meanwhile, a contingent of Republican lawmakers in both chambers—including Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah)—have stated that they will throw their support behind such a measure if hostilities continue after the statutory 60-day window laid out in the War Powers Resolution. Tyler Durden Mon, 04/13/2026 – 09:35

Apr 13, 20268 votes

Congress Returns From Recess – Here’s What’s On Its To-Do List

Congress Returns From Recess – Here’s What’s On Its To-Do List Authored by Joseph Lord via The Epoch Times, Lawmakers will return to Capitol Hill this week with a long to-do list as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) remains in a partial shutdown. Ending that shutdown—which as of April 13 reached its 58th day—will be a top priority for lawmakers, even as they remain divided along party lines on how to move forward with the funding. Lawmakers will also work on reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a controversial surveillance law that includes the collection of American citizens’ personal data which is set to expire on April 20. They’ll also consider a budget request from the White House raising the Pentagon’s budget to $1.5 trillion—by far the largest military budget ever requested. Here’s what to know. DHS Funding Congress’s No. 1 priority will be to find a way forward as DHS remains shut down—though at present, a compromise still seems distant as the two chambers remain at odds on how to move forward. Democrats have demanded significant reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and parts of Customs and Border Patrol (CBP)—both subsidiaries of DHS—in exchange for supporting new funding for the department. They have tied these demands to the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Nicole Renée Good in Minneapolis during altercations with immigration enforcement agents. Republicans have rejected parts of these demands, particularly a proposed prohibition on agents wearing masks while in the field, citing the need to protect officers from being doxed by activists. Some House Republicans have also pushed for the passage of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a voting bill, as a condition of any reforms to ICE and CBP. However, Senate Democrats have consistently opposed the bill, which doesn’t seem to have a clear path forward in Congress. Before leaving for the spring recess, the Senate passed a bill that would have fully funded DHS with the exception of ICE and CBP, whose immigration enforcement operations have already been funded through September 2029 by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) rejected this deal as a “joke.” Instead, the House passed a 60-day stopgap that would have fully funded DHS. That bill has been rejected by Senate Democrats for its lack of reforms. Ahead of Congress’s recess, President Donald Trump signed an executive order granting full pay to agents of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), whose increasing employee absences had led to record-breaking security queues at airports across the country. FISA Section 702 Another top priority for lawmakers will be passing a reauthorization of Section 702 of FISA, a surveillance law that’s due to expire on April 20. On March 25, Trump—a former critic of Section 702—requested that Congress pass a “clean” reauthorization of the law. “I have called for a clean 18-month extension,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. Section 702 targets intelligence from foreign nationals thought to be outside the United States. Yet, it also enables intelligence agencies to gather “incidental” information from Americans who are in contact with targeted