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Tuesday, September 9, 2025
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William Upton
Economy

Biden Added Nearly One Million Fewer Jobs in Final Year than Previously Reported.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. economy added nearly one million fewer jobs than previously reported in the final year of the Biden government, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s (BLS) annual benchmark revision for April 2024 to March 2025.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The BLS, former President Joe Biden, President Donald J. Trump, and the Federal Reserve.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The annual revision was released by the BLS on Tuesday, September 9, 2025.

🎯IMPACT: The revisions suggest the American economy has been contracting since early last year—possibly even entering a recession beginning in the final year of Biden’s presidential term.

IN FULL

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Tuesday released its annual benchmark jobs report revision, revising downward the total number of jobs created between April 2024 and March 2025 by a shocking 911,000. This revision, accounting mostly for the final year of the former Biden government, means the monthly job growth number for much of 2024 stood at only 71,000 per month, instead of the initially reported average of 147,000 per month.

Notably, the benchmark revision indicates the labor market was significantly weakening well before President Donald J. Trump imposed significant global tariffs, and  fuels concerns that the Federal Reserve has based its interest rate policy on faulty economic data for well over a year. In addition, the latest BLS data follows its prior revision from April 2023 to March 2024, which saw 818,000 fewer jobs created than initially reported. The two annual revisions, when combined, show labor market growth in the final two years of the Biden government was overestimated by nearly two million jobs.

The new employment data, coming on the heels of last month’s jobs numbers showing that only 22,000 jobs were added to the economy in August, will only increase pressure on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates. More troubling, however, is that the revisions suggest the American economy has been contracting since early last year—possibly even being in a recession beginning in the final year of Biden’s presidential term.

While annual revisions to the BLS jobs data are commonplace, significant back-to-back revisions are unusual and give credence to President Trump’s criticism of the agency’s accuracy and methodology when measuring the U.S. labor market. On August 1 of this year, Trump dismissed Dr. Erika McEntarfer as the bureau’s commissioner and questioned the BLS’s credibility following a series of month-to-month downward revisions.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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44 minutes ago
News
Religion

‘Sharia Patrols’ in Texas Demand Alcohol, Pork Sales Halt.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Houston-area imam has launched a campaign to pressure Muslim-owned stores to cease selling pork, alcohol, and lottery tickets.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Imam F. Qasim ibn Ali Khan of Masjid At-Tawhid, affiliated with the Nation of Islam, and Muslim-owned businesses in Houston, Texas.

📍WHEN & WHERE: September 2025, Houston, Texas.

💬KEY QUOTE: “This is how Sharia zones take root.” – Amy Mekelburg of the RAIR Foundation

🎯IMPACT: The campaign has triggered debate over religious freedom, legal norms, and concerns about the emergence of ‘Sharia patrols’ in the U.S.

IN FULL

A Houston-based imam is sparking controversy after launching a national campaign aimed at pressuring Muslim-owned businesses to stop selling products considered forbidden under Islamic law, including pork, alcohol, and lottery tickets.

Imam F. Qasim ibn Ali Khan of Masjid At-Tawhid has been recorded confronting Muslim business owners, accusing them of violating Islamic principles by stocking “haram” products. In one viral video, Khan is seen rebuking a store employee, stating, “We’re kicking off a national protest and demonstration campaign against all Muslim businesses that have haram in their stores.”

The imam warned that those who refuse to comply could face public protests and economic boycotts. While his campaign is currently focused on Houston, Khan says it will expand across America.

Critics have drawn comparisons to so-called “Sharia patrols” that have appeared in parts of Europe, where Islamic hardliners have attempted to enforce religious rules in public spaces, sometimes violently. “This is how Sharia zones take root,” said Amy Mekelburg of the RAIR Foundation. “Shops were threatened, women harassed, and neighborhoods turned into Sharia-enforced zones [in Europe]. Now the same tactics are emerging in Houston, openly, on camera.”

