5 key demands House conservatives are making before taking partial government shutdown off table

Posted on September 12, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

House lawmakers return to Capitol Hill for the first time in six weeks on Tuesday, but some factions have already begun to draw battle lines for Congress’ coming fight over how to fund the government for the next fiscal year.

The chamber is expected to vote on military funding this week, its second of 12 appropriations bills. Leaders in the House and Senate have both acknowledged that a deal must be struck on a stopgap funding bill, called a continuing resolution, to give both sides more time to reach an agreement.

If no deal is reached by Sept. 30, lawmakers risk sending the government into a partial shutdown.

As Speaker Kevin McCarthy works to build consensus within his House GOP majority, here are five major demands conservatives have made that could force a standoff between McCarthy’s conference and Democrats in charge of the Senate and White House.

Allies of former President Donald Trump in Congress have called for an end to the "weaponization" of the Justice Department in exchange for their support on any spending deal, particularly in the wake of the four indictments launched against the ex-president.

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It was also a key part of the House Freedom Caucus’s formal position on agreeing to government funding.

The group called for measures aimed at the DOJ and FBI "to focus them on prosecuting real criminals instead of conducting political witch hunts and targeting law-abiding citizens."

Conservative Republicans are expected to put an emphasis on repealing the Biden administration’s progressive military policies on LGBTQ issues and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts as lawmakers debate the defense spending bill this week.

In an internal memo to lawmakers sent late last month, the 175-member Republican Study Committee (RSC) pointed out that a host of conservative, anti-"woke" policy items were passed in the House’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act in July. It said the bill secured "funding for the Department of Defense (DOD) while countering Biden’s woke attacks on military personnel."

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Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, suggested to reporters on Monday that the defense appropriations bill might not even survive a floor vote if key demands in that area are not met.

"If we want to try to get it across the finish line this week, I'm certainly open to having those conversations, but only if we get the policy changes that need to occur," Roy said. "Why would I fund transgender surgeries? Why would I fund the continued diversity, equity, inclusion officers that are dividing the Pentagon?"

McCarthy committed to Republicans to having the House pass appropriations bills at fiscal year 2022 spending levels, despite previously agreeing to roughly freeze spending at fiscal 2023 levels during negotiations with President Biden over raising the debt limit.

It’s already set the House on a collision course with the Senate, which is cobbling together its appropriations bills with toplines outlined by the McCarthy-Biden deal – about $120 billion dollars higher than the House GOP’s.

The demand for lower spending levels appears to be the most widely shared among House conservatives, though lawmakers have not settled on where to make those cuts.

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Several hardliners in the GOP conference have called for any government spending deal to attach the party’s border security package, another wish-list item that’s virtually guaranteed to hit a wall of Democrat opposition.

Both the RSC memo and the Freedom Caucus’s official position have called for attaching the Secure the Border Act to an eventual continuing resolution, which lawmakers will likely need to pass to extend the current government funding priorities past Sept. 30 and avoid a shutdown.

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said last week that he believes there’s a number of Republicans ready to vote against a continuing resolution that does not tackle border issues.

"We're basically done with this. It's time to do the right thing. Secure the southern border," Donalds said.

While a significant number of House Republicans still appear wary of launching impeachment proceedings against President Biden, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., among the most vocal conservatives in the chamber, has made it a requirement of her support for a spending deal.

"I’ve already decided: I will not vote to fund the government unless we have passed an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden," Greene told constituents at a town hall.

However, not all members of McCarthy’s right flank agree. Roy told reporters on Monday that impeachment and government spending are, and should be, two separate processes.

MTG on 9/11 says states ‘should consider’ secession over Biden border policies

Posted on September 11, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., declared Monday that states "should consider" seceding from the United States over President Biden’s border policies.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, on the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Greene said Americans are "drowning from Biden’s traitorous" policies on the U.S.-Mexico border.

"If the Biden admin refuses to stop the invasion of cartel led human and drug trafficking into our country, states should consider seceding from the union," she wrote.

