NEWS AND OPINION:
Some observant public officials have taken note that the House has passed the Protecting Our Communities From Failure to Secure the Border Act of 2023, legislation championed by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, New York Republican, and 16 co-sponsors. The legislation would prohibit federal funding from being used to provide housing for migrants on any federal park land and retroactively cancel the lease agreement at Floyd Bennett Field — the first municipal airport in New York City.
In November, that field became the site of a housing-tent complex for some 2,000 migrants seeking asylum in the U.S.
The House passed this bill with bipartisan support on Nov. 30. But Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer has yet to bring the bill up for a vote in his chamber.
Ms. Malliotakis has noticed, and she was made some plans.
On Thursday, she will join a bipartisan group of local elected officials and U.S. Park Police on “the south side of Runway 19” at the airfield, according to a news release. They will be calling for Mr. Schumer to pass the aforementioned bill which would “retroactively cancel the migrant shelter lease” at the airfield.
Lots of communities will be represented buy the lawmakers on hand for the occasion, according to the news release.
State Assembly member Jaime Williams is a Democrat who represents the 59th District, which includes the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Canarsie, Flatlands, Georgetown, Mill Basin, Marine Park and Bergen Beach.
New York City Council member Joann Ariola is a Republican who represents the 32nd Council District, which includes Glendale, Highland Park-Cypress Hills Cemeteries (North), Forest Hills, Ozone Park (North), Woodhaven, Ozone Park, Howard Beach-Lindenwood, Spring Creek Park, Rockaway Beach-Arverne-Edgemere, Breezy Point-Belle Harbor-Rockaway Park-Broad Channel, Forest Park, Jamaica Bay (East), Fort Tilden and Breezy Point.
Kenneth Spencer, chairman of the U.S. Park Police Fraternal Order of Police, will also be present.
HALEY’S ‘NORMALCY’ FACTOR
Indeed, former President Donald Trump handily defeated former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and won the Republican primary in New Hampshire on Tuesday, accompanied by a huge amount of press coverage. There’s still some considerable pushback from his opponent, however.
“Last night, as Donald Trump melted down faster than the Wicked Witch of the West, he reminded America why nearly 50% of Republican primary voters and more than 70% of all Americans don’t want a Trump-Biden rematch. They don’t want temper tantrums. They want normalcy. They don’t want vengeance. They want sanity,” Ms. Haley’s campaign said in a written statement shared with the Beltway.
“Donald Trump reminded voters that they have a choice between two diametrically opposed visions: Make America Unhinged again or make America normal again,” Ms. Haley’s communications director, Nachama Soloveichik, said in the statement.
She also made a reference to the current president.
“Like Joe Biden, Donald Trump is completely consumed by his own perpetual drama and grievances. Americans want a leader who will focus on securing the border, stopping China, and combating the inflation that both Trump and Biden caused — not social media meltdowns,” Ms. Soloveichik said.
Meanwhile, Ms. Haley will hold three campaign rallies in South Carolina this weekend, set for North Charleston, Mauldin and Conway.
“Nikki Haley has a message for the political establishment: she’s not going anywhere — except to her home state of South Carolina for the February 24 primary. After defying predictions in New Hampshire, Haley turns her attention to the Palmetto State, where voters remember and praise her conservative record as governor. She’ll continue to contrast her new generation of conservative leadership with Biden’s and Trump’s chaos and drama,” her campaign said.
THE VOTE FACTOR
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump’s campaign also had something to say about the political bout with Nikki Haley.
“It’s very simple: you can’t become the Republican nominee without the support of Republican voters. Nikki Haley does not have Republican support. In Iowa — Nikki Haley won just 15% of self-described Republican voters. In New Hampshire — Nikki Haley won just 25% of self-described Republican voters,” said Make America Great Again Inc. in a written statement.
“Nikki Haley doesn’t have a path to the Republican nomination because Republican voters overwhelmingly want nothing to do with her open borders agenda,” the statement said.
‘ONE NATION UNDER GOD’
Former White House hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy has a prediction for the outcome of the presidential election about 10 months from now. Yes, he believes former President Donald Trump will win, and in a big way.
“I think this November we’re going to see not a small margin, we’re going to see a landslide like what Ronald Reagan delivered in 1980. That’s what I think we’re going to do this year in 2024,” Mr. Ramaswamy told SiriusXM host David Webb in an appearance Tuesday.
“I think what we’re going to see in the second term is a president who actually — dare I say it — reunites this country. And I think that’s something that people are hungry for — Democrat, Republican, Black or White. Even if people don’t admit it right now, I think we are hungry for reviving one nation under God,” Mr. Ramaswamy said.
POLL DU JOUR
• 27% of U.S. adults think the U.S. government treats migrants who are seeking asylum “very humanely”; 45% of Republicans, 21% of independents and 16% of Democrats agree.
• 30% think the U.S. government treats migrants “somewhat humanely”; 26% of Republicans, 27% of independents and 37% of Democrats agree.
• 19% think the U.S. government treats migrants “not very humanely”; 8% of Republicans, 21% of independents and 27% of Democrats agree.
• 7% think the government treats migrants “not humanely at all”; 3% of Republicans, 10% of independents and 8% of Democrats agree.
• 17% are not sure about the issue; 18% of Republicans, 21% of independents and 11% of Democrats agree.
SOURCE: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,664 U.S. adults conducted online Jan. 21-23.
• Follow Jennifer Harper on X @HarperBulletin.