Khan insists his campaign is peaceful and lawful, describing it as a form of da’wah, or religious outreach. It emerges amid rising tensions in Texas over Islamic influence. Earlier this year, the state blocked construction of the proposed Islamic “EPIC City” near Dallas, which was advertised as a self-sustaining Muslim community. Governor Greg Abbott responded strongly, posting on X: “To be clear, Sharia law is not allowed in Texas. Nor are Sharia cities. Nor are ‘no-go zones’ which this project seems to imply.”

Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-Chief of The National Pulse, warned against such areas being established in the 2017 book No Go Zones.

Image by Cory Doctorow.

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2 hours ago
William Upton
Economy

Trump Ramps Up Pressure on Powell to Cut Rates Ahead of Pivotal Fed Meeting.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump renewed pressure on the Federal Reserve to slash interest rates on Tuesday, citing experts criticizing the central bank’s handling of rates and calling for significant reforms.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, Jay Hatfield—CEO and Portfolio Manager of Infrastructure Capital Advisors, Greg Faranello—Executive Director of AmeriVet Securities, and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Tuesday, September 9, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “They don’t believe that money supply matters, it’s like the Pope not believing in Jesus.” – Jay Hatfield

🎯IMPACT: The criticism highlights growing concerns about the Federal Reserve’s approach to monetary policy and its potential consequences for the U.S. economy.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday morning with renewed criticism of the Federal Reserve and its chairman, Jerome Powell. The America First leader cited comments by Jay Hatfield, CEO and Portfolio Manager of Infrastructure Capital Advisors, and Gregory Faranello, Executive Director of AmeriVet Securities, who argue that the central bank’s incompetence—rather than its independence—is the paramount concern.

“If the Fed had followed what we published, they would have raised rates in early 2021. The entire Organization is broken. It needs to be fixed,” Trump, quoting Hatfield, wrote, continuing: “They need to use modern sources of information. We strongly disagree with Ken Griffin. We think Incompetence is more important than to defend theoretical independence. He (‘Too Late!’) has done a terrible job since he adapted a two target? It’s too low, it’s too rigid, they followed Data that’s years delayed.”

Again quoting Hatfield, President Trump wrote: “They don’t believe that money supply matters, it’s like the Pope not believing in Jesus.”

Following up on Hatfield’s call for significant structural and policy reform at the Federal Reserve, President Trump next pointed to Gregory Faranello’s prediction that the central bank will have to significantly slash interest rates over the next few months. Quoting Faranello, the Truth Social post reads: “Chair Powell was late to raise rates, they need to come down here, there’s no question about it. He’s dragging his feet. The Feds going to come down here 50, 75, Maybe 100.”

The National Pulse previously reported that Chairman Powell, during the Fed’s annual Jackson Hole conference in August, signalled the central bank would likely move to cut interest rates at the September meeting of its Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). While a 25 basis point (bps) cut appears to be the Wall Street consensus, jobs reports—which indicate a significant slowdown in the U.S. labor market—could push the central bank toward a 50bps cut. Some project rates could come down by as much as 100bps by year’s end or early next year.

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3 hours ago
Breaking
War

BREAKING: Israel Just Bombed Qatar.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Multiple explosions were reported in Doha, Qatar, with Israeli officials confirming they have carried out assassination attempts targeting Hamas leaders in the Gulf state.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Senior Hamas officials, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the Israel Security Agency (ISA), and Qatar.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Tuesday in the Katara District of Doha, Qatar.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The IDF and ISA conducted a precise strike targeting the senior leadership of the Hamas terrorist organization,” the IDF confirmed in a statement shared on social media.

🎯IMPACT: Israel carrying out an attack in one of the Middle East’s wealthiest Gulf states is a significant escalation, and could draw a fierce reaction from Turkey and other regional powers with strong economic and financial ties to the Qataris.

IN FULL

Explosions rocked the Katara District of Doha, the capital of Qatar, on Tuesday. According to Israeli officials, the blasts formed part of an assassination plot aimed at high-ranking Hamas members residing in the wealthy Gulf state.

