Saturday, January 23, 2021

Attempting Action to Hold the WHO and China Accountable

Washington, D.C. - January 23, 2020 - (The Ponder News) -- U.S. House Representative Lauren Boebert (R-CO, 3rd) introduced legislation to hold the World Health Organization (WHO) and China accountable for their role in the global COVID-19 pandemic on Friday.

"The WHO is China-centric and panders to Beijing at every turn. There is no reason U.S. taxpayers should contribute more than $400 million annually to an organization that covered for China and failed to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We must not let the Chinese Communist Party off the hook. We must hold the WHO accountable. Joe Biden failed to do either of those things and his edict yesterday only emboldens Beijing. Rejoining the WHO without ensuring accountability for the American people is the wrong move,” stated Boebert.

Thursday, Joe Biden signed an executive order reversing President Trump's decision to leave the WHO.

Friday, U.S. Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (CO-03) introduced her first three bills as a Member of Congress.

H.R. 374, the World Health Organization Accountability Act, ensures America holds both the WHO and China accountable for their failures that contributed to the outbreak of COVID-19.

The text of the bill can be viewed HERE.

Members of Congress that cosponsored H.R. 374 so far include Representatives: Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Tedd Budd (NC-13), Madison Cawthorn (NC-11), Jeff Duncan (SC-03), Matt Gaetz (FL-01), Jody Hice (GA-10), Ralph Norman (SC-05), David Rouzer (NC-07), and Elise Stefanik (NY-21).

H.R. 374 prohibits contributions to the WHO until the State Department and Health and Human Services conduct a thorough investigation into the activities by the WHO and the Government of the People’s Republic of China that contributed to global COVID–19 pandemic.

Media reports indicate China initially downplayed and covered up the seriousness of the COVID-19 outbreak which resulted in a three-week delay in responding to the virus and a corresponding inability to contain it.

If China had been forthright, estimates suggest we might have seen 95 percent fewer cases and perhaps averted the global pandemic

Doctors in Wuhan knew in early December 2019 that there was a problem, but China did not notify the WHO until December 31st. China also refused to let the WHO in to investigate the growing epidemic. For its part, the WHO provided cover for China’s missteps and even participated in spreading its disinformation.

The U.S. was the largest single donor to the WHO in 2019 and reportedly gave more than $400 million. This contribution represents nearly 15% of the WHO’s entire budget.

Attempt to Block Paris Climate Agreement

Washington, D.C. - January 23, 2020 - (The Ponder News) -- Lauren Boebert (R-CO, 3rd) has introduced the Paris Agreement Constitutional Treaty Act to try to block Biden from re-entering the Paris Climate Accord.

"My bill prohibits Congress from spending a single penny on the Paris Agreement until this treaty is ratified by the United States Senate. Joe Biden took an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution. If he wants to keep it, he must transmit the job-killing Paris Agreement to the U.S. Senate for ratification. Unilaterally entering the Paris Agreement was wrong in 2016 and it's wrong now. Responsible energy production supports more than 230,000 Colorado jobs. The Paris Agreement puts these jobs at risk and will increase energy costs. $4 per gallon gasoline, here we go again!" said, Boebert.

Friday, U.S. Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (CO-03) introduced her first three bills as a Member of Congress.

H.R. 376, the Paris Agreement Constitutional Treaty Act, blocks all actions and funds for carrying out the Paris Agreement until a treaty is passed by the U.S. Senate.

The text of the bill can be viewed HERE.

Original cosponsors that joined Representative Boebert in introducing her bill include Representatives: Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Mo Brooks (AL-05), Tedd Budd (NC-13), Ben Cline (VA-06), Bob Good VA-05), Yvette Herrell (NM-02), Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Mary Miller (IL-15), Alex Mooney (WV-02), August Pfluger TX-11), Randy Weber (TX-14).

Article II, Section 2, Clause 2, the Treaty Clause, grants the President the “power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur.”

It is clear that the Paris Agreement is a treaty, not an administrative agreement as falsely claimed.

Thanks to President Trump's leadership, the U.S. formally exited the job-killing Paris Agreement on November 4, 2020.

Implementing the Paris Agreement could destroy up to 2.7 million jobs in the United States by 2025 alone.

Yesterday, President Biden signed the instrument to rejoin the Paris Agreement and announced and the U.S. will officially become a Party of the Paris Agreement in 30 days.

Simply put, the Paris Climate Agreement places an economic handicap on the U.S. for generations to come while yielding no discernible benefit to the environment worldwide. It allows bad actors, like China, to keep increasing CO2 emissions until at least 2030 with no penalty.

Compliance with this unconstitutional agreement will also ensure that the U.S. increases dependence on foreign countries for our energy needs – a huge national security risk. The U.S. has the highest regulatory standards in the world and shifting production to hostile nations is not only bad foreign policy, its bad environmental policy as these countries don’t operate under the same regulations.

American ingenuity and innovation have allowed the U.S. to become a global leader in reducing carbon emissions. Unshackling job creators by reducing overreaching regulatory burdens has resulted in voluntary actions and technological advancements that have yielded significant benefits for the environment. That is the path America should be pursuing, not unrealistic and unattainable climate goals not based in science that yield no benefit.

