Covering Capitol Hill, with 'Regular Order'

Your window into the halls of Congress

After over 35 years reporting from Capitol Hill, I’m now writing a subscription newsletter about Congress. I call it “Regular Order,” named for the frequently-heard appeal on the floor of the House and Senate to get legislative proceedings under control. It’s a combination of news, context, and a little bit of history - all to help you understand what’s happening in the halls of Congress.

I send out one free newsletter a week to those who sign up. But you can also spring for a paid subscription to get it on a daily basis every week, and support independent journalism on Capitol Hill along the way. Here’s one of my newsletters.

South Carolina will stop accepting extra jobless benefits from the feds. Hurt by Trump tariffs, pork producers ask the Biden Administration for help. And worries in Congress about a new flood insurance plan. This is “Regular Order” for May 7, 2021.

FRIDAY HILL HIGHLIGHTS:
+ House panel holds hearing on U.S. space force budget. 12 noon.
+ House hearing on algorithms used for housing and credit. 12 noon.

JOBLESS BENEFITS. Rejecting federal aid, South Carolina will end its use of extra jobless benefits, blaming a lack of workers on aid provided during the Coronavirus outbreak. "This labor shortage is being created in large part by the supplemental unemployment payments that the federal government provides claimants on top of their state unemployment benefits," Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC) wrote on Thursday.

• BIG SKY. Montana was the first state to take that step earlier this week, ending its participation in the 'Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation' program, which provides an extra $300 per week to those on unemployment. "Montana is open for business again, but I hear from too many employers throughout our state who can’t find workers," said Gov. Greg Gianforte (R).

• GOP. A number of Republicans in Congress have made the same argument in recent weeks. "For months now, the federal government has incentivized unemployment - deeply hurting our businesses," said Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC). “Worst Worker Shortage Ever,” tweeted Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).

UNEMPLOYMENT. The move by South Carolina came as U.S. businesses added 266,000 jobs in the month of April, as the jobless rate edged up to 6.1 percent. One reason for that increase was 430,000 people got back into the job market. Even with April’s job gains, the U.S. economy is still down 8.2 million jobs from March of 2020, when the Coronavirus outbreak hit.

• JOB MARKET. Republicans say the job numbers show why President Biden should not raise taxes - “jacking up taxes right now on the job creators will absolutely only make this situation worse,” said Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY).

PORK CHOPS. A bipartisan group of over 70 House members has asked the nation's top trade official to press Vietnam to get rid of tariffs on pork imports from the U.S., in a bid to pry open new markets. "Pork exports add significantly to each U.S. pork producer's bottom line," lawmakers wrote in a letter to U.S. Trade Rep. Katherine Tai.

• TRUMP TARIFFS. One reason pork producers are looking for help is the loss of markets caused by countries like China retaliating against tariffs levied by President Trump. "U.S. pork producers and their families are still recovering from the enormous toll placed on them due to no fault of their own," the lawmakers wrote.

GO GATA. A divided federal appeals court has tossed out the corruption conviction of ex-Rep. Corrine Brown (D-FL). The ruling focused on how the trial judge got rid of a juror who said 'the Holy Spirit told him' that Brown was not guilty. The appeals court majority said the removal of the juror 'violated Brown’s right under the Sixth Amendment to a unanimous jury verdict.'

• BROWN. It was four years ago next week that the veteran Florida Democrat was convicted on 18 corruption counts. Prosecutors argued Brown used a fake charity to illegally funnel money into her own pockets. Brown was known in her district for the billboards which loudly proclaimed, "Corrine Delivers."

FLOOD INSURANCE. For years, Congress has talked a big game about making reforms in the National Flood Insurance Program, but lawmakers just end up kicking the can down the road - unable to reach a deal on how to fund the system - mainly worried about higher insurance premiums for constituents. And now that FEMA is updating its pricing methodology, lawmakers are trying to put that on hold.

• DELAY. "We cannot let homeowners face another financial burden during this pandemic," said Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY), who joined with Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) in a bipartisan bill to temporarily hold off on the FEMA changes. "Long Islanders deserve better than to be blindsided by flood insurance premium hikes," Garbarino said Thursday.

• FEMA. The feds are planning to institute new insurance premiums starting on October 1 for new policies, and change the cost of existing flood insurance plans on April 1, 2022. Don't be surprised one bit to see Congress pass a bill to delay the start of what's known as 'Risk Rating 2.0.'

SPACE RACE. Military officials will again today give Congress a warning about space, as a House panel hears testimony on the Space Force budget. "We own the high ground with air and space today, but it becomes more contested every day," lawmakers will be told by the Pentagon.

• SPACE THREATS. "Competitors like China and Russia are challenging America’s advantage in space by aggressively developing weapons to deny or destroy U.S. space capabilities in conflict," officials will testify today.

• MONEY. One thing caught my eye immediately when reading through the testimony of Air Force and Space Force officials to Congress - there's absolutely no mention of the specific dollar figures needed in the future.

