Latest news with #Pfluger
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republicans defeat Democrats in record-breaking charity baseball game
WASHINGTON — Republicans defeated Democrats for a fifth straight year in the annual Congressional Baseball Game for Charity as the hosting organization announced a record-breaking sum of donations. More than 31,000 people gathered at Nationals Park in southeast Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night, amounting to more than $2.81 million to go toward charities in the nation's capital. The total amount surpasses the previous donation record of $2.2 million set in 2024. 'Couldn't have asked for a better support team here in DC!' Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, who was named MVP of the game, said in a post on X. 'Another huge win for Republicans.' Pfluger was named MVP after he made a diving catch to end the first inning, giving a major stop to Democrats who had the bases loaded. Republicans defeated Democrats with a final score of 13-2. It's the fifth straight year Republicans have defeated Democrats, continuing the party's winning streak since 2021. Democrats previously held a three-year winning streak from 2017 to 2019. There was no game in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual Congressional Baseball Game began in 1909 after Rep. John Tener, a former professional baseball player, organized the contest. Democrats won the inaugural game with a final score of 26-16. Since then, Republicans have won a total of 38 games and Democrats have won 23 games. There has been one tie, which occurred in 1983. Utah members have often participated in the annual game, with Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, holding a spot on the roster since he was first elected in 2020. However, the Utah 1st District Republican could not play on Wednesday due to a shoulder injury sustained during the congressional soccer game last month.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Taiwan envoy urges congressional action, warns of rising China threat after meeting lawmakers
Taiwan's top envoy to the U.S. urged the Senate to ease tax burdens between the two countries and asked Congress to fast-track foreign military sales, following a closed-door lunch Wednesday with the House. Ambassador Alexander Tah-Ray Yui, Taipei's top representative in Washington, told Fox News Digital that he is encouraged that U.S. leaders recognize the urgent existential threat China poses, but emphasized the need to get weapons into the hands of the Taiwanese military more quickly and to address issues impeding two-way investment. "We appreciate the United States prioritizing Taiwan and helping us strengthen our defense capabilities," Yui said. "We're cheering on more military commitments to the states and [a] joint effort to speed up the delivery of the products that we bought." Yui called on the Senate to advance a stalled double taxation agreement, which has already cleared the House. Robert Maginnis: 9 Signs Beijing's Taiwan Invasion May Be Imminent "That's an important incentive for Taiwanese companies to come to the United States and invest – but also vice versa for U.S. companies to go to Taiwan," he said. "We are the only one of the large trading partners without this treatment, which is worrying for the whole country right now." Read On The Fox News App By a vote of 423 to 1, the House last Congress passed the United States-Taiwan Expedited Double-Tax Relief Act, legislation that prevents double taxation on cross-border investments. The ambassador also offered a sobering assessment of China's increasingly belligerent posture in the Taiwan Strait and across the Indo-Pacific. "We are concerned," Yui said. "The [People's Liberation] Army and Navy are increasing their activities around Taiwan, harassing our territorial waters and airspace. These provocations are constant." While emphasizing that "we don't want war," he noted that the U.S. and regional partners have begun ramping up their own defenses, recognizing the threat. 'Coming For Us': Expert Sounds Alarm On Ccp's Mission To 'Kill Americans' After Fbi Makes Shocking Arrests Rep. August Pfluger, who chairs the influential RSC, told Fox News Digital that the meeting was a show of solidarity with Taiwan's democratic government and a rebuke of China's authoritarian policies. "China is an existential threat to Taiwan," said Pfluger, a Texas Republican. "The difference between mainland China and Taiwan is how they treat human life. Taiwan values openness. China suppresses free speech, targets groups like the Uyghur Muslims – it's deeply concerning." The lunch meeting, attended by dozens of House Republicans, comes amid rising tensions in the region – but just as President Donald Trump announced a deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping to ease the trade war. While Pfluger did not commit to further supplemental aid, he said he supports efforts by both nations to strengthen military readiness, including Taiwan's move to increase defense spending to 3% of GDP. "It stands to reason that Taiwan increasing their own internal spending on defense, as well as the U.S. recapitalizing our Navy and Air and Space Forces, is vitally important," he said. Asked what message Congress wants to send to the Taiwanese people, Pfluger was unequivocal: "We stand by them – as an ally, as a trading partner, as a democracy facing tyranny just next door." The conversation came at a time when U.S. military officials are warning China is readying for battle in the Indo-Pacific in an effort to "dominate" the region. "Beijing is preparing