“The IDF and ISA [Israel Security Agency] conducted a precise strike targeting the senior leadership of the Hamas terrorist organization,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed in a statement shared on social media.

“For years, these members of the Hamas leadership have led the terrorist organization’s operations, are directly responsible for the brutal October 7 massacre, and have been orchestrating and managing the war against the State of Israel,” the Israeli statement continued.

It added: “Prior to the strike, measures were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and additional intelligence,” warning that the “IDF and ISA will continue to operate with determination in order to defeat the Hamas terrorist organization responsible for the October 7 massacre.”

The attacks represent a massive escalation of Israel’s military operations in the Middle East, which have hitherto been mainly limited to its immediate neighbors and rogue states such as Iran and Houthi-controlled Yemen. Qatar is an extremely wealthy Gulf state, with strong economic and financial ties to regional powers such as Turkey, and also hosts Western bases operated by the United States and the United Kingdom.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry has responded to the attack, calling it a “criminal assault” and “blatant violation of all international laws and norms [that] poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar.”

Image by Flashpacker Travelguide.

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4 hours ago
News
World

Africa Demands Reparations From Britain.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The African Union has joined a Caribbean campaign to demand reparations from Britain for slavery and colonialism.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The African Union, Caribbean leaders, and former colonial powers such as Britain, France, Portugal, Spain, Germany, and Belgium.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The call was made during a summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in September 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: African Union Commission Chairman Mahamoud Ali Youssouf stated that Africa and the Caribbean would work together to “honour our ancestors, to uplift our descendants and reclaim our shared destiny in freedom, justice and unity.”

🎯IMPACT: The African Union plans to formulate its own reparations demands, following the Caribbean’s call for trillions in compensation.

IN FULL

The African Union (AU) has formally joined forces with Caribbean nations in a renewed demand for reparations from former colonial powers, including Britain. The call was made during a high-level summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, Chairman of the African Union Commission, claimed that the legacy of colonialism continues to impact development, economic inequality, and political sovereignty across the so-called Global South, despite hundreds of billions in foreign aid from the West. Youssouf stated that Africa and the Caribbean would work together to “honour our ancestors, to uplift our descendants and reclaim our shared destiny in freedom, justice and unity.”

There appears to be no parallel effort to extract reparations from the Arab nations and Turkey, despite centuries of Islamic slavery, imperialism, and exploitation in North Africa and East Africa, stamped out largely throught the efforts of Britain and other Western countries.

The African Union is building on efforts by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which for over a decade has campaigned for reparations through its “10-point plan.” The plan includes calls for financial compensation, formal apologies, debt cancellation, investment in education and health, and the return of certain cultural artifacts. However, some are questioning the alliance between the African Union and CARICOM against Europe, considering many African nations profited immensely from selling people into slavery in the Caribbean and North and South America themselves.

In the United States, Democrat lawmakers also recently reintroduced a resolution calling for reparations for black Americans. The proposal calls for trillions of dollars in federal compensation to address racial disparities in wealth, education, health, and housing.

Meanwhile, Haiti has renewed its call for reparations from France, specifically for the 1825 indemnity it was forced to pay in exchange for its independence, following a violent revolution that saw most of the island’s white population slaughtered. Haitian leaders argue that symbolic and financial redress is still necessary to correct historical wrongs, despite having already received extensive assistance over many years.

Image by Rick Willoughby.

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5 hours ago
Media
Sports

BBC: Wanting to Stop Boats Filled With Illegal Migrants Is Racist.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The BBC faced backlash after a post accusing the “Stop the Boats” campaign against illegal immigration of being racist was published on their live coverage of an England vs Andorra football (soccer) match.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The BBC, Refom Party lawmaker Lee Anderson, Defund the BBC Campaign Director Rebecca Ryan, England football fans, and social media users.

