Tag: Capitol Hill

  • Texas Democrat Carjacked 1 Mile From U.S. Capitol

    Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar (D) used to be carjacked at gunpoint on Monday evening in Washington, D.C., a few mile from Capitol Hill, government mentioned.

    The lawmaker used to be unhurt and police later recovered his automobile. 3 armed robbers, no less than one among whom had a gun, approached Cuellar within the town’s Military Backyard community round 9:30 p.m. earlier than stealing the auto and the congressman’s baggage. Politico used to be the primary to file the inside track.

    His telephone and pill had been additionally stolen. It’s unclear if the auto, which had Texas license plates, known the landlord as a member of Congress, The Washington Publish famous.

    “As Congressman Cuellar used to be parking his automotive this night, 3 armed assailants approached the congressman and stole his automobile,” his leader of group of workers, Jacob Hochberg, instructed media retailers. “Thankfully, he used to be no longer harmed and is operating with native legislation enforcement. Thanks to Metro PD and Capitol Police for his or her swift motion and for convalescing the congressman’s automobile.”

  • Bowman Slams Marjorie Taylor Greene For Placing ‘Goal’ On His Again After Change

    Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) tore aside Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-Ga.) over her “reckless and threatening” characterization in their shouting fit at the Capitol steps on Wednesday. (You’ll be able to take a look at his reaction under).

    Bowman known as out the Republican for relating to his habits as “competitive” and claimed she felt “threatened via him.”

    “Sadly, this nation has a historical past of characterizing Black males who’re outspoken, who stand their flooring and who chase away as being threatening or intimidating,” stated Bowman, who referred to the killings of Emmett Until and Michael Brown as he spoke to newshounds Thursday.

    “So she’s no longer even the usage of a canine whistle, she’s the usage of a bullhorn to place a goal on my again to the folk she refers to as MAGA other people available in the market who may wish to purpose hurt.”

    The trade adopted heckling at the Capitol steps from Bowman and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) directed at Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), who pleaded no longer responsible to a couple of counts of fraud and cash laundering ultimate week.

    “She ain’t price it, bro,” Ocasio-Cortez informed Bowman after phrases flew between him and Greene.

    Greene, in feedback to newshounds on Thursday, stated Bowman known as her a white supremacist and when put next listening to the be aware to a “nice offense.”

    “This is like calling an individual of colour the N-word, which will have to by no means occur,” she stated, “Calling me a white supremacist is the same as that and that’s unsuitable.”

    Bowman, who persevered to take goal at Greene’s characterization of him, stated Black males had been painted as competitive because of their pores and skin colour and on account of their pastime for plenty of problems.

    “It’s reckless and threatening what she stated,” stated Bowman.

    “And sadly, white supremacists – traditionally – that is what they do. They are attempting to dehumanize Black other people, Black pores and skin and the Black humanity in order that they are able to be much more likely to be focused for hurt.”

  • GOP Lawmaker Compares Parkland Dad Arrested For Protesting To Insurrectionists

    The daddy of a pupil killed within the Parkland, Florida, college taking pictures was once arrested on Capitol Hill on Thursday whilst protesting gun violence ― prompting one GOP lawmaker to make a troubling comparability between the grieving guy and violent Capitol rioters.

    Footage and video confirmed Manuel Oliver, the daddy of Parkland taking pictures sufferer Joaquin Oliver, being arrested within the corridor out of doors a Space subcommittee listening to on gun laws after he and his spouse disrupted the consultation as Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) driven again towards gun keep an eye on law.

    Manuel Oliver, the father of Joaquin Oliver, one of the victims of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, is removed from the hearing room for disturbing a hearing on Capitol Hill.
    Manuel Oliver, the daddy of Joaquin Oliver, some of the sufferers of the 2018 mass taking pictures at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Top Faculty in Parkland, Florida, is got rid of from the listening to room for anxious a listening to on Capitol Hill.

    “You took my son clear of me, and I’m now not going anyplace! I’m going to concentrate on your absurd issues,” his spouse, Patricia Oliver, will also be heard yelling over Fallon, who then requested for police to take away the couple.

    As he was once being escorted out, Manuel Oliver shouted: “All of you might be filled with shit!”

    Fallon then when compared the grieving couple to rioters who violently stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, difficult that Donald Trump keep in place of business even supposing he’d misplaced this bid for reelection.

    “Is that this an rebellion? So will they be held to the similar. I don’t need any other January 6,” Fallon stated into his mic.

