Florida lawmakers included in bipartisan probe into Trump assassination attempt, and President Joe Biden announces a plan to overhaul the Supreme Court.

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House leaders announce members of bipartisan probe into Trump assassination attempt

House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced the membership of a new, bipartisan task force that will investigate the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally earlier this month.

The task force will be led by Republican Rep. Mike Kelly, who lives in the Pennsylvania town of Butler where the shooting took place, and includes seven Republicans and six Democrats in the GOP-controlled House. The top Democratic member will be Colorado Rep. Jason Crow.

“We have the utmost confidence in this bipartisan group of steady, highly qualified and capable Members of Congress to move quickly to find the facts, ensure accountability and help make certain such failures never happen again,” said Johnson and Jeffries in a rare joint statement.

Beyond Kelly, the Republicans serving on the task force are Tennessee Rep. Mark Green, Ohio Rep. David Joyce, Florida Reps. Laurel Lee and Michael Waltz, Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins and Texas Rep. Pat Fallon. The Democrats also joining the effort are California Rep. Lou Correa, Pennsylvania Reps. Madeline Dean and Chrissy Houlahan, Maryland Rep. Glenn Ivey and Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz.

A vote to establish the task force passed the House unanimously in a 416-0 vote last week.

“In the days after the shooting, my hometown of more than 13,000 people was thrust into the national spotlight. We, and the rest of the American people, saw rumors about the shooting and the shooter swirling on social media. We heard contradicting statements,” Kelly wrote in a Newsweek op-ed last week. “Separating truth from fiction is vital as law enforcement and Congress each conduct their respective investigations.”

Six of the 13 House members assigned to the task force are military veterans, something the congressional leaders emphasized in their press release announcing the membership. Two others, Lee of Florida and Ivey of Maryland, are former assistant U.S. attorneys.

The task force will have access to the full range of the House of Representatives’ investigative powers, including subpoena authority.

The panel will have three goals: to understand what went wrong on the day of the attempted assassination that killed one man and wounded Trump and two others, ensure accountability, and to prevent similar security failures from happening again. It will then make recommendations to the Secret Sevice and other government agencies, as well as propose legislation as necessary to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

Biden calls for Supreme Court term limits, amendment to reverse presidential immunity ruling

President Joe Biden on Monday unveiled his long-awaited proposals to reform the Supreme Court, calling for a binding code of conduct and term limits for justices on the high bench.

The Democratic president also urged lawmakers to pass a constitutional amendment that would limit presidential immunity following the high court's ruling earlier this month shielding presidents from criminal prosecution for official acts.

"This nation was founded on a simple yet profound principle: No one is above the law. Not the president of the United States," Biden wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Post. "Not a justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. No one."

"But the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on July 1 to grant presidents broad immunity from prosecution for crimes they commit in office means there are virtually no limits on what a president can do. The only limits will be those that are self-imposed by the person occupying the Oval Office," he continued. "If a future president incites a violent mob to storm the Capitol and stop the peaceful transfer of power — like we saw on Jan. 6, 2021 — there may be no legal consequences. And that’s only the beginning."

Biden, in his proposal, specifically calls for:

  • Term limits: Biden supports a Congress passing legislation allowing a president every two years to appoint a justice to serve an 18-year term in active service on the court
  • A binding code of conduct: The president urged Congress to enact a "binding, enforceable conduct and ethics rules" that mandate a justice disclose gifts, refrain from outward political activity and recuse themselves when they or a spouse have conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise
  • Immunity amendment: Biden called for lawmakers to pass the No One Is Above the Law Amendment, which would say that the U.S. Constitution does not shield a president from immunity for criminal activity

"I served as a U.S. senator for 36 years, including as chairman and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee. I have overseen more Supreme Court nominations as senator, vice president and president than anyone living today. I have great respect for our institutions and the separation of powers," Biden wrote in his op-ed. "What is happening now is not normal, and it undermines the public’s confidence in the court’s decisions, including those impacting personal freedoms. We now stand in a breach."

While unlikely to be passed into law, given Democrats' narrow majority of the U.S. Senate and Republican control of the House of Representatives, it will no doubt serve to highlight the stakes of November's election with 99 days to go until Election Day — and put the Supreme Court and its 6-3 conservative majority in the spotlight.

The Older Americans Act faces re-authorization vote

The Older Americans Act, which supports services like home-delivered meals and transportation assistance for millions of seniors across the country, is up for re-authorization by the end of the federal budget year.

On Capitol Hill, lawmakers have just two months left to re-authorize the legislation, but as House Republicans push for cuts, that will be an uphill battle.

“The Older Americans Act was created back in 1965 at the same time that Medicare and Medicaid were created, and it was a companion bill to really help look at all the services and supports that older adults would need to stay healthy and independent aging in their home and in their community,” President and CEO of the National Council on Aging Ramsey Alwin said.

Florida has more than 6.3 million residents aged 60 and up, according to the Florida Department of Elder Affairs.

The National Council on Aging says nationally 11,000 people turn 65 years of age each day, stressing the need for re-authorization.

“The authorization level of the Older Americans Act is upward of $2.5 billion, and on an annual basis, Congress does need to determine how much will be appropriated based on that authorization level. But again, given these historic demographics of individuals turning 65 this year and into the next several years, it’s so important that we revisit that funding level in the authorization and at a minimum double it,” Alwin said.

The council also says it’s not just seniors themselves that benefit.

“It also includes programs related to caregivers and respite care for families. So it’s really incredibly comprehensive when it comes to the range of services and supports,” Alwin said.

The Older Americans Act was last re-authorized in 2020, the next deadline for Congress to act is Sept. 30.