Get ready for the crazy
We are extremely fortunate that the Democrats retained control of the Senate. Had they not, we would be subject to all sorts of ridiculous legislation from the Republicans. As it stands, they can propose all they want, but it has to get past the Senate, where it will hopefully be stopped in its tracks.
According to Newsweek, Republicans want to defund the FBI and the DOJ. Aren’t these the same people who were up in arms about defunding the police? If they think local police more important than these two federal agencies, they know very little about government. They want to go after Christopher Wray, who was installed by Donald Trump, because he’s leading the investigation into Trump’s theft of classified documents. Never mind that Trump had no business taking those documents or that the documents being in the wrong hands is a distinct danger to the country. Republicans show time and again that they care very little about this country.
How Republicans plan to accomplish this ridiculous feat shows just how out of touch they are. They want to reinstate the Holman Rule, which the National Federation of Federal Employees describe as “planting the seeds of corruption.” The rule is old as dirt-the late 1800s-and was abolished in 1983. The rule gives individual members of the House the ability to amend appropriations bills. Specifically, it allows for amendments that will reduce salaries or even termination of certain federal employees. House members should not have such power, especially over agencies that oversee the safety of this country. Everyone knows why they want to defund the FBI. Republicans see the current investigation as “retaliation” against Trump for trying to overturn the 2020 election. What Trump did was wrong, yet these crazy Republicans would have us believe otherwise. There was no fraud in the 2020 election, and the only things Trump accomplished with his lies was an attack on the Capitol and chaos across the country.
Newsweek reported that if Republicans are successful, they could well jeopardize investigations into and criminal indictments against Trump. The Washington Post reported several months ago that reinstatement of this rule would likely defund all investigations and prosecutions stemming from the January 6, 2021 insurrection. Republicans like to think of themselves as the party of law and order, but they are anything but, especially when it relates to their hero. They may well move “full steam ahead” with this idea, but they will have to get past the Democratic-controlled Senate, which will likely laugh them off the floor.
It is unlikely that the Holman Rule will ever be reinstated, especially if Democrats control the Senate. The problem, however, is that Republicans will beat this dead horse and prevent other, necessary legislation from passing while they fight for something that not only has no useful purpose but will do no more than waste time, energy, and taxpayer money. We may be stuck with them for now, but it is obvious that more people have tired of the Republicans’ games. If they continue the path they are currently on, we won’t have to worry about them much longer.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years