Attempt to Block Biden's Mask Mandate

Washington, D.C. - January 23, 2020 - (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (CO-03) has introduced a bill to overturn Joe Biden’s federal mask mandate.

“You can’t make this stuff up. Joe Biden was on federal land without a mask the same day he signed a federal property mask mandate. Sadly, this is what we’ve come to expect from hypocritical Democrats. ‘Mandates for thee, but not for me.’

“The Biden administration is already headed in the wrong direction. Instead of focusing on reopening our economy and getting Americans back to work, this president wants more mandates and more lockdowns. Continued federal overreach won’t end the COVID-19 pandemic or put food on the table.”

says Boebert. On Thursday, Joe Biden signed an executive order mandating masks be worn at all times on federal properties and in federal buildings.

The Biden edict also applies to interstate commerce, requiring masks to be worn at airports as well as on planes, buses and trains.

On Friday, U.S. Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (CO-03) introduced her first three bills as a Member of Congress.

H.R. 375, the No Mask Mandates Act, blocks the Biden federal mask mandate.

The bill allows for masks to be encouraged but not mandated when people are on federal property or engaging in interstate commerce.

The text of the bill can be viewed HERE.

Doom

As Biden goes on a rampage to undo everything President Trump has accomplished, the Democrats are hell-bent on destroying anyone who supports a way that is not their own. This is only the beginning.

First, all Conservatives who voted to support the Trump agenda, or anything that goes against the Democrat agenda will be locked out of social media. They will not be able to communicate with each other online. This will leave the next generation of Americans at the sole power of their own propaganda.

The next generation will see conservatives as "stupid" and it will further their claims of domestic terrorism. It's fixing to get bad, folks. It's already started.

If we conservatives do not get together now to fight this by creating our OWN servers, our OWN networks, and our OWN social media outlets that do not depend on Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook and Twitter, we are doomed!

Democrats Are Framing Americans As Domestic Terrorists So They Can Do To Us What They Did To Trump In Spygate
Source: The Federalist
January 20, 2021
Democrats have moved swiftly to use the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol mayhem to push for a frightening expansion of federal surveillance and police powers under their sole control for two years, smearing anyone who voted for Donald Trump as a potential terrorist. Joe Biden himself called the Capitol protesters “domestic terrorists” and “insurrectionists” and said his administration will prioritize legislation to increase federal crackdowns on what Democrats consider to be “domestic terrorists.”.
Read more...

Proud Boys Say Ashli Babbitt, Woman Shot at Capitol, 'Not a Criminal like George Floyd'
Source: Newsweek
January 22, 2021
The Proud Boys, who frequently deny they are white supremacists, also suggest that Babbitt did not commit any crime while taking part in the siege in comparison to Floyd, the Minneapolis man whose death at the hands of police last May sparked worldwide Black Lives Matter protest..
Read more...

Friday, January 8, 2021

Heritage President Kay C. James on Social Media Censorship

Washington, D.C. - January 8, 2021 - (The Ponder News) -- Heritage Foundation President Kay C. James made the following statement about recent actions by social media companies:

“Americans have legitimate concerns about the role of Big Tech in shaping and influencing political speech. Time and again, social media companies have squandered the public’s trust and don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt.

“Letting dictatorial regimes from China and Iran use their platform while banning the democratically elected leader of the United States shows the hypocrisy and political motivations of these companies.

“Shutting off legitimate debate and intellectual diversity comes at a very high cost. Big Tech is not going to stop with the president of the United States. They can ban you next and everyone reading this.

“This is why it is time for Congress to reform Section 230 and Americans to exercise their power by continuing to put pressure on Big Tech.”

Sunday, December 13, 2020

Illegals to get FREE Health Insurance?

Texas Governor Greg Abbott reminds us how the Democrats want illegals to have free health insurance, paid for by -- you know -- YOUR taxes.

Reps. Gabbard and Mullin Introduce Bill to Ensure Title IX Protections for Women and Girls in Sports

Washington, D.C. - December 12, 2020 - (The Ponder News) -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) and Rep. Markwayne Mullin (OK-02) introduced H.R.8932, the Protect Women’s Sports Act. Given the average difference in abilities conferred by biological sex, this bill would clarify Title IX protections for female athletes is based on biological sex.

“Title IX was a historic provision championed by Hawai‘i’s own Congresswoman Patsy Mink in order to provide equal opportunity for women and girls in high school and college sports. It led to a generational shift that impacted countless women, creating life-changing opportunities for girls and women that never existed before. However, Title IX is being weakened by some states who are misinterpreting Title IX, creating uncertainty, undue hardship and lost opportunities for female athletes. Our legislation protects Title IX’s original intent which was based on the general biological distinction between men and women athletes based on sex,” said Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. “It is critical that the legacy of Title IX continues to ensure women and girls in sports have the opportunity to compete and excel on a level playing field.”

