House easily defeats GOP cuts in Ukraine aid

Defense bill takes sudden sharp right turn

Also in today’s edition of ‘Regular Order’ for July 14, 2023:

• “Colored people” sparks fireworks on the House floor.

• GOP proposes 9 percent budget cut for the FBI.

• House rejects return of Confederate base names.

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UKRAINE. In the first major votes on U.S. aid for Ukraine in the 118th Congress, the House on Thursday easily rejected a series of plans from GOP conservatives to cut aid for Kyiv, as part of debate on a major defense policy bill. While Republican critics have been very vocal, yesterday’s votes showed Ukraine aid still has solid bipartisan support in Congress.

• GOP. Critics of U.S. aid to Ukraine were defiant in defeat. "The Biden administration is sleepwalking our great country into a World War," said Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL). "I want to remind Congress once again, Ukraine is not America’s 51st state," added Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).

• CENTURY MARK. 218 votes is a majority in the House. Republican opponents of aid for Ukraine couldn’t even muster 100 votes for their proposed cuts.

  • 71 Republicans voted for a plan from Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) to block a military lend-lease program for Ukraine.

  • 70 Republicans voted for a plan from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to stop security assistance for Ukraine.

  • 89 Republicans voted for a plan from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) to cut $300 million in aid for Ukraine.

• DEMS. "Democrats stand in support of Ukraine," said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), as they accused the GOP of openly siding with Russia’s leader. "Putin must be very happy with them," said Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA).

• CLUSTER. The House also voted 276-147 to reject a plan - backed by some in both parties - to block the U.S. from sending cluster munitions to Ukraine.

• CRITICS. The fact that aid for Ukraine survived in this defense bill could cause some trouble for GOP leaders. That’s because some like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) say they will vote against the defense bill because of that aid.

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DEFENSE BILL. While there was strong bipartisan support for aid for Ukraine, this Pentagon policy bill took a sharp partisan turn to the right on Thursday, as the House approved a series of GOP amendments on abortion, transgender, and race issues which angered Democrats. It likely means this bill will only draw GOP support in a final vote expected later today.

• VOTE NO. Instead of a big majority of Democrats backing the defense bill, their House leaders gave the green light to vote ‘no.’ "Extreme MAGA Republicans have chosen to hijack the historically bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act," said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

• DEMS. "What was once an example of compromise and functioning government has become an ode to bigotry and ignorance," Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee said last night. This defense bill originally passed out of committee on a vote of 58-1.

• GOP PLANS. It wasn't just one or two amendments that had Democrats fuming, as Freedom Caucus conservatives got their colleagues to approve a variety of controversial military policy changes.

  • The House voted 221-213 to stop the Pentagon from paying for time off and travel expenses relating to abortion services for active duty women soldiers.

  • The House voted 222-211 to stop TRICARE - the military's health care program - from providing transgender treatments and surgeries.

  • The House voted 217-212 to stop the Pentagon from creating any positions like a Chief Diversity Officer in the military.

  • The House voted 214-213 to eliminate all offices inside the military related to racial diversity.

  • The House voted 218-213 to ban the flying of 'unapproved flags' at federal facilities (e.g. Pride flags).

ABORTION. The GOP amendment blocking time and travel for active duty women needing abortion services especially angered Democrats. "46% of servicewomen are stationed in a state with severely restricted or no abortion access," said Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ). [This is the issue which has led Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) to block over 200 senior military promotions in the Senate.]

• SENATE. Most of these GOP plans could be dead on arrival in the Senate. But by being included in the House version of the defense authorization bill - there is always a chance that some of them could survive House-Senate negotiations.

• FINAL PASSAGE. With Democrats deserting the defense bill, the vote on final approval will likely need to get all votes from Republicans. Theoretically, the bill could go belly up today if enough GOP lawmakers refuse to back it. Stay tuned.

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RACE. As I detailed above, several GOP amendments approved on the defense bill had clear messages on race - as Republicans voted to get rid of diversity offices in the military. But the debate over some of those plans led to one very awkward moment on the House floor for one GOP lawmaker.

• COLORED PEOPLE. I'm not sure the last time I heard a member of Congress refer to Blacks on the House floor as 'colored people' - but that's what Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) did during debate yesterday on the defense bill. It prompted an immediate outcry from Democrats.

• CRANE. "My amendment has nothing to do with whether or not colored people, or black people, or anybody can serve," Crane said. Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) demanded that Crane's words be stricken. "I find it offensive and very inappropriate," said Beatty, who heads the Congressional Black Caucus.

• MORE. "Imagine what gets said behind closed doors," added Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA).

