In break with Trump, GOP Senators block IVF bill again

House expected to defeat GOP stopgap funding plan

Also in today’s edition of ‘Regular Order’ for September 18, 2024:

• Trump wants to repeal part of his 2017 tax cut law.

• Democrats hit GOP abortion restrictions in Georgia.

• Lawmakers move to probe latest threat against Trump.

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IVF. Despite Donald Trump’s newfound support for IVF, the Senate went nowhere Tuesday on a bill from Democrats which would ensure that state laws can’t restrict fertilization treatments for women. The vote was 51 to 44 to start debate - far short of the 60 votes needed to force action. It was the second time in three months that Republicans had filibustered the IVF bill.

• ACTION. Before the vote, Democrats gathered on the Senate steps to blast Trump and the GOP. “He probably doesn't understand what IVF is,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA). "They keep trying to tell everyone who will listen that they support IVF," said Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

ROLL CALL. Only two Republican Senators broke ranks on the IVF bill - the same two who did back in June - as Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) voted to begin debate. Other Republicans argued the bill was nothing more than a political show vote.

• GOP. “Democrats chose politics over families,” said Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL). “It’s a political stunt,” added Sen. John Thune (R-SD), as Republican Senators instead called for action on the Senate floor on a major defense policy bill or government funding bills for 2025.

• POLICY. Trump surprised Congressional Republicans in late August by not only expressing strong support for IVF, but saying the federal government - or health insurance companies - should foot the entire bill for those fertilization procedures, as couples try to have kids.

• VANCE. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) did not come to Capitol Hill for the vote on Tuesday, as he was campaigning in Michigan. Back in June, Vance joined almost all other GOP Senators to filibuster the IVF measure.

• READ THE BILL. People keep asking me what Democrats stuffed in the bill to make Republicans oppose it. And my answer is the same - nothing as far as I can tell. You can see the text at this link. Maybe you’ll find something.

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ABORTION. IVF wasn't the only women's health issue that Democrats were leaning into on Tuesday. Vice President Harris denounced restrictive state abortion laws after a ProPublica report revealed how a Georgia woman died because she did not receive the proper medical care - due to concerns about the state's abortion ban.

• HARRIS. "It appears the people who should have given her health care were afraid they would be criminalized," Harris said in Philadelphia. "If Donald Trump gets the chance, he will sign a national abortion ban, and these horrific realities will multiply."

• HEARING. Those comments came a day after Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) led a hearing in Atlanta which argued that anti-abortion laws in states like Georgia imperiled the health of pregnant women. "This law is putting women's lives at risk, delaying their access to care," Ossoff said.

• WITNESSES. Mackenzie Kulik of Atlanta told of how she had to leave the state to seek medical care. "My physicians in Georgia did everything they could for me with their hands tied behind their backs by Georgia’s abortion laws."

• DEMS. "When we warned Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans that women would die if they succeeded in overturning Roe, they called us fearmongers," said Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). "What happened in Georgia makes it painfully obvious that we were right."

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TAX CUTS. As he campaigns today on Long Island, Donald Trump is now calling for part of his 2017 tax cut package to be repealed. Trump said Tuesday that he wants to bring back the full state and local tax deduction (SALT). Remember - Trump's tax cut capped that deduction at $10,000, which was basically a tax increase for many higher income residents in Blue states.

• PHASE OUT. That SALT deduction limit is scheduled to end after 2025, along with all of the individual tax cuts signed into law by Trump. While the limited SALT deduction has a lot of well-heeled opponents in urban areas, some argue the cap is a solid reform for the tax system - making it more progressive.

• LONG ISLAND. "President Trump is now the only candidate to promise to axe the SALT deduction’s cap," said Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-NY), who will be with Trump at his rally. (D'Esposito did not mention that Trump was also the one responsible for putting that deduction cap into law.)

• CONGRESS. Why is Trump doing this? Part of it probably has to do with the GOP push to keep control of the House. Republicans have a series of freshmen in the New York metro area - like D'Esposito - who might be in trouble in November. And this Trump switcheroo could help them win some votes.

DEFICITS. This is also a good time to look under the hood at Trump's various tax cut proposals. He wants to end taxes on tips, taxes on overtime, taxes on Social Security benefits, and now this SALT plan. Budget watchdogs say those plans might sound good to voters - but they will blow a hole in the federal deficit.

• PENN WHARTON. Even before this SALT flip flop - which could cost around $1 trillion over 10 years - budget watchdogs said Trump's plans would create an ocean of red ink. For example, the Penn Wharton Budget Model predicts $5.8 trillion in new Trump deficits over the next 10 years.

