Renee Parsons

As Congress gathers for its yearly submission to the Federal government’s annual spending spree, preferably with one up-or-down vote, the Senate’s ‘bipartisan’ funding agreement was an unrestrained sell out to fiscal insanity.   In the face of a $33 Trillion debt and a $2 Trillion deficit, the Senate’s Continuing Resolution contains $6 Billion for Ukraine setting the stage for a rendezvous with legislative chaos and political turmoil.

In a typical display of tyrannical behavior, Senate leadership unveiled a Continuing Resolution package one half hour before the Senate floor vote, providing no Member of the Senate with an opportunity to review, read or otherwise comment on what was being mandated for approval.   Given the fiscal reality of a potential default on the US debt as a terrifying option, it is more than appalling that the Senate is dominated by enough cowardly Senators to cast a 77-19 vote.   That vote included twenty seven spineless RINOs, the majority of whom routinely betray their Red Republican states and vote with the Democrats.  Part of the majority vote were Sens. Kevin Cramer (ND), John Barosso (Wyo.) and Roger Wicker (Mississippi) all with upcoming 2024 re election.   

RINO support for continued funding for the Ukraine war has set the stage for an antagonistic confrontation as the Uniparty maintains majority control of the Senate and House appropriation funding apparatus. 

Sen. Josh Hawley (Mo.) recently revealed upon exiting a classified meeting that ‘there is no end game’.  In other words, there is no exit, no graceful or not so graceful exit from this self-executing neo-con catastrophe with the next step being deployment of  American troops.  A good guess is that the Biden Administration will not come to Congress for approval but that there are already ‘advisors’ in Ukraine with a continued increase in the ranks confirming final acknowledgement that Article 1, Section 8, the Constitutional war powers requirement is a charade, a long gone pretense. 

Hawley went on to suggest “They want us to be writing checks to Ukraine, direct to their government, forever — year after year, hundreds of billions of dollars. That is ridiculous. For what? What’s the strategy?  They don’t have one. It’s nothing but nation-building. It is nothing but failing to invest in the United States,” he added. “We have to stop. This is crazy.”

In March, 2023, Hawley sponsored an amendment to establish a Special Inspector General for Ukraine Assistance Act  to monitor Federal funds going to Ukraine. The motion was defeated 26 – 68 with 21 RINOs joining the Democrats, the majority of whom are from Red Republican states. In other words, Members of the once illustrious Senate prefer to avoid the harsh reality that their support for the Ukraine war has taken the country to the brink of bankruptcy. 

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On the House side, as a result of an enormous number of en blanc amendments during is spending extravaganza, here is a sample of many worthy amendments: 

Biggs Amendment to cut $300 Million from Ukraine:   104 – 330 with 117 RINOs voting NO 

Boebert Amendment  eliminating USDA Equity Diversity Commission:  210 – 216 with 6 RINOs allowing defeat of amendment

Clyde Amendment re Renaming Confederate Reconciliation Monument at Arlington National Cemetery :  172 – 261 with 48 RINOs voting NO

Gaetz Amendment re  security assistance funding for Ukraine:  93 – 339 with 126 RINOs’ voting NO 

Gaetz Amendment w/Dem support re banning cluster munitions:  160 (including 85 Rs and 75 Dems) – 269 with 132 RINOs – 137 Dems voting NO)

Hageman Amendment for US to defund the WHO:  Adopted by Voice Vote

Roy Amendment re eliminate funding Pride Month ($20 M) observance:  202 – 231 w/18 RINOs  voting NO)

Rosendale Amendment to prohibit funds to enforce mask mandate:  Adopted by Voice Vote 

Rosendale Amendment to prohibit funds to require member of Armed Forces or civilian DOD employee to receive vaccination against Covid 19: Adopted by Voice Vote    

Ogles Amendment to prohibit funds for NewsGuard, censorship of conservative voices:  Adopted by Voice Vote 

Crane Amendment to prohibit funds from being used to deploy US Armed Force in Ukraine:  Adopted by Voice Vote. 

