Bless Your Heart - Congress waits on Georgia Senate verdict

GOP split deepens over President's push to object to electoral votes

The Senate is on the line in Georgia. Trump electoral vote fight further divides the GOP. "Deep fakes" are still okay. And election reform is again the top priority for House Democrats. This is "Regular Order" for January 5, 2021.

GEORGIA SENATE SHOWDOWN. After an extraordinary runoff campaign, voters in Georgia will determine today (hopefully) which party controls the U.S. Senate in 2021. Republicans can lose power only if Democrats defeat both Sen. Kelly Loeffler and ex-Sen. David Perdue (his term expired on Sunday). The campaign has been dominated by President Trump's charges of election fraud, which have been repeatedly - and very publicly - rejected by Georgia's Republican Secretary of State.

• TRUMP DIVIDE SHARPENS IN GOP. The electoral vote divide is growing among Republicans in Congress. For example, Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) says blocking electoral votes from swing states would 'thwart the will of the voters.' Meanwhile, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) claimed vote results were deliberately manipulated, but offered no evidence. House GOP lawmakers are ready to object to final results from Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Democrats will be unified on Wednesday. Republicans will not.

  Sen. Kevin Cramer @SenKevinCramer

  I cannot in good conscience cast a vote to disenfranchise millions of Americans by overturning the Electoral College results in these states without sufficient evidence or clear constitutional authority.

HOUSE APPROVES RULES CHANGES. Over the strong objections of Republicans, the House voted along party lines Monday to pass a series of rules changes for the 117th Congress. Republicans tried but failed to force the creation of a special committee to investigate the 2020 elections. And the GOP hotly criticized a new rule ending one of their favorite parliamentary tactics, the offering of last-minute floor amendments to House bills - which often put Democratic lawmakers on the spot.

• MANIPULATED MEDIA STILL OK. We told you last week about the rules change sought by Democrats to crack down on members who send out altered photos, video, or audio. But facing criticism over the move to rein in "Deep Fakes,” Democrats will instead let the Ethics Committee study the issue. So for now, it's not an ethics violation for lawmakers and staff in the House to blast out fake or altered videos and photos attacking their political adversaries.

HOUSE REMOTE VOTING AGAIN APPROVED. Republicans on Monday denounced the continuation of remote floor voting for lawmakers because of the Coronavirus outbreak. "If Congress can be first in line for the vaccine," said Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR), "then we must be first to go back to work." But even as Speaker Pelosi reauthorized proxy voting, she warned lawmakers to do better when it comes to social distancing on the floor of the House. (Translation - stand apart.)

• LAWMAKER GETS COVID AFTER VACCINE. Despite getting the first of two shots of the new Coronavirus vaccine, the office of Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) announced Monday that the Texas Republican had tested positive for the virus. Granger was said to be asymptomatic, but it again raised questions about virus protocols for Congress. If you think it's tough to distance with 435 House members, just wait for the Joint Session of Congress on Wednesday.

DEMS UNVEIL H.R. 1. On the eve of the Georgia elections, Speaker Pelosi and top Democrats again made the first bill of Congress about election reform, the "For The People Act." At 791 pages, the bill is 85 pages longer than the version which passed the House last Congress. Among the many provisions, it would require "uniform availability of absentee voting to all voters." Here’s a 26 page summary.

• D.C. STATEHOOD. Again this Congress, H.R. 51 will be a bill to give statehood to the District of Columbia, as it was introduced with 202 co-sponsors in the House. Last year's vote was the first time the House had approved such a plan, and it seems certain to be on the House floor again in the 117th Congress.

MEDAL OF FREEDOM TO NUNES. President Trump on Monday awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), the former Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. In a lengthy statement, the President said "Nunes pursued the Russia Hoax at great personal risk and never stopped standing up for the truth.” There was no mention of the failed lawsuit filed by Nunes against a cow account on Twitter which repeatedly mocked him.

THE MUSE OF HISTORY. Twelve years ago, on January 5, 2009, Senate officials said they would not seat Democrat Roland Burris to replace Barack Obama in the Senate, amid questions about the appointment by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Burris took his Senate seat a few weeks later, but was later publicly admonished by the Senate Ethics Committee for misleading answers about why he was appointed. Blagojevich later went to jail over the matter. His sentence was commuted by President Trump.

UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:

House meets at 12 noon to consider bills under suspension of the rules.

Senate meets next on Wednesday.

President Trump is in Washington.

Follow me on Twitter @jamiedupree

Email me at jamiedupree@substack.com

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“Conference reports may be brought up at any time. Any further program will be announced later.”