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► Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell finally reached agreement on an operating structure for the new Congress. As POLITICO reports:
The final agreement on the so-called organizing resolution for the evenly-split Senate allows Democrats to take control of committees and comes after weeks of negotiation between the two leaders…
…The lack of an organizing resolution had created an unusual situation in the Senate, where Republicans still technically held committee gavels and were overseeing the confirmation process for President Joe Biden’s nominees, even though Democrats hold the majority. It also meant that new members of the Senate had not yet received their committee assignments. Schumer announced new committee assignments for Democrats on Tuesday.
McConnell initially asked that Senate Democrats commit to protecting the legislative filibuster as part of the agreement, which Schumer rejected.
Just remember this when you hear Senate Republicans whining about bipartisanship; Democrats had to scratch and claw to take the control that voters already awarded to them.
► As Meg Wingerter reports for The Denver Post, Colorado will soon expand the eligibility requirements for receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. And as The Colorado Springs Independent notes, the state is pushing quickly to ramp up a new at-home testing program.
► As The New York Times reports, the House of Representatives will vote to strip Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments after Republicans leaders dithered on the subject:
The House will vote on Thursday to strip Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments, a top Democrat announced, forcing congressional Republicans to take a public stand on the Georgia freshman who endorsed conspiracy theories and calls to execute Democratic politicians before she was elected.
Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 Democrat, said on Wednesday that he had spoken with Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the Republican leader, and that “it is clear there is no alternative to holding a floor vote on the resolution to remove Representative Greene from her committee assignments.”
House Democrats, incensed by a series of social media posts made by Ms. Greene before she won her seat in November, threatened earlier this week that they would take the unusual step of moving unilaterally to remove Ms. Greene from the education and budget committees if Republicans themselves did not take action. Party leaders generally have authority over who represents them on committees.
The vote will make Republicans go on the record for the first time on whether Ms. Greene should be rebuked for her past comments.
This is not great news for Colorado Rep. Lauren “Q*Bert” Boebert, who faces a lot of the same problems as Greene as well as some that are all her own. Boebert’s latest issue involves new questions about writing herself a $22,000 check from her campaign account for “mileage reimbursements.” As The Denver Post explains:
Boebert’s former campaign manager and her finance director declined to comment or provide evidence Boebert drove nearly 39,000 miles last year.
As we’ve noted previously, Boebert claims that she drove enough in 9 months to circle the earth 1.5 times.
► As The Washington Post reports, the Biden White House may release visitor logs from former President Trump’s tenure:
The Biden administration is looking at whether it could make public White House visitor logs from early last month, a step that could reveal whether people connected with the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol visited 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
“I’m not even sure if it is technically possible. That feels like the first question. So let me talk to our technical gurus and see what I can find out,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
We already know that some of the most prominent people spreading the baseless conspiracy theory that Trump was cheated out of reelection darkened the West Wing’s doorstep in his waning days: My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell, retired general Michael Flynn, and Sidney Powell. But the logs could flesh out more fully who was bending the president’s ear and shaping his mind in the run-up to the deadly Capitol riot.
Also…we may find out that 90% of the Trump White House visitor logs are GrubHub deliveries.
More political (and coronavirus) news is available right after the jump…
As Promised, More Words…
► Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville continues to make a strong push for the title of dumbest U.S. Senator. As Chris Cillizza explains for CNN, Tuberville tried to dodge questions about wacko Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene with…this:
“I haven’t looked at what all she’s done,” the freshman senator told CNN’s Ted Barrett on Tuesday. “I’d have to hold back a statement on that…[I’ve] been traveling. This weather’s been a little rough. [Didn’t] look at any news or whatever.” [Pols emphasis]
Uh, WHAT?
The weather didn’t allow a United States senator to know about the Marjorie Taylor Greene story?
I mean, yes, there was snow in DC this week. And surely, that likely complicated Tuberville’s travel plans. But here’s what it didn’t do: Make it so that cable TV, the internet and phones stopped working.
It’s worth noting that there is a small possibility that Tuberville really doesn’t know what’s going on. This is the same guy who couldn’t name the three branches of government and has said that WWII was fought “to free Europe of socialism.”
► The Colorado Sun tells the story of one man’s creative vision for reducing methane emissions.