• DEMS. The Senate's top Democrat scoffed at Trump's reversal on the SALT deduction as nothing but Trump playing politics. "I think it was a nasty piece of legislation, supported by Donald Trump, aimed at the Blue states," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

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CAR INSURANCE. Trump has been making a lot of promises of late, and I’m not sure I’ve heard a candidate for President talk about the price of your car insurance - which is regulated by individual states. This was from Tuesday on Trump’s Truth Social website: "Your Automobile Insurance is up 73% - VOTE FOR TRUMP, I’LL CUT THAT NUMBER IN HALF!"

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SECRET SERVICE. House Speaker Mike Johnson announced last night that the special task force set up to investigate the July 13 attack on a Trump rally will now also investigate Sunday's security incident at Trump's golf course in Florida.

• PROBE. "We have a responsibility here in Congress to get down to the bottom of this, to figure out why these things are happening and what we can do about it," the Speaker told reporters. Johnson said he had asked the White House to provide 'every critical asset' to help protect Trump.

RESOURCES. But - we've been told by Democrats that this already happened. "It's my understanding that after the July 13 incident, that President Biden did direct the Secret Service to raise that level on par with the presidential level," said Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), the top Democrat on the assassination task force.

• MONEY. Senators told us that they were working with the White House to funnel some extra money to the Secret Service. "I'm certainly open to that," said Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell. "If increasing the funding is part of the solution, I'm for it."

• NO MORE. But some GOP Senators weren't interested in spending more on the Secret Service. "No, no, no. We don't need more funding," said Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS). "We need answers more than the Secret Service needs money," said Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA).

BLUF. What I've heard this week from lawmakers is exactly what I heard after the July 13 shooting at the Trump rally - a refrain of, 'we can never let this happen again.' And yet, it almost did on Sunday in Florida - though one could argue that the Secret Service did its job by stopping an attack.

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STOPGAP. House Republicans say they'll go ahead with a vote today on a plan from Speaker Johnson which combines temporary government funding with a measure designed to stop foreign nationals from registering to vote - something that's already illegal. But unless there's a magical change among Republicans, the plan seems headed for defeat.

• FLOOR. "What I'd like to see is the Speaker's bill passed," said Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), as key lawmakers emerged from a meeting with Johnson offering no evidence that any minds have changed. "You need to ask the Democrats why they don't support it," said Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK).

• OPPOSED. But GOP opponents of the bill insisted they weren't going to cave. "I'm not going to change my vote," said Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL), who said no one had lobbied him in the past week. "I didn't run for office to come up here and do the D.C. status quo," Mills told reporters.

• PLAN B. No one would answer the question of what would happen if the GOP leadership plan is defeated. Meanwhile, there was more grumbling from inside the GOP. "Speaker Johnson is fake fighting," said Rep. Thomas Massie. "I won't be any part of this insulting charade."

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FREEDOM CAUCUS. The House Freedom Caucus has a new chair, as Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland will now head that group of GOP conservatives. Harris will replace Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) who lost his primary earlier this year.

• FREE STATE. Harris is an unusual choice for this slot. On one hand, he is an arch conservative - but he's also one of the top Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee, which puts him in an elevated spot within the House GOP conference in terms of power.

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HEARINGS. House Republicans will hold a series of hearings today which should give GOP lawmakers ample opportunity to take shots at Democrats, Vice President Harris, and the Biden-Harris Administration - as well as some chances to tout policies advocated by Donald Trump and the GOP.

• TIPS. Look for talk about Trump's call to end taxes on tips in a hearing titled, "Examining the Biden-Harris Attacks on Tipped Workers."

• BORDER. Another House hearing will focus on illegal immigration: "How the Biden-Harris Open Borders Policies Have Undermined Our Safety and Security."

• DIGITAL ASSETS. At another hearing, the GOP will air complaints about how the feds have treated cryptocurrency products, arguing the Biden Administration is killing innovation with regulations.

NEWS OXYGEN. All of those GOP hearings could have decent story lines. But when they're all happening on the same day and at the same time - there is only so much that can break through in the daily news cycle. That's what happens when you try to pack everything into Wednesday and Thursday.

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RAP SHEET. A diplomatic security officer who worked for the State Department has pleaded guilty to charges related to his actions on Jan. 6. Kevin Alstrup's bio touts his past work guarding the Secretary of State and Defense, as well as working events for the President and Vice President - and that he held a top secret clearance.

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MUSE OF HISTORY.  September 18, 1787.  On this date, George Washington sent a letter to Thomas Jefferson, telling him that work had finished in Philadelphia on the proposed new Constitution.  "Yesterday put an end to the business of the Fœedral Convention. Inclosed is a copy of the Constitution," Washington wrote.  The work would now begin to have the states ratify the document.

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LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:

The House meets at 10 am.

The Senate convenes at 10 am.

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Email me at jamiedupree@substack.com

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