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CONFEDERACY. In another vote on the defense bill, Democrats stopped a GOP effort to restore the names of Confederate soldiers which were recently stripped from U.S. military bases. 177 Republicans voted to keep the old Confederate base names. "Disgraceful," said Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), as all Democrats voted against the plan.

• DEEP SOUTH. Most notable about this vote were the southern House Republicans who voted against going back to old Confederate names. They were led by Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA), Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA), Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA).

• THE NORTH. What also stood out on this vote was how the politics of the Confederacy doesn't work north of the Mason-Dixon line. GOP lawmakers from Michigan (3), Ohio (5), New York (7), New Jersey (2), Pennsylvania (3), and California (5) voted for the Union over the Confederacy.

• FORTY ONE. Here is the full list of the Republicans who voted against a return to Confederate names on U.S. military bases:

  

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REGULAR ORDER. There were a number of lawmakers on the House floor last night yelling for ‘Regular Order’ - a reminder of why I used that name for my newsletter. Hire me as your Capitol Hill insider, and get daily updates on what lawmakers are doing in Congress that doesn’t focus on hyperbole. Sign up for ‘Regular Order,’ give someone a gift subscription, or maybe just buy me a drink.

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HOUSE GOP. It's been another difficult week for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, as Freedom Caucus members have undercut his authority as they demanded votes on controversial issues. There are more fireworks between Republicans in Congress than between the GOP and Democrats. More on that in my column this week for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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DEFUND THE POLICE. House Republicans have rolled out a government funding bill for 2024 which would cut spending for a series of federal law enforcement agencies. The FBI would see a 9 percent budget cut, federal prosecutors would have their spending reduced by 12 percent, and the Justice Department would see a 5 percent overall cut.

• SALARIES. The bill does not include provisions backed by conservatives who want to zero out the salaries of Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray. But the plan does try to tie the hands of the feds - in what seems to be retaliation for the federal probes into Donald Trump.

• FBI PROBES. For example, this funding bill would not allow the FBI to conduct a 'politically sensitive investigation' until there is a broader policy which requires nonpartisan career staffers to oversee such an investigation.

• FBI HQ. Republicans also want to derail a long-sought plan to build a new FBI headquarters in the Washington, D.C. suburbs. The move angered Democrats who want to get rid of the aging Hoover Building. "Now is not the time to play petty politics," said Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA).

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LABOR. President Biden's pick for Labor Secretary, Julie Su, appears to be in deep trouble in the U.S. Senate. Su has now drawn the opposition of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) - and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) may also be ready to oppose Su, which would doom her chance to join the Biden Cabinet.

• MANCHIN. In a written statement released on Thursday afternoon, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said he has 'genuine concerns' about Julie Su's 'more progressive background.’

• BIDEN. If Su has to withdraw her nomination, it would cap a somewhat embarrassing process for the White House. The choice of Su was controversial from the start - leading what was seemingly a big waste of energy on a nominee that most Americans couldn't name.

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VEEP RECORD. There was no record 32nd tie-breaking vote on Thursday for Vice President Kamala Harris, because four Senators missed a final vote on a nomination which had produced a 50-50 vote a day earlier. Harris will now have to wait for another time to pass John C. Calhoun for the most tie-breaking votes by a Vice President.

• TIME. Calhoun racked up his 31 tie-breakers under two Presidents - John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. It took Harris just over 30 months to equal that mark (not 18 months as I wrote on Thursday).

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RAP SHEET. A Florida man who was a member of the Proud Boys has been sentenced to 5 years in prison for his actions on Jan. 6. Daniel Scott - known by the nickname 'Milkshake' - helped breach police lines outside the Capitol, allowing a crowd of rioters to surge toward the building.

• LONE STAR. A Texas man has pleaded guilty to a felony charge over his actions at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Thomas Ballard hit police officers repeatedly with a baton, threw multiple objects at cops including a tabletop, a white pole, a wooden plank, and even tried to hit them with a piece of metal scaffolding.

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MUSE OF HISTORY.  July 14, 1856.  On this date, the Senate was discussing spending $75,000 to test out what was called an 'atmospheric telegraph.'  Basically, it was a plan to set up a nationwide series of what amounted to pressurized pneumatic tubes, which would be used to move mail and other small packages quickly around the country.  "This will be just $75,000 thrown away," said Sen. John Thompson of Kentucky.  "I do not think this is the proper body to make experiments," added Sen. Lewis Cass of Michigan.  The bill went nowhere.

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LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:

The House meets at 9 am.

The Senate next has votes on Tuesday.

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