📍WHEN & WHERE: During England’s 2-0 victory over Andorra at Villa Park in Birmingham.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The BBC need to stick to the day job rather than trying to stoke up more division.” – Lee Anderson

🎯IMPACT: The incident sparked criticism of the BBC for failing to meet its legal requirements to remain impartial, and renewed calls to defund the state broadcaster.

IN FULL

The BBC is facing renewed backlash after a controversial post accusing the anti-illegal immigration “Stop the Boats” campaign of racism was published during live coverage of England‘s 2-0 soccer victory over Andorra. The live update, titled ‘No sign of racist post,’ stated, “Thankfully there’s no sign of the ‘Stop The Boats’ flags that were being offered to supporters outside. Having a scan round the stadium now, I can’t see any.”

A BBC spokesman claimed the post was a draft “accidentally published” before going through editorial checks. “It was identified and removed immediately,” the spokesman said. However, critics say it is a sign of the public broadcaster’s institutional bias. Notably, the public broadcaster is funded through a compulsory license fee enforced through criminal fines backed by the threat of imprisonment, and therefore legally required to be politically impartial.

“The BBC need to stick to the day job rather than trying to stoke up more division,” said Lee Anderson, a Member of Parliament (MP) and Chief Whip for Nigel Farage’s Reform Party.

Rebecca Ryan, Director of Defund the BBC, defended the public’s right to oppose illegal immigration without being branded racist. “Wanting secure borders and fairness for taxpayers has nothing to do with skin color, it’s about law, order, and common sense,” she said.

Earlier this year, the broadcaster was found to have breached its own editorial guidelines more than 1,500 times in just a few weeks of coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. In July, a BBC documentary titled Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone was pulled after it was revealed that the main interviewee, a 13-year-old boy, was the son of a senior Hamas official, a fact omitted from the film.

Hostility to conservative viewpoints is deeply entrenched in soccer, with Rangers Football Club being charged with racism by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) in March after fans displayed a banner during a Europa League match that read, “Keep woke foreign ideologies out—defend Europe.” Officials who branded this “racist and discriminatory.”

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16 hours ago
Crime
News

Trump Slams Soft Justice After Homeless Career Criminal Kills Ukrainian Refugee.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Ukrainian woman, Iryna Zarutska, 23, was brutally stabbed to death on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina, by Decarlos Brown, 35.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The victim, Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, and the suspect, Decarlos Brown, a homeless man with a criminal record.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The attack occurred on August 22, 2025, aboard a South End light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina.

💬KEY QUOTE: “What the hell was he doing riding the train, and walking the streets? Criminals like this need to be LOCKED UP.” – Donald Trump

🎯IMPACT: The horrific murder and the corporate media’s relative silence on it has sparked public outrage.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump has condemned the brutal killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska as “horrible,” signaling possible federal action in response to the deadly attack. Trump’s remarks come as outrage grows over the senseless murder and what many view as a failure of Democrat-led policies in cities like Charlotte, North Carolina.

Zarutska, 23, was stabbed to death on August 22 while riding a train in Charlotte. The attack, caught on surveillance video, shows 35-year-old Decarlos Brown, a repeat offender with a lengthy criminal record, lunging at her from behind without provocation. Brown, whose criminal history includes convictions for armed robbery and assault, had been released earlier this year without bail—a policy President Trump has often railed against. Brown was arrested shortly after the stabbing and is currently being held without bond on a first-degree murder charge.

“I have seen the horrific video of a beautiful, young Ukrainian refugee, who came to America to escape the vicious War in Ukraine, and was innocently riding the Metro in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she was brutally ambushed by a mentally deranged lunatic,” Trump commented on social media.

“The perpetrator was a well known career criminal, who had been previously arrested and released on CASHLESS BAIL in January, a total of 14 TIMES. What the hell was he doing riding the train, and walking the streets?” he demanded. “Criminals like this need to be LOCKED UP.”

The America First leader added that the “blood of this innocent woman can literally be seen dripping from the killer’s knife” in the video, “and now her blood is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail, including Former Disgraced Governor and ‘Wannabe Senator’ Roy Cooper. North Carolina, and every State, needs LAW AND ORDER, and only Republicans will deliver it!”

