Biden blindsides D.C. on city crime law
House Ethics officially starts probe of Rep. Santos
Also in today’s ‘Regular Order’ for March 3, 2023:
The permanent Daylight Saving bill is back.
Details released on Ocasio-Cortez ethics review.
Sen. Feinstein hospitalized with shingles.
DC CRIME. Avoiding a veto fight which would have let Republicans cast Democrats as 'soft on crime,' President Biden said Thursday he would sign a GOP-led measure to repeal a new law in Washington, D.C. - which reduces penalties on some major crimes. The move shocked city officials and supporters of D.C. statehood.
NO VETO. “Today has been a sad day for D.C. home rule and D.C. residents’ right to self-governance,” said Washington’s Delegate to Congress Eleanor Holmes Norton.
BIDEN. The President tried to have it both ways. "I support D.C. Statehood and home-rule – but I don’t support some of the changes D.C. Council put forward,” Biden said of the crime law changes.
SENATE. Biden opted against a veto as it became apparent that Democrats could not stop the GOP resolution in the Senate, where a vote is set for next week. "I just don't support lowering the penalties for carjacking and offenses like that," said Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA).
HOME RULE. This was a nightmare scenario for city officials. Basically, Biden sucker-punched some of his biggest supporters in the nation’s capital over this crime law - because it was a losing political issue.
BIDEN. The surprise news about the D.C. crime law overshadowed Biden's meeting with Democratic Senators, as they talked about his agenda, the upcoming debt limit fight, the budget, and more. "We need to raise the debt ceiling," Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) told reporters. "The President made it very clear."
TALKS. "It was good to have him there," Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) said of the Biden lunch visit. "We talked about bipartisan opportunities to move the ball forward on important issues."
DEBT LIMIT. Senators said there wasn't any specific game plan on reaching a budget deal with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. "With every passing day, we are more united in rejecting any attempt to hold hostage the increase in the debt ceiling," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
MANCHIN. Before the lunch, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) went to the Senate floor and pleaded with both sides to not only reach a budget deal - but to make real steps to both rein in spending and lower the yearly federal budget deficits.
DEBT. "The American people have had enough of the accounting gimmicks and budgetary games that we play in Congress," Manchin said. "Our problem really isn't a Republican problem, or a Democratic problem. It's an American problem."
BUDGET. The budget and debt limit fight will get moving next Thursday when President Biden unveils his 2024 budget proposal.
RAIL SAFETY. President Biden has endorsed a bipartisan rail safety bill put together in the wake of that recent accident in East Palestine, Ohio. "I applaud the bipartisan group of senators for proposing rail safety legislation that provides many of the solutions that my administration has been calling for," Biden said.
BUCKEYE STATE. The plan has the backing of Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH). "We owe every American the peace of mind that their community is protected from a catastrophe of this kind," Vance said.
DETAILS. The plan would step up safety requirements for trains transporting hazardous materials. It also provides for more rail car inspections, defect detectors, and increases penalties for rail safety violations.
OUTLOOK. With the support of President Biden - and members of both parties in Congress, I could certainly see fast action on this by the Senate. Stay tuned.
VIVA DE LA SANTOS. It’s been talked about for several months. Now, the House Ethics Committee is officially investigating Rep. George Santos (R-NY), the freshman Republican who has been under a cloud of allegations since before his swearing-in.
PROBE. In a written statement released on Thursday afternoon, the committee said it would focus on four different matters involving Santos:
Possible 'unlawful' campaign activity,
The accuracy of his official financial disclosures,
Questions about his investment work, and
Allegations of sexual misconduct made by a prospective staffer.
COMMENT. "The House Committee on Ethics has opened an investigation, and Congressman George Santos is fully cooperating," read a tweet on Santos' official Twitter account. "There will be no further comment made at this time."
ON THE ROAD. Earlier in the day, Santos tweeted out a photo of himself at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "Having the extraordinary experience to watch a space launch was 'to infinity and beyond,'" Santos wrote.
AOC. The Ethics Committee also released the findings of the bipartisan Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), which recommended further investigation of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). The board said there was 'substantial reason to believe' that the New York Democrat accepted 'impermissible gifts' related to the 2021 Met Gala.
EXPENSES. "Rep. Ocasio-Cortez received a series of goods and services which she did not pay for until the OCE opened this review," the board states in its report. The allegations cover her dress, handbag, shoes, jewelry, hair, makeup, transportation, and more.
DENIAL. In a letter to the panel, lawyers for Ocasio-Cortez denied any wrongdoing, saying 'there is no evidence that she ever intended to avoid these expenses,' which amounted to several thousands dollars.
MET GALA. Remember, the Met Gala also tripped up ex-Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) last year. She was investigated because she asked for a free ticket to the event - that's not allowed under House ethics rules.