Tiffany Amendment to reject USDA’s ban on chocolate milk for elementary school children:  Adopted by Voice Vote

It goes without saying that the Democrats opposed all of these Amendments with the exception of the transfer of cluster munitions.  

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At risk of being unduly pessimistic, is there any reason to believe that any of these ‘adopted by voice vote’ items will not be reversed by the Senate or in a conference committee before final submission for a Presidential signature?

It is, however, noteworthy to spend time reviewing the RINO votes and note the number of Republicans who are not reliable Republican supporters while keep track of those who are reliably Democratic voters.  It is not too early to begin the search for a worthy credible candidate to prepare a primary 2024 challenge as none of those authentic RINOs cannot be expected to change their stripes.  

It is also noteworthy to notice the number of RINOs who support the Ukraine war, making no connection between the impending economic implosion and continuing to spend massive amount of taxpayer funds to fulfill a failed political ideology and a failed military strategy and foreign policy objective that were never realistic.    

As Rep. Gaetz presented his first amendment to prohibit further financial and security assistance to Ukraine, citing the contradiction that the “US is not stronger by borrowing money from China in order to send it to Ukraine,” further pointing out that the US has provided for Ukraine citizen pensions while Americans who rely on a pension have no assurance their pension will be there when needed.   

Rep. Betty McCullom (Minn.), representing the Democrats strategy of opposing every single Republican amendment, cited ‘defending Ukraine from Russia’s illegal invasion. Putin’s rewriting the map of Europe, the deliberate targeting of civilians, hospitals, day care facilities in violation of international law’ as delusional with no clue as to the history or the truth of Russia’s Special Military Operation in February, 2022.   

In a shocking display of sabotaging the Gaetz amendment, Appropriations Chair Grainger sent a representative to oppose the amendment.   Rep. Steve Womack (Ark), a Member of the House Appropriations Committee, made the surprising announcement that the “partnership between Ukraine and the California National Guard is what enabled Ukraine to beat back the Russian Invasion and to degrade Russia’s military forces.”  Further, Womack argued as if he was completely unaware of the fiscal and political crisis confronting the country that the US should secure the southern border and partner with Ukraine to degrade Russia while urging a No vote on the Gaetz amendment.  

At the end of Gaetz’s amendment, as Rep. Virginia Foxx, Acting Chair of the Whole, called for support; erroneously ordered the ‘Noes’ with Gaetz requesting his own ayes and nays. 

The second Gaetz amendment would inhibit the transfer of cluster munitions, Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif) spoke on the need to remove cluster munitions as the US is not part of the Convention on Cluster Munitions with Rep. McCullom also adding bipartisan support for the amendment.   

Again, Rep. Ken Calvert (Calif) a member of the House Appropriations  Committee, spoke on behalf of Appropriations Chair Grainger to oppose the Gaetz amendment.  Calvert, who never served in the military, displayed a shocking lack of humanity as he cited the need to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions as artillery to “fill the gap” and not limit Ukraine’s ability, to not tie US hands in order to transfer munitions to allies in some future conflict. 

As Rep. Foxx, called for the ayes and nays determined the amendment received voice vote approval when the merciless Calvert announced a shameful request for a roll call vote.  

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It has been discouraging, if not bewildering that three senior Members of the House have displayed such a depth of oblivious unfamiliarity about what much of what the world has already acknowledged as reality of the Ukraine war; with no awareness of the Nazi presence within the Ukraine army.  With all respect, a productive use of Reps. McCullom, Womack and Calvert time and energy would be to visit with Scott Ritter and/or Col. MacGregor ASAP; both of whom can apply a much needed painful dose of reality about the Ukraine war.   One can only assume that all members of Congress are victims of Ukraine lies from the Pentagon, NATO and/or the CIA?

I can personally relate to the munitions discussion as my father’s twin brother, whom I never knew, was a paratrooper in the Netherlands in April, 1945 just days before the armistice and came down on a land mine.  So while Uncle Jim died fighting the Nazis, the US today is in Ukraine on the side of the Nazis.  In 1997 when the International Campaign to Eliminate Landmines won the Noble Peace Prize, President Bill Clinton refused to congratulate the winner.  That was beginning of the end of the Clinton era for me.