Category Archives: Republican

Governor Greg Abbott of Texas is not only fighting a COVID-19 infectionhes also on the front lines of a clash within conservatism. The Republican has declared his state the Freedom Capital of America. He has consistently prioritized cutting regulations on business, and in a 2018 opinion column boasted, Innovation and self-reliance are deeply rooted in the Lone Star State, and when freed from the stranglehold of over taxation and overregulation, new ideas flourish. By limiting senseless government restrictions, the opportunity to succeed in business is as limitless as the land itself.

The pandemic has given Abbott new avenues to push for freedoms. Abbott has, for example, barred state agencies and organizations that receive state funding from requiring vaccines for consumers. We will continue to vaccinate more Texans and protect public healthand we will do so without treading on Texans personal freedoms, Abbott said in a statement in April.

The public-health wisdom of this position is dubious, but it is consistent with the idea of limiting government restraints. Whats confusing is a bill that Abbott signed in June, which bans businesses from requiring customers to be vaccinated. With rising concern about, and case counts from, the Delta variant, the state Alcoholic Beverage Commission issued a warning on August 12 declaring that restaurants and bars that ask customers to show proof of vaccination might have their liquor licenses revoked.

Politicians who ban mask mandates and vaccine passports are not actually anti-government, as it might seem, but simply have a different view about how government should wield its power. Texas Republicans are caught between maximizing personal freedom (such as the freedom of patrons to vaccinate themselves, or not, and go to any business) and remaining opposed to government mandates on business (such as allowing private establishments to run their own affairs, freed from the stranglehold of regulation). Forced to choose between their stated commitments to individual and business freedom, Abbott and his allies in the state legislature chose individuals.

Although competing visions exist for where the conservative movement should be headed, they share a common bedrock: defending and expanding liberty. The tension that the coronavirus pandemic has uncovered is between what kinds of liberty to defend, and for whoma conflict that pits the freedom of people to choose whether they are vaccinated against the freedom of others to avoid sharing private spaces with the unvaccinated.

David A. Graham: Mitch McConnell learns it isnt personalits strictly business

Its wild to see conservatives hankering to place restrictions on private business, Nicholas Bagley, a law professor at the University of Michigan (and an Atlantic contributor), told me.

The clash here is not merely a split between the traditional progressive focus on liberty as the ability to achieve ones potential and the conservative emphasis on negative liberty, or the lack of restraints imposed by government on citizens. (Of course, the conservative movement has not always extended this devotion to negative liberty to everyone, especially LGBTQ people and those wanting an abortion.) Contemporary American conservatives have followed a small-government philosophy and have tended to treat negative liberty as something that applies equally to individuals and to groups of them: Corporations are people, my friend, Mitt Romney said in 2011. Conservative judges have issued rulings that have extended protection of religious freedom and free speech, in the guise of political giving, to corporations. COVID-19 has shown, once again, that individuals and corporations interests are not always aligned.

This split comes amid a broader tension between American businesses and conservative politicians. In recent years, a growing number of corporations have spoken out on social issues, including support for LGBTQ rights and voting access. These positions are not necessarily signs that big business has transformed into woke capital, as some conservatives claim; rather, they represent entrepreneurs making judgments about what is best for their bottom line, having considered the views of employees, investors, and companies. Republican politiciansmost prominently Mitch McConnellhave howled with anger that companies are criticizing them after years of the GOP serving business interests.

But Texass anti-vaccine-passport law, and those like it in other states, show that the betrayals cut both ways. Seeing putatively hard-line conservative governments leap to place restrictions on businessesespecially regarding a question so fundamental as the health of entrepreneurs and their employeescould very well make business interests question the strength of their long-standing alliance with Republicans. Put differently, in the new paradigm, businesses might be sorted by their COVID-19 politics, not by the mere fact of being a business.

The pandemic has also sharpened an existing hypocrisy within the Republican Party over the importance of local control in government. As I wrote in 2017, growing GOP power in state capitals and more uniform liberal control in urban areas have created an inversion of traditional views about federalism. Liberals have come to view municipal government as a key center for progressive reform, while Republicans have become skeptical of their long-held devotion to local control and have enjoyed exercising state power to smack down city-level gun control, living-wage laws, fracking bans, and more.

