Congress in Chaos: Misinformation and Misplaced Priorities
What happens when misinformation drives national security debates?
Aside from the election, the Texas Legislature has been quiet this week. The Texas House Select Study Committee on Sustainable Property Tax Relief has a hearing scheduled today, which I am watching. Depending on how long it goes, I will have the rundown for you later this afternoon or tomorrow.
Homeowners in Texas are acutely aware of the high property tax. Texas has the fifth highest property tax in America—even higher than California. Of course, this is the fault of the Republican Texas government, whose poor economic ideals consist of “cutting everything” and “paying for nothing.” In turn, most of the cost of education is passed on to counties. And schools have to be paid for, so that cost is passed on to homeowners.
It’s not only education. Every department in the Texas government is underfunded. During the last legislative session, I watched the Senate appropriation hearings. Every department begged for more money and talked about how they couldn’t keep staff because they paid half of what people could make in the private sector and had high turnover rates. Don’t even get me started on the technology. We’re way behind.
But before we get to everyone’s favorite topic of taxes, we need to discuss what the heck is happening in Washington, DC. It’s completely unhinged.
This is Congress’ last week in DC before the election, so too many are acting up and showing out. Yesterday, the House Homeland Security Committee held a “Full Committee Markup,” where they discuss and debate legislation before it goes to the floor. It was like a reality show. At this point, I’m expecting a second Sumner Caining at any moment.
I have clips and will tell you all about it, but first…
You must see this short clip with Texas Congressman Pat Fallon (R-TX04). Yesterday, Fallon chaired the Oversight Committee. For some reason, he wanted to pretend to be Batman whenever he said, “Project 2025.”
That’s weird, right? Maybe he was trying to distract us from the fact that Project 2025 will allow pregnant women or people with preexisting conditions to die. 🤷🏻♀️
What’s up with August Pfluger?
During the Full Committee Markup, he introduced HR 5729 to prevent federal funds from being used to establish any Homeland Intelligence Experts Group or similar groups within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
He said the reason for this bill was he was concerned that it was biased and lacked objectivity, citing the inclusion of John Brennan and James Clapper, who signed a discredited statement in 2020 alleging Russian disinformation in the Hunter Biden laptop story. He called the Russian interference in 2016 “a hoax” and inserted some misinformation about the border.
It’s mindblowing that a member of the Homeland Security Committee would be calling Russia’s 2016 interference “a hoax” despite the evidence and despite it now being 2024.
Further reading:
PBS: Senate panel finds Russia interfered in the 2016 US election
Senate Committee on Intelligence: Senate Intel Releases Election Security Findings in First Volume of Bipartisan Russia Report
FBI Most Wanted List: Russian Interference In 2016 US Elections
Shouldn’t a member of the Homeland Security Committee meeting know this?
Congressman Dan Goldman (D-NY) responded. He discussed how Project 2025 would remove nonpartisan experts from the political federal government. Then, he made these very important points:
The group of experts Pluger was referring to doesn’t exist anymore.
The bill would make it more difficult for Homeland Security to gather expert advice.
Pluger was driven by the letter 51 former intelligence officers signed in October 2020 about the Hunter Biden laptop, which he misquoted.
It was a hard drive, not a laptop.
The letter wasn’t misinformation because the source was Rudy Giuliani, who everyone knows was cavorting with Russian intelligence officers.
The entire intelligence community has definitively assessed that Russia interfered with the 2016 election.
August Pfluger was parroting misinformation and incorrect information to impune dignified and respected intelligence community members.
While Goldman makes many good points, we must be aware that August Pfluger was one of the 16 Congresspeople who tried to overturn the election on January 6. Passing bills like this, based on misinformation, would not only put national security at risk but also waste taxpayers’ money and Congresspeople’s time.
Goldman went on, pointing out how that directly impacted homeland security.
And then… the gaslighting queen.
Of course, Marjorie Taylor Greene was there because it makes perfect sense in the Republican world to put her on Homeland Security.
Listen at your own risk, but basically, she said everything true is a lie.
Luckily, there are enough common-sense Democrats like Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (D-IL) who recognized the long-term damages Pfluger’s bill would do.
Here is Goldman debunked all of Majorie Taylor Greene’s nonsense.
Hunter Biden’s magical penis.
Republicans have spent the last few years obsessed with the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop, which was a lot of nude photos and videos of Biden, sometimes with sex workers and drugs. The obsession has gone as far as Marjorie Taylor Greene whipping out pictures of Hunter Biden’s penis at an IRS whistleblower hearing.
During the 118th Congress, Republicans held several committee hearings regarding Biden’s 🍆 and other things on his laptop.
Here is Congressman Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) stating there was a poll that proved that if the American people knew Hunter Biden had nude pictures on their laptop, then Trump would have won in 2020.
The assertion was again repeated by Congressman Eli Cane (R-AZ).
It’s mind-blowing. We need to conduct our own poll.
What is this magical penis poll they spoke of? According to Politifact, it’s a big fat nothing burger. Despite it being a fabrication, we need to stop and think about how Republicans are legitimately going around saying that Hunter Biden’s penis would have changed the outcome of the election. It’s weird, right?
None of this matters.
No highly partisan bill has passed the Senate in the 118th, and it won’t happen now. Even if it passed the full house, it’s DOA in the Senate. So, why do it? Political games. Clips for Newsmax. Talking points for Fox. Which is why we have to vote them out in November.
Plenty of other things happened yesterday as the clock ticked down for what could be some of these Congresspeople’s last appearance.
Texas Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne inexplicitly admits that poverty in Texas has been much higher under a Republican government.
Thirty years ago, when poverty was much lower in Texas, Democrats ran the government. It’s all cause and effect.
As we barrel toward the election, it’s more apparent than ever that the stakes are astronomical.
The people sitting in those seats in Congress, the voices speaking in those hearings, and the ones pushing bills that threaten our national security or waste our time with bizarre obsessions are the same ones holding the future of this country in their hands.
While they play games for their base and scramble for soundbites, the rest of us are living the consequences. We’re here paying for their reckless governance with higher property taxes, an underfunded state, and the constant onslaught of misinformation. The only way to change this dynamic is at the ballot box, and that’s where we need to focus.
Vote early, vote often, just vote.
October 7: Last day to register to vote.
October 21: First day to early vote.
October 25: Last day to apply for a mail-in ballot.
November 1: Last day to early vote.
November 5: Election day!
LoneStarLeft’s Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Instagram.