COINTELPRO. Here's a story that takes us back in time. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) has introduced a bill to force the feds to release FBI files related to COINTELPRO, a covert government surveillance which began as an effort to investigate the activities of the Communist Party in the U.S., but later also covered the Civil Rights movement.

• KING. That surveillance included Martin Luther King, Jr., as FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover believed King had some kind of ties to Communists. "It is high time that the American people know about the odious and inhumane legacy of J. Edgar Hoover’s COINTELPRO operation," Rush said in a statement.

• THE VAULT. Some documents have already been released by the FBI, like this August 1967 directive to 'expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize the activities of black nationalist, hate-type organizations.' "I want to shine a bright light on this dark chapter of our nation’s history," Rush said.

WEATHER. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo made the case on Thursday for a big increase in the NOAA weather satellite program. "The $500 million is for next generation satellites," Raimondo told a House spending panel. "We are making a big push generally in NOAA to improve the Weather Service, the weather technology, supercomputers."

• BIDEN BUDGET. The President's proposed 2022 budget would give NOAA almost $7 billion, a big change from the tighter budgets imposed on NOAA and the National Weather Service by the Trump Administration. Plus, there was that bizarre time in 2019 when weather service hurricane forecasters found themselves at odds with President Trump - and his Sharpie.

ROLLING TO REMEMBER. I told you earlier this week of complaints from GOP lawmakers about the refusal of the Biden Administration to let thousands of motorcycle riders stage in the extensive parking lots of the Pentagon. Now one GOP lawmaker wants to force a vote on the matter.

• ISSA. "Memorial Day is weeks away," said Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), who earlier in the week joined with several other Republicans asking for the motorcycle permit to be approved. “If the Administration does not act, I am authoring legislation to ensure that it does not shut out these veterans," Issa said Thursday.

CHENEY V TRUMP. The push to boot Rep. Liz Cheney R-WY out of the House GOP leadership isn't about ideology or conservative values. It's only about one thing - the GOP can't stomach anyone who disagrees with Donald Trump - especially on his fake claims of election fraud. My column this week for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

DATELINE CORALVILLE. A newspaper reporter from Iowa says he was unable to get an interview with a Hawkeye State Republican in Congress - because the reporter was wearing a mask. Zachary Oren Smith of the Iowa City Press-Citizen newspaper was covering an event with Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) and former acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker.

• NO INTERVIEW. On Twitter, Smith said he ran into Miller-Meeks at the end of the indoor event, "and she explained she wouldn't talk to me unless I took my mask off as we were both vaccinated. Didn't get my interview."

• NUMBER 6. Miller-Meeks had no problem wearing a mask recently on Capitol Hill emblazoned with the number ‘6’ at President Biden’s speech to Congress. That probably represented her winning margin of six votes in the 2020 elections.

FAMILIES PLAN. The White House on Thursday released state-by-state fact sheets on the impact of the American Families Plan, one of President Biden’s sweeping tax and spending packages, which focuses on education, health care and child care.

• DETAILS. The push hits the bullet points of the Biden plan on two free years of community college, pre-school for all 3-and 4-year olds, funding to hire new teachers, new child care benefits, paid medical and family leave, health care, tax cuts and more.  Here’s the details for Georgia. Florida. Ohio.

EARMARK OF THE DAY. Some Republicans have sworn off earmarks. Other lawmakers are proud to advertise their requests. Rep. Frank Mrvan (D-IN) has asked for $1.6 million to have the Army Corps of Engineers dredge the Burns Waterway Harbor in his Indiana district to provide "safe refuge for inland river barges."

IN THE HOPPER. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and three other Republicans have introduced H.R. 2962, which would 'repurpose funds provided for COVID relief that have not been obligated,' and spend that money instead 'for purposes of infrastructure development.'

• IN THE HOPPER II. Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA) has introduced H.R. 2953, which would allow 'penalty-free withdrawals from retirement plans for domestic abuse victims.'

RAP SHEET. After January 6, two grandmothers gossiped about someone involved in the Capitol Attack. It led to the arrest of a New Jersey man.

MUSE OF HISTORY. May 7, 1800. If there is one thing the research for the Muse of History has taught me, it is that in Congress, it has always been "Infrastructure Week." On this date in 1800, President John Adams signed into law a bill which included money for 'the support of lighthouses, beacons, buoys, and public piers.' There was $5,950 to repair the Charleston lighthouse in South Carolina. $1,500 to build a new lighthouse at Old Point Comfort in Virginia. $15,700 to improve a Connecticut light. And $35,698 to build a lighthouse on Cape Hatteras and a beacon in Pamlico Sound in North Carolina. Earlier in 1800, Adams had signed a bill to build other lighthouses in New England as well.

LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:

The House next meets on Tuesday.

The Senate holds its next votes on Monday.

President Biden is in Washington.  Schedule link.

Follow me on Twitter @jamiedupree. Email me at jamiedupree@substack.com

See the archive at http://jamiedupree.substack.com