    Video shared via Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) confirmed police then keeping the daddy down at the flooring to arrest him out of doors the listening to as bystanders started chanting: “He isn’t violent!”

    His spouse, who additionally showed the arrest with The Washington Submit, may also be heard yelling again on the officials, telling them they’re exercising their First Modification rights.

    In a commentary following the incident, the Capitol Police defended the arrest.

    “Any person who disrupts a Congressional listening to and disregards a regulation enforcement officer’s orders to forestall are going to be arrested,” the commentary stated.

    The Olivers’ son was once considered one of 17 other folks ― 14 of whom have been scholars ― killed via a gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Top Faculty in 2018. He was once 17 years previous. Regardless that many extra college shootings have adopted ― together with the slaughter of nineteen babies and two academics in Uvalde, Texas, remaining yr ― Congress has made little significant development on firearm laws.

    Fallon has voted towards all main gun law since assuming place of business in 2021.

  • Area Lawmakers Approve Answer Permitting Their Personal Staffers To Unionize

    Staffers within the U.S. Area of Representatives are a step nearer to unionizing following a vote by way of their bosses on Tuesday night time.

    Area lawmakers authorized a answer that grants felony protections to staffers who’re seeking to prepare their workplaces on Capitol Hill. Employees concerned within the union effort say it constitutes a the most important exchange to a congressional administrative center legislation that will let them shape unions with out concern of retaliation.

    The Area authorized the answer on a party-line vote. However as a substitute of protecting a vote at the answer itself, Democrats embedded it right into a procedural measure putting in votes on a number of different items of regulation, together with help for Ukraine.

    The team of workers union measure may also be applied within the Area with no significant other answer being handed within the Senate. The measure simplest advantages workers in Area workplaces.

    Area staffers at the Democratic facet have spent greater than a 12 months development a union marketing campaign they hope will support running prerequisites within Capitol workplaces. The newly created Congressional Employees Union has been sharing tales of workers who paintings ridiculous hours, deal with abusive bosses and discrimination and will’t have the funds for to reside in Washington on low salaries.

    Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who supported the measure, stated having unionized Area staffers may in the end lead to Congress passing higher regulation down the road.

    “The team of workers people who I’ve talked to, out and in of my workplace, which might be within the union are one of the crucial dedicated to public coverage,” Grijalva instructed HuffPost.

    One at a time this month, Area Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) introduced a minimal wage for Area staffers, environment the ground at $45,000.

    Employees at the Hill haven’t loved the similar rights to band in combination and discount jointly as maximum different U.S. staff. Congress ostensibly granted Hill staffers the facility to unionize in 1995 during the Congressional Duty Act, however lawmakers by no means took the the most important step of officially approving the laws put in combination by way of Congress’ interior administrative center company to make it occur.

    The measure the Area handed Tuesday would offer protection to staff who’re organizing and arrange a procedure for bargaining during the Workplace of Congressional Office Rights. Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.), a former union organizer and powerful best friend of arranged exertions, subsidized the Area answer and rounded up enhance amongst fellow Democrats.

    Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.) holds a news conference about recognizing congressional workers' right to organize on Feb. 9, 2022.
    Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.) holds a information convention about spotting congressional staff’ proper to prepare on Feb. 9, 2022.

    Invoice Clark/CQ-Roll Name, Inc by way of Getty Photographs

    Two participants of the Congressional Employees Union organizing committee instructed HuffPost forward of the vote that lawmakers had necessarily exempted themselves from collective bargaining for years and that the Area was once now rectifying a double same old. The 2 committee participants spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of they nonetheless felt unprotected from retaliation.

    “There’s a tradition of secrecy, and you’ve got to pay your dues to make your manner up the ladder. That’s truly what lets in those administrative center abuses to fester,” one stated. “With out giving staffers the felony protections that different staff around the U.S. have, we’re in a spot the place we will be able to’t totally deal with those issues.”

    If Area participants blocked collective bargaining in their very own places of work, that will counsel they really feel that “they’re above the rules that they invent,” the staffer added.

    Unions have made some primary breakthroughs just lately. The union Employees United has gained greater than 60 elections at Starbucks retail outlets across the nation in a question of months after Starbucks was once union-free within the U.S. for many years. The just lately shaped Amazon Hard work Union surprised the exertions motion when it gained a historical election at a Staten Island, New York, warehouse in early April.