for war in the Indo-Pacific as part of its broader strategy to dominate that region and then the world," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Congress this week. He added that such an outcome could put the U.S. economy and its supply chains in a choke hold. "China is undertaking a historic military buildup and actively rehearsing for an invasion of Taiwan," he said. "These aggressive maneuvers are not routine exercises, they are rehearsals for a forced unification," Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, added in his own testimony. Taiwan has recently renewed an effort to purge its ranks of Chinese sympathizers, indicting four people on Tuesday suspected of spying for China that had infiltrated the presidential office. Two Chinese aircraft carriers spotted conducting operations in the Pacific demonstrated the country's "expansionist" aims, Taiwan Defense Minister Wellington Koo said Wednesday. "Crossing from the first island chain into the second island chain sends a definite political message and their expansionist nature can be seen," he told reporters in Taipei. The first island chain refers to the region from Japan to Taiwan and the Philippines to Borneo and the second island chain spreads farther into the Pacific, toward the U.S. territory of article source: Taiwan envoy urges congressional action, warns of rising China threat after meeting lawmakers
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House passes Rep. Pfluger's bill to block noncitizen voting in DC elections
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Concho Valley Homepage) — The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill introduced by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, that would bar noncitizens from voting in local Washington, D.C., elections and repeal a 2022 D.C. law that granted that right. The measure passed with bipartisan support in a 266-148 vote, marking the second consecutive year the House has approved similar legislation. A previous version passed in 2024 with a vote of 262-143. No Kings movement to protest in West Texas against Trump's national ICE raids Rep. Pfluger's bill targets the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022, which allowed noncitizen residents — including green card holders, undocumented immigrants, and foreign nationals — to vote in D.C. municipal elections after residing in the city for as little as 30 days. 'The radical D.C. Council decided to allow noncitizens — including illegal aliens and foreign agents — to vote in local elections,' Pfluger said in a statement following the vote. 'Allowing noncitizens to vote opens Pandora's box to D.C.'s already radical local policies, diluting the voting power of citizen voters.' 'Today, the House took action to defend that power and restore the sanctity of the voting process,' he added. Texas THC ban: Lt. Gov. Patrick warns of youth health risks House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., praised the bill's passage. 'It's common sense that only American citizens should have the right to vote,' Comer said. 'Allowing noncitizens to vote in D.C. elections undermines the defining privilege of American citizenship and dilutes the right of American citizens to elect the candidates who best represent them. By passing H.R. 884, the House took a crucial step toward empowering American citizens in D.C. to vote in local elections and restoring the rule of law in our nation's capital.' Comer added that the House Oversight Committee is 'committed to defending Americans' fundamental right to vote and responsible governance in D.C.,' and called on the Senate to take up the measure. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republicans advance measure to ban noncitizens from voting in local DC elections
WASHINGTON — The House advanced a bill to ban noncitizens from voting in local elections in Washington, D.C., marking the latest step from Republicans to crack down on city policies they view as too liberal. Lawmakers voted 268-148 largely along party lines to advance the measure, sending the bill over to the Republican-led Senate for consideration. The bill managed to garner some bipartisan support after 56 Democrats voted in favor. However, the legislation's future is uncertain as it would require seven Democrats to buck party leadership and support the proposal. 'The right to vote is a defining privilege of American citizenship,' House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said in a speech on the House floor. 'Diluting that right by extending it to noncitizens — whether here legally or illegally — undermines the voice of D.C. residents.' The bill would overturn the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act, a bill passed by the D.C. Council in 2022 that permits undocumented residents living in Washington to vote in local elections. City lawmakers have defended the measure by pointing to a 'long history of the U.S. allowing noncitizens to vote in local (or) state' elections. Lawmakers also note many of the undocumented residents pay local taxes, support businesses, and attend district schools — arguing that should qualify them to have a say in local elections. However, Republicans have argued that allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections sets a dangerous precedent that could negatively harm local governments. 'Some may wrongly dismiss these as local elections. The reality is local elections are a vital part of our democratic process and have a significant impact on communities,' Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, who led the bill in the House, said in a speech. 