Monthly Archives: September 2021

LAWSON, Colo. Standing alongside Clear Creek, a popular white-water rafting destination in this gateway to the Rocky Mountains west of Denver, Senator Michael Bennet delivered his pitch for $60 billion in new spending to protect the states forests and watersheds against recurring fires and their widespread impact.

It sounds like a lot of money, conceded Mr. Bennet, Democrat of Colorado, as a group of officials and business leaders nodded in agreement. But it is what we spend in five years fighting forest fires.

While $60 billion is indeed a big price tag, $3.5 trillion is much bigger. That is the total cost of the budget blueprint Democrats muscled through the Senate and House last month, and hope to transform into a bill President Biden can sign in the coming weeks as they fight off Republican attacks on the size and scope of the measure and some sticker shock on their own side as well.

Calculating that voters might be more receptive if they understand the tangible benefits of the emerging measure, Democrats have embarked on an elaborate nationwide sales pitch for the expansive budget plan and a related $1 trillion bipartisan public works measure to win over their constituents and others around the nation.

Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent of Vermont overseeing the development of the economic package as chairman of the Budget Committee, spent three days traveling across the Midwest, explaining the policy ambitions of the Democratic majority before hundreds of people in Republican-leaning districts.

The Democratic National Committee just concluded a multistate Build Back Better bus tour. Participants extolled the virtues of Democratic governance, trying to show voters in places like Arizona, the Carolinas, Michigan, Nevada, Texas and Wisconsin the real-life ramifications of the bills yet to pass and measures already approved, such as the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief legislation enacted this year over unanimous Republican opposition. Other Democrats are making similar appeals and pushing the legislation on their social media accounts.

At the end of the day, these are real-world things that will have a huge impact on how people will live their lives in a way that we have not seen in policy from the federal government in a very long time, said Jaime Harrison, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee and a regular on the bus tour.

Understand the Infrastructure Bill

But Democrats are not going to have an open field to make their case. Congressional Republicans are solidly lined up against the budget proposal, which Democrats plan to push through unilaterally using a maneuver known as reconciliation. Together with conservative advocacy groups, they are already on the attack, using the plan as fund-raising fodder and airing ads in the states and districts of vulnerable Democrats in Congress, urging them to oppose a measure that will require complete Democratic unity to pass the evenly split Senate.

For instance, Senator Todd Young, an Indiana Republican up for re-election, noted in a fund-raising appeal that Mr. Sanders made a stop in Indiana to push a reckless liberal wish list budget and warned that the cost would hurt American families.

Republicans say the partisan nature of the bill, which is to be considered under special rules that exempt it from a filibuster, as well as the huge amount of spending and the inclusion of special interest provisions will turn off swing voters in the suburbs who propelled Mr. Biden to victory and helped Democrats hold the House and win the Senate in 2020.

They argue that potential backlash to the bill, combined with dissatisfaction with the Biden administrations handling of Afghanistan and the pandemic, is creating a receptive environment for Republicans campaigning to reclaim control of Congress in 2022.

The American people are not buying what they are selling, said Kevin McLaughlin, a veteran Republican campaign operative who is running a campaign against the budget bill through the Common Sense Leadership Fund. The group began airing ads last week aimed at Senators Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Mark Kelly of Arizona, two Democrats who face potentially tough re-election fights.

For Washington liberals, a $3 trillion power grab is their wildest fantasy come true, says the ad, which ends by urging viewers to call the senators to oppose the liberal pipe dream.

Democrats are determined to persuade voters to see it quite differently. In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Mr. Sanders rattled through the highlights of the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package and the provisions Democrats hope to build upon with the new bill, including continued monthly payments to families with children. Backed by testimonials from local officials and residents about needs the package could address, he pledged to fight for the inclusion of key liberal priorities, including lowering prescription drug pricing, providing free community college and funding programs to combat climate change.

I thought its important to bring the issues that were dealing with to the people of America, Mr. Sanders said in an interview.

In Mr. Bennets case, he is emphasizing the local benefits of the hulking bill. In particular, it calls for the Senate Agriculture Committee to allocate $135 billion for an array of federal efforts, including forestry programs to help reduce carbon emissions and prevent wildfires.

While Colorado has so far been spared a wildfire crisis this summer, last year was a disaster, with extensive losses both in destroyed homes and overall economic damage. This year, disruptive mudslides from the scars of the multiple fires and runoff in burned areas has turned segments of the Colorado River and other waterways black.

