MAGA Republicans stooped to new lows this week with their extremism, hypocrisy, chaos, and — as President Biden would call it — malarkey. In case you missed it: Donald Trump paved the way for the Alabama Supreme Court to put access to IVF at risk, a new report revealed that Trump’s allies want to infuse Christian nationalist policies into a second term, MAGA Republicans are looking to cut Medicaid if Trump regains power, and another bombshell report found that Trump wants to separate families using military force if reelected. 

Meanwhile, House Republicans decided to take a vacation instead of working to secure the border or support our allies abroad; MAGA Mike Johnson met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago and fundraised in New York instead of doing his job; many senior House Republicans are set to retire due to their party’s chaos; and in the latest from the Trump veepstakes, Tim Scott refused to say if he would have certified the 2020 presidential election.

Because of Donald Trump’s Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, the Alabama Supreme Court has put access to IVF at risk – creating a horrifying reality for families in the state.

MSNBC: “Alabama’s embryos ruling is a terrifying preview of another Trump presidency”

“This theocratic dystopia is not an outlier, confined to a single state, but rather a roadmap should Donald Trump return to the White House. Recent reporting in Politico and The New York Times exposes further expansions of plans by Trump allies to Christianize the federal government, including the restriction and even criminalization of abortion.”

AL.com: “The University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System has paused in vitro fertilization procedures following an Alabama Supreme Court decision due to fear of criminal prosecution and lawsuits, a spokeswoman said.”

MSNBC: “’Thoughtless’: IVF patients in Alabama speak out after embryo decision”

New Republic: “That Alabama Court Embryo Ruling Is Already Having Tragic Effects”

Politico: “Trump has so far remained silent about the Alabama ruling and access to IVF, which remains popular among Americans, even those who consider themselves anti-abortion. A spokesperson for Trump did not respond to a request for comment about his position on the Alabama ruling or on access to IVF treatments.”

New reporting laid out how a second Trump term could threaten our separation of church and state, with “Christian nationalism” infused throughout Trump’s administration. 

Politico: “Trump allies prepare to infuse ‘Christian nationalism’ in second administration” 

“An influential think tank close to Donald Trump is developing plans to infuse Christian nationalist ideas in his administration should the former president return to power, according to documents obtained by POLITICO.”

“One document drafted by CRA staff and fellows includes a list of top priorities for CRA in a second Trump term. ‘Christian nationalism’ is one of the bullet points. Others include invoking the Insurrection Act on Day One to quash protests and refusing to spend authorized congressional funds on unwanted projects, a practice banned by lawmakers in the Nixon era.”

If Trump regains power, MAGA Republicans are ready to carry out plans to cut essential programs such as Medicaid. 

Politico: “Red states hopeful for a 2nd Trump term prepare to curtail Medicaid”

“Republicans in half a dozen states have a request for a second Trump administration: Require low-income adults to work for free government health care.

“In places like Idaho, Missouri and South Dakota, GOP officials are laying the groundwork to substantially overhaul their health safety-net programs. Their plans, if approved by a Trump White House, could cut hundreds of thousands of people from a program that conservatives have long complained is bloated — but the move could also save states and the federal government billions of dollars.”

Trump is planning to take his dangerous anti-immigrant agenda to new extremes if he wins a second term by separating families with militarized mass deportations and detention camps. 

Washington Post: “Trump and allies planning militarized mass deportations, detention camps”

“Aides and officials spoke privately about detaining migrants on military bases and flying them out of the country on military planes — ideas that the Pentagon headed off. Throughout his presidency, Trump himself would frequently demand to send troops to the border and catch people crossing.”

MSNBC: “The likely GOP nominee’s political operation hasn’t denied any of this. On the contrary, a Trump campaign spokesperson told the Post that the Republican would ‘marshal every federal and state power necessary to institute the largest deportation operation in American history.’”

Vanity Fair: “Donald Trump isn’t only looking to reinstate the extreme, anti-immigration policies of his first term if he wins in November; he is seeking to take things a step further.” 

House Republicans fled D.C. for a two-week vacation instead of working to secure the border or support our allies abroad.

The Hill: “House GOP leadership canceled votes for Friday, and the House will return to Washington on Feb. 28 after the President’s Day recess. … Johnson on Friday issued a statement saying Putin was ‘likely directly responsible’ for Navalny’s death, but he did not give any indication the incident had immediately changed his calculus on bringing Ukraine aid to the floor for a vote. … Now, the House GOP’s inaction on Ukraine coincides with comments from Trump that he would not protect NATO allies from a Russian attack if they had not contributed enough money toward defense spending.”

Punchbowl News: “The House Republican leadership has been holed up at the luxury waterside Mandarin Oriental in Miami for its annual Elected Leadership Committee retreat. This session followed an NRCC donor event at the Ritz-Carlton in Key Biscayne, Fla., over the weekend.”

Punchbowl News: “This is the most chaotic, inefficient and ineffective majority we’ve seen in decades covering Congress. It started this way under former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and has gotten worse under Johnson. And things aren’t going to get easier. The House is leaving town today by 2:30 p.m. for the 13-day Presidents Day recess. When members return on Feb. 28, there will be only three days to fund a huge swath of the federal government or face a partial shutdown. There’s another full shutdown deadline a week later. … By Wednesday afternoon, with Rules in a recess, Johnson pulled the plug and the leadership announced that they were cutting the week short.”

During the House GOP’s vacation, MAGA Mike Johnson went to Mar-a-Lago to kiss the ring of Donald Trump and then was off to New York to fundraise. 

Johnson: “Just had a great meeting with President @realDonaldTrump this Presidents’ Day.”

Binghamton.com: “The leader of the Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives is coming to Binghamton this week in support of Congressman Marc Molinaro. … Johnson will participate in a fundraiser for the freshman Republican who is running for re-election in the 19th Congressional District.”

House Republicans are retiring from their chaos conference in droves because of its unprecedented dysfunction.

NBC News: “Republican dysfunction drives a wave of House retirements”

CNN: “As the 118th Congress has been dominated by deep dysfunction and bitter divisions inside the GOP, a number of Republicans – particularly from the so-called governing wing – are heading for the exits. … This session of Congress, lawmakers have already experienced a historic 15-ballot race for speaker, the unprecedented ouster of a speaker, a rare expulsion of a member and a number of embarrassing, failed floor votes as Republican leadership has struggled to corral its paper-thin majority.”

“This session of Congress, lawmakers have already experienced a historic 15-ballot race for speaker, the unprecedented ouster of a speaker, a rare expulsion of a member and a number of embarrassing, failed floor votes as Republican leadership has struggled to corral its paper-thin majority – all which has all contributed to members’ fatigue.”

Tim Scott, a Trump veep contender, refused to say if he would have certified the 2020 election, once again bending the knee to Trump. 

CNN: “Sen. Tim Scott declines to say whether he would’ve certified 2020 election results if he were vice president”

“South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott on Sunday refused to say whether he would have certified the 2020 election results if he were vice president at the time, breaking with other high-profile Trump allies whose names have been floated as potential 2024 vice president picks.”

“With Trump still considering his potential GOP vice president pick, Republican lawmakers are looking to place themselves in the former president’s good graces by reviving false claims about the 2020 election.”