Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is furious at Twitter after a parody account of the congresswoman began to go viral, claiming CEO Elon Musk is behind its recent traffic.

‘FYI there’s a fake account on here impersonating me and going viral,’ AOC wrote in a post Tuesday.

‘The Twitter CEO has engaged it, boosting visibility,’ she said, suggesting Musk is helping push the account across the platform. ‘It is releasing false policy statements and gaining spread. I am assessing with my team how to move forward. In the meantime, be careful of what you see.’

While the fake account uses the same profile photo as the congresswoman, it makes clear that it is not actually AOC, posting under the name ‘Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Press Release (parody).’

‘I can’t believe people would think these parody tweets are from our office when they are clearly fake. Come on y’all you know I would never say something as stupid as that,’ the parody account joked in response to AOC’s criticism.

The account hit back at AOC in a series of tweets Tuesday, joking that the congresswoman was going to make parody ‘illegal.’

‘After brainstorming with my staff – I’m going to push Congress to make it illegal to joke, laugh, or make fun of me. Parody should be illegal,’ the parody account wrote.

‘I can’t believe someone would do that to us,’ the account wrote in another response to the congresswoman.

Ocasio-Cortez has been a prominent critic of Musk and his new Twitter verification policy that allows more accounts to obtain blue checkmarks. 

While the parody does have the once-coveted blue checkmark, the congresswoman’s remains gray to make a clear distinction between her government account and other verified pages.

According to Twitter’s help center, by using the word ‘parody’ in the username and biography, the account does not violate the platform’s user guidelines.

Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will make competing visits to Iowa this week as the 2024 GOP presidential primary heats up.

DeSantis returns to Iowa for the first time as a declared presidential candidate. The popular two-term conservative governor of Florida on Tuesday evening will kick off two days of campaigning in the Hawkeye State with a stop at the Eternity Church in Clive. The stop at the mega church in suburban Des Moines illustrates the outsized role evangelical Christians play in Iowa’s Republican presidential caucuses. 

Fox News Digital will livestream the address by DeSantis, at 8pm ET.

On Wednesday, DeSantis will crisscross the state from west to east, holding events in Sioux City, Council Bluffs, Pella, and Cedar Rapids, before campaigning Thursday in New Hampshire and Friday in South Carolina, which hold the second and third contests in the Republican primary and caucus schedule.

Trump, who remains the commanding front-runner in the race for the GOP presidential nomination as he makes his third straight bid for the White House, returns to Iowa on Wednesday afternoon, with his trip overlapping with DeSantis.

The former president will make an in studio appearance with popular radio host Simon Conway. On Thursday Trump will address Republican activists on Thursday at the Westside Conservative Club in Urbandale, in suburban Des Moines, before sitting down with Fox News’ Sean Hannity for a town hall in nearby Clive, which will air on the Fox News Channel at 9pm ET.

Iowa GOP chair Jeff Kaufmann, pointing to the former president’s ‘near universal name recognition and universal knowledge of his policies,’ told Fox News recently that that Trump ‘obviously has an inside track.’

‘Do I believe that Donald Trump is ahead in the polls in Iowa? Absolutely. Do I believe that the Iowa caucuses is a done deal? Absolutely not,’ Kaufmann said. ‘It’s not in our nature to do that. And I think a lot of Iowans would be reticent about calling a caucus before January when we actually have it.’

Earlier this month Trump and DeSantis scheduled rival events in Iowa — with the Florida governor headlining events in both the western and eastern parts of the state to fundraise for fellow Republicans, while Trump planned to hold what was billed as a large rally in Des Moines. 

After Trump’s event was canceled at the last minute due to severe weather warnings, DeSantis made an unscheduled stop in Iowa’s capital city on Saturday night and spoke with supporters at a barbeque joint just a couple of blocks from where the Trump rally would have been.

‘Iowa is very important,’ DeSantis said on Monday in an interview on Fox News’ ‘Fox and Friends.’

