Cheney, who currently serves as chair of the House Republican Conference, made clear in her Tuesday night floor speech that she isn t backing down against the former president, despite the expected cost to her political ambitions in the House.
“Every one of us who has sworn the oath must act to prevent the unraveling of our democracy. This is not about policy. This is not about partisanship. This is about our duty as Americans, Cheney said.
ADVERTISEMENT Remaining silent and ignoring the lie emboldens the liar, Cheney continued. I will not participate in that. I will not sit back and watch in silence while others lead our party down a path that abandons the rule of law, and joins the former president s crusade to undermine our democracy.
“I think the fact that the president hasn’t met with the leaders of the House and the Senate on a bipartisan basis until now is pretty telling,” he said.
Cornyn, however, said how the meeting turns out is up to Biden and that Republicans are willing to cut a deal, although on a package costing only a fraction of what the White House has proposed.
“If he’s willing to work with us, we’re willing to work with him, but so far it’s been ‘my way or the highway,’” he added.
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Biden and McConnell have only spoken twice since the Jan. 20 inauguration, aides note. Biden called McConnell in late March to talk about infrastructure, and the two leaders spoke in February about the situation in Myanmar.
On the third point, however, she s held firm, saying the panel should focus squarely on the attack of Jan. 6. That s put her at odds with Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy
The debate is yet another proxy battle over the status and influence of former President Trump
Democrats, joined by 10 Republicans, had impeached Trump in January for inciting the Capitol attack, which was carried out by a mob of Trump supporters trying to block Congress s certification of his election defeat. A commission focused squarely on the attack is sure to highlight Trump s role and that of other Republicans in promoting the falsehood that the election was rigged.
Biden to host Sinema for meeting on infrastructure proposal thehill.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thehill.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Roy, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, pointed to Stefanik s past votes against the 2017 tax cut law and in support of Democratic bills to end former President Trump
Installing someone like Stefanik in GOP leadership, Roy argued, would undermine Republicans messaging against such policies heading into the 2022 midterm elections.
ADVERTISEMENT We must avoid putting in charge Republicans who campaign as Republicans but then vote for and advance the Democrats’ agenda once sworn in – that is, that we do not make the same mistakes we did in 2017, Roy wrote in a memo to his GOP colleagues. Therefore, with all due respect to my friend, Elise Stefanik, let us contemplate the message Republican leadership is about to send by rushing to coronate a spokesperson whose voting record embodies much of what led to the 2018 ass-kicking we received by Democrats, Roy continued.