Another Chaotic Week for Speaker Ryan and House Republicans
But don't take our word for it. Roll Call highlights the motivation for the House GOP's LGBT Americans animus:
House Republicans at a conference meeting heard a Bible verse that calls for death for homosexuals shortly before the chamber voted Thursday morning to reject a spending bill that included an amendment barring LGBT discrimination.
Whether the freshman member who gave the prayer intended to condemn members of the LGBT community has left Republicans and Democrats deeply divided. What's certain is that the Energy-Water appropriations bill that came to the floor later in the morning was defeated on a resounding 112-305 vote, with a majority of the GOP caucus in opposition.
Georgia Rep. Rick W. Allen led the opening prayer by reading from Romans 1:18-32, and Revelations 22:18-19…
Passages in the verses refer to homosexuality and the penalty for homosexual behavior. "And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet," reads Romans 1:27, which Allen read, according to his office.
"And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them," read lines 28-32, which Allen also read, according to his office.
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Republican objections to the bill, which was drafted by their members and approved in a Republican-controlled committee by a voice vote, seemed to center on inclusion of the Maloney nondiscrimination amendment. A #StopMaloney campaign on Twitter by conservative groups urged the defeat of the bill.
The 130 Republicans voting against the bill was significantly higher than opposition last year to any of the six appropriations bills that passed the House floor…
Maloney, who heard about the Republican conference prayer from another representative, said the prayer and the vote should tell Americans about the values Republicans hold…
How did Speaker Ryan respond to this chaotic disorder? Taking from his predecessor's playbook, as the New York Timesexplains, he "was left to blame Democrats for the failure of a Republican bill…"
But this is what we've come to expect from the same Party that yesterday chose recess over keeping our country and our people safe.
- FromThe Washington Post:
Congress abandoned the Capitol Thursday for an almost two-week break without addressing how to combat Zika, even as public health officials issue dire warnings about the spread of the mosquito-driven virus with summer approaching.
Republican leaders…downplayed the risk of waiting a little longer…
But with Democrats hammering Republicans over neglect on a virus that attacks pregnant women, some GOP lawmakers, particularly those in Florida and other warm-weather locales, expressed increasing anxiety about the slowly developing response as the warm weather breeds more mosquitoes.
"The CDC is saying we're less than a month away from a mosquito [epidemic] in the U.S. I mean, I take that seriously," Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the onetime presidential contender, said this week. "These are not politicians. These are scientists and doctors that are looking at this issue and telling us, you've got a real problem on your hands."
In public briefings and private meetings with lawmakers health officials have cited evidence linking Zika to a rare condition causing children to be born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains. Hundreds of babies in Brazil have suffered this condition, and the outbreak that has spread to three dozen countries, primarily in the Americas.
Instead of racing to fund efforts to thwart a potential health crisis, lawmakers are treating the Zika debate like regular legislation…
Democrats have criticized the Republicans for weeks on the slow response, culminating with a media showcase Thursday on the House steps demanding that the traditional Memorial Day recess be eliminated so lawmakers could finish the issue next week.
- From MLive.com:
Congress is set to recess at week's end and not return to work until 10 days later on June 6, but a group of Democratic congress members gathered outside the Capitol to urge Republic lawmakers to stay and deal with a number of issues, including the water crisis, Zika virus, and Supreme Court appointment.
"I represent Flint, Michigan, a city of 100,000 people that for the last two years has not been able to drink their water. It has been poisoned by lead," said Kildee during brief remarks, with each speaker using the rally cry of "do you job."
- FromThe Hill:
Congressional Democrats are demanding Republicans cancel their weeklong Memorial Day recess and stay in Washington to tackle a myriad of issues.
"The Republican Congress is about to leave for an almost two-week recess. Republicans are leaving Washington without having completed any of the urgent business before Congress," House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) said Thursday on steps outside the Capitol.
She added that Americans are "fed up with the Republican relentless and reckless obstruction."
Democrats knocked their GOP counterparts Thursday for refusing to consider Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, not yet agreeing on funding to fight the Zika virus or the opioid epidemic, and not yet passing aid for the Flint, Mich., drinking water crisis.
Republican Leadership in Congress prefers stonewalling over progress and refuses to offer a serious approach to addressing the alarming crises. But Democrats will keep fighting for progress and demanding strong and swift action – and, we will continue to make the simple appeal to Speaker Ryan and his GOP Conference: #DoYourJob.