Senate easily defeats limit on Ukraine aid
GOP rebellion still simmering over spending
Also in today’s edition of ‘Regular Order’ for July 21, 2023:
Vote in doubt to expunge Trump impeachments.
A $1 million prize for a Supreme Court Justice?
An early morning for the U.S. Senate.
UKRAINE. While some Republicans have loudly demanded an end to U.S. military aid for Ukraine, the first votes in the House and Senate this year have shown that a strong bipartisan majority is still in favor of helping Kyiv fight off a Russian invasion. The latest example came yesterday as the Senate voted 71-13 against a plan to limit U.S. military assistance.
SENATE. "This is punishing the Ukrainians," said Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), who argued that halting aid for Ukraine would be 'good news in Moscow and very bad news in Kyiv."
BAKER'S DOZEN. Here are the thirteen GOP Senators who voted to restrict aid to Ukraine until other NATO members pony up more assistance: Braun (R-IN), Britt (R-AL), Daines (R-MT), Hagerty (R-TN), Hawley (R-MO), Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Johnson (R-WI), Lee (R-UT), Marshall (R-KS), Paul (R-KY), Scott (R-FL), Tuberville (R-AL), and Vance (R-OH).
MONEY. This defense bill only authorizes another $300 million in aid for Ukraine - it's expected the Senate will try to approve more later this year. That kind of vote could be much different in terms of support. It's not clear if there will be other Ukraine-related votes next week.
SPENDING. Republican leaders went home for the weekend once again wondering about a rebellion in GOP ranks, as conservative Republicans raise red flags about spending. It's a familiar conundrum for Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who wants to bring up the first two government funding bills next week - but it’s not clear if he’ll have the votes to pass the bills.
CHIPPED BEEF. The faceoff is all about conservatives calling for bigger cuts in spending for 2024. "We need to do the work the American people sent us here to do," said Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX). “They didn’t send us here to spend more money.”
RULES. Roy did not threaten to vote against 'rules' next week to set the parameters for debate on two spending bills. But he sure didn't sound like he was ready to cave on the call for more cuts. "Conversations continue," Roy said.
NEXT WEEK. Normally, the majority party likes to use the last week before a break to pass some big bills. McCarthy had wanted to pass a tax cut bill, but that’s hung up in a dispute with moderates. Now two spending bills are in limbo.
AUGUST. After working next week, the House will take six weeks off and return the week after Labor Day. If you want to know why lawmakers can’t meet a September 30 deadline on spending - you can’t pass bills when you are back home.
EXPUNGE. There has not exactly been a rush by House GOP lawmakers to get on board with two resolutions to expunge the twin impeachments of former President Donald Trump. I hear a lot of Republicans say they're open to the idea, but only about 20 members have signed on as official supporters.
PALMETTO. "I would support that," Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) told reporters Thursday, though Norman has not signed on as a backer of either resolution. "The liberals have been after Trump since day one," Norman added.
MCCARTHY. Asked about the timing on Thursday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy got a bit testy, as he disputed reports that he promised Trump a vote this month. “I support expungement, but there’s no deal out there.”
SCHEDULE. If there is no vote next week on the plan, nothing will happen until after Labor Day - because the House is going on a 6-week break at the end of next week. By then, Trump might face two additional indictments.
SUPREME COURT. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines on Thursday to advance a plan from Democrats to impose a formal ethics regime on the U.S. Supreme Court. Republicans denounced it as an attack on the Court itself. Democrats said it was just common sense to have a strong ethics standard.
DEMS. "We are here because the highest court in the land has the lowest standards of ethics anywhere in the federal government," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). This is not a new thing. Lawmakers have been pressing the Court to tighten its ethics rules for eleven years - and nothing has happened.
GOP. "The so-called Supreme Court 'Ethics' bill is a leftist political attack in the guise of an ethics bill," said Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), as Republicans said it was nothing but a veiled attack on Justices Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch. GOP Senators vowed a filibuster, as everyone knows the bill isn't going anywhere.
GINSBURG. The action on ethics and the Court came a day after a conservative publication reported that the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had been given a $1 million philanthropic award - but it was being kept secret how she had donated the money to various groups. Obviously, that’s well above any limits on outside income.
OWN THE LIBS. The story was written in a way to criticize reporting on free gifts and travel for conservative justices. That misses the point. The Ginsburg story is bad. Just like the story I related last week about Justice Sotomayor's staff pushing colleges to buy her books when she made a speaking appearance.
BOTTOM LINE. I'm going to say this again. No other official in the entire federal government - Congress, Executive Branch, or any other federal judge - could get away with what the nine Supreme Court Justices can do with gifts and freebies. It has nothing to do with your politics. It is a giant ethical blind spot.
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JAN. 6 TAPES. We haven't heard much from House Republicans of late about the security tapes from the U.S. Capitol, which were supposed to prove the innocence of rioters convicted in the Jan. 6 attack. We all know that was a bogus claim, and a federal judge hammered that home on Thursday in a high profile case.
QANON SHAMAN. There aren't many more recognizable rioters from Jan. 6 than Jacob Chansley, the 'QAnon Shaman' - who was wearing a helmet with horns and a fur hat. You may remember that Fox News played some tapes of Chansley walking quietly through the Capitol, saying it showed he was innocent.