COVID-19 has supercharged this tension. First came a round of clashes about mask mandates last summer. Liberal and liberal-leaning cities such as Atlanta, Houston, and San Antonio sought to require people to wear masks in public spaces. Conservative state governments passed laws or enacted executive orders preventing people from doing so. This is, once again, a valid exercise of governmental power, if not a wise one. But it is hardly a restrained one, and conflicts with the traditional conservative view that local populations know how to govern themselves best. Instead, these Republican officials once again decided that individual freedom was the more important value.

David A. Graham: The battle for local control is now a matter of life and death

Were now witnessing a reprise of this battle, especially centered on school districts. Education is another complicated space for federalism. Across the U.S., some choices are typically left to local authorities while others are controlled by the state. For example, all 50 states have laws requiring vaccines for some illnesses. In Texas, a legal battle is ping-ponging among courts over Abbotts ban on mask mandates, and local officials in San Antonio have announced that they will mandate masks and require teachers and staff to be vaccinated, notwithstanding the governors orders. In Florida, some school districts say they will attempt to mandate masks, despite a ban from Governor Ron DeSantis, also a Republican. The DeSantis administration threatened to defund districts that defy the ban and dock the pay of superintendents and school-board members who impose mandates, but later acknowledged that the state has no such power.

Progressive responses to the loosening conservative commitment to local control and business deregulation have varied. President Joe Biden said Wednesday he would authorize the Department of Education to take legal action against states that block COVID-19 precautions. The liberal law professor Laurence Tribe wants to see the federal government step in to sue states on behalf of parentsa classic exercise of federal power.

In other cases, liberals find themselves in the unusual position of defending business against government interference. That is an outlier in recent political history, during which liberals have more often wanted government to force businesses to accept customers, as in the Masterpiece Cakeshop Supreme Court case, which involved a baker who declined to provide a cake for a same-sex wedding, citing religious views. Yet though religious-freedom carve-outs and vaccine-mandate opposition appear to flow from a similar sense of conservative persecution by the culture at large, the comparison is superficial. Businesses are legally permitted to discriminate among customers all the timefor example, against patrons not wearing shirts or shoesand are barred from discrimination only along certain lines, such as race. The case for treating people who decline COVID-19 vaccines as a protected class, alongside historically disadvantaged groups, is flimsy, especially because transmission of the virus, unlike gender or sexual orientation, is a threat to others health.

Meanwhile, some conservatives are having second thoughts about the decisions they made earlier in the pandemic. This month, Governor Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, a Republican, said he regretted signing into a law a ban on local mask mandates. Whenever I signed that law, our cases were low, we were hoping that the whole thing was gone, in terms of the virus, but it roared back with the Delta variant, Hutchinson said. The governor and Republican legislators ignored a core principle of conservative political philosophy: to beware of changes to government that might have unforeseen consequences.

Hutchinson publicly pleaded for courts to invalidate the law. In early August, he got his wish when a judge blocked enforcement of the mask ban, saying it infringed on the rights of the governor, local health officials, and the state supreme court. If conservatives have to depend on the courts to restrain their own hands from unwise government impositions, what claim do they have on being conservatives?

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The Big-Government-Conservative War on Masks - The Atlantic

Republican Gubernatorial Nominee Jack Ciattarellis Phony Plan Would Slash Funding from Black and Brown Communities in Favor of Tax Cuts for the Wealthy and Well-Connected

NEWARK Earlier this week, Republican gubernatorial nominee Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli held a press conference to highlight a phony plan to lower property taxes. In reality, the Assemblymans harmful proposal would drag New Jersey back to the funding failures of the Christie administration and strip education aid from school districts in Black and Brown communities.

Whats worse is that Assemblyman Ciattarelli would strip funding from these districts while providing tax cuts and carveouts for the wealthy and well-connected. When pressed for specifics, Assemblyman Ciattarelli offered nothing beyond an empty promise for flatter, more equitable funding, which is reminiscent of former governor Chris Christies toxic plan that was widely ridiculed as a deeply irresponsible proposal for stripping New Jerseys poorest communities of desperately needed education aid.