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"From Texas to New York City to every town in America, we are drowning from Biden’s traitorous America last border policies," she added.

Greene has touted a "national divorce" for years, sparking backlash from her own party. In the latest instance, she suggested a split in the union based on party lines as the nation celebrated Presidents' Day.

"We need a national divorce," she wrote on Feb. 20. "We need to separate by red states and blue states and shrink the federal government. Everyone I talk to says this. From the sick and disgusting woke culture issues shoved down our throats to the Democrat’s traitorous America Last policies, we are done."

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, previously blasted the proposal as "evil."

"This rhetoric is destructive and wrong and — honestly — evil," Cox wrote. "We don’t need a divorce, we need marriage counseling."

"And we need elected leaders that don’t profit by tearing us apart," Cox continued. "We can disagree without hate."

"Healthy conflict was critical to our nation’s founding and survival," the governor added.

Greene fired back at Cox and doubled down on her comments in February, writing, "People agree with me and not the RINO governor of Utah."

"People saying national divorce is a bad idea because the left will never stop trying to control us literally make the case for national divorce," she later wrote. "We don’t want a civil war. We’re not surrendering. We’re tired of complaining with no change and want to protect our way of life."

Fox News’ Houston Keene contributed to this report.

GOP reps Tenney, Roy lead push to reduce Mayorkas’ salary to $1 over border crisis

Posted on September 6, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: Republican lawmakers in the House are proposing an amendment that would reduce Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ salary to just $1, as Republicans continue to increase pressure on the DHS chief for the ongoing migrant crisis at the southern border.

Reps. Claudia Tenney, R-NY, and Chip Roy, R-Texas, are leading the push to include an amendment to the Homeland Security appropriations bill that would reduce Mayorkas’ salary to $1.

The amendment would use the so-called Holman rule, which allows lawmakers to cut the salaries of federal officials. Republicans have zeroed in on Mayorkas over the ongoing crisis at the southern border, where numbers have again increased in recent months. Conservatives say the crisis has been created and fueled by the policies of the administration.

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"None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to pay Secretary Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas a salary that exceeds $1," the amendment states.

"Secretary Mayorkas should not be paid hundreds of thousands of tax dollars to continually fail to protect American taxpayers from threats crossing our borders," Tenney said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Thanks to Secretary Mayorkas’ work, or lack thereof, there have been at least 5.8 million illegal crossings of our southern border since Biden took office, turning all our communities into border communities."

‘If the President is refusing to fire him for his dereliction of duty, his salary must reflect his failures," she said.

"It’s time to end this border crisis once and for all. The American people have no obligation to keep paying a federal official who refuses to do his job and uphold his oath, and that's why we should zero out Mayorkas' salary," Roy said in a statement. "I’m glad to work with Rep. Tenney in this fight to regain operational control of the border."

Co-sponsors on the amendment include Reps. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., Russell Fry, R-S.C., Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., Bill Posey, R-Fla., Carol Miller, R-W.Va., Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., and Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo.

The move marks the latest effort by Republicans in relation to the administration's handling of the migrant crisis, which has seen record high numbers at the border, and has become an increasingly difficult political issue for the administration as migrants have also been overwhelming "sanctuary" cities like New York City and Chicago.

Republicans have blamed the administration’s policies, including its reversal of Trump-era policies including border wall construction and the Remain-in-Mexico policy. They have also blasted the expansion of releases of migrants via humanitarian parole and what they have called "catch-and-release."

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Some Republicans have called for Mayorkas’ impeachment, and the House Homeland Security Committee issued a report accusing him of an "intentional" dereliction of duty and of implementing a "radical open-borders agenda."

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Roy has been one of the fiercest critics of Mayorkas, and last month called for lawmakers to stop funding DHS altogether until steps are taken to secure the border. Meanwhile, conservatives in the chamber are calling for a sweeping border and asylum reform bill to be included in any continuing resolution that would keep the government open past Sept. 30.

