• usernamesAreTrickyOP
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    17 hours ago

    This is one post in a live thread so maybe something got weird there

    The gist of it is that after speaking to around 100 protestors, various dem senators and house reps tried to get into the building. They got inside technically but ended up being blocked at the main entrance

    Unsure if they are still there

    They spoke about how insane Musk & Trump’s plans are and how they plan to fight in courts. I believe they also spoke about plans slow down senate nominations with the procedural tools they can (or that might have been said outside of the protests)

    • Maeve@kbin.earth
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      17 hours ago

      Thanks so much! I saw an article elsewhere about the plans to “slow down.” Performative.

      • usernamesAreTrickyOP
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        16 hours ago

        Not actually performative, it’s one of the few things they really have power to do without republicans support. They can drag specific types of nominations out to end to taking something like almost a year to get through all of them. And take up limited senate floor time for other bills, legislation, etc in the meantime

        There are hundreds of nominations they need to get through

        My understanding, is that historically, the minimum debate times thresholds for nominations have been waved away via unanimous consent - especially for minor positions. If one senator objects, then you have to go the whole time

        Another thing they can do is force quorum calls to waste time counting people present. Usually quorum is assumed

        • Maeve@kbin.earth
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          14 hours ago

          That sounds good, and isn’t there a continuing resolution on the budget exciting soon?

          • usernamesAreTrickyOP
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            13 hours ago

            Yep, and they’re already making demands, but its in March, and note dem power is limited there. Reconciliation allows budgets to pass without a filibuster, so dems only have power if Republicans infight. There’s decent odds of Republicans infighting like the other prior times, so Dems still are planning to use their votes to get some protections against Trump’s actions

            In a letter to House Democrats, Jeffries hammered the administration for issuing an order — since rescinded — to freeze federal aid that Congress had previously allocated. Jeffries suggested Democrats will oppose any federal spending bill that doesn’t explicitly prevent Trump from freezing, slashing or otherwise altering those programs, including Medicaid, which saw its services disrupted amid the chaos over the freeze.

            The Democratic leader said he’s already delivered the message to House GOP leaders that, absent those assurances, Republicans will be on their own to prevent a shutdown.

            https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5123216-jeffries-government-shutdown-trump-orders/

          • SoJB
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            14 hours ago

            That sounds good, except for the Dems track record of backing down and ending up voting for all the horrific bills anyway.

            That would sound good if the Dems had a history of using their legislative powers to delay the Republicans when they try to pass horrific shit.

            Almost as if they’re complicit in fascism.

            • Maeve@kbin.earth
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              13 hours ago

              I would guess one with backbone could gum up the works for a short while. The CR, Republicans and establishment Democrats are the most immediate threat, that I can see.

              Complicit in fascism? They keep confirming the absolute worst cabinet and court picks, trying nothing but Kente cloths and trying to keep insider trading privileges while Martha Stewart with a paltry billion or so dollars at the time of her conviction, which apparently cut that worth in less than half, today, according to this Yahoo article, which was just the first return on a brief search.

    • Tiefling IRL@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      16 hours ago

      They spoke about how insane Musk & Trump’s plans are and how they plan to fight in courts.

      Cool, so nothing will be done

      • usernamesAreTrickyOP
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        16 hours ago

        Fighting in courts and grinding congress to slow way, way down is what they have the power to do federally. They don’t have any majorities in either the house or senate

        They can try and go in to stop people physically - like what they also just tried doing by entering the building

        What specific action from them do you have in mind that they have the power to do?