'Local elections determine matters such as taxation, the criminal code, and the election of city council members who create essential ordinances, including those that dictate voting rights.' Additionally, Republicans have criticized the law as a way to dilute 'the voice of American citizens.' 'It's also important to acknowledge that many local elections are decided by razor-thin margins underscoring their significance and importance of active participation,' Pfluger said. GOP lawmakers also cited opposition from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who withheld her signature from the ordinance but allowed it to take effect. 'Why would my colleagues on the other side of the aisle want foreigners to vote in local elections in Washington, D.C.? What's the purpose?' Pfluger said. 'Free and fair elections are prerequisites for the healthy republic our founding fathers envisioned, with the District of Columbia as the epicenter.' House Republicans passed a bill in 2023 seeking to repeal the D.C. law allowing noncitizens to vote. The bill was spearheaded by Republicans but 52 Democrats ultimately joined all Republicans in approving the bill despite efforts from Democratic leadership to quash the proposal. However, the legislation was never considered in the Senate, which was controlled by Democrats at the time. Despite not being a state, Washington is permitted to operate as an independent city government under the D.C. Home Rule Act. However, local laws are still subject to congressional approval before they can take effect, occasionally setting up showdowns between Congress and local lawmakers. The vote on Tuesday is the first of three bills being considered this week by the House to rein in some of D.C.'s local ordinances. Other proposals being considered would rescind D.C. Council policies allowing city employees to not comply with requests from the Department of Homeland Security or Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
148 Democrats back noncitizen voting in DC as GOP raises alarm about foreign agents
The majority of House Democrats voted in favor of allowing non-citizens to participate in Washington, D.C. elections on Tuesday. The House of Representatives passed a bill led by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, to prohibit non-U.S. citizens from voting in elections in the nation's capital. It passed 266 to 148, with 56 Democrats joining Republicans in passing the measure. One Democrat voted "present," while 148 voted against the bill. "I believe strongly in not having federal overreach, but we have jurisdiction, Congress has jurisdiction over Washington, District of Columbia…and we don't like to utilize our jurisdiction and our authority, but in this case, they've gone too far," Pfluger told Fox News Digital in an interview before the vote. D.C.'s progressive city council passed the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act in 2022, granting non-U.S. citizens the ability to vote in local elections if they've lived in the district for at least 30 days. Scoop: House Gop Memo Highlights Republican Wins In Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Read On The Fox News App Noncitizens can also hold local elected office in the D.C. government. The local measure has been a frequent target of GOP attacks, with Republican national security hawks raising alarms about the possibility of hostile foreign agents participating in D.C. elections. But progressive Democrats like Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., who spoke out against the bill on Tuesday afternoon, have dismissed that as an implausible scenario. "Republicans claim that Congress has a constitutional duty to legislate on local D.C. matters, but this is historically and legally incorrect. Republicans legislate on local D.C. matters only when they think they can score political points, such as by demonizing immigrants," Frost said during debate on the House floor. "They only bring it up to the floor when they think they can score political points, taking away the democratic rights of people here in D.C. and home rule." Frost also argued that it was "highly unlikely" foreign officials would vote in those elections, claiming they would have to "renounce their right to vote in their home country" and because "D.C. has no authority in federal matters." But Pfluger, who spoke with Fox News Digital before the vote, was optimistic that it would get at least some Democratic support. He noted that 52 Democrats voted for the bill when it passed the House in the previous Congress. It was never taken up in the formerly Democrat-controlled Senate, however. "It's hard to go back to your district as a Democrat and say, yeah, I want foreign agents to be able to vote in our elections – 'Oh yeah, it's not federal elections,' some may say. But it has an impact on the way the city is run," Pfluger said. Meet The Trump-picked Lawmakers Giving Speaker Johnson A Full House Gop Conference "This could be Russian embassy personnel, they could be Chinese embassy personnel – a number of folks. It's just wrong. It goes against the fabric of our society," he added. Another bill receiving a vote on Tuesday is legislation that would grant D.C. police the ability to negotiate punishments via collective bargaining, and would help shield the capital's police force from at least some liability by installing a statute of limitations against the Metropolitan Police Department. That legislation was introduced by New York Republican Rep. Andrew article source: 148 Democrats back noncitizen voting in DC as GOP raises alarm about foreign agents