Showcasing his commitment to campaigning in Iowa, DeSantis added that ‘we obviously have a lot in common with Iowa in terms of what Florida has done and what they’ve done under Gov. Kim Reynolds. And I think the groundswell of support has been really, really strong. We’re going to press the case.’

Never Back Down, the deep-pocketed super PAC supporting DeSantis, has hired political operatives in Iowa as they’ve built up a field operation, sent out mailers, organized events, and showcased a slew of endorsements by state lawmakers.

Among those heading up the super PAC are veterans of the Republican presidential campaign of Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who narrowly edged Trump to win the 2016 Iowa caucuses thanks in part to strong support from social conservative voters. 

The Trump campaign is cognizant of the DeSantis efforts in Iowa.

‘I understand everything they’re doing to try to make it into a competitive race, and we will fight as it as a competitive race to the end, but the challenges they face to bring the race into a competitive stature are much greater,’ senior Trump campaign adviser Chris LaCivita argued in a statement. ‘Anyone underestimating President Trump’s willingness to campaign is making a huge mistake. People will see plenty of Donald Trump.’

The Trump campaign says they’ve upped their game since 2016, when their organizational skills in Iowa were criticized.

‘Where we are now compared to 2016 is just not comparable,’ LaCivita told Fox News.

Iowa’ has seen plenty of campaign traffic so far this year, with numerous visits from former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who launched her campaign in February, and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina — who declared his candidacy last week — as well as three other declared presidential candidates: former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson; multimillionaire entrepreneur, best-selling author and conservative commentator Vivek Ramaswamy; and businessman Perry Johnson. And former Vice President Mike Pence, who’s expected to launch a 2024 campaign in the coming days, has also heavily traveled through Iowa.

Kaufmann spotlighted that ‘there is more than one ticket out of Iowa,’ as he pointed to Trump’s second-place finish in 2016 caucuses, narrowly behind Cruz, the eventual nomination runner-up for the nomination.

He emphasized that candidates who over-perform in the caucuses ‘can leave Iowa with some momentum for the long game. And that’s what Iowa’s all about. It’s the beginning of the long game.’

Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., dismissed House Republicans’ victory lap on the new debt limit bill on Tuesday, telling reporters that there was ‘no meaningful debt reduction’ in the deal struck by President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

‘First things first: you have all heard me say that Republicans never cared about reducing the deficit, and were just using the debt ceiling as a way to force through their priorities. This deal proves that point,’ Jayapal told reporters on a press call. ‘There is no meaningful debt reduction here. Some pieces will actually raise the deficit. The chief thing they claimed to care about, they are not getting in this bill.’

Her comments mirror those made by several conservative Republicans who said they won’t support the legislation because it doesn’t cut enough.

Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., one of the first House Republicans to break away from the conference and oppose the bill, noted a report that said Jayapal praised the agreement as one that minimized GOP demands. She said the bill makes some improvements to the federal food stamp program, avoids a shutdown and gave the GOP no ‘major concessions.’

‘Fellow members of the Republican Conference: Jayapal. Think. You won’t ever be able to live this one down,’ he wrote on Twitter.

House leaders are working to survey members on both sides of the aisle to see if McCarthy has the 218 votes necessary for the bill to pass their chamber. Both Republican and Democratic leaders have acknowledged that they will need bipartisan support.

Jayapal signaled on the call that progressives still had deep reservations about the bill, despite the recognition that GOP goals were minimized.

‘You will all remember that last week we did a whip of the CPC, and the overwhelming majority of our members said that they would not be able to support a deal that includes bad permitting policies, work requirements on social safety net programs, and harmful spending cuts. All of those are in this deal,’ Jayapal said.

House Republican leaders and McCarthy allies have pointed out that the bill follows through on the GOP’s pledge to cut spending and tighten work requirements for federal benefits, as well as clawing back some IRS and COVID-19 funding.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries suggested Tuesday that ‘MAGA Republicans’ are attempting to ‘crash’ the United States economy via debt ceiling negotiations because it is in their political interest to do so. 

