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<p><keyword id="11898268" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="mississippi" source="Orion">Mississippi</keyword> is holding congressional primaries on Tuesday. Polls closed at 7 p.m. local time and 8 p.m. ET.</p><h2><strong>The races and the stakes:</strong></h2><p>Mississippi has four congressional House districts that are up for election on Tuesday. Of the four seats, three of them are currently held by members of the Republican Party.</p><p>In the state's 1st Congressional District, GOP Rep. <keyword id="14138901" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="trent-kelly" source="Orion">Trent Kelly</keyword> is running for reelection to a fifth term and is facing off against businessman Mark Strauss in the Republican primary. Strauss, who previously ran for office in Iowa, <a href="https://www.straussforhouse.com/about-3-6">espouses on his website</a> that the COVID-19 pandemic was "planned" and that vaccines were created and distributed for the purpose of "depoputation." </p><p>Mississippi's 2nd Congressional District features incumbent Rep. <keyword id="11931776" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="bennie-thompson" source="Orion">Bennie Thompson</keyword> running for reelection in the Democratic primary. Thompson, who was first elected to the House in a 1993 special election and serves as chairman of the House committee investigating the January 6 attack, will face off against local business owner Jerry Kerner in the Democratic contest. There's also a crowded GOP primary in the district featuring four candidates: Michael Carson, Ronald Eller, Brian Flowers, and Stanford Johnson.</p><p>The state's 3rd Congressional District has incumbent GOP Rep. <keyword id="14138900" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="michael-guest" source="Orion">Michael Guest</keyword> running for reelection against challengers Michael Cassidy and Thomas Griffin in the Republican primary. There's only one person running in the Democratic primary, former Homeland Security staffer Shuwaski Young.</p><p>And lastly, in Mississippi's 4th Congressional District, incumbent Republican Rep. <keyword id="14138902" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="steven-palazzo" source="Orion">Steven Palazzo</keyword> is running against six Republican challengers in the GOP primary — according to DDHQ, the race will go to a runoff. There are two candidates running in the Democratic primary — former Hattiesburg mayor Johnny DuPree and David Sellers, a pastor.</p><p>According to election experts at Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for <keyword id="11893346" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="politics" source="Orion">Politics</keyword>, the races in November will likely not be competitive. The organization rates Mississippi's 1st, 3rd, and 4th Congressional Districts as "Safe R" and the state's 2nd Congressional District as "Safe D."</p>

Live results: 2 Mississippi GOP representatives are in tighter than expected primary races, and one is headed to a runoff