The Biden administration has defended Mayorkas and has pushed back against GOP criticism, saying the agency needs more funding from Congress and for it to pass a comprehensive immigration bill that it introduced on day one to fix what it says is a "broken" system that has not been updated in decades. That legislation has been rejected by Republicans in part due to the inclusion of a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants. The White House recently requested an additional $4 billion for border and immigration as part of its supplemental funding request.

A DHS spokesperson emphasized those calls for more congressional action on Wednesday in a statement to Fox News Digital.

"While the House Majority has wasted months trying to score points with baseless attacks, Secretary Mayorkas has been doing his job and working to keep Americans safe," the spokesperson said. "Instead of continuing their reckless charades and attacks on law enforcement, Congress should work with us to keep our country safe, build on the progress DHS is making, and deliver desperately needed reforms for our broken immigration system that only legislation can fix."

McCarthy ‘dangling’ Biden impeachment inquiry to delay reckoning over spending, some conservatives say

Posted on September 6, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Some House conservatives are warily eyeing Speaker Kevin McCarthy as he ramps up rhetoric about a potential impeachment inquiry of President Biden, concerned he is "dangling" the suggestion over their heads to gain more wiggle room in the ongoing talks over government spending.

"It's almost as if the Speaker is trying to dangle the prospect of proceeding with an impeachment inquiry to attempt to leverage people to vote for a clean [continuing resolution] or other spending proposals that do not comply with the agreement made when we agreed to support him for Speaker in January," Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

"An impeachment inquiry is called for against Biden because of the evidence of corrupt dealing on behalf of his son," Bishop said, adding that he believes impeachment probes should also be opened against Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

"It should never be connected with the idea of trying to coerce members to vote for a spending provision that is otherwise unwarranted."

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The House does not return from August recess until next week, but battle lines are already being drawn over how to fund the government in the next fiscal year. The House Freedom Caucus and other conservatives have urged McCarthy to force deeper spending cuts and to attach GOP priorities to any short or long-term deal, though that’s unlikely to get Senate or White House approval.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have acknowledged that a continuing resolution, known as a CR, is likely needed as a temporary funding patch while a deal is hashed out. Federal funding runs out on Sept. 30, and taking no action before the deadline would risk a partial government shutdown. Conservatives have warned they will not vote for a "clean" CR that simply extends priorities of the previous Democrat-controlled Congress.

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Meanwhile, two sources told Fox News Digital in August that McCarthy has also floated the possibility of holding a floor vote sometime in September to open a Biden impeachment inquiry.

"He's using impeachment to distract from the issues that he has with the appropriations bills," one GOP lawmaker said at the time.

McCarthy has not given any public indication of when he’d hold an impeachment inquiry vote, but he told "Mornings With Maria" last month that impeachment was a "natural step forward" in the investigative process. He told Breitbart recently that a vote is a necessary step before proceeding with the inquiry.

The conservative lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital were largely supportive of a Biden impeachment inquiry, but many were still hesitant to trust McCarthy after claiming the GOP got "rolled" in the debt limit deal.

"The American people will not be fooled into believing that talking about impeachment inquiry in some way diminishes our responsibility to cut spending," Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., told Fox News Digital. Good supports impeaching Biden over the border crisis, he said. "Do I think there is the possibility, if not the probability, that it's intended to be a distraction? I would agree with it, or there is that possibility. However, it’s not fooling anyone."

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Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, policy chief of the House Freedom Caucus, fired off a warning shot at House GOP leaders over the weekend: "To the [House GOP] – hiding behind impeachment to screw America with status quo massive funding…will not end well."

Fox News Digital reached out to McCarthy's office but did not immediately hear back.

But not all conservatives are on the same page. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a McCarthy ally, indicated she could support a spending deal that is tied to a Biden impeachment inquiry vote.

Meanwhile, Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., a member of both the Judiciary and Appropriations committees, told Fox News Digital that House Republicans can "walk and chew gum at the same time."

"I think both tracks, the spending track and the investigatory track, are on separate courses that are heating up at precisely the same time. But that is really more just happenstance of the calendar rather than anything else," Cline said of the timing.