‘Right now we’re focused on making sure that we avoid a catastrophic default, that we don’t allow the extreme MAGA Republicans to crash the economy and trigger a job killing recession, which to this day, many of them clearly want to do because they believe that it is in their political interests in 2024,’ the New York Democrat told reporters on Tuesday as Republicans and Democrats continue to debate raising the debt limit on Capitol Hill.

‘That is incredibly irresponsible, is unpatriotic, and it’s un-American and I’m thankful for President Biden’s leadership and making sure that he protects the U.S. economy.’

Jeffries was responding to a question about whether Democrats would step in and help vote McCarthy out of the speakership if conservatives move to hold a vote forcing him to vacate the speakership.

Jeffries’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital regarding what specific Republicans he believes are attempting to intentionally tank the economy for political gain.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been attempting to gin up Republican support for a deal with President Biden that is facing strong opposition from conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus, including Rep. Chip Roy, who said the agreement doesn’t make meaningful cuts and violates the agreement between McCarthy and caucus members to secure his speakership. 

‘It’s not a good deal,’ Roy tweeted Tuesday. ‘Some $4 Trillion in debt for – at best – a two year spending freeze and no serious substantive policy reforms.’

‘I’ll debate this bill with anybody,’ McCarthy said over the weekend. ‘Is it everything I wanted? No, because we don’t control all of it. But it is the biggest rescission in history. It is the biggest cut Congress has ever voted for in that process.’

The agreement between Biden and McCarthy would keep nondefense spending roughly flat in the 2024 fiscal year and increase it by 1% the following year, as well as provide for a 2-year debt-limit increase.

The agreement would also rescind about $30 billion in unspent coronavirus relief money that Congress approved through previous bills, with exceptions made for veterans’ medical care, housing assistance, Indian Health Service and some $5 billion for a program focused on rapidly developing the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.

McCarthy has said the House will vote on the legislation Wednesday evening, giving the Senate time to consider it before June 5 – the date when Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the U.S. could default on its debt obligations if lawmakers did not act in time.

The House Rules Committee is set to meet on Tuesday afternoon to prepare the debt ceiling bill for floor debate on Wednesday.

Republicans and Democrats have traded barbs in recent days pointing to the other party as being responsible for the debt ceiling impasse.

‘It’s pretty obvious who to blame here – the extremist Republicans who control Kevin McCarthy. I mean, they’re the ones who made him go through 17 votes to get elected Speaker. They’re holding the country hostage,’ said Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass. ‘We didn’t like Donald Trump, we didn’t like his tax cuts. It’s created much of this deficit. And yet we raised the debt limit three times under Trump because it’s the right thing to do for the country.’

Asked if Americans would feel the same, Moulton said, ‘Look I hope they do, because that’s the truth.’

‘President Biden waited 97 days to speak with Kevin McCarthy about this debt ceiling stuff, so if anything untoward happens, this is 100% the Biden-Schumer shutdown,’ said Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. Asked if he believes Americans would feel the same way, he added, ‘I think if more media outlets report it honestly like you’re doing, they would, if they’re told the truth.’

Fox News’ Patrick Hauf contributed to this report

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is taking steps to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress after the Bureau notified the panel it will not comply with its subpoena related to a possible criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Joe Biden.

The FBI, though, said Tuesday evening it remains committed to cooperating with Congress, and will provide access to the document ‘in a format and setting that maintains confidentiality and protects important security interests and the integrity of FBI investigations.’ 

Comer, R-Ky., has subpoenaed the FBI for a document that allegedly describes a criminal scheme involving Biden and a foreign national and relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions. The document is an FBI-generated FD-1023 form.

Comer first subpoenaed the document earlier this month. The FBI did not turn it over and instead explained that it needed to protect the Bureau’s confidential human source program.

Comer set another deadline last week, giving Wray until Tuesday, May 30, to turn over the document. After the deadline was set, Wray set up a call with Comer for Wednesday, May 31.

