7 Things: Ivey calls out Biden's desperate gas tax game, gun control bill ready for passage and more …

7. Mo Brooks already said he would appear before the January 6 committee

U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) has been crystal clear about what would be required for him to appear before the January 6 committee. According to the congressman, it would have to be public, and it appears he will be getting his way soon. Brooks said, “My basic requirement is it be in public so the public can see it — so they don’t get bits and pieces dribbled out.” He will only talk about January 6, 2021 and wants to see documents before he is asked about them.
While the media is pretending this is a new position, it is not. The committee appears ready to agree and finally serve him with a subpoena to appear. Committee chair U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) told CNN they have “redone his subpoena.” It appears this testimony might actually happen.

6. According to Biden, we need to look out for another pandemic soon

President Joe Biden has decided that one of his priorities needs to be preparing for a “second pandemic,” despite inflation, gas prices and interest rates being pressing matters in the country currently. Biden made the comments while being questioned at a press conference concerning funding for coronavirus vaccines for children.
Biden said, “We do need more money. But we don’t just need more money for vaccines for children eventually. We need more money to plan for the second pandemic. There’s going to be another pandemic. We have to think ahead.” Biden added, “And that’s not something the last outfit did very well. that’s something we’ve been doing fairly well – that’s why we need the money.”

5. Alabama working to bring captured veterans home

After reports were released that there were two U.S. military veterans from Alabama, Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh, being held prisoner after fighting in Ukraine, U.S. Representative Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) advised that there was an effort to bring the men home.
Aderholt said, “[W] e’re wanting to bring them back as quickly as possible. We don’t have a lot of information…I have got information that we do think they’re being held in the eastern part of Ukraine by a Russian separatist group. But a lot of this still needs to be verified.”

4. Tuberville: Dale Strong is the right choice

In reaction to Madison County Commission chairman Dale Strong winning the Republican nomination for the fifth congressional district, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) expressed his support for the candidate.
Tuberville said that he “thought he was a perfect choice” for the position and added, “The big thing for him now is that he has to put together a good staff that represents his district and I know he’ll do a good job. I think that Dale is a true American that believes in this country, but he believes in Alabama. He believes in his district.”

3. Voter turnout was at the lowest in decades for runoff

In the 2022 midterm primary runoff election, only about 13% of Alabama voters actually showed up to vote on Election Day. This is one of the lowest voter turnouts the state has seen in about 35 years.
Retired Athens State University political science professor Jess Brown said that “it’s not a sign of a healthy democracy when [turnout] gets that low.” However, Secretary of State John Merrill said the state only expected 10-15% of voters to participate. Merrill advised, “The marquee of all the marquee races in our state are U.S. Senate and the governor’s race, which is why I was surprised that turnout was so low in the primary. But I wasn’t surprised with the runoff.”

2. House Republicans unlikely to accept gun legislation

Despite there being a bipartisan agreement in the U.S. Senate on gun safety legislation, House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) said that he would work to get more Republicans to oppose the legislation in the House.
The Senate held a procedural vote on the legislation this week, and there were 14 Republicans who voted for the bill, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). High-ranking Republican U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) voted against the legislation, though.

1. Biden proposes removing gas taxes for 3 months; Ivey says it’s a ‘gimmick’

A three-month pause on the federal fuel tax has been suggested by President Joe Biden due to the increasing cost of gasoline, with Biden asking for Congress to suspend the tax. Pathetically, Biden can’t even get Democrats on board.
Governor Kay Ivey responded to the idea by calling it a “gimmick” and saying there needed to be a more permanent solution to bring prices down. Ivey said in her statement, “President Biden could not be more hard-headed on the issue of American energy independence…He is pointing his finger at the oil industry and is looking anywhere else but home. There is also no certainty that Americans will feel even temporary relief from this band-aid approach. Let’s be clear: We need a permanent solution. The Biden Administration is seeing bad poll numbers, and they’re scrambling. This is a gimmick, plain and simple.”