Between reckless anti-science pandering that endangers the health of students and teachers to disastrous Christie-era school funding cuts, Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli continues to make it clear that hes unfit to lead. In contrast, Governor Murphy has made historic investments in public education to expand opportunity, build a more competitive workforce, strengthen the middle class, and reduce the municipal share of property taxes.

Assemblyman Ciattarelli doesnt have any serious solutions for New Jersey, said Murphy for Governor Spokesman Jerrel Harvey. When the Assemblyman had his chance to stand up for New Jersey students and teachers, he turned his back and let things get worse under the Christie administration. Voters will back Governor Murphys commitment to working families, not someone who jeopardizes public education for political gain.

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Republican Gubernatorial Nominee Jack Ciattarelli's Phony Plan Would Slash Funding from Black and Brown Communities in Favor of Tax Cuts for the...

Republican leaders of the Wisconsin Legislature are trying to join the fight to keep an appointee of former GOP Gov. Scott Walker in his post as chair of the Natural Resources Board long after his term has expired.

The board member, Fred Prehn, has refused to leave his seat even though his term expired on May 1 and Gov. Tony Evers has appointed his successor. Prehn says a Supreme Court decision from the 1960s allows him to stay in the seat until the successor, Ashland natural resources educator Sandra Naas, is confirmed by the Senate.

In the intervening months, Prehn has allowed the board to retain a 4-3 majority of Walker appointees as the board made consequential decisions on important issues in Wisconsins conservation and environmental policies including the regulation of harmful forever chemicals in state water and the quota for a controversial wolf hunt this fall.

Earlier this week, Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a lawsuit against Prehn, asking a Dane County Circuit Court judge to allow Evers to remove Prehn from his post.

This lawsuit is more about the Legislatures authority and responsibility to approve a governors nominee than it is about Frederick Prehn or even Sandra Naas, who I believe is a good person, Prehn told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) and Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) asked the Joint Committee on Legislative Organization on Thursday to allow them to hire private attorneys to intervene in the lawsuit. That request is likely to be approved by the Republican-held committee, but it is up to Judge Nia Trammell an Evers appointee to decide whether to allow the Legislature to intervene in the case.

Legislative leaders have often turned to private attorneys to fight political battles. Earlier this year, they tried to hire attorneys in advance of an expected fight over the drawing of new legislative districts. Private attorneys hired by Republicans have cost up to $500 an hour of taxpayer money.

Environmental groups from across the state and country had called for Kaul to sue Prehn to remove him but Prehn has remained obstinate including in a meeting of the board last week when the board set this falls wolf quota at more than double what Department of Natural Resources biologists had recommended. The groups allege that Prehn is misinterpreting the law and doesnt in fact have the authority to remain in the seat until his replacement is confirmed. In 2015, Prehn assumed his seat before he was confirmed by the Senate.

Rather than siding with Prehn, LeMahieu could end the political fight by holding a vote to confirm Naas. But Republicans have often waited months or years to confirm Evers appointees. Many of the governors cabinet secretaries have yet to be confirmed three years into his term.

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Legislative Republicans join fight to stop transfer of power on Natural Resources Board - Wisconsin Examiner

William J. McCormick| Guest Columnist

Over the years, most Republicans have been reasonable people, and I believe most still are. But there have been some major changes within the party.

It seems that, although a majority of Republicans still seem to be reasonable, much of the partys leadership is not. Most of the Grand Old Party'ssenators, representatives and some of the governors keep backing former President Donald Trump even though they must surely know the danger to the party and the country.

They are apparently making their hold on power more important than the country or the party. Former Ohio Gov.John Kasich expressed it well on national television when he said, I didnt leave the party. The party left me.

More: Opinion: New system for redistricting in place, but GOP leaders leave Ohioans in the dark

Surely these public servants know that it cant be good to support the Big Lie, encourage armed insurrection, weaken environmental regulations, discourage COVID vaccinationsand antagonize other countries.