    Innovative Democrats have cheered on the ones tendencies and lambasted firms like Starbucks and Amazon for his or her anti-union campaigns. With the Democratic Birthday party transferring in a extra pro-labor course lately, it might be onerous for Democratic lawmakers to oppose their very own staffers’ union effort with out taking a look like overall hypocrites.

    One of the vital staffers stated even some progressives gained’t like the speculation of bargaining with a union, however they’ll must in the event that they wish to abide by way of their very own ideas.

    “In case you have a look at who signed directly to the answer, there have been many, many innovative leaders who weren’t the primary to signal on,” the staffer stated. “I do suppose there’s public power that exists for the ones progressives.”

    “There’s a tradition of secrecy, and you’ve got to pay your dues to make your manner up the ladder. That’s truly what lets in those administrative center abuses to fester.”

    – Member of the Congressional Employees Union organizing committee

    It is still noticed what, precisely, collective bargaining will appear to be in Congress. John Uelmen, the overall recommend for the Workplace of Congressional Office Rights, testified in a Area listening to in March that staff may unionize on an office-by-office foundation, reasonably than being lumped in combination in a single bargaining unit, consistent with Roll Name. Inside committees, each and every celebration would have its personal team of workers bargaining unit, because the unit participants would resolution to other leaders.

    In all chance, the organizing would occur basically — and in all probability completely — at the Democratic facet of the aisle. Republican lawmakers have adversarial paving the best way for their very own workplaces to unionize, and plenty of of their very own conservative staffers is probably not all in favour of bargaining a union contract.

    It’s additionally unclear what, precisely, staffers would be capable to discount over. The union committee participants instructed HuffPost they wish to have a say on the whole lot unions most often do: salaries, the promotion procedure, self-discipline and grievances, severance, well being and questions of safety, and extra. (Federal staff outdoor the legislative department have collective bargaining rights, however beneath the legislation, they may be able to’t negotiate over pay.)

    The congressional staffers stated they’d imagine any efforts to limit their bargaining talents as a type of union-busting.

    “At a time when staff around the nation are status up and preventing for their very own rights, we want to participants of Congress, particularly Democratic management, to get up for them,” one staffer stated. “For any of that union-busting to occur can be a tragic, unhappy factor for our celebration.”

  • Kimberly Guilfoyle Meets With Jan. 6 Committee

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Kimberly Guilfoyle, the fiancée of former President Donald Trump’s eldest son, met with the Space committee investigating the U.S. Capitol riot Monday — greater than a month after she hastily ended a voluntary interview with lawmakers — in keeping with an individual accustomed to the topic.

    Guilfoyle, 53, arrived Monday morning on the federal workplace development on Capitol Hill the place the committee has been carrying out its digital and in-person interviews to sit down down with lawmakers, in keeping with the one who spoke to The Related Press at the situation of anonymity to talk about personal testimony.

    The committee investigating the assault had asked testimony and data from Guilfoyle, who spoke on the rally Trump held at the White Space Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021, prior to the insurrection on the Capitol geared toward overturning Trump’s election loss. Lawmakers say that Guilfoyle, who was once a chair of the Trump Victory Committee, the fundraising arm of his marketing campaign, additionally raised finances for the rally and was once in direct touch with its key individuals and organizers.

    Individuals of the nine-member panel issued a subpoena to Guilfoyle final month after she minimize the voluntary interview brief over her objection to the presence of lawmakers. The committee’s choice to subpoena her was once extraordinary, as lawmakers have attempted to herald maximum individuals of Trump’s circle of relatives on a voluntary foundation.

    Joe Tacopina, an lawyer representing Guilfoyle, didn’t reply to a request for remark Monday however has up to now said that his shopper “has completed not anything flawed,” and can testify in truth to any query.

    The committee has stated it has won plenty of the paperwork it to begin with asked from Guilfoyle however is now taking a look to be told extra about her conferences with the previous president and individuals of his circle of relatives within the Oval Administrative center the morning of the assault.

    “Ms. Guilfoyle met with Donald Trump within the White Space, spoke on the rally that happened prior to the insurrection on January sixth, and it sounds as if performed a key function organizing and elevating finances for that match,” Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee’s Democratic chairman, stated in a March 3 remark.

    Guilfoyle’s look is the newest in a sequence of sit-down interviews the committee has performed with the ones in Trump’s inside circle previously few weeks. On Tuesday, Stephen Miller, who served as a best aide to Trump, was once wondered just about for 8 hours.

    The previous president’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner have additionally spoken to the committee previously month, offering hours of testimony that individuals have cited as useful to their probe.