"I'm confident that we always knew that it will be a challenge to finish our appropriations process by Oct. 1. Had we started from more conservative positions than the debt limit agreement gave us, I think we would have passed most, if not all, of the appropriations bills by now," he said. "But the investigatory track is dependent on the administration's cooperation, or lack thereof, and that's why we are just beginning to find out truly the extent to which [Biden] engaged pay-to-play operation with agents and companies affiliated with foreign adversaries."

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to McConnell’s health and a potential government shutdown

Posted on September 5, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

The Senate meets at 3 pm et today for the first time since late July.

The biggest buzz around the Senate centers on the health of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

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Some senators want McConnell to be more transparent about his health issues as there are whispers in the Senate corridors about his fitness to serve.

McConnell froze up last week during a speaking engagement in northern Kentucky. He had a similar episode in late July. And there was also an issue in the spring. The latter appeared to be a problem with the Leader’s hearing aids.

Questions about McConnell have swirled since he misses several weeks after a fall where he suffered a concussion.

Republicans also find themselves in a bind: defending McConnell but wanting to raise questions about the health and age of President Biden.

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It is unclear if McConnell will present customary opening remarks in the 3 pm et hour or offer any insight into his health.

Many Republicans are rallying around McConnell. However, it would only take five GOP members to demand a special meeting to consider McConnell’s leadership and potentially hold a secret ballot.

However, that scenario does not appear to be in the cards yet. And McConnell would likely prevail in any vote of no confidence.

Other issues before the Senate: government funding.

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The government runs out of money on October 1. The House and Senate are nowhere near agreement on spending measure.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) plans to move a series of spending measures over the next three weeks. But a temporary bill renewing all old funding appears to be the only way out of this cul-de-sac.

The House doesn’t return until next Tuesday. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is floating a one-month interim spending package. But conservatives are balking at that since it simply renews the old funding and does not cut. McCarthy could pass a bill to avert a shutdown. But he may need to do it with mostly-Democratic votes.

Back in the Senate, there is no movement in the impasse over the promotion of the nation’s top military leaders. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) refuses to budge from allowing the Senate to fast-track the mostly non-controverial promotions. Tuberville is protesting the Pentagon’s abortion policy. It would take nearly a month of the Senate working around the clock and considering nothing else to clear all the military promotions.

McCarthy says Biden impeachment inquiry would need House vote, in departure from Pelosi and Democrats

Posted on September 2, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Friday said an impeachment inquiry against President Biden will only move forward if there is a formal House vote.

"To open an impeachment inquiry is a serious matter, and House Republicans would not take it lightly or use it for political purposes. The American people deserve to be heard on this matter through their elected representatives," McCarthy told Breitbart News in a statement. "That’s why, if we move forward with an impeachment inquiry, it would occur through a vote on the floor of the People’s House and not through a declaration by one person."

McCarthy's position is a departure from how his predecessor Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., handled the first impeachment inquiry against former President Donald Trump. In 2019, Pelosi unilaterally proclaimed that the House would advance an impeachment inquiry against Trump after the controversy over his infamous phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"This week, the president has admitted to asking the president of Ukraine to take actions which would benefit him politically," Pelosi said on Sept. 24, 2019. "Therefore, today, I'm announcing the House of Representatives is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry. I'm directing our six committees to proceed with their investigations under that umbrella.

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"The president must be held accountable," she continued. "No one is above the law."

Initially, the Trump White House refused to cooperate with the investigation, raising concerns that the whole House had not voted to launch the inquiry. It wasn't until weeks later, on Oct. 31, 2019, that the House would authorize the impeachment inquiry by a vote of 232 to 196.

A McCarthy spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sources told Fox News Digital that House Republican leaders are looking to launch an impeachment inquiry against Biden this month.

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McCarthy told GOP lawmakers in a members-only conference call on Monday night that an impeachment inquiry is "the natural progression from our investigations that have been going on," one Republican who has been granted anonymity to discuss the call said.

The lawmaker said Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio., informed members on an earlier call that McCarthy suggested the House would vote on opening an impeachment inquiry next month.

