The Cube

While some progress was made on bipartisan legislation on the second day of committee hearing and witness testimonies, procedural debates were at the center of the day in multiple committees. In the Finance Committee, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) complained that his Democratic colleagues were taking too much time, thus limiting which witnesses the committee could hear, tweeting out "Very disappointed that the Senate Judiciary Dems have gone far over their allotted time, cutting short the testimonies of NRA President Wayne LaPierre and Education Betsey DeVos in their support of our bill to arm teachers" A similar problem took place in the Finance Committee, with Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) sending out a picture of Democrats going over their time while alleging that the Committee chairman, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) was strict in cutting off Republican Senators after the agreed upon two and a half minute limit. The most dramatic moment of the evening came when Senator...

Yesterday night, President Donald Trump, recently impeached by the House of Representatives, delivered a defiant State of the Union address. Although he did not dwell on the recent developments for too long, he declared that he did not understand why he was being impeached, claiming that he was "The greatest President of all time". Beyond that brief response, the President pushed for certain legislation to be pushed in the upcoming week, including ending military sexual assault, halting illegal immigration and bringing a stop to the problem of mass shootings by arming more teachers. Most surprisingly, Trump called for the passage of the DREAM act, which would change the name of the Washington Monument to the Trump Monument. The President also made headlines by sticking a sticker that read "thoughts and prayers don’t stop gun violence" on the bottom of his shoe. After Trump's speech, Senator Chris Murphy (D--CT) delivered an aggressive response to the Presi...

After initial committee hearings tonight, the Hill spoke to two members of the Armed Services Committee, Senators Joni Ernst (R--IA.) and Tom Cotton (R--AR) about the days proceedings, which focused on the testimony for three bills. Senator Ernst introduced the Military Save Act and the E-Stop Act, which focus on aiding veterans and victims of sexual assault in the military. Senator Cotton is preparing for the hearings on Taiwan Security Act of 2018, which will take place tomorrow. Both Ernst and Cotton reflected on the day, with Ernst striking a particularly aggressive tone towards Committee Chairman Jack Reed (D--RI). "What concerns me is that the Chairman, Senator Reed, informed me of something that I already knew. That they [the Democrats] have a majority on the committee and they can prevent my legislation from getting to the floor.”  Ernst said, adding on“I would like him to know that if he did prevent my bill from making it to the floor, he’d prevent Senator McKaskil fr...

Prominent Senators Cory Booker (D--NJ) and Tom Cotton (R--AR) have issued responses to the House of Representatives voting to impeach President Trump via twitter. Senator Cotton tweeted out "Today, in a purely partisan vote, the HOR voted to impeach @realDonaldTrump. The Senate must acquit and put an end to this political charade." Senator Booker sent out the following message: "Today is the 427th day of the Trump Administration. Today, the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump. I trust that my colleagues in the Senate - Republicans and Democrats - are committed to upholding justice at the highest levels." The news of Trump's impeachment has taken over the political world, and all eyes will be on the embattled President as he delivers his State of the Union address later tonight.

The Cube is the place to find any and all updates and analysis pertaining to the ongoing Congress Simulation at CMC.

Shortly before his upcoming State of the Union, President Trump is coming face-to-face with another scandal. The deeply divided House of Representatives voted on March 23, 2018, to impeach the President for High Crimes and Misdemeanors. The resolution was submitted by Congressmen John Yarmuth (D-Ky.)  and Dan Lipinski (D-Il.) and touches on a number of scandals that have embroiled Trump during his first 15 months in office. The five Articles of Impeachment will next go to the Democratically-controlled Senate for trial. Trump will be the third President to undergo such a trial, following in the footsteps of Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. The first Article argues that Trump's relationship with Stephanie Cliffords, known professionally as Stormy Daniels, and his subsequent payment to her as a part of a non-disclosure agreement constitute "an illegal campaign contribution" and is therefore a violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of Presid...