And though Colorado might not be experiencing many fires this summer, the smoke from blazes elsewhere in the West has obscured the mountain views that draw many to Colorado in the first place, leaving Denver with some of the worst air quality in the world at times.

Bidens 2022 Budget

The 2022 fiscal year for the federal government begins on October 1, and President Biden has revealed what hed like to spend, starting then. But any spending requires approval from both chambers of Congress. Heres what the plan includes:

Mr. Bennet, who is up for re-election next year, said that the $60 billion that was currently spent on firefighting covered only direct costs and did not include other aspects, such as the lost tourism and the effects of air pollution. He said understaffed and chronically underfunded agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service needed an infusion of money to take steps to lower the threat of fires, rather than just battle them as they occur.

Our entire state is affected by the lack of federal investment in our forests, he told his Clear Creek audience.

Local officials said that they recognized the magnitude of the spending bill but that the needs were huge, particularly considering the losses experienced with devastating fires, closed parks and disruptions like the mudslides that closed Interstate 70, the states main east-west highway, for parts of the summer.

The scale of the problem has become enormous, said Randall Wheelock, the chairman of the Clear Creek County Board of Commissioners, who said billions and billions of dollars of real estate was at risk from fires and climate change, along with the health of the states waterways and economy.

It is a big one, he said of the cost, but we have spent that kind of money before on things we care about.

Mr. Bennet also took his appeal to a more conservative part of the state in sprawling Grand County, straddling the Continental Divide. He met with ranchers experimenting with ways to better protect the suffering Colorado River, which is vital to local agriculture, and to more efficiently irrigate their pastures. The ranchers, while leery of Mr. Bennets political affiliation, welcomed his interest in the river.

If Democrats can demonstrate the concrete benefits of the budget plan to people like them, Mr. Bennet said, it could help them make inroads with conservatives.

Every single rancher downstream from these places will benefit from this, he said as he stood in a sunny hayfield along the Colorado River just outside the town of Kremmling. They may never vote for Joe Biden, but I do think it gives Joe Biden the opportunity to come to these communities and say, You were not invisible to me.

As for the overall cost, Mr. Bennet does not believe that is an insurmountable obstacle for voters who see major needs in their communities.

I think the normal person is a lot more interested in what the money is being spent on, he said. Weve had 20 years of two wars in the Middle East that cost $5.6 trillion. We have since 2001 cut taxes for the richest people in the country by almost $5 trillion. Now, finally, we are investing in the American people.

Emily Cochrane contributed reporting from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

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Democrats Hit the Road to Sell Big Spending Bills as Republicans Attack - The New York Times

KENILWORTH Voting is a big deal for Republicans.

Ever since Donald Trump claimed, and, in fact, continues to claim that last years election was rigged, some Republicans all acrossthe land have been suspicious of voting itself.

And that popped up Tuesday evening when Jack Ciattarelli held a town hall at a veterans center in this Union County town.

A woman in the crowd of about 100 asked if the state uses Dominion voting machines.

Trump and his supporters have waged a sort of war againstDominion since last fall, The company is fighting backwith lawsuits.

This can be a troubling matter for Ciattarelli. If some Republicans trulybelieve the game is crooked, why bother voting?

You can see the problem. Democrats, who haveno concerns in this regard, are going to vote.

So, Ciattarelli did his best to put thisproblem to rest.

He said Dominion machines are used in Ocean County, which Trump won big last year.

He also pointed out that all 21 counties have boards of electionwithequal numbers of Democrats and Republicans. Ciattarelli said he trusts those board members to oversee an honest election.

His bottom line: Voters should not care about machines or who owns them, just go out and vote!

This seems to be a critical time for Ciattarelli.

Phil Murphy is travelling the state inspecting flood damage and trying to comfort and deliver aid to residents. On Tuesday, Murphy was with President Biden in Manville

Ciattarelli, who holds no office, cant by definition deliver anything of substance at the moment.

Still, hes trying to make a point, criticizing Murphy for waiting too long to declare a state of emergency.

One problem with that line of attack is that a state of emergency is really a

bureaucratic action that has no immediate impact. Its not as if a declaration from Trenton would have held back the rain.

No matter, this is a way for Ciattarelli to remain visible when his opponent is getting all the attention.

Other than voting and the storm, Ciattarelli stayed on familiar topics during his hour-long meeting with residents, all of whom seemed supportive.