“Title IX was designed to give women and girls an equal chance to succeed, including in sports. Allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports diminishes that equality and takes away from the original intent of Title IX. As the father of three girls involved in athletics, I want them to be able to compete on a level playing field. I am proud to lead this bill that will safeguard the integrity of women’s sports and ensure female athletes can compete fairly,” said Rep. Markwayne Mullin.

U.S Representative Angie Craig (D-MN, 2nd) responded in a statement saying:

One wonders how this bill is harmful to women in any way. Protecting them from having to play with or against bigger stronger men is not harmful or hateful in any way.

Saturday, December 12, 2020

Biden Plans to Rejoin Paris Climate Agreement

Joe Biden is getting ready to progress us as fast as possible into socialism and ruin the economy that Trump worked so hard to build in the past four years. Here is one way he's going to start:

On Twitter today, he wrote:

Monday, December 7, 2020

Bill to Stop Driver’s License Suspensions for Non-Payment Introduced

Washington, D.C. - December 7, 2020 - (The Ponder News) -- Representative Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14) joined with Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), and Gwen Moore (WI-04) to introduce the Driving for Opportunity Act of 2020, the House companion to a bill introduced by U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Roger Wicker (R-MI), to encourage states to stop debt-based driver’s license suspensions.

Every year, millions of Americans have their licenses suspended for unpaid court fines and fees, not based on conduct related to driving. This makes it harder to get to work and pay off the fines while also placing an unnecessary burden on our courts, jails, and law enforcement agencies.

“In 2018, Pennsylvania passed legislation eliminating driver’s license suspensions for non-driving infractions, an effort I was honored to be a part of,” said Rep. Reschenthaler. “The Driving for Opportunity Act will incentivize other states to follow Pennsylvania’s lead and eliminate debt-based driver’s license suspensions. By ending this counterproductive practice, we can make it easier for struggling Americans to hold down a job and pay off their debts while also ensuring police departments can target their resources where they are needed most.”

“Punishing people for failing to pay debts in a way that limits their ability to obtain gainful employment only sets up a cruel cycle of failure and results in the criminalization of poverty,” said Rep. Scanlon. “Particularly during the ongoing global pandemic, we need to work to eliminate barriers to employment and find legislative solutions to break the cycle of poverty. I’m proud to be joined by Rep. Fitzpatrick in introducing this common sense bipartisan legislation.”

“For too long, many Americans have had their driver’s licenses suspended for non-public safety reasons and have suffered the economic setback of debt-based driver’s license suspensions,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick. “Incentivizing states to end the suspension of driver’s licenses for unpaid fines is a commonsense reform that will improve livelihoods across this country and has widespread support from law enforcement, civil rights, and criminal justice reform organizations. I am proud to join my colleagues to introduce the bipartisan Driving for Opportunity Act.”

“Suspending driver’s licenses for unpaid fines and fees makes it harder for Americans to hold down a job and care for their families, and places an undue burden on our police officers,” said Senator Coons. “Today’s introduction of the Driving for Opportunity Act in the House moves us one step closer to ending this counterproductive practice and the harm it causes in communities across the country. The broad, bipartisan coalition backing this bill underscores the strong support for swiftly passing it into law.”

“Besides not being an effective debt collection tool, these “too poor to drive” suspensions can hinder an individual’s ability to keep working or get work and can lead to interactions with the criminal justice system, both of which have far reaching impacts on our communities,” said Rep. Moore. “In Milwaukee and around the country, these policies disproportionately impact minorities and the most financially vulnerable. The Driving for Opportunity Act would encourage states to end the suspension of driver’s licenses for unpaid fees to lift the burden off of drivers and to reinstate such licenses and ensure resources are better allocated towards promoting public safety.”

A copy of the bill can be found here.

Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act Introduced in Senate

Washington, D.C. - December 7, 2020 - (The Ponder News) U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, last week reintroduced the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act, a bill that urges the U.S. State Department to use its statutory authority to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). This measure requires the State Department to report to Congress about whether the Muslim Brotherhood meets the legal criteria for designation. U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) cosponsored the bill.

Upon introduction, Sen. Cruz said:

“I am proud to reintroduce this bill and to advance America’s fight against radical Islamic terrorism. I commend the current administration’s work calling terrorism by its name and combatting the spread of this potent threat, and I look forward to receiving the additional information this new bill requests from the Department of State. Many of our closest allies in the Arab world have long ago concluded that the Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist group that seeks to sow chaos across the Middle East, and I will continue working with my colleagues to take action against groups that finance terrorism.”

Sen. Inhofe added:

“Since the founding of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Brotherhood affiliated groups have consistently preached and incited hatred against Christians, Jews, and other Muslims while supporting designated radical terrorists. I am proud that under the Trump administration we continue to call out and combat radical terrorism and I am glad to join my colleagues today in reintroducing this legislation. We must continue to condemn Foreign Terrorist Organizations and hold them accountable for the evil they perpetrate.”

The full text of Sen. Cruz’s bill may be viewed here. Sen. Cruz has long called to designate the Muslim Brotherhood, among other organizations promoting terrorism, as FTOs. Sen. Cruz first introduced the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act in 2015 and previously reintroduced the bill in 2017.