However, the FBI notified the panel it would not provide the document to the committee by the Tuesday afternoon deadline.

‘Today, the FBI informed the Committee that it will not provide the unclassified documents subpoenaed by the Committee,’ Comer said Tuesday. ‘The FBI’s decision to stiff-arm Congress and hide this information from the American people is obstructionist and unacceptable.’ 

‘While I have a call scheduled with FBI Director Wray tomorrow to discuss his response further, the Committee has been clear in its intent to protect Congressional oversight authorities and will now be taking steps to hold the FBI Director in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a lawful subpoena,’ Comer said.

He added, ‘Americans deserve the truth, and the Oversight Committee will continue to demand transparency from this nation’s chief law enforcement agency.’

In response, the FBI told Fox News Digital that the bureau ‘remains committed to cooperating with the Committee in good faith.’ 

‘In a letter to Chairman Comer earlier today, the FBI committed to providing access to information responsive to the Committee’s subpoena in a format and setting that maintains confidentiality and protects important security interests and the integrity of FBI investigations,’ the FBI said. ‘Last week, Director Wray scheduled a telephone call for tomorrow to provide additional details of the FBI’s extraordinary accommodation to satisfy the subpoena request.’ 

The FBI added: ‘Any discussion of escalation under these circumstances is unnecessary.’

The document is being sought after a whistleblower approached Comer and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, alleging that the FBI and the Justice Department were in possession of it and that it would reveal ‘a precise description of how the alleged criminal scheme was employed as well as its purpose.’

‘Chairman Comer and I have been more than patient with the FBI,’ Grassley told Fox News Digital. ‘The bureau’s failure to comply with our constitutional oversight duty comes with consequences.’ 

Grassley added: ‘I hope to hear a different tune from Director Wray tomorrow, but if not, Congress must defend its oversight prerogatives. The American people deserve an accountable government.’

Last week, Comer attempted to ‘narrow the breadth of the subpoena’ in response to FBI staff criticisms, and the committee determined ‘additional terms based on unclassified legally protected whistleblower disclosures that may be referenced in the FD-1023 form.’ The terms included ‘June 30, 2020’ and ‘five million.’

The back-and-forth came after Comer and Grassley notified Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland this month about the ‘legally protected and highly credible unclassified whistleblower disclosures.’

Comer and Grassley said that based on ‘the alleged specificity within the document, it would appear that the DOJ and the FBI have enough information to determine the truth and accuracy of the information contained within it.’

‘The FBI’s mission is to protect the American people. Releasing confidential source information could potentially jeopardize investigations and put lives at risk,’ the FBI said in a statement. ‘The FBI remains committed to cooperating with Congress’s oversight requests on this matter and others as we always have.’

The White House has maintained that the president never spoke to his son, Hunter Biden, about his business dealings and that the president was never involved in them. Officials also say the president has never discussed investigations into members of his family with the Justice Department.

The Texas House of Representatives on Monday delivered articles of impeachment against Attorney General Ken Paxton to the state Senate. 

The delivery came after the GOP-led House named the board of managers – comprising five Democrats and seven Republicans – who will oversee the impeachment proceedings. Rep. Andrew Murr, R-Junction, is leading the board, The Dallas Morning News reported.  

The House approved 20 articles of impeachment on sweeping allegations of wrongdoing against Paxton that have trailed the state’s top lawyer for years, including abuse of office and bribery. The vote immediately suspended Paxton from office.

Among those who opposed the impeachment was State Rep. Brian Harrison. He argued that House leadership ‘made no attempt to adequately document [Paxton’s] guilt nor to demonstrate that this is anything other than a sham railroading of a political enemy.’ 

The House needed just a simple majority of its 149 members to impeach Paxton, and the final 121-23 vote was a landslide. But the threshold for conviction in the Senate trial is higher, requiring a two-thirds majority of its 31 members.

