Biden calls on Congress to aid Israel, Ukraine
House to vote again today for Speaker
Also in today’s edition of ‘Regular Order’ for October 20, 2023:
Speaker votes could go into the weekend.
Jordan expected to lose votes today.
Butler decides to be a Senate caretaker.
BIDEN. In an address to the nation from the Oval Office, President Biden last night called on Congress to send billions in military aid to Israel and Ukraine, arguing those two nations stand as a democratic vanguard against terrorists, Iran, and Russia. "American leadership is what holds the world together," Biden said.
SPEECH. Days after Hamas terrorists launched a surprise attack on Israel, Biden said now was not the time for American isolationism. "History has taught us that when terrorists don't pay a price for terror, when dictators don't pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos and death," Biden argued.
UKRAINE. In a move that's certain to draw GOP complaints in Congress, the President very clearly tied aid to Israel with aid to Ukraine, saying that the West cannot let Vladimir Putin and Russia overrun Ukraine. "What would happen if we walked away?" the President asked.
JOBS. In his speech, the President said aid to Ukraine goes to buy weapons made here in the U.S., which are then shipped to Ukraine. Look for the White House to stress that 'Made in America' argument much more in the weeks ahead, as Biden rattled off the names of states where defense jobs are supported.
COST. The biggest problem for Biden will be the cost of the package, said to be close to $100 billion. $60 billion of that is for Ukraine, $14 billion for Israel, along with $14 billion to deal with issues on the southern border with Mexico.
CONGRESS. Democrats said they were ready to act. "Congress must quickly respond to his budget request and deliver the aid to defend our allies and ensure peace at home," said Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT). "We cannot let tyrants and terrorists win," added Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA).
HOUSE. Before my update on the search for a Speaker of the House, I want to make sure everyone understands what I am seeing on Capitol Hill. I’ve been covering Congress since 1986. I had my first job in the House in 1980. I have never seen anything like what has been going on with House Republicans over the past four months. The GOP is a mess.
GOP. The Republican Party has reached a point where the House GOP majority is unable - or maybe unwilling - to govern. Republicans can't elect a Speaker. No legislative business has been conducted on the floor in three weeks. And it's not clear when that will change. What you are watching is not normal.
SPEAKER. The House will start voting again today on a new Speaker, as Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) will try for a third time to muster a majority - but he is expected to again lose votes. Jordan met with GOP holdouts last night, and it did not go well. "Our mind is set," said Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL). "He needed to know that there is no way forward."
WEEKEND. A first vote should start around 10:30 am EDT. Last night, a key ally of Jordan was suggesting that the House would keep voting, no matter what. "We’ve heard from our colleagues and the American people," said Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH). "Additional votes are expected through the weekend."
SCHEDULE. No votes for Speaker were taken on Thursday by the House, which sent the clear message that Jordan is short on votes. The schedule aggravated some of his allies. "Just two votes in four days is not enough," said Rep. Mark Green (R-TN). "We went through 15 rounds for Speaker McCarthy."
JORDAN. "I'm still running for Speaker and I plan to go to the floor and get the votes and win this race," Jordan told reporters after a somewhat fractious GOP meeting on Thursday. He will hold an 8 am news conference to press his case.
HALLWAYS. The vibe in the hallways was not very good for Republicans on Thursday. They are clearly tired of each other. They are very frustrated. And I’m not sure anyone can get 217 votes right now for Speaker. I think if they work through the weekend, there is a chance someone takes a punch.
GOP MEETING. Thursday was a messy, dysfunctional day for House Republicans - and you could feel it as GOP members emerged from their closed door meeting, where tempers flared. "It was intense," said Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL), amid stories of members shouting at each other, as Republicans were unable to unify behind a new Speaker for yet another day.
MCCARTHY. At one point, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy yelled at Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) - who triggered this debacle by ousting McCarthy. “The whole country would scream at Matt Gaetz right now,” McCarthy said later.
GAETZ. There was no apology from Gaetz, who was happy to jab back at McCarthy. "You know, he loses his temper sometimes," Gaetz told reporters. "Maybe it's the Irish in him."
TAKE IT OUTSIDE. There was more. “Someone tried to fight Gaetz,” tweeted Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), who was referring to a near altercation involving Gaetz and Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL).
FRICTION. "There's a lot of tension between the members,” said Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ), who told Jordan to give up his bid for Speaker. "If Jim Jordan doesn't have the votes, then he needs to step aside,” Lesko said.
WWE. "Maybe we just need to get into a room more often and hash it out and yell at each other," said Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL). "Bring back caning," she added - oddly referring to the brutal attack on Sen. Charles Sumner in 1856.
BLOCKED. Last night, the GOP infighting spilled onto social media. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) and Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC) exchanged taunts, as Murphy blocked Mace on Twitter. "This is exactly what's wrong with this place," Mace wrote, "too many men here with no balls."
THREATS. Also roiling GOP ranks are the threats that have rained down on those opposed to Jordan. "That was a large part of what we did today was to express our concern with the threats that so many of us have received from within our own party," said Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA). "That's the part that's most disheartening."
BULLY. For example, Rep. Drew Ferguson on Wednesday decided not to support Jordan on the second ballot - and the reaction was instant abuse. "Shortly after casting that vote, my family and I started receiving death threats," said Ferguson, who added that House Republicans don't need 'a bully as the Speaker.'
BUCKED. Most bizarre was word from Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) that he was being evicted - yes, evicted from his official district office space near Fort Collins - because the landlord is mad that Buck won't support Jim Jordan for Speaker.
