President Joe Biden’s Secretary of the Navy awarded soon-to-be-ex-Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) with its highest civilian honor Wednesday, days before Gallagher quits Congress in the middle of his term after postponing his quit date long enough to fight for Biden’s greatest priority.
“Today, the Secretary of the Navy presented Rep. Gallagher with the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest honorary award that the U.S. Navy can bestow upon a civilian not employed by the Navy,” the Congressman’s official X account posted Wednesday.
Hours earlier, Gallagher’s office said the Congressman would remain in office beyond his initial quit date of Friday to vote for an aid package sending tens of billions of dollars to Ukraine – a package Biden said Wednesday he “strongly” supports.
As Breitbart News reported earlier Wednesday:
[Gallagher] announced March 22 – after a leak forced his hand – he would resign from his Congressional seat on Friday, April 19.
But after Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) Wednesday announcement that the House will vote Saturday, April 20, on a foreign aid package with tens of billions in aid to Ukraine, Gallagher is once again changing his tune.
“The congressman has the flexibility to stay and support the aid package on Saturday,” a spokesperson told Politico.
The scheme outlining Saturday’s vote, unveiled Wednesday by Johnson, involves a complicated parliamentary process to grease the skids for Ukraine aid.
Today, the Secretary of the Navy presented Rep. Gallagher with the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest honorary award that the U.S. Navy can bestow upon a civilian not employed by the Navy. pic.twitter.com/uG1ArZBAQK
— Rep. Gallagher Press Office (@RepGallagher) April 17, 2024
Gallagher’s month-long window between his announcement and departure date also coincided with the House’s timeline for consideration of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Earlier in April, Gallagher fought to defeat an amendment to require warrants for intelligence personal to spy on Americans. Gallagher was the deciding vote on that amendment, which was defeated in a tie, and FISA reauthorization ultimately passed the House without a warrant requirement.
Gallagher’s priorities on that issue also mirrored Biden’s, whose National Security Adviser and Attorney General personally lobbied members of Congress to reauthorizing FISA without the warrant amendment.
House Republicans are quickly winnowing their majority. After Gallagher’s exit, Republicans can only lose one vote to defeat a united bloc of Democrats.
Biden’s Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro, made the trip to Capitol Hill Wednesday to present the award in person to Gallagher. The Cuban-born Secretary was nominated by Biden in 2021, and he was confirmed by the Democrat Senate by voice vote.
Del Toro is not the only high-profile Cuban-born official in Biden’s administration. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who was impeached by the House earlier this year but acquitted Wednesday without a trial, also immigrated to the U.S. from the island nation.
Gallagher was one of only three House Republicans to vote against impeaching Mayorkas.
Bradley Jaye is a Capitol Hill Correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.
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