If that happens, Paxton would be permanently barred from holding office in Texas. Anything less means Paxton is acquitted and can resume his third term as attorney general.

Later Monday, the Senate unanimously adopted a measure that called for the trial to begin no later than Aug. 28. 

Paxton bitterly criticized the chamber’s investigation as ‘corrupt,’ secret and conducted so quickly that he and his lawyers were not allowed to mount a defense. He also called Republican House Speaker Dade a ‘liberal.’

The AG’s office tweeted Saturday that the impeachment was based on ‘totally false claims.’ 

‘After an internal investigation, the OAG retained an outside law firm to further investigate, which culminated in a report. The OAG offered it to the House, but they refused,’ the AG’s office said. 

The impeachment charges include bribery related to one of Paxton’s donors, Austin real estate developer Nate Paul, allegedly employing the woman with whom he had an extra-matrial affair in exchange for legal help.

Another Republican senator with a potential conflict is Sen. Bryan Hughes. The House impeachment articles accuse Paxton of using Hughes as a ‘straw requestor’ for a legal opinion used to protect Paul from foreclosure on several properties.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is expected to set a trial date in the Senate and name committee members to establish rules that will govern the impeachment proceedings. The Senate will ultimately decide whether Paxton stays in office. Patrick, who is president of the Senate, will preside as judge.  

‘Today, the Texas Senate received Articles of Impeachment for Attorney General Ken Paxton,’ Patrick tweeted. ‘The Senate will follow its constitutional duty and I appointed a committee to develop proposed rules and procedures for the matter.’ 

Fox News Digital has contacted Phelan, Murr, and Paxton for further comment. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will join several other declared Republican presidential candidates at Sen. Joni Ernst’s Roast & Ride fundraiser in Des Moines on Saturday, an aide to Ernst told Fox News.

In addition to DeSantis, Ernst’s event will include former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., conservative radio host Larry Elder, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and businessman Perry Johnson.

‘I’m thrilled to welcome Ron DeSantis as a special guest to Roast & Ride this year!’ Ernst said. ‘Despite Democrats ditching Iowa, Republicans are fired up for 2024 as we host the FIRST in the nation caucus. This year’s Roast & Ride will be my biggest yet – with eight exciting special guests – making it the can’t miss event of 2023!’  

DeSantis is kicking off his presidential campaign in Iowa on Tuesday by hosting a campaign event in Des Moines – his first since announcing his candidacy last week.

The Iowa Republican hosts the Roast & Ride event each year and donates its proceeds to a veteran’s charity. This year’s charity of choice is the Freedom Foundation of Cedar Rapids.

DeSantis said he is ‘delighted’ to be attending the event, which will cap a week of touring throughout the state.

‘I’m delighted to be joining Senator Ernst in Des Moines. As military veterans, Joni and I both understand the importance of supporting those who have served our nation — and I’m excited to get the chance to do just that at the annual Roast & Ride,’ DeSantis said. 

He added: ‘Over the past few months, Casey and I have had the pleasure of getting to know hard-working patriots across the great state of Iowa. Florida and Iowa have led the way in the fight for our way of life — and I’m running for president to take that fight to the White House. Our mission is simple: We are building a movement to restore America.’

DeSantis’ visit to Iowa will be followed by stops in early primary states New Hampshire and South Carolina later this week. His campaign said the overall trip will take him to 12 cities in the three states.

Former Vice President Mike Pence is also scheduled to attend the Des Moines event on Saturday. He has not yet revealed if he is seeking the Republican nomination.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott revealed agenda items for the state legislature’s first special session late Monday evening – a list that includes cutting property taxes and providing funds to secure the U.S.-Mexico border wall.

On Twitter, Abbott said he would be ‘signing laws that advance our state and the future of all Texans.’

The agenda items included formally ending COVID restrictions and mandates; providing more than $5.1 billion for border security and the Texas National Guard; protecting female collegiate athletes and women’s participation in sports; and, barring children from having life-altering gender mutilation.