<ul class="summary-list"><li>An increasing number of members of US House members won't cooperate with the independent <keyword id="12375586" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="office-of-congressional-ethics" source="Orion">Office of Congressional Ethics</keyword>.</li><li>The report from the <keyword id="12410921" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="campaign-legal-center" source="Orion">Campaign Legal Center</keyword> said that 5 of the 8 lawmakers under ethics investigation aren't cooperating.</li></ul><p>In 2021, Rep. <keyword id="12848556" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="john-rutherford" source="Orion">John Rutherford</keyword> appeared to violate the federal <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stock-act-congress-trading-stocks-investing-2022-3">Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act</a> because he was late in disclosing 157 personal stock transactions together valued at between <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/congress-stocks-pat-fallon-john-rutherford-chris-jacobs-2022-5">$652,000 and $3.5 million</a>.</p><p>But when members of the independent Office of Congressional Ethics reached out to interview Rutherford and his chief of staff for their investigation, the two refused to cooperate.</p><p>Rutherford and his chief of staff's reticence to aid in Office of Congressional Ethics investigations are part of a growing phenomenon in the US <keyword id="11923279" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="house-of-representatives" source="Orion">House of Representatives</keyword>, <a href="https://campaignlegal.org/update/more-members-congress-refuse-cooperate-ethics-investigations-0">according to a new report</a> from the Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit government watchdog group.</p><p>Five out of eight members of Congress that the Office of Congressional Ethics has in 2022 publicly acknowledged investigating have refused to cooperate with the office, according to the Campaign Legal Center report.</p><p>And since 2009, 30 members in the House have refused to cooperate with Office of Congressional Ethics investigations, the report concludes.</p><p>Matters under investigation have included campaign finance transactions, personal investments, suspected conflicts of interest, travel habits, and gift acceptance. </p><p>"Voters have a right to know that members of Congress are acting both ethically and transparently, and by refusing to participate in the review process, members make it harder for voters to know whether they are," report author Danielle Caputo wrote. "It also makes it more difficult for the OCE to conduct its review effectively." </p><p>The Office of Congressional Ethics is a nonpartisan body, created by Congress itself in 2008, that investigates allegations of misconduct by House members and staff.</p><p>The office cannot, however, compel members of Congress to cooperate with their investigations and does not have law enforcement power of its own. It refers cases to the House Committee on Ethics when it has reason to believe a member of the US House or a House staffer has violated a law or ethical standard.</p><p>Sitting members of Congress the Campaign Legal Center says have refused to cooperate with Office of Congressional Ethics investigators include:</p><ul><li>Rep. <keyword id="12932567" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="pat-fallon" source="Orion">Pat Fallon</keyword> of Texas, a Republican</li><li>Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, a Democrat</li><li>Rep. <keyword id="12206068" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ronny-jackson" source="Orion">Ronny Jackson</keyword> of Texas, a Republican</li><li>Rep. <keyword id="13025622" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="doug-lamborn" source="Orion">Doug Lamborn</keyword> of Colorado, a Republican</li><li>Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, a Democrat</li><li>Rep. <keyword id="13779356" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="alex-mooney" source="Orion">Alex Mooney</keyword> of West Virginia, a Republican</li><li>Rep. John Rutherford of Florida, a Republican</li><li>Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, a Republican</li><li>Rep. Steven Palazzo of Mississippi, a Republican</li><li>Rep. Lori Trahan of Massachusetts, a Democrat</li><li>Rep. David Schweikert of Arizona, a Republican</li><li>Rep. Roger Williams of Texas, a Republican</li><li>Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, a Democrat</li><li>Rep. Vern Buchanan of Florida, a Republican</li></ul><p>Other members who are not currently in office but are mentioned in the report include former Reps. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina — Meadows later became Donald Trump's presidential chief of staff.</p><p>Deceased members of Congress, including Rep. John Conyers of Michigan and Rep. Jim Hagedorn of Minnesota, also rejected requests to cooperate with Office of Congressional Ethics investigations.</p><p>Insider contacted the offices of each sitting member of Congress who the report accuses of not cooperating with ethics investigators.</p><p>Most did not immediately respond, although a spokesperson for Tlaib told Insider that the congresswoman complied with the Office of Congressional Ethics and House Committee on Ethics investigations.</p><p>As for Rutherford, the Office of Congressional Ethics referred its findings — without the congressman's input — <a href="https://oce.house.gov/sites/congressionalethics.house.gov/files/documents/OCE%20Rev.%20No.%2021-7423%20Referral_0.pdf">to the House Committee on Ethics,</a> which is composed of members of Congress themselves has the power to punish fellow members for actions deemed unethical or illegal.</p>

Meet the members of Congress under ethics investigation who wouldn't cooperate with independent investigators

