There were multiple Senate hearings on Tuesday, and the Democrats presented a united front against the stonewalling put up by the Republicans. Let’s review the day, in no particular order
Marco Rubio was before the Senate Foreign Relations committee to present the State Department’s budget request. Jackie Rosen talked to him in “I’m not angry, just disappointed” parent mode:
Rosen to Rubio: "I'm not even mad anymore about your complicity in this administration's destruction of US global leadership. I'm simply disappointed. And I wonder if your proud of yourself in this moment when you go home to your family … I know you know this in your heart."
Bobby Jr. was on hand to present the Health and Human Services budget request to the Senate Appropriations committee. Patty Murray put him on tilt and then refused to back down:
here's the full clip of RFK Jr losing his shit at Patty Murray today during a hearing so badly that Republican Sen. Capito had to step in and tell him to "hold back"
And this with Dick Durbin:
DURBIN: How can we give hope to people across the country who are suffering from so many diseases when our government is cutting back on that research?RFK Jr: I do not know about any cuts to ALS researchD: I just read them to you!R: I didn't know about them until you told me about them
Kristi Noem was on hand to talk to the Homeland Security committee for her budget request. Her testimony produced the biggest WTF response of the day:
HASSAN: What is habeas corpus?NOEM: Habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country HASSAN: That's incorrect
But it was the Billy Long confirmation hearing to be the head of the IRS what had the biggest fireworks.
Ron Wyden coaxed some nonsense out of Long:
WYDEN: Did you promise any tax promoter you would help them if you got confirmed?LONG: I can answer that with an affirmative noW: So you didn't meet w/ anybody when you were in town for the inauguration & promise help?L: Not that I can think of. And I had food poisoning W: We have it on tape
“Affirmative no” mmhmm.
But it was my favorite, Elizabeth Warren, who deftly exposed what a putz Long is:
"You shouldn't be within a thousand miles of the directorship of the IRS" — Elizabeth Warren grilled IRS commissioner nominee Billy Long so hard that he was left stammering and shaking by the end of her questioning
There are some awful days ahead of us. Let’s savor whatever joy we can find.
This is a good song to close with:
Well, it is Interesting to see them on Blast publicly and showing the blatant incompetence and ignorance to the whole World watching. I mean, we all KNOW none of them is up to the Job, but now nobody needs to argue the Fact it’s quite evident and most of them are absolutely clueless and don’t know what’s going on or what their position even entails.
Great compilation. TBH my true first reaction was how bad I feel for Maria Shriver. Imagine your understanding of your family’s standing as, say, a teenager and then where it has wound up basically one generation later.