The list goes on, but there is no need to belabor the point.

It isworth mentioning that some states are working on passing laws forbidding the mandating of masks. They site individual freedom. Its illegal to drive above the speed limit because you might kill someone (certainly limits the victims freedom), but allowing someone to endanger others by not wearing a mask is OK?

More: Gov. Mike DeWine urges Ohio schools to implement mask requirements, increase COVID-19 vaccinations

These actions are splitting the GOP into two groups; and may even cause a three party system in the country. This would likely result in Democrats winning about 50% of the vote in the country, leaving the two "Republican"parties to split the other 50%. Is this good, or does it concentrate too much power?

More: Coronavirus Chronicles: Despite pandemic, there is much to be thankful for

So, what can reasonable Republicans do?

There appear to be two types of action for reasonable Republicans to protect our democratic system of government. The first would be to show support for reasonable GOP candidates like Kasich and Sen. Mitt Romney of Utahand to vote in the primaries against those who are a threat to the party and the country.

But what if the wrong people still win in some primaries?

Painful as it may be for a Republican, the best course of action would be to vote for the Democrats opposing these people in the general election.

More: From face mask mandates to vaccine passports: What COVID-19 issues Ohio lawmakers plan to tackle next

This may be painful for some, but what is more important,voting against your party or voting for those threatening the party, our democratic system, our environment and international relationships?

For the GOP, its time to throw the rascals out and work on repairing the party. Make the party great again.

William "Bill"McCormick is an 85-year-old retiree with an engineering background who has lived in central Ohio for 63 years.

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Opinion: 'Reasonable Republicans' should oust the new GOP and vote for Democrats - The Columbus Dispatch

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Democratic state lawmakers are firing back at their Republican colleagues who last week told Kent Countys top health official that mandating masks in schools could impact the local health departments state funding.

Scoring political points with threats to defund public health in the midst of a pandemic is abhorrent, and it is disturbing that some of our colleagues, none of whom hold expertise in public health, have chosen to make such public threats against our top-notch county public health experts and medical community, wrote state Sen. Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, and state Reps. Rachel Hood, D-Grand Rapids, and David LaGrand, D-Grand Rapids in a Thursday, Aug. 19, letter.

Rather than ignoring facts and attempting to score political points, we must come together to protect the public health of our community.

Over the weekend, on Aug. 14, four Republican state representatives sent Kent County Health Department Adam London a letter calling on him not to mandate masks in schools and warning him that doing so could impact his departments funding.

We in the Legislature are willing to use the constitutional tools at our disposal including the power of the purse should a public health officer act outside the sphere of proper authority, wrote state Reps. Thomas Albert, R-Lowell, Mark Huizenga, R-Walker, Steven Johnson, R-Wayland and Bryan Posthumus, R-Cannon Township.

The debate around masking, the Republican state representatives wrote, should be settled by allowing Kent County residents to evaluate their own risks, weigh the costs and benefits and act accordingly.

Related: Republican lawmakers to Kent County Health Department: If you mandate masks, we have the power of the purse

County officials have previously said its possible but would be very difficult for state lawmakers to single out one county health department in the states budgeting process.

Each year, about $8.7 million is allocated to the Kent County Health Department mostly for state-mandated programs.

Those include lead poisoning prevention, HIV resources, immunization services, food assistance for low- to moderate-income women, infants and children, emergency preparedness, childrens healthcare services outreach and advocacy, West Nile virus surveillance, essential local public health services and more.

The Democratic state lawmakers, in their Aug. 19 letter to London, called the threat to the health departments budget extremely concerning considering the breadth and impact of programs state dollars fund.

They committed to do everything in our power to prevent the defunding of the Kent County Health Department, should it order scientifically-validated measures to keep all our children safe for in-person learning.

In their letter to London, the Democrats called on London to require masks indoors at schools to protect children as well as the larger community from the spread of COVID-19.

They cited concerns about the rapidly-spreading Delta variant, children being hospitalized by the virus and the recent designation by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention elevating the COVID-19 transmission risk in the county from substantial to high.