non-U.S. persons—all without a warrant. Although intelligence officials must obtain a warrant to access Americans’ data directly, Section 702 has long caused bipartisan discomfort on Capitol Hill and beyond. Previously, Congress had approved a two-year extension of the program with 56 major reforms designed primarily to prevent misuse of Americans’ data by agents with access to Section 702 data. It was signed into law by former President Joe Biden in April 2024. Trump acknowledged his previous opposition to—and run-ins with—Section 702. Nevertheless, Trump said, “When used properly, FISA is an effective tool to keep Americans safe.” Trump’s $1.5 Billion Pentagon Budget Request Another top issue for lawmakers this week will be Trump’s request for a $1.5 trillion military budget—the largest increase in military spending since World War 2. In the April 3 budget proposal, the White House formally requested the historic Pentagon budget increase, though the amount had been floated by Trump for weeks. The proposal suggests that this amount could be passed through a two-track process. The bulk of the funding, $1.1 trillion, would be passed through the normal appropriations process. This amount could likely pass easily, as it’s aligned with the gradual increases seen over recent years. The second track in the White House proposal would come through a $350 billion reconciliation package—allowing Republicans to bypass a filibuster from Senate Democrats entirely. It would fund this in part, the proposal states, through a $73 billion reduction in non-defense spending, White House Office of Management and the Budget Director Russ Vought is scheduled to testify before the House Budget Committee on April 15, and to testify before its Senate counterpart on April 16. Iran War While the U.S. and Iran are currently in a ceasefire, signs of its fragility are already becoming clear—meaning that the issue will be a key focus for lawmakers this week. On Friday, peace talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, fell apart after Iran refused U.S. demands to dismantle its nuclear program. The United States demanded as well that Iran turn over its supply of enriched uranium. After the peace talks failed, Trump stated that, beginning at 10 a.m. ET on Monday, the U.S. will set up a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, as U.S. ships have already begun sweeping the area for Iranian mines. Meanwhile, Democrats—with the support of some Republicans—have vowed to take action under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which curbs a president’s power to wage war without explicit congressional approval. Before the break, a bid by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to take action under the War Powers Resolution via unanimous consent was blocked by Republicans. However, Jeffries has vowed to force another vote on the issue this week. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has also stated that Senate Democrats will attempt to force a vote on the matter this week. “Congress must reassert its authority” over war-making powers, Schumer said at a news conference on April 8. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) have consistently backed action under the War Powers Resolution related to the Iran conflict, citing Congress’s constitutional role in declaring wars. Meanwhile, a contingent of Republican lawmakers in both chambers—including Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah)—have stated that they will throw their support behind such a measure if hostilities continue after the statutory 60-day window laid out in the War Powers Resolution. Tyler Durden Mon, 04/13/2026 – 09:35

