All articles tagged with #cornyn
Amid bipartisan backlash over the federal Big Bend border-wall plan, Texas AG Ken Paxton has kept his position unclear as Sen. John Cornyn urges DHS to coordinate with local officials; Democrats, park advocates, and local leaders warn the project would harm Big Bend National Park and the regional tourism economy, while Paxton’s campaign says he aims to balance border security with local considerations.
President Trump warned that the $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund would be revived if Todd Blanche is not confirmed as attorney general, with Blanche’s acting tenure and fund creation a point of contention as Sens. Cornyn and Tillis delay the nomination; Trump has appealed a ruling to reopen access to the fund, while the Senate Judiciary Committee plans to move Blanche’s nomination on Aug. 4 amid ongoing political backlash discussions.
Trump revived his push to codify an $1.8 billion 'anti-weaponization fund' into law after previously calling it dead, threatening to keep Todd Blanche as Acting AG if Congress won't back it; the plan has stalled Blanche's confirmation as Senate Republicans demand a shelved proposal, while the DOJ has signaled it won't move forward with the payments to those targeted by the Biden administration (including Jan. 6 participants and Hunter Biden).
President Trump staged what his administration called the first televised Cabinet meeting at Camp David, using the retreat to vent about stalled policies: railing at Sen. John Cornyn over the attorney general nomination, lamenting the collapsed $1.8 billion DOJ payout fund, questioning Iran’s good faith in potential ceasefire talks, and warning Democrats would open U.S. borders if they win the midterms; he also mocked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz over a cyberattack and highlighted the Camp David setting as a backdrop for his grievances.
President Trump said the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund—meant to compensate people who claim government abuse, including Jan. 6 rioters—is dead, a development that complicates GOP support for Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination as Sen. Cornyn and Sen. Tillis demand in-writing assurances not to revive the fund; the White House has signaled it may allow Blanche to serve in an acting capacity while weighing political risks ahead of elections.
President Trump publicly attacked Sen. John Cornyn over the stalled confirmation of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, tying the fight to his endorsement in the Texas GOP primary and a disputed anti-weaponization fund. Cornyn and other Republicans want concrete proposals to change the deal, while Blanche faces pushback from several GOP senators amid Democratic opposition; a hearing was postponed and Trump threatened to yank Blanche’s nomination as midterm dynamics complicate the path forward.
President Trump defended the $1.8 billion 'anti-weaponization fund' for Jan. 6 defendants, signaling it remains alive even as his acting AG nominee Todd Blanche seeks confirmation; the stance has frayed relations with Senators Cornyn and Tillis and jeopardizes Blanche's approval as a looming summer recess complicates Senate action, with concerns tied to an IRS settlement that would shield Trump and his affiliates.
Trump defended the DOJ’s $1.8 billion 'anti-weaponization' fund and targeted Sen. John Cornyn as Todd Blanche’s Senate confirmation stalls, with Sen. Tillis also withholding support; Cornyn has demanded written assurances the fund won’t be revived, Blanche has said the program is dead, and the nomination fight remains unresolved.
President Trump warned he could temporarily withdraw Todd Blanche’s nomination to be attorney general and refile it after Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis—two Republicans who have raised concerns about the Justice Department settlement tied to Trump’s tax-return case—leave office in January. The Senate Judiciary Committee had postponed a vote on Blanche amid the holdouts' objections, while Cornyn and Tillis criticized the tactic as ill-advised and potentially delaying the confirmation process. Both lawmakers indicated the concerns should be addressed in the confirmation process, and the White House was noted as facing pushback. Cornyn and Tillis are exiting their current offices, adding timing uncertainty to Blanche’s prospects.
President Trump implied that Sen. John Cornyn may be upset with him for not endorsing Cornyn, while Cornyn said he’s not prepared to back Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination until Blanche formalizes in writing a modification to a DOJ settlement tied to an IRS audit immunity and to an “anti-weaponization fund.” Blanche did not attend a planned White House meeting, and the Judiciary Committee vote looming on Thursday could hinge on Cornyn’s demands, making the nomination’s fate uncertain as other GOP-budget and debt-limit stories unfold.
With midterms looming, Republicans weigh another debt-limit increase, potentially tied to a party-line spending package, as independents warn the U.S. could hit the debt-ceremony deadline (the X-date) within the next year; the White House has floated raising the borrowing cap to about $41 trillion to ease negotiations, while the Treasury could buy time with accounting moves. The live updates also track Rand Paul’s push to compel Fauci to testify and invoke the Fifth Amendment, Senate talks over Todd Blanche’s DOJ confirmation and an IRS-audit-immunity settlement, and momentum on Lindsey Graham’s Russia sanctions bill driven by White House pressure and governor support.
Blanche’s confirmation as attorney general is in jeopardy as Sen. John Cornyn refuses to back Blanche until he receives a written modification to a DOJ-brokered $1.8 billion IRS settlement, tying it to Blanche’s pledge to curb an anti-weaponization fund; the vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee appears risky with Tillis as a potential swing vote, and time is tight before Congress's summer recess. The live updates also note GOP governors backing a new reconciliation bill, Rand Paul’s move to hold Fauci in contempt after invoking the Fifth, and other Senate actions like Graham’s Russia sanctions bill and North Carolina campaign ads.
Sen. John Cornyn says there could be a delay in moving Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee as he seeks written edits to the settlement that created the $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund; if there aren’t enough votes, Grassley could postpone the vote, and undecided senators like Tillis are waiting for changes to the settlement and related tax language before supporting Blanche.
Sen. John Cornyn says he will oppose Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination unless a written modification to the Trump-IRS settlement is signed—rescinding the proposed $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund and restricting audit immunity—before Thursday’s Judiciary Committee vote.
Sen. John Cornyn says he will block Kari Lake’s and Doug Mastriano’s ambassador nominations unless the White House commits to releasing funds set aside for PEPFAR, tying foreign-policy confirmations to AIDS funding in Africa and signaling GOP leverage over the Trump administration.