London has said masks are effective at significantly limiting COVID transmission in schools, but that he doesnt plan to mandate their use by students and staff at this time.

He strongly urged schools and parents to enforce mask use for K-12 students to lower COVID-19 transmission.

As both Kent County and state health departments have declined to issue mask mandates in schools, some districts -- Kentwood, Grand Rapids and Forest Hills -- have issued mask requirements over the past week.

Kalamazoo, Allegan and Genesee are among the few county health departments that have issued mask mandates for schools.

Related: From pissed to relieved: parents respond to mask mandate in Kalamazoo, Allegan county schools

Read more:

Moms for America Action group calls for parents to strike against K-12 schools that mandate masking

Ban of employer vaccine mandates considered in lopsided House committee hearing

State police seize guns, suspected drugs in serious injury crash on EB I-94

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Democratic lawmakers: Republican threats to defund Kent County Health Department over mask mandate abhorre - MLive.com

FRANKFORT, KY Tuesday, state lawmakers on a special subcommittee met in Frankfort, Kentucky, voted against the Kentucky Board of Education's mask mandate for schools.

The state school board recently voted that most students and adults must wear masks inside school buildings for the next 270 days.

During the panel's meeting Tuesday, lawmakers who represent communities in the Local 6 area spoke out against the mandates and voiced their frustration at the state not allowing local school districts to make their own decisions on masks.

Republican District 3 Rep. Randy Bridges argued a statewide board should not make a decision on masks, sayinglocal superintendents, teachers and parents know what's best for their kids.

"More so than appointed members of a board in other places that are not directly working day in and day out directly with these students, with these teachers in these districts and in these counties," Bridges said."I really have to question whether some of these actions are the true intent of the board or if they're just another extension of a governor's sweeping out arm of overstepping his boundaries," Bridges said.

The board's emergency mask requirement is a separate mandate from the executive order Gov. Andy Beshear issued earlier the same week requiring masks in schools, preschools and day care facilities.

Bridges went on to suggest the KBE put in place stipulations and other markers of when schools statewide could remove the mask mandate if certain low positivity levels are met.

Republican state Sen. Danny Carroll also spoke at the meeting. He was there in his role asexecutive director of Easterseals West Kentucky not in his role as a legislator.

he said it's difficult for children who are two and three years old to wear a mask all day.

"It is a little better with the 4 and 5 year olds, but we still don'tto obtain uniformity, and our entire days would be spent putting masks back on and washing hands," Carroll said."It's unfortunate that the administration has chosen not to work with legislators and not to work as a group, as a team, to navigate through this pandemic in all areas."

At the end of the day, the committee voted 5 to 2 to repudiate the KBE regulation, determining the mask policies lacked focus. Republican lawmakers made up the majority of the committee.

The vote will ultimately do very little. The vote sent the regulation to Beshear's desk for his review. The Democratic governor reviewed the policy and responded on Tuesday that the regulation will remain in effect, the Associated Press reports.

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KBE mask regulation will stay in place after republican lawmakers sent the policy to Beshear's desk for review - WPSD Local 6

Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox, right, responds to a question during a debate with challengers Assemblymember Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, center, and former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer. | AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

SACRAMENTO Republicans running to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom attacked absent frontrunner Larry Elder in a Tuesday night debate that exposed cracks in a crowded GOP field.

Two Republican rivals in particular, businessman John Cox and former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, aimed some of their most pointed shots yet at Elder since the Sept. 14 recall election was certified last month. Cox repeatedly criticized the longtime talk show host, saying we dont need more media personalities who dont show up to meet the press.

"I sure wish Larry were here to defend this position, and he should be, Cox said in response to a question about Elders call to abolish a minimum wage. Assemblymember Kevin Kiley said he disagreed with Elders position.

Faulconer went farther, decrying Elders indefensible opposition to a minimum wage. Faulconer also brought up a 2000 Capitalism Magazine essay in which Elder wrote that "women know less than men about political issues, economics, and current events." Elder had pointed to a University of Pennsylvania survey that he said "confirmed women's lack of knowledge of the issues."

That's bulls---, Faulconer said Tuesday.