Abbott also plans to label Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and allow fentanyl deaths to be prosecuted as murder, he said.

The Republican governor said his first priority would be ‘cutting property taxes and cracking down on illegal human smuggling.’

‘We must cut property taxes,’ Abbott said. ‘During the regular session, we added $17.6 billion to cut property taxes. However, the legislature could not agree on how to allocate funds to accomplish this goal.’

He continued: ‘Texans want and need a path towards eliminating property taxes. The best way to do that is to direct property tax reduction dollars to cut school property tax rates.’

Abbott also commended the work of the Texas legislature but said additional special sessions would be held to further his agenda.

‘Despite these major achievements, more must be done for the people of Texas. Many critical items remain that must be passed,’ the governor wrote. ‘Several special sessions will be required. To ensure that each priority receives the time and attention it deserves to pass into law, only a few will be added each session.’

Earlier Monday, the Texas governor spent Memorial Day paying tribute to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice during an event at the Georgetown-Williamson County Veterans Memorial Plaza.

‘Today, we remember their sacrifice and honor their families,’ he wrote on Twitter, sharing photos of the event. ‘Texas will never forget the price they paid so that we can be free.’

In a separate tweet, he added: ‘Memorial Day reminds us that freedom is not free.’

And, ‘Today, we remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the liberties we enjoy every day in America. May God bless them and their families.’

–>

Now comes the hard part. 

If you thought it was hard for President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to marshal a debt ceiling deal, wait to see if it’s even more challenging to advance the bill through Congress.

Both the president and speaker will test their powers of persuasion to line up the votes for the deal.

It’s pretty clear the wings of both parties – the far right and far left – are incensed about this pact.

No one truly knows how many yeas and nays there are for this plan until the House whip operations begin to hum as lawmakers roll back into Washington after an abbreviated Memorial Day recess. 

There have been multiple press calls, a few news conferences by the speaker outside his office, conference calls with lawmakers and remarks from Mr. Biden. But until everyone really huddles at the Capitol, the vote count is unclear. Especially after a whirlwind weekend of behind the scenes political intrigue and negotiations.

On its face, the bill should be able to pass. It earned the endorsement of the president, the speaker, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and other prominent lawmakers. There is a wide, bipartisan swath of members in the middle who could vote to pass this plan – even if no one is truly excited about the measure. In fact, Fox was told that there could be a scenario where 240-270 members could vote yes – and maybe more.

But it is a delicate balance to find the right vote mixture for this parliamentary cocktail. There is a lot of potential for things to go wrong or for there to be a dramatic miscalculation on either side when relying on those across the aisle to provide the necessary votes. 

Telephone calls over a holiday weekend are one thing. But leaders want to look fellow lawmakers in the eye to understand where they really stand on the issue and if they can count on their vote.

Here’s the lead question for the GOP: Will conservative interest groups and outraged constituents begin to light up the phones at the Capitol, tearing into middle of the road Republicans for supporting the plan? There could be attrition on the right if those lawmakers take too much heat and walk away. 

Here’s the lead question for Democrats: In fact there are two: What exactly did they get out of this deal? And why should they be called upon to bail out Republicans who are in the majority?

This is why the stakes for miscalculation are high. Both sides will expect the other side to provide a certain number of votes.

McCarthy has significantly added to his political capital and bolstered his bona fides with Republican House members since the rocky vote for Speaker in January. So, this conversation may be a little different if the vote were coming say, back in late January or February. Therefore, McCarthy should be able to deliver a sizable chunk of votes from his conference. It’s unclear how many votes House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., can deliver. But in fairness, this is not really about Jeffries. This is about President Biden. He is the President. He is the leader of the party. It’s a problem if Mr. Biden can’t deliver the requisite votes to lug this across the finish line.

But like McCarthy, President Biden has political barnacles, too. His standing is weak in the polls. In fact, one of the most compelling arguments Mr. Biden could make to reluctant Democrats is ‘don’t tank my presidency and the economy’ by voting no.

