Tuesday hearing to address drone threats to homeland security

NEWS AND OPINION:

Two Republican lawmakers are focused on a skyward threat.

Reps. August Pfluger of Texas and Carlos Gimenez of Florida will conduct a hearing on Tuesday to examine the full scope of threats posed to the nation’s homeland security by unmanned aerial systems — also known as UAS — or drones.

The two lawmakers are the chairmen of, respectively, the House Homeland Security’s subcommittees on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement and Intelligence and on Transportation and Maritime Security.

“In the wrong hands, drone technology has the potential to negatively impact the essential mission of law enforcement agencies, disrupt our critical infrastructure, and even surveil sensitive U.S. military and other sites in the homeland,” they said in a joint written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.

“As these threats evolve rapidly, Congress must be prepared to meet the moment to ensure law enforcement has the necessary authorities and tools to swiftly detect, track, and mitigate hostile drone activity. We are eager to hear from FBI, DOJ, and CBP officials, as well as private sector stakeholders, to gain a deeper understanding of the emerging threats posed by the malicious use of drones in the United States and to explore how law enforcement can more effectively address these threats,” the two chairmen said.

The hearing will be live-streamed on YouTube at 2 p.m.

THE TRUMP QUIZ

The National Republican Senatorial Committee has an innovative way to engage voters and also perhaps seek a contribution — a quiz about President-elect Donald Trump.

“How well do you know Trump?” an introduction to the online quiz asks.

“Take the official Trump quiz and see if you can get an A+,” it suggests.

Meanwhile, here’s a few of the 10 questions to consider, verbatim from the quiz:

What year was Trump born? What did Trump get his college degree in? What is Trump’s favorite fast food? What is Trump’s middle name?

The aforementioned committee released the quiz on Sunday. It was conducted by WinRed, a U.S.-based fundraising platform for Republican and conservative political campaigns.

AMONG THE ‘BEST BOOKS’

A new book has a forthright theme, and the title tells all: “Under His Wings: How Faith on the Front Lines Has Protected American Troops.”

The author is Emily Compagno, co-host of “Outnumbered” on Fox News — and her book has been named to the list of “Best Books of 2024” by BarnesandNoble.com.

“In this celebration of faith and freedom, Fox News Co-Host Emily Compagno shares first person accounts that show the profound role belief in God has played in the lives of U.S. military service members as they served in combat from World War I to today — commemorating the courage, camaraderie, spirit, and sacrifice of America’s heroes,” the site said.

Ms. Compagno’s book also leads the “most sold” list at amazon.com, and is ranked No. 2 in the site’s Christian books and Bibles category. The book was published by HarperCollins on Nov. 26.

THE ‘MANDATE’

“President Donald J. Trump won the 2024 presidential election with an historic mandate. As the first Republican to win the popular vote in two decades, President Trump did so by stitching together the broadest, most diverse coalition in modern history,” Mr. Trump’s campaign noted in a statement released Nov. 8.

Does the public agree?

“Yes, President-elect Donald Trump has a mandate, most voters believe. Winning both the popular vote and the Electoral College makes the 2024 election a mandate for Donald Trump to implement his policy agenda, according to a majority of voters,” advises Rasmussen Reports in an analysis released Sunday.

The national telephone and online survey found that 55% of likely U.S. voters believe the election is “a mandate for Trump to enact the policies he campaigned on. Another 32% disagree, while 13% are not sure whether the election is a mandate.

The survey of 1,291 likely U.S. voters was conducted online and by telephone Dec. 1-3.

APPLAUSE FOR MASSIE

Rep. Thomas Massie, Kentucky Republican, has been cited by the 60 Plus Association, a nonpartisan senior advocacy group, for his work on cutting seniors’ taxes.

“Hats off to Congressman Tom Massie for introducing a bill to eliminate taxing senior citizens’ Social Security payments. Seniors have paid into the system their entire working lives and for many, this is the primary source of retirement income,” Saul Anuzis, chairman of the association, said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.

“Taxing Social Security just doesn’t make sense. We feed ’the beast’ and see billions of dollars wasted on silly programs. Let seniors keep more of their retirement income,” Mr. Anuzis said.

The 60 Plus Association and the American Association of Senior Citizens — also a nonprofit group — have presented Mr. Massie with their ’Legislator of the Month’ award for his efforts.

“Although seniors have already paid tax on their Social Security contributions via the payroll tax, they are still required to list these benefits as taxable income on their tax returns,” Mr. Massie said, also in a written statement.

“This is simply a way for Congress to obtain more revenue for the federal government at the expense of seniors who have already paid into Social Security. My bill would exempt Social Security retirement benefits from taxation and boost the retirement income of millions of older Americans,” he noted.

And here’s a little background: The Senior Citizens Tax Elimination Act was originally introduced in 2003 by Rep. Ron Paul, Texas Republican. Mr. Massie, meanwhile, has introduced this bill before each Congress since he took office in 2013.

POLL DU JOUR

• 44% of registered Canadian voters say they would vote for the Conservative Party of Canada if the nation’s federal election were held today.

• 21% of Canadian voters would vote for Liberal Party of Canada.

• 20% would vote for the New Democratic Party.

• 7% would vote for Bloc Quebecois.

• 5% would vote for the Green Party.

• 2% would vote for the People’s Party of Canada.

• 1% are undecided.

SOURCE: An Abacus Data national survey of 2,720 Canadian adults conducted online Nov. 29-Dec. 4 and released Sunday.

• Contact Jennifer Harper at jharper@washingtontimes.com.