<p class="source"><span>Richard Bord/Getty Images for Cannes Lions</span></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>The coronavirus will materially change the public relations industry in the long run, industry insiders said.</li><li>Mergers and acquisitions could pick up as small, independent firms struggle.</li><li>Firms specializing in digital PR will benefit as companies look to experts to bolster their reputation.</li><li>The coronavirus crisis underscored the need for internal communications, which will remain important.</li><li><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime?module=article&amp;area=summary">Click here for more BI Prime stories</a>.</strong></li></ul><p>The coronavirus pandemic will ravage some public relations firms and benefit others in the short term, but the effects of this crisis will be felt far into the future.</p><p>Art Stevens, managing partner of The Stevens Group, a mergers and acquisitions consultancy focused on the PR industry, said clients focused on hard-hit sectors like tourism, hospitality and restaurants have lost upwards of 70% of their revenue, forcing them to layoff or furlough staff, reduce salaries, and plead with their landlords to reduce their rent.</p><p>"Everyone is grappling with this crisis and trying to stay alive," he said.</p><p>Meanwhile, some public affairs PR firms are doing better than ever as state legislatures pass rules and regulations to slow the spread of the virus, he said.</p><h3>Dealmaking could pick up as small firms struggle to survive</h3><p>Before the coronavirus pandemic struck, PR was consolidating at a faster rate than in past years, according to Phillip Palazzo, founder of Palazzo Investment Bankers. This trend was driven by private equity, reflated capital markets, lowered interest rates and an expanding economy.</p><p>There were 18 completed acquisitions of PR firms in the first few months of 2020, more than double the amount in the year-ago period, said Michael Lasky, an attorney at Davis &amp; Gilbert.</p><p>Dealmaking has paused as buyers and sellers wait for the economy to stabilize.</p><p>However, as small, independent firms struggle to survive the economic downturn, other PR experts predict an uptick in consolidation across the industry.</p><p>An independent PR agency CEO who asked to be anonymous said at least a dozen PR firms have reached out in recent weeks to gauge the CEO's interest in buying them. Instead of presenting a "poker face," the prospective sellers were open about their overhead and payroll.</p><p>"They know they can't waste time," the CEO said.</p><h3>While experiential firms struggle, digitally focused agencies will benefit</h3><p>The pandemic has hit experiential PR firms hard, but firms that specialize in digital PR will benefit as companies lean on online channels to manage their communications and reputation.</p><p>"There are firms focused on experiential that are experiencing significant pain," Palazzo said. "Meanwhile, if you're digital only, it's almost business as usual, with very little change in client spend."</p><p>The pandemic will speed business leaders' use of social as a way to speak with a clear, consistent message to customers, stakeholders, and employees, said Roy Tristan, COO of digital at Edelman.</p><h3>The crisis could cement the importance of internal communications</h3><p>Internal comms was already gaining importance in response to the rise of employee activism and social media as a place where workers can voice their beliefs and objections. But lately, companies have doubled down on efforts to keep their employees informed about business strategy, what they're doing to ensure their health and safety, and how their operations are affected.</p><p>"'Our people are our most valuable asset' has become a kind of nice leadership cliché," said Steve Astle, senior adviser and west coast lead for employee engagement firm Gagen MacDonald. "This week, employees at Instacart, Amazon and elsewhere showed the world that there's nothing nice about it - it's just an indisputable fact."</p><p>Astle said internal comms used to focus on sending out open enrollment packets and telling employees about changes in company travel policy, and sees it playing a bigger and more strategic role.</p><p>"Now and for the foreseeable future, people responsible for employee communications need business acumen and strategic thinking skills - muscles many of them are going to have to develop in a hurry," he said.</p><h3>Insiders predict the industry will rebound by Q4</h3><p>Analyst Michael Nathanson predicted the ad industry would shrink by 10.6%, or almost $26 billion this year. But consultants that serve the PR industry think PR will be less scathed.</p><p>Stevens said after a short-term hit, PR would rebound as clients seek out counsel and comms support even as they dial down their advertising.</p><p>Edelman CEO Richard Edelman, whose earnings serve as a bellwether for the industry, said business was coming back in China, where his agency just won four clients in late March.</p><p>"Communications is now more important than advertising," Edelman said. "People want facts and credible spokespeople."</p><p class="tagline"><i>Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please email <a href="mailto:covidtips@businessinsider.com">covidtips@businessinsider.com</a> and tell us your story.</i></p><p><i>And get the latest <a href="/coronavirus-business-impact">coronavirus analysis and research</a> from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is impacting businesses.</i></p>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pikes-peak-hill-climb-colorado-most-dangerous-racetrack-2020-2">Why Pikes Peak is the most dangerous racetrack in America</a></h3>