REGULAR ORDER. This week saw yet another big newspaper chain eliminate its bureau in Washington, D.C. You won’t be surprised that I feel like those are very shortsighted decisions. Subscribe to ‘Regular Order,’ or give a gift subscription to someone you know - and support independent journalism on Capitol Hill. Or you can just buy me a drink after another odd week.
WEAPONIZATION. House Democrats launched a surprise attack last night on the 'Weaponization' investigation led by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), releasing a scathing 316 page report - which basically claims the GOP whistleblowers are nothing but a bunch of right-wing cranks who spout crazy conspiracy theories.
REPORT. "Each endorses an alarming series of conspiracy theories related to the January 6 Capitol attack, the COVID vaccine, and the validity of the 2020 election," the Democratic report states.
DEMS. The release of the report was part of a highly coordinated effort by Democrats to ridicule and undermine the work of the Weaponization panel, which has yet to present any substantive witnesses.
TWITTER FILES. The next hearing on March 9 features two journalists who had access to internal files at Twitter. They produced no evidence that any government agency leaned on Twitter to suppress the Hunter Biden laptop story.
GOLDEN STATE. As I reported yesterday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) had missed every vote this week, because of an undetermined medical issue. Her office announced on Thursday that the veteran Democratic Senator has been hospitalized in San Francisco with a case of shingles.
FEINSTEIN. "I hope to return to the Senate later this month," the 89 year-old Feinstein said in a written statement. The California Democrat has already announced she is not running for reelection in 2024. There have been questions raised about her mental acuity over the past year.
TRUMP 2024. I told you yesterday about the question for Republicans that is often fraught with danger in how it is answered - did Donald Trump lose in 2020? Well, there is a second question which can cause consternation as well for Republicans. Will you vote for Donald Trump in 2024?
MICHIGAN. Ex-Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI) was asked that on a podcast by David Axelrod, the former strategist for Barack Obama. Meijer - who voted to impeach Trump - wouldn't rule out voting for Trump in 2024. "I do not want to get to that point," Meijer protested when asked.
TRUMP V. BIDEN. Axelrod further refined the question - what if the 2024 general election is Trump versus Biden? "Who will be more disruptive to the country in the long term between Biden and Trump?" Meijer responded. "I don't know how to answer that."
TRUMP. Speaking of the former President, he is scheduled to give the headline speech to the CPAC conference being held just outside Washington, D.C. on Saturday evening.
DAYLIGHT SAVING. Not this weekend, but next weekend - most of the nation will move their clocks one hour ahead, resulting in many grumpy kids and adults. A group of House and Senate members have again introduced their bill to let states stay on Daylight Saving Time all year long, the 'Sunshine Protection Act of 2023.'
SUNSHINE. "This ritual of changing time twice a year is stupid," said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). "It’s time to put a stop to the twice-a-year time-change madness," added Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR). " It’s time for America to move forward and stop falling back," said Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).
LAST CONGRESS. It was one year ago that the Senate surprisingly approved Rubio's bill without a formal roll call vote - but no action was ever taken on the measure by the House. It's not clear whether the plan might have a better chance with Republicans in charge of the House.
STANDARD. The bill grandfathers in the states and territories which remain on Standard Time all year - which includes much of Arizona and Hawaii. You can read more about the plan at this link.
ERA. A longshot legal bid to add the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution failed again this week in the courts - as Democrats now have to take the advice of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She said a few years ago that supporters of the ERA need to start over in the Congress. It won’t be easy. That's my column for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
JANUARY 6. The Justice Department on Thursday told a federal court that President Trump does not deserve immunity from lawsuits related to January 6. "No part of a President’s official responsibilities includes the incitement of imminent private violence," the feds wrote, showing they would not oppose suits by police or lawmakers against Trump.
RAP SHEET. A New York man accused of attacking D.C. Police officer Michael Fanone on January 6 is expected to enter a plea bargain in his case today. Thomas Sibick has already admitted he took Fanone's badge and radio - in fact, Sibick buried the badge in his backyard.
MUSE OF HISTORY. March 3, 1845. 58 years after the Congress was created under the Constitution, lawmakers voted on this date for the first time to override a Presidential veto. And it wasn't close. The Senate first voted 41-1 to reverse President Tyler's veto, and the House late that night followed in a vote of 127-30. It was part of a flurry of action at the end of the 28th Congress, as the House worked that night until after 2 am - returning the next morning to start a new session and for the Inauguration of President James K. Polk.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:
The House has votes on Tuesday.
The Senate is back on Monday.
President Biden’s daily schedule link.
Follow me on Twitter @jamiedupree. Email me at jamiedupree@substack.com
If you want to say ‘thanks’ - you can buy me a cup of coffee.
PREPARE FOR NEXT WEEKEND MY FRIEND
We'll see if the House GOP is really interested in it or not.