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Congress

Republican Legislators Introduce Bill Defunding the World Economic Forum

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House Republicans have introduced legislation that would suspend financial support for the World Economic Forum.

“No funds available to the Department of State, the United States Agency for International Development, or any other department or agency may be used to provide funding for the World Economic Forum,” the bill reads.

Representatives Scott Perry (R-Pennsylvania), Tom Tiffany (R-Wisconsin), and Paul Gosar (R-Arizona) were among those who introduced the legislation.

“The World Economic Forum doesn’t deserve one cent of American funding, and it’s past time we defund Davos,” Perry said in a press release.

Speakers at the annual conference of the WEF, held in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this week, expressed concern regarding “misinformation generated by artificial intelligence.”

Professor of Internet law at George Mason University Carl Szabo stated on Thursday that forum leaders are concerned that artificial intelligence may aid the reelection campaign of former President Donald Trump.

“The Defund Davos Act would ensure that U.S. tax dollars are not funding the World Economic Forum and their reset on our way of life. I thank Congressman Perry for leading this important effort,” Tiffany said.

Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, was invited to participate in a panel discussion on the prospects of a potential Republican presidency. He utilized the occasion to offer a critique of the WEF’s endorsement of socialism and globalism, asserting that the incoming conservative presidential administration ought to unequivocally reject every idea put forth at the organization.

Members of Congress Admonish Biden’s Yemeni Airstrikes as Unconstitutional
The assaults on the Houthis have heightened concerns regarding potential American intervention in another regional conflict.

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On Thursday evening, the United States and the United Kingdom launched a series of airstrikes in Yemen, which sparked international concern regarding the extent to which the strikes will contribute to the escalating regional risk of conflict. Congress has since expressed skepticism regarding Joe Biden’s legal authority to conduct the strikes.

RELATED – U.S. Forces Engage Houthis Targeting “Israel-Connected” Red Sea Vessels

In a statement, Biden said, “Today, at my direction, U.S. military forces—together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands—successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways.”

In retaliation for Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip, the Houthis of Yemen attacked and obstructed commercial vessels bound for or departing from Israeli locations in the Red Sea. Recent weeks have seen the near-total closure of the Israeli port of Eilat due to the attacks.

The Houthi blockade of Israeli commerce in the Red Sea may acquire renewed international legitimacy in light of Israel’s alleged proceedings before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, for genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

The strikes in Yemen more directly implicated the United States in Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah and Hamas, both of which are supported by Iran, similar to the Houthis. In reference to the issue of presidential authority, Biden termed the strikes a “defensive action” and pledged additional measures to secure the Red Sea. Biden stated:

“I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”

Many have expressed concern as to whether or not Biden’s actions are indeed “protecting” Americans, as Americans abroad have been increasingly targeted by Islamic extremists since the bombardment of Gaza began, and as some believe that the U.S. could potentially stand trial next to Israel at the Hague for committing war crimes.

In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, members of Congress from both parties raised concerns regarding the constitutionality of the operation.

“It’s great to see the bipartisan opposition to this from the progressive left and populist right,” said Aída Chávez of Just Foreign Policy. “It’s appalling that instead of acting to stop Israeli war crimes, the Biden administration chose to further damage both our global reputation and our Constitutional system by launching a new unauthorized conflict against Yemen.”

A cadre of progressives initially commented on Biden’s actions, followed by Republican members of the Freedom Caucus like reps Thomas Massie and Matt Gaetz.

First, we saw Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. raise his concerns:

“The President needs to come to Congress before launching a strike against the Houthis in Yemen and involving us in another middle east conflict. That is Article I of the Constitution. I will stand up for that regardless of whether a Democrat or Republican is in the White House.”

“Section 2C of the War Powers Act is clear: POTUS may only introduce the U.S. into hostilities after Congressional authorization or in a national emergency when the U.S. is under imminent attack. Reporting is not a substitute. This is a retaliatory, offensive strike.”

Followed by Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.:

“.@POTUS is violating Article I of the Constitution by carrying out airstrikes in Yemen without congressional approval. The American people are tired of endless war.”

These progressives were then supported by their republican counterparts like Rep Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, who said:

“Only Congress has the power to declare war. I have to give credit to @RepRoKhanna here for sticking to his principles, as very few are willing to make this statement while their party is in the White House.”

He was joined by Matt Gaetz:
“Ro is absolutely correct on this,”
As well as Republican Senator Mike Lee from Utah.
“I totally agree with @RoKhanna. The Constitution matters, regardless of party affiliation.”
Additionally, Reps Marjorie Taylor Greene, Anna Paulina Luna, Sara Jacobs, Cori Bush, Summer Lee and Val Hoyle all expressed dismay that the strikes had not been authorized by Congress. Contrarily, and unsurprisingly, a number of members of Congress vehemently opposed the proposition. Particularly we saw Rinos and the new Liberal Neocons pushing back.

Rep. Thomas Massie Warns Colorado, Maine that House Will Still Certify their Electors

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Representative Thomas Massie, R-Ky., cautioned states taking measures to remove former President Donald Trump from the ballot that the certifying of state electors will still be a decision of the House of Representatives.

“Maine, Colorado, and other states that might try to bureaucratically deny ballot access to any Republican nominee should remember the U.S. House of Representatives is the ultimate arbiter of whether to certify electors from those states.”

The proprietor of X, Elon Musk, responded to Massie’s remark with the word “Interesting.”

Earlier this month, the Colorado Supreme Court rendered a verdict stating that Trump, despite never being charged nor convicted, participated in a insurrection against the United States during the Capitol disturbance on January 6, 2021. As a result, the court ruled that Trump is ineligible to run for president in 2024 under the 14th Amendment.