Experts reveal how the coronavirus will reshape the PR industry, from boosting internal communications to strengthening digital firms

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters/Kevin Lamarque</span></p><p class="caption">U.S. President Donald Trump speaks while participating in a tour of U.S.-Mexico border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, California.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Mississippi Rep. Steven Palazzo proposed a new way to fund Trump's border wall: Selling "border bonds." </li><li>The "border bonds" would allow the US government to crowdfund the wall. </li><li>Palazzo said his proposed plan, the "<span>Border Bonds for America Act," allows Americans to "safely invest in border security."</span></li></ul><p><span>It has been made pretty clear by now that Mexico is not planning on paying for a border wall. </span></p><p><span>As President Trump scrambles to convince Democrats to hand him the estimated $5 billion in funding necessary to fulfill his campaign promise, others in Washington are coming up with different ways to pay for the wall. </span></p><p><span>One such thinker is Steven Palazzo, a representative from Mississippi who on Monday introduced the "Border Bonds for America Act" that would allow Americans to buy savings bonds in order to fund the expansion of the wall. </span><span>Under Palazzo's plan, the US Treasury would sell "border bonds," which he described on Twitter as a "safe investment into the infrastructure ans [sic] security of our country."</span></p><p><span>Palazzo's plan has been submitted to the House's Committee on Ways and Means as well as to the Committee on Homeland Security for review. Palazzo currently serves as the vice-chairman of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee. </span></p><p><span>In a press release, the congressman said the American people are "fed up with the political games fueled by the Democrats' inaction to secure our borders and protect our citizens." He compared his plan to the bonds sold in the country to support military efforts during World War II, which is the last time the US sold bonds. Back then, more than 85 million Americans bought bonds. By the end of the war, Americans had purchased $185.7 billion in bonds. </span><span></span></p><p><span>"This legislation would allow for the patriots of today's era to help support American security in the same way as previous generations," Palazzo wrote in a release. "I believe this legislation allows new alternatives for our citizens to support their values and defend our homeland." </span><span></span></p><p><span>Palazzo's plan to, in essence, crowdfund the border wall isn't unique. In an NPR interview, Ohio Representative Warren Davidson <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/12/12/676002237/trump-threatens-government-shutdown-over-border-wall-funding">spoke</a> about his proposal to set up a public fund of sorts to raise the necessary money for a wall.</span></p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong></em><strong> </strong><em><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-schumer-pelosi-shutdown-meeting-mexico-pay-for-wall-usmca-nafta-trade-deal-2018-12">Trump inexplicably told Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi that Mexico would pay for the border wall as part of the landmark new trade deal</a></em></p><p><span>"I've offered a modest compromise called Buy a Brick, Build a Wall that we introduced, which lets the American people, or whomever should choose to donate - Mexicans or otherwise - to donate to the program," Davidson told NPR host Steve Inskeep. "You could do with this sort of, like, crowdfunding site. Or you could even do blockchain, and you could have wall coins. But you could raise the money. And frankly, if we get it right at the Treasury, you could even accept Mexican pesos."</span></p><p><span>Davidson's plan would, in a way, allow some Mexicans to pay for the wall. </span><span></span></p><p><span>But, even with an active GoFundMe page for the wall, the president's $5 billion budget might be a tall order. Few American fundraisers have passed the billion-dollar mark. According to <a href="https://www.philanthropy.com/article/Who-s-Raising-the-Most-The/244933">philanthropy.com</a>, only six charities managed to fundraise more than $1 billion in 2016 and only one of them - United Way Worldwide - got anywhere close to $5 billion, raising $3.2 billion. </span><span></span><span></span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/craig-barrett-jackson-auction-rotunda-car-collection-expensive-private-garages-2018-10">Craig Jackson of Barrett-Jackson Auction Company has one of the world's most expensive private garages - take a look inside</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Mississippi congressman proposes crowdfunding border wall through 'border bonds'

