WASHINGTON WIRE 02/19/2021

 

Rush Limbaugh, the king of conservative radio who had "talent on loan from God," passed away on Wednesday at 70. While liberals celebrated, one House Republican introduced a resolution to honor his life and legacy. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden stayed busy pursuing his liberal agenda, with the White House signaling he’s open to the idea of providing reparations and plans to take "comprehensive action to address the systemic racism that persists today."   The president also unveiled a massive new immigration bill that advances the goals of the Democrat Party by reducing the pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens to just eight years. Former President Donald Trump also popped up, ripping Biden as "mentally gone" for claiming there were no COVID-19 vaccines when he took office. And Trump played coy when asked if he plans to run again in 2024. But Democratic lawmakers are still mad, with one introducing a bill dubbed "No Glory for Hate" that would bar Trump from being buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Here's your latest installment of Washington Wire.

1. “Talent On Loan From God”

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images   Conservative radio icon Rush Limbaugh passed away on Wednesday morning at age 70 following a year-long battle with lung cancer.   "We, the Limbaugh family, are deeply saddened to announced that our beloved Rush has died," Limbaugh’s wife, Kathryn Adams Limbaugh, said in a post on her husband’s Facebook account. "Rush Hudson Limbaugh III will forever be the greatest of all time, a courageous, brilliant gentle giant and radio pioneer. Our entire family is so thankful to everyone who prayed and cared for Rush, especially the audience he adored. Rush’s love for our country, and for all of you, will live on eternally."   Limbaugh’s "The Rush Limbaugh Show" first aired in 1988 and spent 33 years on the air, growing from being nationally syndicated with 56 radio stations to more than 600 stations with up to nearly 27 million weekly listeners.   "I wasn’t expected to be alive today," Limbaugh said in his final radio broadcast of 2020. "I wasn’t expected to make it to October, and then to November, and then to December. And yet, here I am, and today, got some problems, but I’m feeling pretty good today."

2. Remembering Rush

MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images   After Limbaugh's passing, Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) introduced a resolution honoring the life and legacy of the famed conservative talk radio host.   "Rush Limbaugh’s importance to the conservative movement cannot be overstated," Lamborn told The Daily Wire. "This is why I introduced a resolution highlighting his numerous achievements and his remarkable life. Liberals often criticized his jests and words with anger and without acknowledging his free speech rights. Rush Limbaugh was a patriot, and his voice will truly be missed. His legacy will not be forgotten."   The resolution concludes: "Whereas Rush Limbaugh passed away on February 17, 2021, and it is fitting that the House of Representatives recognize him for his career and contributions to radio broadcasting and the conservative movement: Now, therefore, be it resolved that the House of Representatives honors the life and legacy of Rush Limbaugh; and commends Rush Limbaugh for inspiring millions of radio listeners and for his devotion to our country."

3. Biden Open To Considering Reparations

JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images   White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki signaled on Wednesday that President Joe Biden is open to considering racial reparations depending on the actions of Congress, promising that the president is committed to taking "comprehensive action to address the systemic racism that persists today."   Racial reparations is a widely unpopular proposal in the United States which, even immediately following the racially charged death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, only 20% of Americans supported.   Psaki made the remarks during an exchange with a reporter who brought up that Biden said during his campaign that he supported a study for reparations. “Does the President support the legislation?” the reporter asked. "He stopped short of saying that during the campaign. Would he sign that if it came to his desk?"   "Well, he’s supported a study of reparations, which is I believe is what’s being discussed, and studying the continuing impacts of slavery, which is being discussed in this hearing on H.R. 40, I believe it is," Psaki responded. "And he continues to demonstrate his commitment to take comprehensive action to address the systemic racism that persists today. Obviously, that is — having that study is a part of that, but he has signed an executive order on his first day, which would begin to deliver on his commitment to having an across-government approach to addressing racial inequality and making sure equity is a part of his entire policy agenda."

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4. Opening The Floodgates

PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images   Biden on Thursday unveiled a massive new immigration bill that advances the goals of the Democrat Party, ranging from altering legal terms to providing a pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens. Leftwing activists are already calling on Democrats to eliminate the filibuster if Republicans do not support the bill in order to ram the bill through without bipartisan support.   The bill will face stiff opposition as Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi only has a five-vote margin to work with and the Senate is tied at 50-50, with the tie breaker going to Vice President Kamala Harris.   The bill includes a proposed reduction of a 13-year pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens to just eight years. The bill also removes the legal term “alien” from U.S. immigration laws and replaces it with “noncitizen,” part of a larger move to minimize the crime of unlawfully entering the United States.   The bill also sends billions of American taxpayer dollars to Latin America in what Biden claims is an effort to address the root causes of illegal immigration to the U.S. Critics often point to America’s lax immigration laws and economic/welfare incentives, known as “magnets,” as a major contributing factor in what draws massive waves of migrants to the U.S. border.

5. Trump Rips “Mentally Gone” Biden Over Vaccines

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images   Former President Trump on Wednesday blasted Biden for his “dumb statement” during a CNN town hall this week when he claimed no COVID-19 vaccine existed before he took office. "I saw that he said there was no vaccine when he came into office, and yet he got a shot before he came into office," Trump said on Newsmax’s "Greg Kelly Reports." "It was already in early November when we announced it, but we actually had it substantially before that. We were giving millions of shots and millions of doses." Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, the first in the U.S., was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization (EUA) on Dec. 11. The FDA on Dec. 18 also approved Moderna’s EUA request. "So he’s either not telling a truth, or he’s mentally gone, one or the other," Trump said. "Could he be joking? Because, frankly, that was a very dumb statement.”

6. “Won’t Say Yet” If He’s Running In 2024

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images   Meanwhile, the former president didn’t rule out another run for the White House.   "It’s too early to say, but I see a lot of great polls out there. We have tremendous support," Trump said in the Newsmax interview. "I won’t say yet, but I have tremendous support, and I’m looking at poll numbers that are through the roof."   "I’m the only guy who gets impeached and my numbers go up," he said.   Trump also said he was purposely "quiet" during Biden’s first few weeks in office. "I really wanted to be somewhat quiet,” he said. “It hasn’t been that quiet, frankly, but I wanted to be somewhat quiet."   And he hinted of a return to social media soon. "We’re negotiating with a number of people, and there’s also the other option of building your own site. I mean you can literally build your own site," he said, noting that he just might build his own platform.

7. The Hate Continues

Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images   Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill last month seeking to ban Trump from having federally funded statues, monuments, street names, or even park benches named after him or dedicated to commemorating his presidency. The legislation, dubbed "No Glory for Hate" would also bar Trump from being buried at Arlington National Cemetery.   Democrat Rep. Linda Sanchez of California introduced the bill, which has 13 Democrat co-sponsors.   In an apparent effort to skirt potential constitutional roadblocks, the “No Glory for Hate Act” does not expressly name President Trump. Instead, it seeks to implement the restrictions on “any former President that has been twice impeached by the House of Representatives.”   The legislation reads in part:   "[N]o Federal funds may be used to create or display any symbol, monument, or statue commemorating any former President that has been twice impeached by the House of Representatives on or before the date of enactment of this Act or has been convicted of a State or Federal crime relating to actions taken in an official capacity as President of the United States on Federal public land, including any highway, park, subway, Federal building, military installation, street, or other Federal property; or name, designate, or redesignate a Federal building or Federal land after, or in commemoration of, any former President that has been twice impeached by the House of Representatives on or before the date of enactment of this Act or has been convicted of a State or Federal crime relating to actions taken in an official capacity as President of the United States."

8. Meme Of The Week

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