Using the same reasoning, Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows of Maine removed Trump from that state’s primary ballot on Thursday.

Trump has pledged to appeal the decisions to the U.S. Supreme Court and has denied the allegations. According to the Colorado Secretary of State, Trump will be included on the primary ballot.

Additionally, the Republican Parties of Colorado and Maine are appealing the rulings to the Supreme Court.

House Republicans Blow It, Reward the FBI by Renewing FISA Process

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The U.S. Senate last Wednesday approved an annual defense policy measure that incorporated a temporary extension of a warrantless government surveillance authority, bringing its expiration date further into the distance by at least a few months.

Without congressional action, the controversial Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) will expire at the end of the year. However, a vote of 87-13 by senators to approve a $886 billion defense authorization measure with a short-term renewal attached would extend its validity until April 19. It is anticipated that the House will now consider the measure tomorrow.

You might be wondering what Section 702 is, and that is likely due to the media’s unwillingness to report on any technicalities the Intelligence Community exploits to spy on American citizens. Given how intertwined the corporate media is with the Intel community, it’s not a huge surprise that these things go unreported.

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) authorizes the United States government to conduct warrantless, mass surveillance of electronic communications, including phone calls, text messages, emails, and other correspondence, of both Americans and foreigners. Information obtained in violation of the law without a warrant may be utilized to indict and incarcerate individuals, even in cases unrelated to national security. In light of the nation’s documented history of surveillance authority abuse and the opaque nature of the program, it is reasonable to be apprehensive that Section 702 may be exploited to selectively target disadvantaged groups, including journalists, minority communities, and political activists.

Last week, 147 ineffectual Republicans cast a vote in favor of reauthorizing the FISA program, which had been exploited by the FBI for the duration of candidate and then President Donald Trump’s administration.

This morning, Attorney Alan Dershowitz and former Defense Department Chief of Staff Kash Patel joined Maria Bartiromo to discuss political assassin Jack Smith and his strategic maneuvers to depose Donald Trump.

Kash Patel reminded the FOX News audience that Republicans had just voted to reauthorize the FISA Program, which the FBI used to eavesdrop on President Trump from 2016 onwards, through the 2024 election.

Kash Patel: Yeah, it’s great to be with you, Maria. Look, the biggest concern I have going forward is the politicization and weaponization and creation of a two tier system of justice as a result. Back when Devin Nunes and I ran the Russia gate investigation and exposed the FISA corruption, we recommended a slew of fixes. So it never happened again. Unfortunately, Congress chose to allow 702 FISA to basically be reauthorized.

What does that mean? What is 702? It’s fancy for foreign intelligence surveillance. It means me, as a former national security prosecutor and intelligence operative, would go overseas and manhunt terrorists. That’s what it’s for. But the FISA court, in April of 2022, publicized an opinion that said the FBI used it illegally 275,000 times domestically against Americans, 16 different occasions against those affiliated with, January 6, 19,000 times domestically against donors to a congressional campaign, and, wait for it, 24,000 separate times against Americans and groups in and around January 6.

That FISA process has been turned on its head, redirected inwards. And anyone who says, oh, that’s just a Republican conspiracy speak, that’s the FISA court that rescinded Rod Rosenstein’s illegal surveillance of Donald Trump twice based on our investigation. And now they do it again, and they prove the FBI and DOJ have weaponized justice. And the Republican leadership in Congress allowed it to be reauthorized, essentially through the next election cycle…

…What Chris Ray has now done is weaken American national security and redirected one of the most sensitive intelligence apparatuses against elections and those protesting their free speech right within America. And every time the FISA court asked the FBI, why did you allow your agents to do this? Their answer was, I could not recall. And they gave them a get out of jail free card.

And the Republican majority, I know this is harsh, rewarded them for breaking the law and allowing this election interference to continue through 2024, mainly against Donald Trump.

To be fair, not all Republicans supported the bill.

Rep. Eli Crane, for his part, said that “FISA 702 is a violation of the 4th Amendment. Additionally, this bill continues to entangle us in forever wars abroad and even managed to abandon heroes from Northern Arizona, including the Navajo Nation, that sacrificed for our country during WWII.”

According to Rep. Matt Rosendale, “FISA Section 702 has allowed the FBI to spy on U.S. citizens more than 278,000 times without a warrant! FISA should not be combined with our national defense, and it is UNACCEPTABLE that the D.C. Cartel is bypassing regular order to jam Members by forcing them to vote on two unrelated bills in one vote.”

Additionally, we saw Reps Chip Roy, Andy Biggs, Randy Webber and Andrew Clyde make statements against the bill. Below is a list of Republicans who voted to renew the FBI’s right to spy on you and your families.

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Legislation to Prohibit Presidents from Departing from NATO Was Approved by Congress

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An amendment that would prevent any future president from withdrawing the United States from NATO has been inserted into the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, which has already received approval from both the House and Senate.

Under the leadership of Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Tim Kaine (D-VA), the legislation was a bipartisan endeavor that would prevent the president from withdrawing from NATO without either Senate approval or an Act of Congress.

According to The Hill, Kaine said the legislation “reaffirms US support for this crucial alliance that is foundational for our national security. It also sends a strong message to authoritarians around the world that the free world remains united.”

Kaine, Rubio, and other congressional conservatives need not be concerned about the possibility of President Biden attempting to withdraw from NATO, given his unwavering support for the alliance and his consistent declaration that the United States’ commitment to NATO is “sacred.”

The unspoken part of this bill is the likelihood that Donald Trump, Biden’s only real threat, would pull out of the alliance, especially if its global proxy war with BRICS were to reach a major crescendo during a hypothetical second Trump term.

Trump has been critical of the alliance and has urged other members to increase their military spending to reduce the burden on the United States.