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It’s been over 100 days since Republicans took control of the House of Representatives, and so far it has been — to put it lightly — a smoking hot mess.
Just this week, you had Congressman Jim Jordan dragging the House Judiciary Committee on a field trip to New York City for a sham hearing about “crime,” when in reality it was basically just an excuse to go after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin bragg and play lawyer to a twice-impeached and now once-indicted former president.
If Congress does not increase the debt ceiling by the summer, the government is at risk of going into default and tanking the economy.
You also have Rep. George Santos introducing a bill called the Minaj Act. Seriously. It’s an apparent nod to rapper Nicki Minaj that would limit the federal government’s ability to impose vaccine mandates.
Other than that, it’s been a lot of buzzwords like "woke," "trans" and "CRT." You know, whatever will get them a spot on Fox primetime.
But while all of this is happening, the country is also quickly approaching a potential economic crisis. If Congress does not increase the debt ceiling by the summer, the government is at risk of going into default and tanking the economy. And right now, there is no sign of any solution that the House, Senate and president could all get behind.
On Wednesday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy finally unveiled his plan — a bill that would raise the debt ceiling into next year — but would also slash federal spending by roughly $130 billion.
And where would they make those cuts, you ask? Well, apparently ... they still don’t know!
The Washington Post reported that “the spending reductions probably would target federal health care, science, education, climate, energy, labor and research programs, while leaving untouched the Pentagon and services for veterans. But the bill does not specify the exact agencies or programs on the chopping block.”
The bill would also raise the age limit on work requirements for those receiving federal food aid from programs like SNAP, leaving millions of low-income adults without food assistance.
That proposal is essentially dead on arrival in the Senate, and that’s if it can even get through the House. But McCarthy is threatening that if he doesn’t get what he wants, he will hold the American economy hostage.
"Let me be clear: A no-strings-attached debt limit increase will not pass," McCarthy said during a speech in New York on Monday.
If there’s one thing we've learned from Kevin McCarthy’s leadership, it’s that there is no bottom.
On top of all that, you have members of Congress — like Marjorie Taylor Greene — who are using their taxpayer-funded time to turn committee hearings into total clown shows.
During a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Wednesday, Greene was silenced after repeating a debunked right-wing conspiracy theory that a Democratic colleague is having an extramarital affair with a Chinese spy and also calling the Homeland Security secretary a liar.
Some Republicans were reportedly furious about that outburst, but Greene doesn’t seem too scared of any repercussions. In fact, she doubled down on her obscene remarks on Twitter.
But why would she worry? If there’s one thing we've learned from Kevin McCarthy’s leadership, it’s that there is no bottom. Whether it’s lying or racism or an insurrection, you can get away with almost anything.
This is an excerpt from Thursday's episode of the “The ReidOut.” It has been slightly edited for length and clarity