And we probably would not even be discussing the political wattage of President Biden and McCarthy to cajole members to vote yes were it not for two factors. Democrats are blasé about Mr. Biden. McCarthy endured the longest race to become Speaker since 1859. 

This takes us back to the infamous vote on TARP (the Troubled Assets Relief Program) in late September 2008. President George W. Bush and Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress reluctantly decided to spend more than $700 billion to salvage the American economy and stave off a nationwide fiscal meltdown. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had a sizable chunk of Democrats who were willing to vote yes. But Mr. Bush could not deliver House Republicans. The GOP had fatigued of President Bush. The party abandoned their president. No one truly knew how many votes Republicans had. But they didn’t deliver their end of the bargain.

Could Democrats abandon President Biden here?

The original version of TARP was failing on the House floor. And the market cratered in synchronicity with the House vote. The Dow finally lost what was then a single-day record, down 777 points. 

Trust between the sides plummeted, too.

Yours truly asked McCarthy if he would withhold putting the debt limit bill on the floor until the market closed.

‘You spend a lot of time thinking of crazy stuff,’ responded McCarthy.

The other issue is just moving the bill from the House Rules Committee and onto the floor.

Nearly every piece of legislation which hits the House floor must first get a ‘rule’ from the Rules panel. The Rules Committee establishes how the House will handle a given piece of legislation. That includes time and if any amendments are in order. If the committee doesn’t adopt a rule – and if the House itself doesn’t approve the rule, then there’s no bill.

Most speakers have run the Rules Committee with an iron fist. But as part of his concessions to conservatives, McCarthy awarded three seats on the panel to firebrand conservatives whose views sometimes deviate from those of the Speaker: Reps. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., Chip Roy, R-Tex., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky. 

McCarthy namechecked Massie Sunday as he touted a provision to hold the line on appropriations bills pushed by Massie as an item in the legislation. In other words, if Massie scored his idea in the legislation, how could he oppose it?

But Norman and Roy seethed about the legislation.

Norman called the bill ‘idiotic.’ Roy characterized the legislation with less than salivating language. 

One senior House GOP source told Fox before McCarthy touted the Massie language that they believed that ‘Massie is the most likely to vote for the rule in committee and on the floor.’ But if all three balk, Republicans will need a Democrat on the Rules Committee to vote in favor of jettisoning the measure to the floor.

No rule, no bill. 

The Rules Committee has not failed to approve a rule in its panel in recent memory. Once in a blue moon, a member of the majority has a problem with the bill at hand or the rule itself. So rather than vote nay, those members simply ‘take a walk’ or are mysteriously absent from the committee meeting.

Late House Speaker Tip O’Neill, D-Mass., sat on the Rules Committee in the 1960s. In his biography ‘Man Of the House,’ O’Neill recounts how he and future Rules Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Delaney, D-N.Y., broke ranks with their party and voted no on an education bill in the early 1960s. Such a move is rare.

No one Fox asked could track down any recent instance of any minority member ever voting to support a rule in order to help the majority put a bill on the floor. 

This all makes for a very interesting Rules Committee meeting Tuesday afternoon. 

So, will they have the votes?

This is reminiscent of the legendary Life cereal commercials in the 1970s and 1980s.

Three brothers are sitting at the breakfast table, pushing a bowl of Life cereal around, refusing to eat it. 

‘I’m not going to try it. You try it!,’ says one boy.

Finally, they push the bowl in front of the most finicky bother of all. Mikey. 

‘Let’s get Mikey,’ says one brother. ‘He hates everything.’

Suddenly, Mikey begins to devour the cereal.

‘He likes it!’ exclaims one brother. 

The taste test, complete, they all dig in.

This bill is kind of like the Life cereal commercial. Some members are reluctant to vote for the bill until they see someone else vote for it first.

The only difference is that Mikey actually liked the cereal he was eating. This legislation isn’t nearly as pleasing to the political palette.