Apr 13, 202611 votes

Congress Returns From Recess – Here’s What’s On Its To-Do List

Congress Returns From Recess – Here’s What’s On Its To-Do List Authored by Joseph Lord via The Epoch Times, Lawmakers will return to Capitol Hill this week with a long to-do list as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) remains in a partial shutdown. Ending that shutdown—which as of April 13 reached its 58th day—will be a top priority for lawmakers, even as they remain divided along party lines on how to move forward with the funding. Lawmakers will also work on reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a controversial surveillance law that includes the collection of American citizens’ personal data which is set to expire on April 20. They’ll also consider a budget request from the White House raising the Pentagon’s budget to $1.5 trillion—by far the largest military budget ever requested. Here’s what to know. DHS Funding Congress’s No. 1 priority will be to find a way forward as DHS remains shut down—though at present, a compromise still seems distant as the two chambers remain at odds on how to move forward. Democrats have demanded significant reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and parts of Customs and Border Patrol (CBP)—both subsidiaries of DHS—in exchange for supporting new funding for the department. They have tied these demands to the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Nicole Renée Good in Minneapolis during altercations with immigration enforcement agents. Republicans have rejected parts of these demands, particularly a proposed prohibition on agents wearing masks while in the field, citing the need to protect officers from being doxed by activists. Some House Republicans have also pushed for the passage of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a voting bill, as a condition of any reforms to ICE and CBP. However, Senate Democrats have consistently opposed the bill, which doesn’t seem to have a clear path forward in Congress. Before leaving for the spring recess, the Senate passed a bill that would have fully funded DHS with the exception of ICE and CBP, whose immigration enforcement operations have already been funded through September 2029 by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) rejected this deal as a “joke.” Instead, the House passed a 60-day stopgap that would have fully funded DHS. That bill has been rejected by Senate Democrats for its lack of reforms. Ahead of Congress’s recess, President Donald Trump signed an executive order granting full pay to agents of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), whose increasing employee absences had led to record-breaking security queues at airports across the country. FISA Section 702 Another top priority for lawmakers will be passing a reauthorization of Section 702 of FISA, a surveillance law that’s due to expire on April 20. On March 25, Trump—a former critic of Section 702—requested that Congress pass a “clean” reauthorization of the law. “I have called for a clean 18-month extension,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. Section 702 targets intelligence from foreign nationals thought to be outside the United States. Yet, it also enables intelligence agencies to gather “incidental” information from Americans who are in contact with targeted non-U.S. persons—all without a warrant. Although intelligence officials must obtain a warrant to access Americans’ data directly, Section 702 has long caused bipartisan discomfort on Capitol Hill and beyond. Previously, Congress had approved a two-year extension of the program with 56 major reforms designed primarily to prevent misuse of Americans’ data by agents with access to Section 702 data. It was signed into law by former President Joe Biden in April 2024. Trump acknowledged his previous opposition to—and run-ins with—Section 702. Nevertheless, Trump said, “When used properly, FISA is an effective tool to keep Americans safe.” Trump’s $1.5 Billion Pentagon Budget Request Another top issue for lawmakers this week will be Trump’s request for a $1.5 trillion military budget—the largest increase in military spending since World War 2. In the April 3 budget proposal, the White House formally requested the historic Pentagon budget increase, though the amount had been floated by Trump for weeks. The proposal suggests that this amount could be passed through a two-track process. The bulk of the funding, $1.1 trillion, would be passed through the normal appropriations process. This amount could likely pass easily, as it’s aligned with the gradual increases seen over recent years. The second track in the White House proposal would come through a $350 billion reconciliation package—allowing Republicans to bypass a filibuster from Senate Democrats entirely. It would fund this in part, the proposal states, through a $73 billion reduction in non-defense spending, White House Office of Management and the Budget Director Russ Vought is scheduled to testify before the House Budget Committee on April 15, and to testify before its Senate counterpart on April 16. Iran War While the U.S. and Iran are currently in a ceasefire, signs of its fragility are already becoming clear—meaning that the issue will be a key focus for lawmakers this week. On Friday, peace talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, fell apart after Iran refused U.S. demands to dismantle its nuclear program. The United States demanded as well that Iran turn over its supply of enriched uranium. After the peace talks failed, Trump stated that, beginning at 10 a.m. ET on Monday, the U.S. will set up a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, as U.S. ships have already begun sweeping the area for Iranian mines. Meanwhile, Democrats—with the support of some Republicans—have vowed to take action under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which curbs a president’s power to wage war without explicit congressional approval. Before the break, a bid by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to take action under the War Powers Resolution via unanimous consent was blocked by Republicans. However, Jeffries has vowed to force another vote on the issue this week. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has also stated that Senate Democrats will attempt to force a vote on the matter this week. “Congress must reassert its authority” over war-making powers, Schumer said at a news conference on April 8. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) have consistently backed action under the War Powers Resolution related to the Iran conflict, citing Congress’s constitutional role in declaring wars. Meanwhile, a contingent of Republican lawmakers in both chambers—including Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah)—have stated that they will throw their support behind such a measure if hostilities continue after the statutory 60-day window laid out in the War Powers Resolution. Tyler Durden Mon, 04/13/2026 – 09:35