He then demanded, “[W]here is the outrage from the Mainstream Media on this horrible tragedy?

Many conservatives have highlighted the slaying as a prime example of failed soft-on-crime policies. The President has strenuously criticized the Democrats over violent crime in recent weeks, federalizing the police in Washington, D.C., and deploying National Guard troops and federal law enforcement, and threatening to do the same in Chicago, Illinois, and other crime-ridden, Democrat-run cities.

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17 hours ago
News
War

Kremlin Responds to Trump Sanctions Threat.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Russia has dismissed the impact of potential sanctions from the Trump administration, insisting that they will not change Russia’s course of action in Ukraine.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED:  The United States, the Trump administration, Russia, Ukraine, and Russian spokesman Dmitry Petrov.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Peskov reacted to future tariff threats in Moscow on September 8.

💬KEY QUOTE:  “No sanctions will be able to force the Russian Federation to change the consistent position that our president has repeatedly spoken about,” Peskov said.

🎯IMPACT: The comments come as President Donald  J. Trump continues trying to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

IN FULL

Russia has dismissed the possibility that any level of Western sanctions will force it to alter its course in the war against Ukraine, following a renewed warning from U.S. President Donald Trump about a potential second wave of penalties.

“No sanctions will be able to force the Russian Federation to change the consistent position that our president has repeatedly spoken about,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday, disregarding Western outrage over a recent wave of deadly air strikes.

The remarks came just days after Russia launched its largest aerial assault of the war, firing at least 805 drones and 13 missiles at cities across Ukraine. The main government building in central Kiev was hit for the first time since the conflict began in 2022. Four people were reportedly killed in the strike, including a three-month-old baby.

Trump responded by warning that additional sanctions against Russia were on the table. Though he did not provide details on what the “second stage” of sanctions would include, he confirmed that discussions with European leaders are underway this week in Washington to coordinate further responses. Trump also indicated he plans to speak directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin “soon.”

At the same time, Trump has taken the unprecedented step of endorsing Ukrainian strikes inside Russian territory. In an August 21 post, the president said it was “very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invader’s country,” comparing Ukraine’s situation to a sports team that is forced to play only defense. The comments mark a significant departure from past U.S. policy, which has previously been more cautious about Ukrainian military actions beyond its borders.

Trump’s sanctions approach has also expanded beyond Russia, targeting nations that continue to buy Russian oil. Earlier this year, the U.S. doubled tariffs on India for its continued energy trade with Moscow. The move increased tariffs from 25 percent to 50 percent, with Trump accusing India of ignoring the human cost of the war in Ukraine. “They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine,” he said.

The Trump administration is reportedly considering similar economic penalties against other major buyers of Russian oil, including China, as part of a broader effort to choke off funding for the Kremlin’s war effort. Senior U.S. officials have hinted that secondary sanctions may be imposed on firms and countries that help Russia bypass restrictions on its energy exports.

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17 hours ago
NatSec

Two FEMA Staffers Were Just Fired for the Most Disturbing Reasons.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Two Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees were terminated following an internal investigation that revealed they engaged in explicit online conversations and accessed inappropriate material on government systems.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Two FEMA employees, including one from the IT Services Division and another from the Environmental Historic Preservation office in Alabama, and the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Insider Threat Operations Center (ITOC).

📍WHEN & WHERE: The incidents occurred in August 2025, with investigations conducted at FEMA’s Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center near Bluemont, Virginia.

💬KEY QUOTE: “These individuals had access to critical information and intelligence and were entrusted to safeguard Americans from emergencies—and instead they were consuming pornography. In at least one case the pornography consumed was racially charged and involved bestiality.” — DHS Secretary Kristi Noem

🎯IMPACT: The investigation highlights significant security and ethical breaches within FEMA, an agency tasked with safeguarding national emergencies.