YEAH NO. "None of the videos are exculpatory," wrote Judge Royce Lamberth, who shredded Chansley's claim that the feds didn't turn over security video for his defense. The judge also criticized Chansley for now proclaiming his innocence, after agreeing to plead guilty.
TUCKER. Judge Lamberth also had scathing words for Tucker Carlson's depiction of Chansley and the Jan. 6 videos, labeling the Fox News broadcast 'replete with misstatements and misrepresentations' which the judge said were 'too numerous to count.'
BIDEN FAMILY. Republicans on Thursday released unsubstantiated reports to the FBI which claimed that then-Vice President Joe Biden was involved in a $5 million bribery scheme in Ukraine. The allegations weren't new, but the redacted documents from the FBI had not been seen before in public.
HUNTER. "The evidence is clear," said Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). "Hunter Biden used his father’s influence and power to enrich himself and the Biden family." That's probably a pretty true assessment. Taking the next step to say that Biden himself was engaged in wrongdoing remains a bridge too far.
IRS. GOP lawmakers paired that document with the hearings a day earlier with a pair of IRS whistleblowers to claim that Biden was being protected by U.S. law enforcement - even when Donald Trump was in office. "The Bidens were treated differently," said Rep. James Comer (R-KY).
NOT SO FAST. The White House continues to aggressively dispute just about every GOP accusation. "The far right machine is in overdrive to spread long-disproven lies," said spokesman Ian Sams. Back in 2019, the Associated Press labeled this exact GOP claim 'widely discredited.'
TWITTER V. WARREN. Three days after Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) called on the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate Tesla over its ties to Twitter - over conflicts of interest involving Elon Musk - Twitter is going after Warren. In a federal court filing, Twitter said it would subpoena Warren for details of her contacts with federal agencies.
SUBPOENA. Twitter wants documents involving Warren's communications with both the SEC and Federal Trade Commission. The filing came as part of a legal battle between Twitter and the FTC, as Musk supporters claim Warren has been targeting him by (drum roll please) 'weaponizing' her Senate seat.
LEGAL. Honestly, I don't remember anything being done like this before. The Twitter move hit me as more of a Trump-like legal attack than anything else. I'm not quite sure how Twitter could successfully subpoena official Senate communications - but we'll see. Stay tuned.
LEFT HAND UP. If you heard screaming last night, that was the sound of joy from Washington, D.C., as the NFL ratified the sale of the Washington Commanders football team, ending a reign of terror under owner Daniel Snyder. Why do I mention that? Because of how Capitol Hill politics played a role in Snyder's ouster.
TOXIC. After the NFL tried to whitewash a probe into sexual harassment and unprofessional behavior among team executives, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee launched an investigation. That brought out repulsive stories of execs taking advantage of cheerleaders and other women employees.
GOP. At almost every turn, Republicans derided the investigation, saying it should not be an issue for Congress, as the GOP ended after they won control of the House. "It's over," said Rep. James Comer (R-KY). It should have been easy for GOP lawmakers to pile on Snyder. Instead, they basically looked the other way on sexual harassment and financial shenanigans.
NFL. As the other NFL owners ratified the sale of the team yesterday, Snyder was hit with a $60 million fine by the league, after a report confirmed that Snyder sexually harassed Tiffani Johnston - who told her story of abuse to Congress in a public hearing.
PRO FORMA. By the time most of you read this newsletter, the U.S. Senate will have gaveled in and gaveled out for a quick pro forma session - lasting around 30 seconds. The Senator who draws the responsibility to preside over that session gets to pick the time of day when the Senate meets.
O-DARK-THIRTY. Today, the Senate convenes at 6:30 am. That probably means the Democratic Senator in the chair is from out west - and wants to head straight for the airport to get home. And that means a lot of staff and police will have to be on duty early.
RAP SHEET. A Texas man was found guilty of six criminal counts this week for his actions on Jan. 6. Matthew DaSilva was one of a group of people who assaulted police officers trying to block rioters from entering the Capitol through the Lower West Terrace tunnel entrance.
SHOW ME STATE. A Missouri man was arrested this week and charged with assaulting police on Jan. 6. Christopher Roe carried a pitchfork, zip ties, and duct tape that day, as he clashed with officers. At one point, he smashed a bike rack - ten times - against a set of doors into the Capitol.
MUSE OF HISTORY. July 21, 1971. On this date, the House voted to approve a bill allowing for wider buses - up to a width of 102 inches - to operate on the nation's highways. "They are essential to the mass transit development of our major cities and for alleviating urban congestion," said Rep. John Kluczynski (D-IL). But the bill spurred concerns about Congress allowing bigger trucks on the roads. "I certainly would oppose such legislation that would add heavier, wider, and longer trucks on our Interstate System," said Rep. James Howard (D-NJ).
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:
The House is back for votes on Tuesday.
The Senate returns on Tuesday.
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"The liberals have been after Trump since day one," Norman added. Do they ever tire of spouting such complete BS? There is one individual wholly responsible for DJT’s two impeachments and two indictments (and potentially another pair looming). DJT.
Not-quite-right-timing Muse of History... I found the August 2 1939 Albert Einstein letter to FDR seeking to formalize a relationship between scientists and the US government that would become The Manhattan Project. In honor of the new film. I don't know much about the actual history about that.
Thank you Jamie!