The Daily Signal - TOP NEWS | House To Vote On Debt Ceiling Bill, GOP Rep. Stepping Down, Drone Strikes On Russian Turf, | May 31

Episode Date: May 31, 2023

On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: The House of Representatives will vote on the debt ceiling bill this evening Utah Republican Rep. Chris Stewart has announced he’s resigning from Congress due to his wife’s health concerns.  Our colleague Mary Margaret Olohan is reporting that an athletic organization beloved by legendary Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully is condemning the Dodgers’ decision to promote an anti-Catholic group posing as transgender and queer nuns.  Mary Margaret’s story: https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/05/31/athletic-org-tied-legendary-dodgers-announcer-condemns-anti-catholic-move/  Relevant Links Listen to other podcasts from The Daily Signal: https://www.dailysignal.com/podcasts/ Get daily conservative news you can trust from our Morning Bell newsletter: DailySignal.com/morningbellsubscription   Listen to more Heritage podcasts: https://www.heritage.org/podcasts Sign up for The Agenda newsletter — the lowdown on top issues conservatives need to know about each week: https://www.heritage.org/agenda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm Samantha Sherris. I'm Virginia Allen. And this is the Daily Signal Top News for Wednesday, May 31st. Here are today's headlines. The House of Representatives will vote on the debt ceiling bill this evening after weeks of extensive negotiations between Republicans and Democrats. President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached an agreement on Saturday. The 99-page bill called the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 aims to rescind roughly 30 billion. dollars of unspent COVID-19 relief funds, completely fund veterans medical care as proposed in the president's budget for fiscal year 2024, and end the student loan repayment pause in late August, according to the Associated Press. In a 7-6 vote on Tuesday, the House Rules Committee advanced the legislation to a full House vote. McCarthy said while arriving at the Capitol on Wednesday that everybody has a right to their own opinion, but on history, I'd want to be here with this bill today. Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that the president sent top White House officials to the Capitol to short votes. Heritage Action, the grassroots arm of the Heritage

Foundation, opposes the bill, writing, this deal does not meet the moment, and it does not address the root problems that have led to nearly $32 trillion in national debt. As members of Congress continue to fight to rein in Washington's spending addiction and prevent the country's fiscal ruin, we remain committed to finding solutions to once and for all bend the spending curve down. If the bill passes tonight, it will head to the Senate where it will need 60 votes to pass. Utah Republican Representative Chris Stewart has announced he is resigning from Congress due to his wife's health concerns. In a statement posted to Twitter, Stewart wrote, It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to serve the good people of Utah in Congress.

My wife and I have made so many dear friends and memories throughout our journey. I can say with pride that I have been an effective leader for my beloved home state, and I'm honored to have played an important role in guiding our nation through some troubling times. Stuart added, but my wife's health concerns have made it necessary that I retire from Congress after an orderly transition can be ensured. Stewart was first elected to Congress in 2012. He's a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Appropriations Committee. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy tweeted earlier this afternoon, saying,

For more than a decade, Utah's second district has had a selfless public servant in Representative Chris Stewart. I wish him and his wife, Evie, health, and blessings as they prepare for the next chapter of their lives. Utah Republican Governor Spencer Cox has seven days from Stewart's resignation to schedule a primary and special election, according to Fox News. Our colleague Mary Margaret O'Ollahan is reporting that an athletic organization beloved by legendary Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster, Vince Scully, is condemning the Dodgers decision to promote an anti-Catholic group posing as transgender and queer nuns. Catholic Athletes for Christ launched in 2006 to serve athletes. in the practice of their faith and to help share the gospel of Jesus Christ through sports. The group organizes Sunday Masses at Major League Baseball Stadiums around the United States, which the late broadcaster Scully reportedly loved attending.

Scully and his wife, Sandy, would also join Billy DeLoree, then the Dodgers Traveling Secretary in worshipping at the chapel in the bowels of Dodger Stadium, where Scully occasionally lectured mass, according to Angelus. As the Los Angeles-based Catholic publication shared, when DeLurie died at 81 in 2015, Vin draped DeLore's blue Dodgers jacket over an empty chair next to him. Scully's family has asked that donations be made in his name to Catholic athletes for Christ following his death, according to Angelus. Now, the Dodgers have invited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to attend the team's Pride Night. The performers describe their group as a leading-edge order. of queer and trans nuns.

And though the group claims that it is not anti-Catholic, the tagline on its website states, go forth and send some more, apparently mocking Jesus Christ's words to a woman caught in adultery. In a message to the Daily Signal, Catholic Athletes for Christ said the group is working to persuade those with influence

to reconsider their current decision regarding Pride Night. We will include a link to Mary Margaret's full article in today's show notes. NBC News is reporting that there have been more drone attacks against Russia. Some of the attacks have reportedly hit two oil refineries about 50 miles away from Russia's Black Sea oil export terminals. The second round of strikes comes after previous strikes yesterday that hit residential areas of Moscow. These are the first of their kind since Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that this, This is clearly a sign of terrorist activity and blame Ukraine for the attacks. White House Press Secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said at a briefing Tuesday that we do not support the use of U.S.-made equipment being used for attacks inside of Russia. We've been very clear about that and will continue to do that. And we have been clear not just publicly but privately clear with Ukrainians. Democratic Governor Kathy Hochle has defended New York. City Mayor Eric Adams over a program to bus illegal immigrants elsewhere in the state.

During a press conference about the Environmental Bond Act, the New York Governor also fielded questions about the roughly 70,000 asylum seekers that have arrived in New York City, according to Fox News. Hockel said, we have been encouraging them to give as much notice as possible to county executives. Given the scale of people affected, it's not always going to be perfect. Over 48,000 migrants are currently being housed in the Big Apple. Fox News also reports. On May 5th, just days before the public health measure, Title 42 was lifted, Adams announced a program that would provide a temporary shelter option.

According to the mayor's office, the program would provide up to four months of temporary sheltering in nearby New York counties outside of New York City to single adult men seeking asylum who were already in the city's care. Adam said at the time, this new voluntary program will provide asylum seekers with temporary housing access to services and connections to local communities as they build a stable life in New York State. And that's going to do it for today's episode. Thank you for listening to The Daily Signal's top news. If you haven't had the chance, be sure to check out our morning show right here in this same podcast feed, where we bring you interviews with lawmakers, experts, and leading conservative voices.

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We hope you all have a great evening, and we'll be back with you all tomorrow morning. The Daily Signal podcast is brought to you by more than half a million members of the Heritage Foundation. Executive producers are Rob Luey and Kate Trinko. Producers are Virginia Allen and Samantha Asheras. Sound designed by Lauren Evans, Mark Geinney, and John Pop. To learn more, please visit DailySignal.com.