House GOP chalks up win on immigration

Santos returns after pleading not guilty to fraud charges

Also in today’s edition of ‘Regular Order’ for May 12, 2023:

---

• Indiana GOP Senator won’t back Trump.

• Feinstein helps move stalled nominations.

• ‘Joaquin’s First School Shooting.’

---

IMMIGRATION. Amid fears of a border surge, the House on Thursday approved a GOP border security and immigration bill which would resume construction of the border wall, end ‘catch and release’ for migrants, add more border agents, and tighten restrictions on those seeking asylum. The vote was 219-213. No Democrats voted for the bill, while two Republicans voted against the plan.

• MCCARTHY. It was another big legislative victory for Speaker Kevin McCarthy, coming on the heels of House approval of a GOP debt limit plan. "This bill secures the border from President Biden's record crossings, record carelessness, and record chaos," McCarthy said after the vote.

• TITLE 42. The vote came hours before special Title 42 restrictions expired, as Republicans said huge groups of migrants were already gathering along the border to come across. "As the Biden Administration allows Title 42 to expire, House Republicans are taking action," said Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA).

• FARM CONCERNS. One GOP 'No' vote came from freshmen Rep. John Duarte of California. A farmer, Duarte said the GOP bill would ‘create difficulties’ for food producers. "I understand that my vote will not be popular among some of my fellow Republicans," Duarte acknowledged. The other 'No' vote was from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY).

• SPEAKER. It's important not to shortchange Speaker McCarthy. A lot of people said he might be a failure as House Speaker with a slim 222-213 majority. But in recent weeks, he's led the GOP to big wins on the debt limit and now immigration. It’s given him - and his party - leverage and momentum.

---

OPPONENTS. While GOP lawmakers celebrated the vote, Democrats ridiculed the details of the Republican plan. Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) called it an 'anti-immigrant MAGA wish list — cruel, extreme, and unworkable.' "It is not a solution and it does not reflect our values," said Rep. Jack Auchincloss (D-MA).

• ALTERNATE. Democrats on Thursday put forward their own package of immigration changes, which would offer millions of people the chance at a legal status. "It's time we deliver a path to citizenship for them and all who have called this country home," said Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA).

• WHITE HOUSE. "Instead of coming to the table to work together, House Republicans are playing politics and engaging in stunts that would fail to solve the challenges at our border," said Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

• BORDER BATTLE. Yes, all Democrats voted against the GOP immigration bill. But most have been very quiet about the brewing troubles on the border. That tells me they are worried the White House hasn't done enough.

• POWERS. On Thursday, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) again called for approval of a plan to basically extend - for two years - the Title 42 powers to expel migrants who enter the country illegally. "The Biden administration had two years to prepare for this and did not do so," Sinema told reporters.

---

SANTOS. A day after he pleaded not guilty to thirteen federal criminal fraud charges, Rep. George Santos (R-NY) was back on Capitol Hill, doing his job and proclaiming his innocence. "I will fight to defend myself," Santos declared. Not everyone was impressed. “The strange saga of Mr. Santos continues,” said Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-NC).

• GAETZ. One of the few people speaking up for Santos was Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL). "Like every American, George Santos is innocent until proven guilty," Gaetz said. Santos swiftly used that in a fundraising appeal to supporters. "I need your support to keep me fighting for freedom."

• FRAUD. One of the charges against Santos is that he engaged in unemployment fraud, by filing for special COVID jobless benefits - even though he had a job paying $120,000. Oddly enough, Santos got to vote for a bill yesterday dealing with COVID unemployment fraud, and Democrats were more than happy to remind the GOP about that.

• FLOOR. "House Republicans are harboring a disgraced fraudster who was just arrested on unemployment fraud," said Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ). "You cannot make it up."

• ETHICS. Don't expect any action by the House Ethics Committee against Santos until his federal case goes to trial. Speaker Kevin McCarthy says he won't back a Santos reelection bid - but as of now, there won't be a move to expel Santos.

---

DEBT LIMIT. A planned meeting today between President Biden and Congressional leaders on the debt limit has been delayed until next week. Reporters were told that staff talks have been making headway, and needed more time to work on the basics of a possible deal. In other words, the lack of a meeting today is not a cause for concern - hopefully.

• TEA LEAVES. Reading between the lines, the White House was giving encouraging signs about the progress of staff talks. "That's regular order," said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, as she told reporters that staffers from the White House and Capitol Hill were hard at work.

• GOP. "The ball is in the court of the White House," said Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), who said it's time for the President to come forward with spending cuts. "Our national debt isn't a Republican issue or a Democrat issue - it's a mathematic reality," added Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX).