He condemned Murphys liberal extremism and reiterated his support for the Second Amendment, pro-life measures and a revised school aid formula that he says would lower property taxes for many.

Asked specifically what executive orders of Murphy he would undo, Ciattarelli didnt directly answer, but he did say that the incumbent has abused his power by issuing far too many orders.

Public polls show Ciattarelli behind by double digits and Democrats in the state outnumber Republicans by more than a million.

This doesnt seem to trouble the GOP gubernatorial candidate.

Im not the sacrificial lamb of the Republican Party, he said. Im in it to win it.

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Ciattarellli: 'I'm not the Sacrificial Lamb of the Republican Party' - InsiderNJ

(*This story was updated at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, 9/7/21, to include comment from the Department of State.)

Saying hes doubtful the state agency responsible for election oversight will cooperate with a taxpayer-funded investigation into Pennsylvanias two most recent elections, the top Senate Republican expects subpoenas will be the next step.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, R-Centre, isnt hopeful acting Secretary of State Veronica Degraffenreid will participate in the first hearing as part of a probe into the 2020 general and 2021 primary elections.

Currently scheduled for Thursday, the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee meeting will focus on guidance issued by the Department of State to counties during the 2020 election.

My guess is she wont come, Corman said of Degraffenreid during a podcast interview with former Trump administration adviser Steve Bannon. If they do not come in and cooperate, then we will begin to issue subpoenas to get the information that were looking for from the Department of State.

A spokesperson for the Department of State told the Capital-Star that no one from the agency will participate in the hearing, saying that it directly relates to ongoing litigation filed against the department by members of the General Assembly.

Corman accused Degraffenreid, who took over after former Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar resigned in February, of intimidating county leaders since the review began, citing a July directive that bans third-party access to election equipment.

Corman, who has argued that there were election irregularities in 2020, tapped Sen. Cris Dush, R-Jefferson, to replace Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, as the panels chairperson.

Dush invited the Department of State and local officials to testify. The 11-member panel also invited the public to submit any potential violations of election law or voting irregularities they have witnessed personally to an online form. The committee could ask those who submit information to sign an affidavit and testify under oath at a future hearing.

In an August statement, Dush said the purpose of the investigation is to uncover information for potential legislative action. His office has referred questions about the review to Corman, who said the review is not a recount.

Jason Thompson, a spokesperson for Corman, told the Capital-Star that the taxpayers will be paying for the probe. He added that the panel will also incorporate hearings conducted by the Senate State Government Committee, which began last month with testimony from the Department of State, as part of the investigation.

But if the Department of State fails to participate in Thursdays hearing, Corman said the Senate panel should quickly issue subpoenas to acquire election information.

I dont want to get too far in front of Cris Dush, but that would be my intention and my desire, Corman told Bannon. Again, I think we have to be prepared that theyre not going to cooperate.

Two post-election reviews a statistical sampling required by law and a risk-limiting audit were conducted after the 2020 election in Pennsylvania. Sixty-three out of the commonwealths 67 counties participated in the risk-limiting audit pilot, and neither assessment found evidence of fraud.

Certified results show that former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election by 80,555 votes in Pennsylvania. In the same cycle, Republicans triumphed in state races maintaining their legislative majorities in Harrisburg.

The latest review also comes after the House State Government Committee hosted 10 hearings with 52 testifiers on the 2020 general election.

Sen. Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, is the only GOP senator to publicly oppose the review, which could resemble the controversial Republican-backed election investigation in Arizona.

In July, Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Allegheny, and Sen. Anthony Williams, D-Philadelphia, sent a letter to Corman and Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland, urging them to stop the review. Costa and Williams sit on the committee responsible for the investigation. Gov. Tom Wolf called the investigation a disgrace to democracy, and Attorney General Josh Shapiro dubbed it a sham that will create chaos and promised to challenge the review legally.

The attorney general was on the ballot the last election as well, so he sort of has a conflict, Corman told Bannon. Our auditor general, a Republican who was elected, who we asked to do an audit, said he didnt feel that he could do it because he was on the ballot the last election.

Six lawmakers, who sit on the Senate committee, were elected during the 2020 general election, including Sens. Scott Hutchinson, R-Venango, David Argall, R-Schuylkill, Vincent Hughes, D-Philadelphia, Dush, Costa, and Mastriano.

Were going to invite county employees, county officials, who may have a story to tell about how things went down on Election Day, Corman said, noting that he isnt sure which counties the committee will focus on. Were not subpoenaing their information as of yet, but well probably get to that point soon.