IN FULL

The Trump administration has fired two federal employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following an internal investigation that revealed they had engaged in sexually explicit online conversations and accessed inappropriate material while at work. The probe, conducted by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Insider Threat Operations Center (ITOC), uncovered significant misconduct involving both employees.

One employee, a member of FEMA’s IT Services Division with top-secret security clearance, was found using Facebook Messenger on the agency’s unclassified network to exchange explicit messages with a presumed foreign national in the Philippines. Investigators discovered these conversations spanned several days in August 2025 and included plans to visit the Philippines. Monitoring also revealed the employee accessed travel-related websites for locations in the Philippines.

In a separate case, an Environmental Protection Specialist was caught accessing pornography sites on FEMA’s unclassified network and engaging in explicit chats with multiple users. The employee also uploaded inappropriate images during these chats, further breaching workplace standards and security protocols. Both employees worked at FEMA’s Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center in Virginia, a facility designed to protect the nation during emergencies, including terror attacks and nuclear threats.

“These individuals had access to critical information and intelligence and were entrusted to safeguard Americans from emergencies—and instead they were consuming pornography. In at least one case the pornography consumed was racially charged and involved bestiality,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in a statement. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are cleaning house at FEMA to make this dysfunctional agency work for the American people the way that it was intended. For decades some of these bureaucrats engaged in every act imaginable instead of safeguarding the American people from natural disasters. That ends now.”

Image by Bill Koplitz.

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18 hours ago
Politics

Is Thune Finally Standing Up to Dem Obstruction?

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) will move to alter Senate rules this week to allow President Donald J. Trump’s political appointees to be confirmed in large batches to circumvent unprecedented Democratic obstructionism.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans, President Donald Trump, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The U.S. Senate, ongoing through the Trump administration, with procedural changes proposed this week.

💬KEY QUOTE: “When the Senate convenes this week, I will begin the necessary procedural steps to reform the Senate’s rules. No party should be able to weaponize the confirmation process the way that Senate Democrats are doing now, in a way that has never been done before.” – John Thune

🎯IMPACT: Hundreds of vacancies remain in federal agencies, delaying the implementation of the administration’s agenda and consuming valuable Senate time. The rule change could help to quickly clear the backlog of nominees.

IN FULL

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) announced on Monday that he intends to amend the Senate rules to clear the backlog of President Donald J. Trump‘s political appointments and end Democratic Party obstructionism aimed at preventing the America First leader from executing his electoral mandate. According to Senator Thune, nominees to serve in the Trump administration will now be considered in large batches, instead of individually. The South Dakota Republican notes that, unlike under any prior President, Democrats have prevented simple voice votes and forced lengthy up-or-down votes on each individual Trump appointee.

“When the Senate convenes this week, I will begin the necessary procedural steps to reform the Senate’s rules. No party should be able to weaponize the confirmation process the way that Senate Democrats are doing now, in a way that has never been done before,” Thune wrote on Monday. He continued: “This total obstruction simply cannot be the standard moving forward—both in principle and in practicality. We must return to the Senate’s traditional confirmation process that existed before this unprecedented blockade.”

The Democratic Party’s obstructionism has forced the Senate, Leader Thune says, to have “taken more votes than any Senate has at this point in more than 35 years. We’ve taken more roll call votes in eight months than most Senates take in 12.” Notably, while Congress usually vacates Washington, D.C. in the summer, the Senate remained in session into August to continue appointee confirmations.

“We’ve also spent more hours in session through August than any Senate in more than 15 years. All that to be slightly behind pace of the last two administrations’ confirmation rates,” Thune notes.

Shockingly, the Senate Majority Leader revealed that if the upper legislative chamber does not move to confirm nominees in batches, the Democratic Party’s obstructionism would require “than 600 additional roll call votes to clear the nominees who are currently in the pipeline.” Additionally, Thune contends that without batch confirmations, there would likely be hundreds of vacancies for appointed positions by the time President Trump’s term of office ends.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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