• NO CRACKS. I’m still puzzled that Democrats somehow thought that Republican lawmakers would fold in this fight - even after the House approved a GOP debt limit bill. In the hallways this week, I didn’t sense any Republicans were getting cold feet at all.

---

FARM BILL. President Biden met yesterday with top leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture committees to discuss a path forward for the Farm Bill, which will certainly be impacted by any debt limit agreement. What was most notable was the joint statement put out by the four lawmakers.

• STATEMENT. "The Farm Bill is a jobs bill. It is a safety net for farmers and consumers, and it is an investment in our rural communities and the health of the American people," the lawmakers stated.

---

REGULAR ORDER. Help me spread the word about my Congressional newsletter. Buy yourself a subscription, give someone the gift of straight news, and support independent journalism in the halls of Congress! The other option to show your support is you can just always buy me a drink.

---

TRUMP. Donald Trump's CNN town hall in New Hampshire did not go down very well with some Senate Republicans. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) said there was no way he would support Trump in 2024. "I prefer winners. He consistently loses," Young told reporters. "He has a habit of losing not just his elections, but losing elections for others."

• ISSUES. Instead of hammering Democrats on the economy and more, Trump made headlines by talking about pardons for those arrested on January 6. "I was disappointed in that answer," said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD). "I wouldn't be issuing a pardon to any of those individuals on January 6," Rounds told us.

• 2020 ELECTION. Trump also repeatedly returned to his never-ending false charges of election fraud. Asked about telling the Georgia Secretary of State to 'find' enough votes for him to win, Trump said Brad Raffensperger 'owed me votes because the election was rigged.'

• GEORGIA. I’m no legal expert, but it sure seems like what Trump said about the Raffensperger call might show up in an indictment this summer. Stay tuned.

• NOMINATION. I know Trump has a lot of warts. I know he has a lot of legal problems in front of him. But he's still the favorite for the GOP nomination - and it would be wrong to say that he cannot win the White House in 2024.

---

ABORTION. Donald Trump has always had an uneasy relationship with one wing of the Republican Party - those voters who hotly oppose abortion. A few weeks ago, he was under fire from pro-life activists. This past week, they tried to smooth the waters in advance of the 2024 race. That's my column in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week.

---

GUNS. Days after a mass shooting in Texas - and nearly a year after a gunman killed 10 people at a Buffalo grocery store - Senate Democrats held a special meeting yesterday about mass shootings and gun violence, as they vowed to keep up the public pressure on Republicans for change.

• BAN. "I support a ban on assault weapons," said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA). "We had a ban for 10 years, it worked, and we should do it again. I know right now we don’t have the votes to pass a ban, but I’m going to keep pressing so we can make this country safer."

• PARKLAND. The mass shooting five years ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida unleashed a tide of activism which continues to wash across Capitol Hill to this day. "Joaquin Oliver's life was cut short because of senseless gun violence at Parkland," said Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).

• PARENTS. To meetings with Stabenow and other lawmakers, Joaquin's parents this week brought a book that they wrote to honor their son. Titled, "Joaquin's First School Shooting," the book features cut outs - just like in a children's book - which are shaped like bullet holes.

• STORY TIME. Rep. Kathleen Clark (D-MA) read it on the House floor. "He took aim and fired—again, and again, and again. One life at a time, my friends met their end. He came up the stairs, hunting for more."

---

FEINSTEIN. Democrats on Thursday were able to approve a series of judicial nominations which had been stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee, thanks to the return of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). The nominees had been on hold since mid-February, as Feinstein was sidelined by a case of shingles.

• APPLAUSE. Feinstein arrived over an hour after the committee had convened. "I want to welcome back our colleague, Sen. Dianne Feinstein," panel chair Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), said. As Feinstein walked to her seat, Senators stood and applauded.

• DI FI. "I ask to be recorded as voting in person on the three nominees considered earlier," Feinstein said in a firm and familiar voice, after her vote had previously been cast by proxy.

• TRIVIA. With Feinstein back voting on the Senate floor, this week marked the first time that all 100 Senators had voted at the same time since August 7, 2022.

---

MUSE OF HISTORY. May 12, 1949. On this date, Rep. John Bell Williams of Mississippi took to the House floor to blast the Defense Secretary for ending segregation in the Air Force. "Does he think that he is helping these Negroes by forcing them into white companies?" Williams said. "Or is he dealing with cheap sordid politics?" The Mississippi Democrat then quoted Gen. Eisenhower from a year earlier, who had told Congress, 'In general, the Negro is less well educated than his brother citizen who is white.'

---

LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:

The House next has votes on Monday.

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.