<p class="source"><span>Shayanne Gal/Business Insider</span></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>In addition to its Democratic presidential primary, Mississippi will hold primaries for US Senate and House elections on March 10.</li><li>Three candidates are competing in the Democratic primary for US Senate to face Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith this November. </li><li>Polls close in Mississippi at 7 p.m. local time and 8 p.m. ET - follow along for results here. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>Polls close in Mississippi at 7 p.m. local time and 8 p.m. ET - follow along for results here. </p><h2>Mississippi US Senate Democratic primary results:</h2><h2>Mississippi House primaries:</h2><h2>What's at stake?</h2><p>Cindy Hyde-Smith, who was elected to the US Senate in a 2018 special election, is running unopposed in the Republican primary for a full term. Hyde-Smith's US Senate seat is rated likely or solid Republican by most major election forecasters, including <a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/senate-race-ratings">the Cook Political Report</a> and <a href="http://crystalball.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/2020-senate/">Sabato's Crystal Ball</a>.</p><p>On the Democratic side, former US Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy, who ran against Hyde-Smith in the 2018 special, is favored to win the Democratic nomination to face Hyde-Smith again. </p><p>All four of Mississippi's House Representatives - three Republicans and one Democrat - <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_Mississippi,_2020">are running for re-election</a>, with GOP Reps. Michael Guest of Mississippi's third district and Steven Palazzo of the fourth district also facing multiple primary challengers from within their own parties. </p><p>Mississippi is a runoff state, meaning that if no one candidate in any of these primaries earns over 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters would advance to a runoff to be held on March 31. </p><h2>Catch up on live coverage from today's primaries</h2><p>Head over to our main post to see the results of all six presidential primaries and caucuses taking place today, and see <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mississippi-democratic-primary-live-results-vote-counts-2020-3">full results for the Democratic primary in Mississippi</a> here.  </p>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/presidential-debate-entertaining-problem-democratic-trump-reality-tv-show-2019-9">How networks treat the Democratic debates like reality TV</a></h3>

LIVE UPDATES: See full results of Mississippi's US Senate and House primaries

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>AP Photo/Steve Cannon</span></p><p class="caption">Matt Gaetz, then a member of the Florida House of Representatives, speaks during a March, 2016 legislative session.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Reports of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) impending death may have been greatly exaggerated.</p><p>Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/861/all-info?r=10#">introduced a bill Friday</a> (H.R.861)  to abolish the EPA, but Democratic congressional staff told Business Insider that they don't expect the bill to go anywhere.</p><p>Gaetz, along with cosponsors Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Steven Palazzo of Mississippi, and Barry Loudermilk of Georgia, is associated with the Tea Party wing of the Republican Party.</p><p>In <a href="http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/20170201/congressman-gaetz-wants-to-abolish-epa">an interview with the Northwest Florida Daily News</a>, Gaetz said  the EPA's rules and regulations designed to protect the environment actually hurt people and that the agency has "violated the sovereignty of the states."</p><p>For evidence, he pointed to coastal wetland protection rules requiring farmers to get permits before watering their cows from ponds on their land. He argued that states and local governments are better positioned to protect "their environmental assets."</p><p>But congressional staffers told Business Insider that Gaetz, a freshman congressman, likely lacks the political oomph to push through such a drastic change to the federal bureaucracy.</p><p>First, abolishing the EPA would involve repealing a number of laws entrusting the agency with a number of specific environmental responsibilities. Second, and perhaps more importantly, the Republican Party seems to have consolidated behind the Trump administration's still-fuzzy, though apparently less-extreme vision for the agency - one that still represents a significant departure from the status quo under Trump's predecessors.</p><p>The president's exact plans for the agency remain unclear, even to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/leaked-epa-email-2017-1">people working there now</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/epa-what-happening-science-gag-order-donald-trump-2017-1">scientists who rely on the EPA for funding</a>.</p><p>However, the available evidence suggests that people in Trump's orbit want to radically downsize the agency while keeping it running. And the White House has already taken steps designed to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-trump-regulation-rule-impact-epa-2017-1">limit its ability to regulate industry</a>.</p><p>There's no evidence though to suggest that Trump's team or Republican leadership in Congress will take steps to dismantle it entirely. If they did intend to do so, it seems unlikely that they'd still be working to get aspiring EPA administrator <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/pruitt-reportedly-made-false-statements-senate-booker-2017-2">Scott Pruitt</a> confirmed.</p><p>That said, Democrats aren't ignoring Gaetz's bill entirely.</p><p>"It shows how brazen Republicans are in promoting their dirty air and water and anti-science agenda," a House Democratic leadership aide told Business Insider.</p><p>The idea of abolishing or reducing the power of the EPA isn't entirely new to Republican Party <keyword id="6358883" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Politics">politics</keyword> - even though it would have been unimaginable under Republican presidents from Richard Nixon, who oversaw the agency's founding, to George W. Bush, whose EPA head has opposed Trump's EPA administrator pick as "<a href="http://grist.org/politics/george-w-bush-epa-chief-slams-trumps-pick/">disdainful</a>" of the agency's mission.</p><p>In 2011, a <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-bill/892/cosponsors">Senate bill to roll the EPA into the Department of Energy</a> attracted the 17 cosponsors, including party leaders like John McCain and Orrin Hatch. However, it failed to pass out of the Democrat-controlled Senate.</p><p>That same year, then-presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2011/01/newt-proposes-abolishing-epa-048143">floated the idea of abolishing</a> the agency during a speech in Iowa. </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/arctic-sea-ice-thinner-past-26-years-foreboding-animation-noaa-video-2016-12">This startling animation shows how much Arctic sea ice has thinned in just 26 years</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="Jqb2k5ODE619TsBzQ3m8ryeVKgcEyosd" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Democrats aren't worried about a GOP congressman's bill to abolish the EPA

