The House of Representatives is gearing up for a slew of politically charged resolutions this week, delaying work on government funding bills ahead of the Nov. 17 deadline to avert a possible shutdown.
Three pieces of legislation were introduced as privileged resolutions on Thursday, just before House lawmakers jetted off for the weekend. Classifying resolutions as ‘privileged’ forces the House to take action on them within two legislative days.
One by Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., is aimed at expelling scandal-plagued Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., his fellow Long Island freshman lawmaker who pleaded not guilty to 10 new felony counts, including identity theft, on Friday.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., meanwhile, introduced a resolution to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., over her participation in an Israel-Gaza cease-fire rally outside the U.S. Capitol and inside a House office building earlier this month. Fox News Digital first reported that resolution on Tuesday.
She accused Tlaib of ‘antisemitic activity’ and told Fox News Digital earlier this week that she anticipates vast Republican support, and she called on Democrats to condemn Tlaib as well.
Greene herself is the target in another censure resolution, this one by Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt. Introducing it on the House floor Thursday, Balint accused Greene of having ‘repeatedly fanned the flames of racism, antisemitism, hate speech against the LGBTQ community, Islamophobia, Asian hate, xenophobia and other forms of hatred.’
The House is first likely to vote on whether to table the resolutions, which would effectively kill them, before voting on the resolutions themselves if the motion to table fails.
They will likely take them up on Wednesday when the House is back in session, or Thursday – taking up significant time next week when the House is meant to be working on its seven remaining appropriations bills.
‘Wasting time on pointless resolutions and censures accomplishes absolutely nothing other than quenching the insatiable thirst of some lawmakers to pursue political vendettas. But, of course, what do I know,’ one GOP aide told Fox News Digital.
Another GOP aide dismissed the move by their own party to expel Santos.
The aide called him an ’embarrassment’ who belongs ‘on the next HBO show about Congress’ but added, ‘there is other more important work to be done: securing the border, reining in reckless federal spending, and holding the Biden administration accountable.’