Speaker roils defense bill with transgender amendment
Top Republican says he wasn't consulted by Johnson
Also in today’s edition of ‘Regular Order’ for December 11, 2024:
Republicans still not on the same page on Trump agenda.
Senators shadowbox over Trump deportation plan.
Postmaster General spars with lawmakers
NDAA. As the House votes today on a major defense policy bill, this should be a big day for bipartisanship on a measure which has been passed by the Congress for 63 consecutive years. But a very unusual thing happened on the way to the House floor which not only outraged Democrats - but also seemingly blindsided the Republican in charge of the National Defense Authorization Act.
LATE CHANGE. After bipartisan negotiations finished up last week, House Speaker Mike Johnson - on his own - added in a provision which bars transgender medical treatment for kids of military servicemembers. It was not agreed to in talks - and drew a chilly reception from one key House GOP lawmaker.
SGT. SCHULTZ. "He didn't talk to me about it," Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, told reporters just off the House floor. "I didn't put this in the bill," Rogers made clear. "This stuff does not belong in our bill."
TRANSGENDER. Why did the Speaker do it? In one way, it certainly puts Democrats on the defensive, as Republicans quickly moved to attack. "Dems place transgender surgeries on kids above saving American jobs and pushing back on Communist China," said Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN).
POLITICS. But Democrats saw something else from Speaker Johnson. "He chose to pander to the most extreme elements of his party in an attempt to retain his speakership," said Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.
WHIP COUNT. A number of Democrats are likely to join Smith in voting 'No' on the NDAA bill - but Republicans feel like they will have enough votes to get the bill passed through the House. Whether it creates problems later in the Senate is unclear. Normally, this would be a bipartisan exercise. But not this year.
RECONCILIATION. House Speaker Mike Johnson met last night with key GOP committee chairs, continuing to work on plans to quickly move ahead on the Trump legislative agenda in 2025. "The House and the Senate have different calculations on how that's done, but we all have exactly the same priorities," Johnson told reporters at the Capitol.
STRATEGY. But while Republicans may have the same priorities, they don't have a single strategy. Senate Republicans are still pressing for a dual track approach which features two major budget reconciliation bills, while House Republicans want to jam it all into one mammoth package.
SENATE. "It makes sense for us to move quickly on things we know we can do quickly," said the next Senate Majority Leader, John Thune (R-SD). He wants a first package focused on border security - followed by a bill on tax cuts. "I think we can do both," Thune told reporters after a meeting of GOP Senators.
SPEAKER. Everyone knows Trump will get the final say. "President-elect Trump and I will be talking about this in depth this weekend before the Army-Navy game," Johnson said, using some football metaphors for their work. "We're going to come up with a play call that we have consensus on that will work for the American people."
DEPORTATION. No matter what happens with reconciliation, one of the first things that Trump wants to do when he returns to the White House is start a major push to deport illegal immigrants. That was the subject of a somewhat prickly Senate hearing on Tuesday, which gave both sides the opportunity to square off on an issue that we're certain to hear a lot about in 2025.
SEND THEM HOME. "Does anyone disagree that the last four years have resulted in mass illegal immigration?" asked Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), as GOP Senators squared off with witnesses who said mass deportations were not the right answer. "How do you answer mass illegal immigration? You enforce the laws," Graham added, "and you start sending people back."
DEMS. Democrats said mass deportations would be a disaster. They titled this hearing, "How Mass Deportations Will Separate American Families, Harm Our Armed Forces, and Devastate Our Economy." "I'm not certain how this is going to head," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).
COST. Pro-immigration groups have warned that Trump's deportation plans would have a big cost, claiming that arrests and removals might run up a tab of $88 billion in just one year. "These staggering sums could be used for untold other benefits," said the American Immigration Council.
RESISTANCE. One House Democrat from Chicago - who married someone in the U.S. illegally - vowed again yesterday to fight any Trump deportation plan. "You better be ready to meet the resistance," Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) tweeted at Tom Homan, who is likely to be in charge of the Trump effort. "We plan to get ALL UP IN YOUR WAY," Ramirez added.