<p class="source"><span>Alex Wong/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona.</p><p>A Democratic lawmaker lashed out at House Republicans on Wednesday, accusing them of pushing a "sneaky gimmick" that could result in military funding being poured into President Donald Trump's wall on the US-Mexico border.</p><p>"This rule is a travesty," said Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona. "If we vote to approve it, an amendment unanimously supported by the Armed Services committee ... to prevent President Trump from using our military's money to build his border wall, will suddenly vanish."</p><p>"It's a legislative magic trick, a sneaky gimmick designed to disguise their actions," Gallego said. "Once again, Speaker Ryan and the House Republicans are doing President Trump's dirty work."</p><p>The latest amendment, made by Republican Reps. Steven Palazzo and Trent Kelly, was approved by the House Rules Committee Tuesday evening, in the form of a self-executing amendment, according to <a href="http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Politico</a>. The amendment would automatically remove Gallego's own amendment from the National Defense Authorization Act's bill, which is being debated by the House.</p><p>So far, lawmakers have taken advantage of the opportunity to submit their NDAA amendments, over 400 thus far, which is considered to be a crucial piece of legislation due to its $696 billion budget that spans a vast spectrum of US policies.</p><p class="source"><span>Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">A Border Patrol vehicle sits along the US-Mexico border wall on January 25, 2017 in San Ysidro, California.</p><p>"They didn't have the courage to pose my amendment in committee, or even on the House floor," continued Gallego. "They passed this rule late at night with hardly anyone watching, in typical Republican fashion. Republicans are resorting to deceptive legislative tactics to do Trump's bidding, just for his small fragile ego."</p><p>Gallego, a US Marine Corps veteran, continued to declaim the efficacy and the costs of building a US-Mexico border wall: "Just six months into this administration, it's already abundantly clear that Mexico won't pay for Trump's stupid, dumb border wall. We must not allow precious resources to be robbed from our troops simply to score political points for Trump's ego."</p><p>Trump's plans to build a wall between the US and Mexico has hit a wave of criticism from both political parties due to its cost and effectiveness. An April report from Senate Democrats estimated that the wall would cost nearly $70 billion and $150 million a year for upkeep. A Homeland Security report; however, estimated the wall would cost $21.6 billion, without maintenance fees, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/18/us/politics/senate-democrats-border-wall-cost-trump.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The New York Times</a>.</p><p>Gallego continued to explain why he believed channeling funds from the NDAA was an ill-advised maneuver: "It was simply to ensure [Department of Defense] resources aren't siphoned off for a pointless wall that we don't need and can't afford," he said. "We have a ... responsibility to ensure that money meant to address real national security challenges isn't diverted to combat imaginary ones that the president has created."</p><h2>Watch Rep. Gallego's comments here:</h2>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-irish-reporter-nice-smile-oval-office-prime-minister-taoiseach-leo-varadkar-caitriona-perry-2017-6">Trump tells a female reporter she has a 'nice smile' while on the phone to the Irish PM</a></h3>                                    Please enable Javascript to watch this video