"What Jim Jordan said was that McCarthy told him that it was…coming to the floor in September," the lawmaker said.

A source familiar with the discussions similarly told Fox News Digital that McCarthy told several conference members that Congress’ probes have enough momentum to push for an impeachment inquiry in the fall after lawmakers return from August recess.

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The president and his son Hunter Biden are under scrutiny by three separate House GOP-led committees over allegations of bribery and other corruption in the latter’s foreign business dealings. They are also looking into a plea deal nearly struck between Hunter Biden and the Justice Department in a years-long investigation into the First Son’s taxes – though that deal has since fallen apart.

The House of Representatives is returning from its six-week August recess on Sept. 12, at which point the impeachment inquiry will likely take a backseat to Congress’ race to strike a deal on funding the government by Sept. 30 – otherwise risking a partial government shutdown.

Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

Conservatives tout new training program for Capitol Hill staff as ‘game changer’ for beating ‘the swamp’

Posted on September 1, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX – A conservative think tank has launched a 10-month training program for Capitol Hill and government staff, and it is earning the praise of top GOP lawmakers.

The Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI) is launching "Conservative Partnership Academy" and in-person training program for "congressional staff and other members of the conservative movement who are interested in gaining the skills to advance good policy" in the nation’s capital.

Jim DeMint, a former senator CPI chairman said the need for "well-trained staff on Capitol Hill to fight and win the key battles that will decide the future of our nation" is the impetus for the program aimed at equipping staff "with the skills they need to lead principled, conservative offices."

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, says the program is a "game-changer."

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"The Conservative Partnership Academy is a game-changer for staffers seeking to defend the Constitution and fight for freedom in the halls of Congress," Lee said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

"Washington needs patriots with strong convictions and hard policy-making skills to achieve legislative victories for the American people," he said.

Rep. Chip Roy of Texas said that, "As a former Hill staffer, and now as a Member, I have seen firsthand what it takes to successfully be able to beat the swamp."

"Conservatives are fighting an uphill battle, so being armed with as many tools, resources and skills possible to defeat the Washington uni-party is crucial to win."

Roy said the program is a "great tool" to help staff "navigate the ups and downs of politics all while instilling freedom loving principles in their minds and the determination to win in their hearts."

Hugh Fike, government relations director at CPI, said that the program is not only aimed at congressional office staff, but also staff in a potential GOP presidency in 2025. DeMint, CPI CEO Wesley Denton and CPI senior advisor and former chief of staff to former President Trump, Mark Meadows, are expected to be heavily involved in the program.

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The program will feature trainings on traditional trainings on House of Representative rules and procedures, Senate rules and procedures, and also feature a variety of other issue areas and issue experts.

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The Academy will feature three "fellowships" geared for junior staff to more senior policy and communications professionals. Applications open from Aug. 29 through Sept. 29.

"We desperately need more sharpened conservative minds working to preserve our freedoms, on Capitol Hill and beyond," Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas., told Fox News Digital.

"CPI is doing important work to train current and future staffers, and I look forward to seeing graduates of CPI Academy succeed."

House Republican leaders want to launch Biden impeachment inquiry next month, sources say

Posted on August 29, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

House Republican leaders are hoping to press forward with plans for an impeachment inquiry against President Biden next month, sources told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told GOP lawmakers in a members-only conference call on Monday night that an impeachment inquiry is "the natural progression from our investigations that have been going on," one Republican who has been granted anonymity to discuss the call said.

The lawmaker said Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio., informed members on an earlier call that McCarthy suggested the House would vote on opening an impeachment inquiry next month.

"What Jim Jordan said was that McCarthy told him that it was…coming to the floor in September," the lawmaker said.

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A source familiar with the discussions similarly told Fox News Digital that McCarthy expressed to several conference members that Congress’ probes have enough momentum to push for an impeachment inquiry in the fall, after lawmakers return from August recess.

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McCarthy himself told Fox Business’ "Mornings With Maria" on Sunday that an impeachment inquiry was a "natural step forward" in the investigations, though he did not directly address when it could occur.