Despite leading in the polls, Elder has declined to participate in debates unless Newsom joins in, depriving voters of a chance to hear from the GOP frontrunner and preventing Republicans from engaging with a prominent rival. Earlier Tuesday, former Rep. Doug Ose stunned the field by announcing he had a heart attack and was dropping out of the race hours before he was scheduled to debate.

The nearly hourlong event was organized by the Sacramento Press Club and held at the historic Guild Theater in Sacramento's Oak Park neighborhood.

Likely voters are poised to narrowly reject the recall, based on recent polls, but much depends on unpredictable turnout. The California recall ballot has two questions: should Newsom be recalled, and who should replace him if he's removed from office. Elder is leading among replacement candidates on the second question, but that would become moot if a majority of voters decide to keep Newsom in office.

Before Tuesday, California Republicans had largely refrained from attacking one another and instead focused their fire on Newsom. That reflected a larger consensus among California Republicans that securing a pro-recall majority should be the paramount focus. The California Republican Party followed that logic in declining this month to endorse a possible successor.

But the candidates on stage Tuesday night trained their fire on Elder, underscoring his rapid rise to the top of a crowded GOP field. Faulconers fierce attack in particular highlighted the former San Diego mayors need to make up ground or make inroads with centrist voters as Elder claims a more conservative swath of the electorate.

Faulconer seemed determined Tuesday to introduce Elder's 2000 essay into the campaign discussion.

Im going to call out when I think something is wrong when I saw those comments directed about women, directed about pregnancy discrimination, thats not right," he said afterward. "Thats not right for anybody of any political party or background. Thats not what you want to have your governor doing or talking about.

Elder's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Faulconer, Kiley and Cox otherwise treaded common ground during the hourlong event in Sacramento. All three said they would do away with Newsoms statewide mandates around masking and vaccinations, arguing local governments and school districts are better positioned to respond. They similarly backed offering parents more choice over schools.

Its not about mandating and taking a one-size-fits-all approach, Faulconer said. Its about letting the local public health officials make those decisions for themselves. were not going to mandate our way out of Covid-19.

The candidates also assailed Newsom for his wildfire prevention efforts, saying mismanagement of Californias forest has played as significant a role as climate change in fueling ever-larger blazes. They argued California must pursue a larger mix of energy sources beyond those pushed by renewable electricity mandates.

The debate began on an unusual note. Cox was interrupted during his opening remarks by a man who walked up to the stage and served Cox with legal documents seeking repayment of some $100,000 in outstanding debt from his 2018 campaign.

Soaring Republican enthusiasm has Newsom facing a tight contest despite Democrats having a nearly 2-to-1 voter registration advantage. Republican voters are more motivated to turn out than their liberal counterparts, putting the onus on Newsom and Democratic allies to convince their voters to fill out the millions of mail ballots that have begun arriving at homes around the state.

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Republican rivals attack recall frontrunner Larry Elder in California debate - POLITICO

Biden stands by decision to pull troops from Afghanistan

In his first speech since the Taliban's return to Afghanistan's capital, President Biden defended his decision to remove U.S. troops from the country.

STAFF VIDEO, USA TODAY

Some of the Republican House members who this week excoriated President Joe Biden's strategy to pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan and evacuate Afghan civilians voted last month against legislation tospeed up the visa application process for Afghan citizens.

The House overwhelmingly passed a bill to make it easier for Afghans who assisted the American military to relocate to the U.S.TheAverting Loss of Life and Injury by Expediting SIVs Act (ALLIES)Act was approved by a 407-16 vote on July 22. The 16 "no" votes were all from Republicans.

The ALLIES Act removes some applicationrequirements for Afghan special immigrant visas that ledto long backlogs and wait times. It also boosts the number of visasfor Afghans by an additional 8,000 to 19,000. Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., introduced the bill in June, with 24 bipartisan cosponsors.

We have a moral obligation to make sure the American handshake matters, that we are keeping our promises, Crow told Colorado Public Radio.We have to show to the world that our word is our bond.

Biden has faced withering bipartisan criticisms for his handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, which has led to the Taliban's return to power.

