Tag Archives: President Trump

Senate Procedures? Reconciliation? What?! Ueland has answers

For congressionalphiles, there is nothing sexier than a well-crafted budget reconciliation measure.

This week, the House and Senate will vote on budget reconciliation measures in an effort to make it slightly easier for President Biden to sign a nearly $2 trillion COVID-19 relief package, all without any assistance from the Republicans.

For those of us who love Congress, but not necessarily the arcane rules that govern each chamber, procedures and rules — like reconciliation — often induce a headache or two.

Fortunately for journalists (and staffers and lawmakers) procedural headaches can be preempted with the help of rare individuals like Eric Ueland – my guest on this week’s episode of Article One with Molly Hooper.

Ueland helps decipher what-the-heck-is-going-on-in-the-Senate, explains how a 50-50 Senate can operate, and clarifies the whole budget reconciliation process and how it works. He also lifts the curtain on White House/Congress relations and law-making.

During his career, Ueland has held many high-ranking positions in the nation’s capital city – in both public and private sectors. But, his experience as former chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), former staff director of the Senate Budget Committee, and former White House Legislative Affairs Director for President Donald Trump, feature most prominently in our Article One conversation on the branch of government.

In my early days reporting on the Senate, a body that operates by “unanimous consent,” Ueland was one of the first people I searched out for answers to thorny and convoluted questions on procedural shenanigans.

And I wasn’t alone.

The long-time GOP operative’s reputation as a Senate historian/parliamentarian/policy strategist, with the skill to patiently explain operations and procedures, made Ueland the go-to guy for confused reporters, staffers and lawmakers.

We spoke the last week of January, and I’m sure you will find the answers to all those questions swirling around in your head!

Take a listen to the episode and let me know what you think.

Rep. Yoho talks aftermath of AOC kerfuffle …

Recently, I sat down with outgoing GOP Rep. Ted Yoho (Fla.) – among the matters we discussed, I asked him about the aftermath of his encounter with Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) that took place over the summer.

What was reported: Yoho challenged AOC’s position on crime and poverty … then a reporter overheard Yoho calling the progressive freshman lawmaker a derogatory term (which Yoho denies saying).

Vanity Fair featured AOC in their December 2020 edition – and the encounter, the apology and the privileged resolution – came up again.

In the immediate aftermath of that political imbroglio, Yoho describes the influx of hate mail to his congressional offices and possibly criminal behavior that was aimed at him and his family.

“There was close to 20,000 hate emails, phone calls to all my offices …   we’ve had death threats, we had fecal matter sent to my wife and to my kids, my kids were going to be raped they were going to get killed,” Yoho said adding that an individual who threatened his life may be headed to prison after an investigation by the Capitol Hill police.

While Yoho took a lot of heat for challenging a smaller, younger, female lawmaker, the congressman points out that he has challenged GOP leaders including President Trump.

When Yoho is passionate about a particular matter be it poverty and crime or healthcare, the former veterinarian stands up for his beliefs.

He describes one particular encounter with President Trump over the GOP’s failed healthcare plan. (Link to the interview below.)

But the conversation about AOC was a small portion of our wide-ranging discussion.

Yoho came to Congress eight years ago, as an outsider who defeated a longtime Florida Republican incumbent. Since that time, the congressman has dealt with controversies and intra-party ire but he has also worked across the aisle on a number of issues including foreign affairs and agriculture.

Take a listen to the episode and please leave a rating or review – it helps others find Article One on their podcatcher of choice.