Oversight top Democrat Connolly ‘stepping back,’ saying his cancer has returned
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(WASHINGTON) — Rep. Gerry Connolly, the ranking Democrat on the powerful House Oversight Committee, announced he will “soon” step down from his role and won’t run for reelection because his cancer has returned.
“The sun is setting on my time in public service, and this will be my last term in Congress. I will be stepping back as Ranking Member of the Oversight Committee soon,” Connolly said in a statement. “With no rancor and a full heart, I move into this final chapter full of pride in what we’ve accomplished together over 30 years.”
Connolly, 75, who was first elected in 2009, defeated Rep. Alexandra Ocasio Cortez, 35, for the committee chair in December as the younger representative attempted to bring in a new generation of leadership.
Connolly announced he had been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus in November.
“When I announced my diagnosis six months ago, I promised transparency,” he said in his statement Monday. “After grueling treatments, we’ve learned that the cancer, while initially beaten back, has now returned. I’ll do everything possible to continue to represent you and thank you for your grace.”
Connolly has served on the Oversight Committee since his first term and has led Democrats on the subcommittee on government operations since 2013. He won the chair vote, 131-84, according to multiple Democratic sources, cementing his role in one of the most high-profile positions in Washington to combat the Trump administration and a unified Republican majority in Congress.
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order to diminish the Department of Education at the White House on Thursday, multiple sources told ABC News.
The president’s order will direct Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take all necessary steps permitted by law to dissolve the Department of Education, according to the sources.
The move has been months in the making and will help the president fulfill his campaign promise of returning education power and decisions to the states.
“The Department of Education will be much smaller than it is today,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday morning, noting the department will not be completely shut down and that it will continue to carry out “critical functions.”
“When it comes to student loans and Pell Grants, those will still be run out of the Department of Education,” she said. “But we don’t need to be spending more than $3 trillion over the course of a few decades on a department that’s clearly failing in its initial intention to educate our students.”
Trump will direct McMahon, to take “all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the States,” according to a White House summary of the order reviewed by ABC News.
The order also calls for the “uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.” It’s still unclear how the administration plans to accomplish that. Sources said the administration has been looking into how to move some of the key programs to other agencies.
Republican Govs. Ron DeSantis of Florida, Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, Greg Abbott of Texas and Mike DeWine of Ohio are among the state leaders expected to attend the signing ceremony at the White House, according to a White House official.
The department took the first steps to downsize and shut down last week when it laid off nearly half its employees, and it shrunk significantly in size through a massive reduction in force, deferred resignations and retirement buyouts, according to the department.
Trump is expected to continue the reforms — pledging to erase more staff from the department and gut it.
“I expect it will [be shut down entirely],” Trump said on “Full Measure” with Sharyl Attkisson earlier this month. “You’ll have a few people left just to make sure [the states are] teaching English — you know, you say reading, writing and arithmetic.”
However, congressional approval is required to abolish a federal agency, and McMahon has acknowledged she would need Congress to carry out the president’s vision to close the department she’s been tapped to lead. It would take 60 “yes” votes in the Senate to overcome the filibuster and dismantle the department that Congress created.
Critics argue the department is needed for vital financial assistance and grant programs. Education experts suggested that shuttering the Department of Education could gut public education funding and disproportionately affect high-need students across the country who rely on statutorily authorized programs, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Title 1, which provides funding for low-income families.
McMahon said the department will still administer those statutory programs that students from disadvantaged backgrounds rely on. In an interview on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle,” McMahon suggested the “good” employees who administer the statutorily mandated functions will not be harmed by staff reductions.
A statement from the department said it will “continue to deliver on all statutory programs that fall under the agency’s purview, including formula funding, student loans, Pell Grants, funding for special needs students, and competitive grantmaking.”
In more than four decades, Trump and Department of Education skeptics believe the agency has had too much spending power without achieving results.
After McMahon was sworn in, she underscored that abolishing the department is rooted in allowing families the right to choose a “quality education” so America’s students aren’t “stuck in failing schools.”
“This is also, I would say, a national security issue,” Leavitt added Thursday morning. “When you look at how students around the world, particularly in China, are being educated, American students are falling behind. We’re not keeping up with our allies or our adversaries, and that’s a major problem for our country, and the president is fixing it today.”
(COBB COUNTY, GA) — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of President Donald Trump’s most loyal allies in the House, faced several protesters who were removed by police for disrupting her town hall on Tuesday.
Police said at least six attendees were escorted out without incident, while three others were arrested — two of whom were stunned with a Taser during their removal.
The event was held at the Acworth Community Center in Greene’s home state of Georgia on Tuesday, with disruptions breaking out almost immediately after the congresswoman took the stage.
“Well, welcome everyone,” Greene said, kicking off the meeting as police removed at least three protesters. “Thank you, Thank you to our great police officers… This is not a political rally. This is not a protest. If you stand up and want to protest, if you want to shout and chant, we will have you removed, just like that man was thrown out.”
At one point, a man was tased for not cooperating with police as they tried to escort him out for interrupting the meeting.
“This is a peaceful town hall. Now this is a peaceful town hall, ladies and gentlemen, this should not have to happen,” the Greene said in response.
While speaking at the town hall, Greene accused the media of “trying to defend an illegal alien that is a member of MS-13 that was deported to his home country, El Salvador. That is shameful and that should never happen,” she said, referring to Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who ICE officials have said was sent to El Salvador by error in March.
Following this, another protester was removed from Greene’s event.
“Bye,” Greene said. “Just like that illegal alien,” she said, despite Abrego Garcia’s legal status.
Outside of the disruptions, Rep. Greene did receive continuous support from the audience, which had about 80 people in attendance. Outside the venue, protesters lined up on the street.
Following the rally, Greene told reporters the protesters were “out of line,” saying there was a place designated outside of the venue for the protesters “because we support their First Amendment right.”
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump is ending U.S. Secret Service protection for former President Joe Biden’s adult children.
Trump made the announcement on his conservative social media platform on Monday evening.
Earlier Monday, as he toured the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Trump was asked by a reporter about the security detail assigned to Hunter Biden as he vacationed in South Africa.
“That will be something I’ll look at this afternoon. OK. I just heard about it for the first time,” Trump responded. His Truth Social post came hours after the exchange.
Shortly after his inauguration, Trump revoked Secret Service protection for John Bolton, Mike Pompeo and Mark Milley, despite threats against their lives from Iran because of their work in the first Trump administration. He also removed the security detail assigned to Dr. Anthony Fauci, who faced threats over the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“When you have protection, you can’t have it for the rest of your life,” Trump told reporters at the time.
Presidents, vice presidents and their families are given Secret Service protection throughout their time in office.
Former presidents and their spouses can keep their details for the rest of their lives after leaving office, unless they choose to decline it. Federal law also provides security for children of former presidents until age 16, though outgoing presidents can extend it. Hunter Biden is 55 and Ashley Biden is 43.
When Trump left office after the 2020 election, his four adult children and their two spouses received Secret Service protection for an additional six months.
Before leaving office, Joe Biden issued a controversial pardon for his son over tax evasion and federal gun charges. ABC News recently reported that Hunter Biden now finds himself in debt and without a permanent home, according to court documents.
Plus, Hunter Biden continues to be a target of Republican attacks, including criticism from Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