'Stupid, dumb border wall': Democratic lawmaker unleashes on plans to use military funds for border wall

WHIP COUNT: Here's which members of the House voted for and against impeaching Trump

<p><table class="image-container" width="200"><tr><td><div class="image"></div><p class="source"><a href="http://corcoran.com/nyc/Listings/Display/2569544">Corcoran</a></p></td></tr></table></p>
<p>Looking at the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-cohens-penthouse-for-sale-2013-4">listing photos for Steve A. Cohen's $115 million Manhattan penthouse</a>, one thing caught our eye: a sculpture of a short, bald man with raised arms standing in a prime spot in the living room.</p>
<p>Cohen's a well-known collector of contemporary <keyword id="1105" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="art">art</keyword>. He famously owns <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/stevie-cohens-damien-hirst-shark-really-is-in-the-met-2009-12">Damien Hirst's sculpture of a shark in a tank of formaldehyde</a>, and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/18/arts/design/18pain.html?_r=0">spent $137.5 million</a> on Willem de Kooning's "Woman."</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">But we didn't recognize the bald-man sculpture, which appears over and over again in the listing photos.</span></p>
<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:250px"><div class="image"></div><p class="source">via Christie's</p></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">So we did some digging, and it appears that the work is by Maurizio Cattelan, an Italian artist known for his satirical sculptures. It's a depiction of Pablo Picasso, which makes sense given the hedge funder's love of the artist <span>—</span> he recently bought Picasso's "Le Reve" <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cohen-buys-picasso-steve-wynn-elbowed-2013-3">from Steven Wynn</a><span> for $155 million</span>.</span></p>
<p>The work first appeared at the Museum of Modern Art in 1998, as part of an exhibit where Cattelan looked at the concept of "art as mascot," <a href="http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/education/school-educator-programs/teacher-resources/arts-curriculum-online?view=item&amp;catid=750&amp;id=173&amp;tmpl=component&amp;print=1">according to The Guggenheim's education center</a>. The Guggenheim explains:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span>For the run of the show, an actor dressed as Picasso in a large molded head mask and the artist’s striped boatneck shirt occupied the galleries. This Picasso behaved like an amusement-park mascot, greeting crowds, posing for photographs, and signing autographs ...</span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span><span>The presence of Cattelan’s Picasso as a friendly face, an inviting host, resembled those cartoon characters come-to life at Disneyland, an emblem for lowbrow, wholesome amusement.</span></span></p>
<p>We couldn't find any record that Cohen himself bought the work, but a version (there are two) <a href="http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/sculptures-statues-figures/maurizio-cattelan-untitled-4976485-details.aspx?from=searchresults&amp;intObjectID=4976485&amp;sid=2e356d16-63a7-45ed-a00f-6df9d77050b2">last sold at a Christie's auction</a> in London in 2007 for $487,000.</p>
<p>Here's a close-up, from when the 7-foot-tall sculpture appeared <span>at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice in 2006. </span></p>
<p><div class="image-container" style="width:620px"><div class="image"></div><p class="source">Michele Crosera/REUTERS</p></div></p>

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