Apr 13, 202614 votes

Congress Returns From Recess – Here’s What’s On Its To-Do List

Congress Returns From Recess – Here’s What’s On Its To-Do List Authored by Joseph Lord via The Epoch Times, Lawmakers will return to Capitol Hill this week with a long to-do list as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) remains in a partial shutdown. Ending that shutdown—which as of April 13 reached its 58th day—will be a top priority for lawmakers, even as they remain divided along party lines on how to move forward with the funding. Lawmakers will also work on reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a controversial surveillance law that includes the collection of American citizens’ personal data which is set to expire on April 20. They’ll also consider a budget request from the White House raising the Pentagon’s budget to $1.5 trillion—by far the largest military budget ever requested. Here’s what to know. DHS Funding Congress’s No. 1 priority will be to find a way forward as DHS remains shut down—though at present, a compromise still seems distant as the two chambers remain at odds on how to move forward. Democrats have demanded significant reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and parts of Customs and Border Patrol (CBP)—both subsidiaries of DHS—in exchange for supporting new funding for the department. They have tied these demands to the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Nicole Renée Good in Minneapolis during altercations with immigration enforcement agents. Republicans have rejected parts of these demands, particularly a proposed prohibition on agents wearing masks while in the field, citing the need to protect officers from being doxed by activists. Some House Republicans have also pushed for the passage of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a voting bill, as a condition of any reforms to ICE and CBP. However, Senate Democrats have consistently opposed the bill, which doesn’t seem to have a clear path forward in Congress. Before leaving for the spring recess, the Senate passed a bill that would have fully funded DHS with the exception of ICE and CBP, whose immigration enforcement operations have already been funded through September 2029 by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) rejected this deal as a “joke.” Instead, the House passed a 60-day stopgap that would have fully funded DHS. That bill has been rejected by Senate Democrats for its lack of reforms. Ahead of Congress’s recess, President Donald Trump signed an executive order granting full pay to agents of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), whose increasing employee absences had led to record-breaking security queues at airports across the country. FISA Section 702 Another top priority for lawmakers will be passing a reauthorization of Section 702 of FISA, a surveillance law that’s due to expire on April 20. On March 25, Trump—a former critic of Section 702—requested that Congress pass a “clean” reauthorization of the law. “I have called for a clean 18-month extension,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. Section 702 targets intelligence from foreign nationals thought to be outside the United States. Yet, it also enables intelligence agencies to gather “incidental” information from Americans who are in contact with targeted non-U.S. persons—all without a warrant. Although intelligence officials must obtain a warrant to access Americans’ data directly, Section 702 has long caused bipartisan discomfort on Capitol Hill and beyond. Previously, Congress had approved a two-year extension of the program with 56 major reforms designed primarily to prevent misuse of Americans’ data by agents with access to Section 702 data. It was signed into law by former President Joe Biden in April 2024. Trump acknowledged his previous opposition to—and run-ins with—Section 702. Nevertheless, Trump said, “When used properly, FISA is an effective tool to keep Americans safe.” Trump’s $1.5 Billion Pentagon Budget Request Another top issue for lawmakers this week will be Trump’s request for a $1.5 trillion military budget—the largest increase in military spending since World War 2. In the April 3 budget proposal, the White House formally requested the historic Pentagon budget increase, though the amount had been floated by Trump for weeks. The proposal suggests that this amount could be passed through a two-track process. The bulk of the funding, $1.1 trillion, would be passed through the normal appropriations process. This amount could likely pass easily, as it’s aligned with the gradual increases seen over recent years. The second track in the White House proposal would come through a $350 billion reconciliation package—allowing Republicans to bypass a filibuster from Senate Democrats entirely. It would fund this in part, the proposal states, through a $73 billion reduction in non-defense spending, White House Office of Management and the Budget Director Russ Vought is scheduled to testify before the House Budget Committee on April 15, and to testify before its Senate counterpart on April 16. Iran War While the U.S. and Iran are currently in a ceasefire, signs of its fragility are already becoming clear—meaning that the issue will be a key focus for lawmakers this week. On Friday, peace talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, fell apart after Iran refused U.S. demands to dismantle its nuclear program. The United States demanded as well that Iran turn over its supply of enriched uranium. After the peace talks failed, Trump stated that, beginning at 10 a.m. ET on Monday, the U.S. will set up a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, as U.S. ships have already begun sweeping the area for Iranian mines. Meanwhile, Democrats—with the support of some Republicans—have vowed to take action under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which curbs a president’s power to wage war without explicit congressional approval. Before the break, a bid by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to take action under the War Powers Resolution via unanimous consent was blocked by Republicans. However, Jeffries has vowed to force another vote on the issue this week. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has also stated that Senate Democrats will attempt to force a vote on the matter this week. “Congress must reassert its authority” over war-making powers, Schumer said at a news conference on April 8. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) have consistently backed action under the War Powers Resolution related to the Iran conflict, citing Congress’s constitutional role in declaring wars. Meanwhile, a contingent of Republican lawmakers in both chambers—including Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah)—have stated that they will throw their support behind such a measure if hostilities continue after the statutory 60-day window laid out in the War Powers Resolution. Tyler Durden Mon, 04/13/2026 – 09:35

Apr 13, 202613 votes