More: U.S. evacuations flights restart from Kabul as Taliban declares 'amnesty' for government officials

Stunning photo: More than 600 people pack a US Air Force plane leaving Afghanistan amid siege, reports say

These Republican Housemembers voted against the bill:

The U.S. military on Tuesday continuedto evacuate American citizens and Afghan civilians who helped American troops after reports ofchaos atHamid Karzai International Airport Monday. Afghans rushed the tarmac and clung to already loaded airplanes,desperate to escape. At least seven people died in the melee.

As reports of Afghanpeople fleeing the Taliban spread across social media, many of these lawmakers attacked Biden.

More: 'I am begging you guys:' Florida veteran fights to bring his Afghan interpreter to the U.S.

Learn: They will slaughter us: Afghans who worked with US beg for visas as troop withdrawal looms

Talibans return in Afghanistan and what it means for US involvement

The Taliban has taken control of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Heres what a Taliban regime means for the country and rest of the world.

Just the FAQs, USA TODAY

In a tweet Monday, Biggs wrote, "Lets set the record straight before Biden & co. starts blaming Trump for the Afghanistan disaster. Biden abandoned Trumps peace plan & exit strategy & haphazardly created his own. Biden is FULLY responsible for this absolute wreck."

After Biden's address to the nation Monday, Boebert tweeted, "The American people are not arguing that we should have stayed in Afghanistan. Were furious that you abandoned Americans on the ground and are the most incompetent President in American history."

Crow, the lead sponsor of the ALLIES Act, responded toanother one of Boebert's tweetsSunday in which she wrote, "Joe has a 48 year history of making bad decisions. Add this weekends foreign policy decisions to the list."

"Wait a minute,"Crow quote-tweeted Boebert. "A few weeks ago you were 1 of only 16 members of Congress who voted against my bill to expand and speed up the visa program to evacuate and save our Afghan partners."

DesJarliasslammed Bidenin a statement:A hasty withdrawal that was given zero thought left our citizens in danger and threatened the security of classified information falling into the hands of terrorists," he said.

"President Biden and his administration were reckless and deserve to be held accountable for the disastrous mistakes they made in our departure from this country.

More: 'They already looking for me': An Afghan interpreter on the last 24 hours

Related: Afghanistan mayor worries the Taliban may 'kill' her: Will women be oppressed again?

Massie singled out American arrogancein a tweet, "The hubris that led the US to spend 20 years in Afghanistan is the same hubris that caused the withdrawal to become an emergency evacuation."

Duncan agreed with Biden's decision to pull troops out of Afghanistan but objected to how Biden went about the withdrawal.

"I don't disagree with @JoeBiden's comments on stopping endless wars,"Duncan tweeted."I agree with him, I've said I agree with him, and I disagree with many in my party on this issue. But THE WAY he's implemented this withdrawal is a completely separate and deeply troubling issue."

In a statement, Hern laid the blame for the havoc in Afghanistan on Biden's shoulders.

The truth is, Biden owns this. This is a tragedy of his own making. Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, and Defense Secretary Austin either lied to the American people, or they are spectacularly incompetent," Hern said in a statement."They reassured us that Afghanistan would not fall, that the Taliban would not take Kabul, and that Americans would not be put in harms way. Not only were they wrong, they were proven wrong almost immediately."

Moore called the American retreat "a painful betrayal of our Afghan allies" and "an unforgivable insult to the thousands of American who spilled their blood on Afghan soil" in a statement.

Rosendaleagreed with Biden's decision to leave but said in a tweet, "the chaos we're seeing is not an excuse to flood our country with refugees from Afghanistan."

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These 16 Republicans voted against speeding up visas for Afghans fleeing the Taliban - USA TODAY

MADISONVILLE, La. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and 22 other Republican senators today urged President Biden to reverse his decision to call upon the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies to increase oil production in response to rising gas prices.

We are surprised by your recent actions in calling on the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies to increase oil production in response to rising gasoline prices. Since your first day in office, your Administration has pursued policies that have restricted and threatened American oil and gas development, which has had devastating consequences for American workers and consumers. It is astonishing that your Administration is now seeking assistance from an international oil cartel when America has sufficient domestic supply and reserves to increase output which would reduce gasoline prices, the senators wrote.