JANUARY 6. Democrats saw a familiar theme in the threats against their Republican colleagues. "The GOP’s refusal to renounce and denounce political violence on January 6th is now coming back to haunt their own members who voted against Jim Jordan," said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD).
DO-NOTHING. It bears repeating that the GOP has the same slim House majority that Democrats had last Congress. While Republicans have struggled for months to get anything done, Democrats piled up the accomplishments. That's my column this week for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
REGULAR ORDER. Things just keep getting crazier on Capitol Hill - and if you’re not getting this each day, you are missing out. “I am so glad I signed up for your newsletter,” one reader wrote this week. Since I can’t go on TV or radio to publicize my work, you can help me out by signing up, giving someone a gift subscription, or you can always just buy me a drink.
MCHENRY. When Thursday began, Jim Jordan wanted the House to approve a resolution giving Acting Speaker Patrick McHenry (R-NC) more formal powers for the short-term - allowing the Speaker's race to be put on hold, while Jordan looks for more votes. I don't know if Jordan miscalculated or took someone else’s advice - but it was met with a torrent of GOP opposition.
GOP. "Expanding powers for a temporary Speaker is a dangerous precedent," said Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN). "A temporary Speaker is the equivalent of a CR," said Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI). "I will never vote to empower Speaker Pro Tem McHenry," added Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA).
COALITION. Since it received such a negative reaction, the details of the plan were never really presented. But if Republicans thought that votes from Democrats would be needed to approve formal powers for McHenry, that brings up an important question. What should Democrats get in exchange for that help?
UNITY SPEAKER. Again, there is no chance that a Democrat will be elected Speaker. But I do think there is a chance - especially the longer this GOP deadlock continues - that Democrats could help elect a Republican as Speaker. But Democrats would have to get something in return.
GOLDEN STATE. Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-CA), who was just appointed to fill the vacancy after the death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), announced on Thursday that she would not run in the 2024 election to keep her seat in the Senate. That means Butler will fill the role as a caretaker of that seat.
BUTLER. "Knowing you can win a campaign doesn't always mean you should run a campaign," said Butler, who has headed the campaign group Emily's list. "It may not be the decision people expected but it's the right one for me."
CAMPAIGN. It wasn't really clear to me that Butler was going to alter the current state of the California race - which could well feature two Democrats in the 2024 general election. Rep. Adam Schiff is the favorite. My bet is that he faces either Rep. Katie Porter or Rep. Barbara Lee in the general election.
WEST VIRGINIA. Donald Trump has waded into the U.S. Senate campaign in West Virginia, endorsing Gov. Jim Justice (R), who wants to replace Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV). "Big Jim will be a Great United States senator and has my Complete & Total Endorsement," Trump wrote on his Truth Social site.
MOONED. The endorsement in the GOP primary was expected by Trump, and it crushed the dreams of Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV), who had declared for the seat soon after the 2022 election. Mooney has little chance to defeat Justice with Trump on his side.
NORTH CAROLINA. Republicans in the Tar Heel State have unveiled new Congressional district maps which could net the GOP as many four new seats in the U.S. House. The maps are certain to be challenged in court - but lawsuits like that don't move fast, witness the case just won by Democrats in Alabama.
DEMS. While there is a Democratic Governor in North Carolina, he is not allowed to veto any redistricting maps. In a statement, Gov. Roy Cooper called the new GOP plans, "gerrymandering on steroids." Currently, the state delegation is split 7-7. One of these plans could give the GOP an 11-3 edge.
BURNT. "If either of these maps become final, it means I'm toast in Congress," said Rep. Jeff Jackson, a freshman Democrat. Other Democrats in trouble include Rep. Wiley Nickel, Rep. Kathy Manning, and possibly two freshmen Black members, Rep. Don Davis and Rep. Valerie Foushee.
JACKSON. In a video release discussing his fate, Jackson ended with a bit of Congressional gallows humor. "If any of you want to be Speaker of the House, just let me know in the comments, because we have an opening and we're having a really hard time filling it."
RAP SHEET. A police officer from the Maryland suburbs outside Washington, D.C. has been indicted on charges of - wait for it - assaulting police on Jan. 6. Justin Lee is a member of the Montgomery County, Maryland police force - which ironically deployed officers to the Capitol on that day.
DOCKET. It’s another busy Friday at the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C. Two Jan. 6 defendants will be sentenced for their crimes - while four others are scheduled to plead guilty.
MUSE OF HISTORY. October 20, 1928. On this date, Thomas Edison was formally presented with a gold medal approved by Congress. "In his invention of the incandescent lamp and in the perfection of means for developing and distributing electrical energy he literally brought light to the dark places of the earth," President Coolidge said. Coolidge spoke via radio hookup to Edison, who received his honors in his New Jersey laboratory.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:
The House meets at 10 am.
The Senate next has votes on Tuesday.
Check President Biden’s schedule.
Follow me on Twitter @jamiedupree.
Email me at jamiedupree@substack.com
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How long are the moderate Repubs going to take it? I keep waiting for the Joseph McCarthy ending (You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, Sir? At long last, have you no sense of decency?). There are enough moderates who can choose someone for Speaker, go to the Democrats, and make a deal. Do it!
In North Carolina, there are:
2,637,581 or 36% Unaffiliated voters
2,495,097 or 34% Democrats
2,221,179 or 30% Republicans
But because the gop gerrymandered its way to a Republican majority in the NC House & Senate, they are pushing a split of 11 to 3 in representation, favoring republicans.
Any proud right wingers out there who want to defend this?