In a separate story, The Sun suggests that 2021 might be the year in which Coloradans see significant changes toward more electric vehicles.
► David Migoya of The Denver Post reports on a complicated story involving some strange allegations related to the Colorado Judicial Department under the leadership of former Colorado Supreme Court Justice Nathan Coats, who was an appointee of Republican Gov. Bill Owens.
► Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooperhave made recommendations to President Biden for key law enforcement appointments in Colorado:
This could be the year the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act becomes law — at least that’s what Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse and Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper are betting on, now that their party controls both chambers of Congress.
The three are reintroducing the Colorado public lands bill; it would protect over 400,000 acres in the state through new wilderness, recreation and conservation areas. It would also establish new protections for historic Camp Hale, where the Tenth Mountain Division trained during World War Two.
“From a first-of-its-kind National Historic Landscape designation for Camp Hale — which embodies the spirit of Colorado — to protections for our iconic San Juan Mountains, the CORE Act was crafted night after night by Coloradans who came together to do something special for the next generation,” Bennet said. “Our state has waited long enough.”
Neguse also hit home the point that the bill was not the brainchild of politicians in Washington, D.C. but “by Coloradans for Colorado.”
► Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-Denver) is overseeing a hearing about the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.
► Westword looks at potential marijuana-related legislation coming to the State Capitol.
► While the House of Representatives looks for ways to get rid of QAnon-loving Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert is growing more concerned about her QAnon connections as well; she’s once again trying to downplay her interest in conspiracy theories.
House Democrats, meanwhile, are making it clear that QAnon has fully infiltrated the Republican caucus. POLITICO has more on new ads rolling out across the country that look like this:
Hey Jen Psaki- @SpaceForceDoD is not a laughing matter to my constituents. This admin needs to get serious about the very real threats our warfighters face from China & Russia. Our military deserves better.
► Now that you’re done reading, adjust your ears and check out the newest episode of The Get More Smarter Podcast, featuring an interview with House Speaker Alec Garnett.
Don’t forget to give Colorado Pols a thumbs up on Facebook and Twitter.
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5 thoughts on “Get More Smarter on Wednesday (February 3)”
I guess being a Senator is a whole lot less work than being a football coach. Coach’s spend hours watching film for research, and rarely get a full night’s sleep during the season. A Senator apparently can’t be bothered to do basic research on the people and issues in the news.
Oh, and BTW, “to free Europe of socialism.” is pretty much the rational that Adolf and the Nazis gave for why WW2 needed to be fought. I’d guess its a paraphrase, but its rather close to what Adolf probably said in many speeches. Just like with Boebert and Greene, Red Baiting was a regular theme. Since some of the leaders of the Russian Revolution had been Jewish, socialism and Jews were closely linked in Nazi rhetoric.
"I would leave my House seat, I would leave my home" to defend Trump in impeachment trial"
The Florida Republican added that he views the "cancellation of the Trump presidency and the Trump movement as one of the biggest threats" to his district.
February 03, 2021 10:53 AM UTC
5 Comments
Happy 
I guess being a Senator is a whole lot less work than being a football coach. Coach’s spend hours watching film for research, and rarely get a full night’s sleep during the season. A Senator apparently can’t be bothered to do basic research on the people and issues in the news.
Oh, and BTW, “to free Europe of socialism.” is pretty much the rational that Adolf and the Nazis gave for why WW2 needed to be fought. I’d guess its a paraphrase, but its rather close to what Adolf probably said in many speeches. Just like with Boebert and Greene, Red Baiting was a regular theme. Since some of the leaders of the Russian Revolution had been Jewish, socialism and Jews were closely linked in Nazi rhetoric.
.
Kerry Donovan filed to run against Boebert.
Is the #ElPasoCoEinstein just cutting and pasting from #PewPee’s Twitter feed these days? Who’s going to break it to Lamebrain that “his constituents” don’t include residents of Huntsville, AL?? How inept must one be to get out-foxed by Tommy Tuberville??
Sit down, Congressman. If you’re lucky the adults in the Polis and Biden Administration will fix your little problem.
At long last, our chance to experience #Kracken
House Democrat cheers Gaetz's offer to resign, help Trump with trial
(this will be the awkward portion of the trial)