January 2, 2021

Republican Senators Plan Collective Tantrum Over Electoral College Results

It likely won’t amount to anything but a very long day on Wednesday.

Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., left, and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, attend the Senate Judiciary Committee markup on judicial nominations and the "Online Content Policy Modernization Act," in Dirksen Building on Thursday, December 10, 2020.Tom Williams

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Update, Jan. 2, 2020, 1:07 p.m. ET: Sens. Ted Cruz, Ron Johnson, James Lankford, Steve Daines, John Kennedy, Marsha Blackburn, Mike Braun, Cynthia Lummis, Roger Marshall, Bill Hagerty, and
Tommy Tuberville have released a joint statement confirming their plans to throw a tantrum on Wednesday. 

It was too much to hope for that 2021 would bring a quiet, routine certification of the Electoral College’s confirmation that Joe Biden won the presidency, followed by a peaceful transfer of power. 

According to Axios, a cadre of senators—led, of course, by Sen. Ted Cruz—plan to announce today that they will object to Wednesday’s certification of the Electoral College results. Sens. Mike Braun of Indiana and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee are reportedly involved, along with incoming Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Senator-elect Tommy Tuberville of Alabama have also said they are considering similar action. All of this comes on the heels of Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley’s announcement last week that he plans to object. 

It’s likely that this will amount to little more than a collective hissy fit thrown by Republicans who refuse to accept the will of the majority. If nothing else, their stunt promises a very long day on Wednesday—as Axios explains:

Any member can raise an objection. If both a representative and a senator object to an individual state’s result, members of the House and Senate head to their separate chambers to debate and vote on whether to uphold the challenge. Each vote could take up to two hours.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

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