But not all Republicans are confident that the effort will succeed.

"I don't think they have the votes to get it," the GOP lawmaker who spoke with Fox News Digital said.

A source familiar with the discussions also said there was some argument that a vote is not needed to authorize an impeachment inquiry.

During former President Trump’s first impeachment, House Democrats held a vote on a resolution to formalize the rules for the public phase of his inquiry. It was largely an endorsement of the process which had already begun behind closed doors.

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But the GOP lawmaker suggested McCarthy would only ultimately move forward on his plan next month with overwhelming support – and not risk endangering vulnerable Republicans.

"I think they would be very reluctant to make the moderates walk the plank on that boat," the lawmaker said. "I think McCarthy will only bring it to the floor for a vote if he thinks that he has the votes to do it."

The lawmaker also said they believe it’s being set up for next month to appease conservatives who are warily watching McCarthy to see whether he works with Democrats to strike a deal to fund the government next year.

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"He's using impeachment to distract from the issues that he has with the appropriations bills," the GOP lawmaker said.

The House of Representatives is coming back from its six-week August recess on Sept. 12, at which point the impeachment inquiry will likely take a backseat to Congress’ race to strike a deal on funding the government by Sept. 30 – otherwise risking a partial government shutdown.

McCarthy and Jordan’s office did not respond to an on-the-record request for comment from Fox News Digital.

WI GOP-dominated Legislature asks new Democratic-backed justice to recuse herself from redistricting case

Posted on August 23, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Republicans who control the Wisconsin Legislature asked that the newest Democratic-backed justice on the state Supreme Court recuse herself from lawsuits seeking to overturn GOP-drawn electoral maps, arguing that she has prejudged the cases.

Republicans argue in their motions filed with the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday and made public Wednesday that Justice Janet Protasiewicz can't fairly hear the cases because during her campaign for the seat earlier this year she called the Republican-drawn maps "unfair" and "rigged" and said there needs to be "a fresh look at the gerrymandering question."

"Justice Protasiewicz’s campaign statements reveal that her thumb is very much on the scale in this case," Republicans argue in their motion with the court.

Protasiewicz, who was backed by Democrats in her winning election in April, never said how she would rule on a redistricting lawsuit. She never committed to recusing herself from hearing the case. Her win gave liberals a 4-3 majority on the court.

Protasiewicz did promise to recuse herself from any case brought by the Wisconsin Democratic Party because it donated nearly $10 million to her campaign. There are two pending redistricting lawsuits, neither of which was brought by the Democratic Party.

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However, the Republican-led Legislature argues that because Democrats would benefit from a redrawing of the maps, Protasiewicz must recuse herself from hearing the case. Staying on the case would violate Republicans' constitutional due process rights, they argue.

Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has said that if Protasiewicz does not recuse herself from the redistricting case, he would look into pursuing her impeachment. Republicans have a two-thirds majority in the state Senate, which would be enough votes to remove Protasiewicz from office should the Assembly vote to impeach. However, her replacement would be named by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

Protasiewicz began her 10-year term in August. That week, two similar redistricting lawsuits were filed. The Legislature is seeking to intervene in both lawsuits and have Protasiewicz recuse herself from both.

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Protasiewicz declined to comment when asked for her reaction to the request and whether she would step away from the cases.

"I appreciate your interest in the Wisconsin Supreme Court," she said via email. "I do not wish to comment, but thank you very much for reaching out to me."

Attorneys who brought the two redistricting cases had no immediate comment.

Wisconsin’s Assembly districts rank among the most gerrymandered nationally, with Republicans routinely winning far more seats than would be expected based on their average share of the vote, according to an Associated Press analysis.

Both lawsuits ask that all 132 state lawmakers be up for election that year in newly drawn districts. In Senate districts that are midway through a four-year term in 2024, there would be a special election, with the winners serving two years. The regular four-year cycle would resume again in 2026.

One lawsuit was filed on behalf of voters who support Democrats by Law Forward, a Madison-based liberal law firm, the Stafford Rosenbaum law firm, Election Law Clinic at Harvard Law School, Campaign Legal Center, and the Arnold & Porter law firm.

