Tuesday, June 18, 2024

OnPolitics: Republicans can't stop honoring ex-president Trump

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On Politics

Tue Jun 18 2024

Sudiksha Kochi | Congress, Campaigns and Democracy Reporter

@KochiSudiksha

Hey OnPolitics readers! It looks like it's the Summer of Trump in the House of Representatives, where Republican lawmakers have flooded the chamber with bills and resolutions honoring former President Donald Trump.

These largely symbolic gestures are a way to get noticed by the Republican powerhouse, who can make or break politicians with his endorsements, according to a former member of Congress, USA TODAY's Dan Morrison reported. Fred Upton, a Republican who represented southwest Michigan in the House for 26 years before retiring in 2023, said he thinks that "they're all trying to curry favor from the former president" and "want to be recognized by him."

Here are some examples of bills lawmakers have introduced:

💸Trump on $500 bills: Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., introduced a bill requiring the U.S. Treasury to start printing $500 bills again after 79 years, with the pricey legal tender now "featuring a portrait " of Trump in place of the late President William McKinley. Gosar said the proposal was meant to draw attention to high inflation under President Joe Biden.

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✈️Trump on the map: On June 14, Rep. Greg Staube, R-Fla., put forward legislation to name the country's coastal exclusive economic zone – an area of more than 4,383,000 square miles, bigger than the total U.S. land mass – for the former president. Meanwhile, a bill to rename Dulles International Airport for Trump is awaiting action by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

🏅How about Trump earning a congressional medal? In May, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., pushed a bill to award Trump the Congressional Gold Medal for his administration's foreign policy successes.