Last month, gasoline prices reached a seven year high and are forty-percent higher than they were on January 1, 2021. It is no surprise how we got here. Your Administrations domestic oil and gas development policies are hurting American consumers and workers, are contrary to an America First energy agenda, and reinforce a reliance on foreign oil, they continued.

We agree with your intent to reduce the cost of gas for hardworking Americans, but your domestic policy agenda has proven to have the opposite effect and continues to threaten American jobs and family budgets. We urge your Administration to revise its regulatory agenda and legislative priorities as it relates to domestic oil and gas development. The best and most effective way to reduce the cost of gasoline at the pump is to unleash clean, affordable and reliable American energy, concluded the senators.

Sens. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) also signed the letter.

The letter is available here.

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Kennedy, Republican senators urge Biden to reverse call on OPEC to increase oil production - Kennedy.Senate.gov

Over the weekend, it became clear that the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan had become an unmitigated disaster as images of Afghan civilians clinging to a military plane in the hopes of escaping the Taliban emerged. As the disaster continues to unfold, theres obviously been a considerable amount of criticism of Joe Biden and his administration. Some of it is entirely reasonablethey clearly should have figured out, among other things, a way to evacuate more people before the country completely collapsedand some of it is typical hysteria from the right, which has conveniently forgotten that Donald Trump and the GOP have been cheerleading a full pullout from Afghanistan until very recently, and that it was actually the last president who negotiated a deal with the Taliban to pull out U.S. troops, which many believe cost the U.S. leverage it could have applied to force the Taliban to adhere to the peace deal and a cessation of hostilities, according to Insider. And some of these Republicans are so shameless in their denunciation of Biden that theyre calling for him to be removed from office via 25th Amendment, despite standing by Trump as he engaged in behavior worthy of invoking the 25th on a near-daily basis during his time in office.

One of those people is Senator Rick Scott, the chairman of the Senate GOPs campaign arm, who on Monday tweeted, We must confront a serious question: Is Joe Biden capable of discharging the duties of his office or has time come to exercise the provisions of the 25th Amendment? To be clear, at no time during Trumps first term did Scott suggest that the 45th president was no longer fit to hold office, not when he was trying to extort Ukraine and not when he incited a violent mob to attack the Capitol. To also be clear, Scott is a partisan hack who was one of just eight GOP senators who tried to overturn a free and fair election even after MAGA rioters tried to stop Congress from certifying Bidens win, and he gave Trump a Champion of Freedom Award in April. Oh, and before he got into politics, he was CEO of a company that committed historic medicare fraud, in case you were wondering if you should trust literally anything he ever says. And he asked for Bidens assistance in Florida on the same day he claimed the guy might not be capable of discharging the duties of his office.

Speaking of people whose calls for Biden to be removed from office should be taken with several thousand grains of salt, former White House physician Ronny Jackson would like people to know that hes been calling for Biden to be taken out via the 25th since way before the Afghanistan situation, retweeting a TV appearance from July in which he claimed, Theres something serious going on with this man right now and you know I think hes either going to resigntheyre going to convince him to resign from office at some point in the near future for medical issuesor theyre going to have to use the 25th Amendment to get rid of this man right now. Theres some serious stuff going on right now and if they do that itll be the presidents cabinet that initiates that.

Claiming Biden is somehow mentally incapacitated has been a go-to for the right since the campaign trail, when their claims that he was a socialist who would destroy the suburbs didnt stick, which was and remains an odd argument given that Trump can barely string a sentence together without stumbling on his words, among other things. As for Ronny, he once claimed Trump could live to be 200 years old, so he might not be entirely unbiased.

And if you needed any more evidence these 25th calls are only coming from the most hysterical, shameless Republican hacks, Trumps rent-a-lawyer also supports it too.

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Republicans Who Stood by a Presidential Lunatic Are Now Demanding Biden Be Removed via 25th Amendment - Vanity Fair