He added: If we have to get emails, if we have to get communications, we want to know.

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Top Pa. Senate Republican expects subpoenas will be necessary for election investigation - Pennsylvania Capital-Star

Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) speaks at a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 4, 2020. Al Drago/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

WASHINGTON, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday endorsed Army veteran Joe Kent's bid to unseat Republican U.S. Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington state, who was among the few in her party who voted to impeach Trump in January.

Trump has promised to help Republicans win control of Congress in the November 2022 elections and is also working to replace his Republican critics in Congress with loyalists.

Herrera Beutler was among 10 Republican lawmakers who joined House Democrats in a January vote to impeach Trump on a charge of inciting insurrection in a fiery speech ahead of the deadly Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol by his supporters.

Trump in February endorsed a former aide who is challenging Republican Representative Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, who also voted to impeach.

The former president has also backed a Republican challenging Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who was among the seven Republicans in that chamber who voted with Democrats in a failed attempt to convict Trump.

Trump said in a statement that Herrera Beutler's impeachment vote was "against the Republican Party" and that Kent, if elected, would "be a warrior for the America First agenda."

Herrera Beutler's campaign manager, Parker Truax, brushed off Trump's comments, noting that the lawmaker outperformed Trump in her district in the 2016 and 2020 elections. In January, Herrera Beutler said "the president of the United States incited a riot" and that the evidence against him was "indisputable."

She has represented Washington's 3rd Congressional District since 2011 and won re-election in 2020 with 56% of the vote.

Herrera Beutler has also easily led the Republican field at campaign fundraising, ending June with over $1 million in the bank.

Kent, whose campaign website touts his allegiance to Trump, had just over $500,000, second to Herrera Beutler among the five Republican candidates who filed campaign finance disclosures for the period.

Reporting by Jason Lange; Editing by Scott Malone and Peter Cooney

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Trump backs opponent of Republican House member who voted to impeach him - Reuters

I am writing to ask you to join me in supporting Rachel Jones as a candidate for the Green Springs District Board of Supervisors position. I have known Rachel for 15 years. She is an individual of courage, compassion, and a passion for the future success of the County of Louisa.

Rachel has always impressed me with her seemingly endless energy. Rachel is a wife and mother. She understands the importance of family. Rachel has worked hard through her former church, Zion United Methodist, to provide children of Louisa support programs including basketball, Scouts, and camps. She was our grandsons first preschool teacher. She showed love and compassion while enriching his early learning years. I mentioned Rachels passion. She is a self-starter who does not waiver. Once she commits, she succeeds. Dont take my word for it, Rachel has received statewide recognition as an Allen and Allen Hometown Hero for her support of the community.

Rachel is also passionate in supporting the men and women of law enforcement. She is concerned about the defunding efforts of so many radical groups. Having served as a law officer locally and in Charlottesville, Rachel has first-hand experience in the daily challenges facing law enforcement. Rachel is committed to keeping Louisa a prosperous and peaceful community by supporting law enforcement through funding programs and board focus. She is aware of the ever-growing challenges being experienced by the brave individuals who serve our community.

Another area of passion involves our first responder and EMS personnel. A close cousin to law enforcement, Rachel recognizes the selfless, personal, and family sacrifices the men and women of EMS make to the citizens of Louisa. On the board, she will champion the needs of EMS in equipment, technology, and training. She will allow EMS to focus on patient care.

With two children in the Louisa school system, education and student viability is a big focal area for Rachel. She constantly speaks about how proud she is of the Louisa school system. She recognizes dedicated employees who serve to educate and grow our children. As a parent and longtime Louisa citizen, she is committed to a fair and equitable education system that serves the needs of ALL students without political agendas.

Rachel takes pride in Louisa County. She recently called out the problem of dumping and trash on the roadside in her district. This was not a campaign effort but a problem observation. Since that time, the attention she brought to the issue of trash and dumping has resulted in clean-up efforts. Rachel is a self-starter who will make a difference.

Rachel is courageous. Running for political office is hard work, but Rachel sees the need for improvement. Rachel is a fixer who when faced with a problem goes into action. She is tireless and strives for success. We need her focus, energy, and local perspective to make a difference in Louisa. So again, please join me in supporting Rachel in her quest to become our next board of supervisors representative for the Green Springs district. She will make a difference.

I encourage you to vote for Rachel Jones, Green Springs District Supervisor!

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Backs Republican in Green Springs - The Central Virginian