The other case was brought by voters who support Democratic candidates and several members of the Citizen Mathematicians and Scientists. That group of professors and research scientists submitted proposed legislative maps in 2022, before the state Supreme Court adopted the Republican-drawn ones.

Florida Republican introduces impeachment articles against Joe Biden

Posted on August 12, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., jumped ahead of his Republican colleagues on Friday and introduced articles of impeachment against President Biden.

While several congressional committees are building a multipronged case to remove Biden from office, Steube said it was past time to take action. He filed articles of impeachment against Biden charging that the president had been complicit in his son Hunter's alleged crimes and had worked to shield him from justice.

"It’s long past time to impeach Joe Biden," Steube said in a statement. "He has undermined the integrity of his office, brought disrepute on the Presidency, betrayed his trust as President, and acted in a manner subversive of the rule of law and justice at the expense of America’s citizens."

Steube filed four articles alleging high crimes and misdemeanors by Biden.

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The first accuses the president of abusing the power of his office by allegedly accepting bribes, committing Hobbs Act extortion and honest services fraud related to use of his official position. These charges arise from Biden's alleged involvement with his family's business dealings, including Hunter and James Biden's (the president's brother) alleged effort to sell access to then-Vice President Biden between 2009 and 2017 in exchange for "payments and business opportunities from foreign and domestic business partners."

House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky, on Wednesday released a memo purporting to show that foreign payments to the Biden family totaled more than $20 million — though Democrats say none of the evidence shows that President Biden accepted any payments or committed misconduct.

The second article charges that President Biden obstructed justice, citing IRS whistleblower testimony that "members of the Biden campaign improperly colluded with Justice Department (DOJ) officials to improperly interfere with investigations into tax crimes alleged to have been committed by Hunter Biden." Both the Justice Department and special counsel David Weiss, the U.S. attorney appointed to investigate Hunter Biden, have denied that the Biden administration impeded Weiss' work.

The third and fourth articles accuse Biden of "fraud" and paying for Hunter Biden's illegal drugs and trysts with prostitutes, respectively.

SECRET SERVICE CLOSES WHITE HOUSE COCAINE INVESTIGATION, SAYS IT IS ‘NOT ABLE’ TO IDENTIFY SUSPECT

"The evidence continues to mount by the day – the Biden Crime Family has personally profited off Joe’s government positions through bribery, threats, and fraud. Joe Biden must not be allowed to continue to sit in the White House, selling out our country," Steube said.

On the same day, Steube introduced legislation to require the Secret Service chief to write a report on the illicit use of controlled substances in the White House. The move comes after the Secret Service closed its investigation into cocaine found at the White House last month without identifying a person of interest. Steube named the bill the "Helping Understand Narcotics Traces at the Executive Residence (HUNTER) Act."

"The United States Secret Service (USSS) refers to themselves as one of the most elite law enforcement agencies in the world. It’s completely unacceptable that the USSS has failed to find who is responsible for bringing cocaine into one of the most secure buildings in the world," he said. "The American people deserve answers. My legislation demands information on the closed investigation into the cocaine found at the White House in July and focuses on how Congress can provide oversight to prevent future illicit usage of controlled substances in the White House."

Steube's articles of impeachment have jumped ahead of at least four GOP-led committee investigations pursuing avenues to impeach Biden or his top officials. The White House has ridiculed suggestions that Biden should be removed from office.

CNN'S JAKE TAPPER CHALKS UP BIDEN FAMILY MONEY REVELATIONS AS ‘SLEAZY’ BUT NOT CRIMINAL DURING COMER CLASH

"We’re not going to get into what House Republicans want to do or may not do — hypotheticals. That’s on them. That’s for them to speak to. What I can speak to is exactly what we’re doing today." press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in July.

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"The economic data is so much better than economists had expected. And so, that’s because of the work that this President has done. That’s going to be our focus. Our focus is going to be on what we can do to make Americans’ lives a little bit better, giving them that extra breathing room."