POSTMASTER. For the second time this month, the Postmaster General found himself under attack on Capitol Hill, this time from members of the House Oversight Committee. It was another bipartisan tongue lashing for Louis DeJoy, whose efforts to reduce costs and reform delivery services haven't made the Postal Service into anywhere near a money-making operation.
CRITICISM. At one point, Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) was lecturing DeJoy over his contention that his reform plans deserved an 'A' grade. DeJoy wasn't having any of it. "This Congress is responsible for the fall of the Postal Service," DeJoy said, talking over McCormick at one point. "Before my watch, the same stuff happened - worse," DeJoy added.
I CAN'T HEAR YOU. To show his displeasure, DeJoy put his hands over his ears as McCormick criticized his work. The Georgia Republican was not amused. "This is the response that the Postmaster just gave Congress when he doesn't like what he hears," said McCormick, mimicking DeJoy for emphasis.
DELIVERING FOR AMERICA. Put in charge of the Postal Service by Donald Trump in mid-2020, DeJoy’s changes have not worked so far. "The Postal Service is hemorrhaging red ink," said Rep. James Comer (R-KY), noting losses of $9.5 billion this year.
TAX FILING. A group of GOP lawmakers is asking President-elect Donald Trump to immediately kill the new IRS 'Direct File' program, which allows people to file their taxes directly to the IRS, instead of through a third-party preparation service. Republicans led by Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) argue this IRS program is dangerous.
LETTER. "This is deeply concerning and a clear conflict of interest," the lawmakers wrote. "Under the guise of offering a convenient “free-to-file” alternative preparation service, the IRS asserts itself as the tax assessor, collector, preparer, and enforcer — all in one — when the program is used."
TURBO TAX. It shouldn't be a surprise that tax prep software companies have been lobbying against the IRS Direct File program. And Democrats have taken notice. "Taxpayers are getting tricked and trapped into paying junk fees just to get their tax refunds," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
VOTE TALLY. Every year about this time, I keep a closer eye on the vote tallies in the House and Senate, because sometimes some of those leaving Congress check out early. We may have a contender for that in the U.S. Senate.
SINEMA VÉRITÉ. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) was again a no-show on Tuesday. She missed every vote last week in the Senate, and has missed every vote so far this week as well.
WATER PROJECTS. The House on Tuesday easily approved a popular water projects bill, authorizing work on dozens of projects all around the nation. The bill now goes to the Senate for final action. It represents one of the few major bipartisan achievements of the 118th Congress.
SPIGOT. The approval of the WRDA bill - the Water Resources Development Act - triggered a flood of press releases from lawmakers, hailing their local legislative victories. "This is good, much-needed policy," said Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), who touted provisions which will provide for deepening the Port of Savannah.
WINS. Collins wasn't alone. "This legislation will make critical investments in New Hampshire's water infrastructure," said Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH). "WRDA is a huge win for America and Arkansas alike," said Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR). "We helped secure three critical wins for Western Pennsylvania's waterways," crowed Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA).
VOTE. The final WRDA vote was 399-18. All 18 'No' votes came from Republicans: Biggs AZ, Boebert CO, Brecheen OK, Crane AZ, Good VA, Gosar AZ, Grothman WI, Hageman WY, Lopez CO, McClintock CA, Mooney WV, Norman SC, Palmer AL, Perry PA, Rosendale MT, Roy TX, Self TX, and Spartz IN.
RANKING MEMBERS. I've told you about the recent rebellion among Democrats against their party's senior leaders on several House committees. Two longtime Democrats have already been forced out, and on Tuesday, there was more evidence that the ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee could be on his way out as well.
FORUM. Last week, 79-year-old Rep. David Scott (D-GA) skipped a pair of candidate forums with fellow Democrats - and he was absent from another one on Tuesday. That left the door open for Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) and Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) to make their case on why they should lead the minority on the Ag panel.
NOT VOTING. Scott missed the first four House votes on Tuesday, including the vote on the water projects bill. He did make it back for the final two votes of the day, as I saw him parked in his wheelchair in front of a roaring fire in the Speaker’s Lobby, just off the House floor.
BAD TIMING. Scott's health and mental acuity have been questioned by his colleagues for several years - and not attending candidate forums doesn't seem like the best way for Scott to keep his leadership post. Stay tuned.
FALL. Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell was missing from the Tuesday news conference of GOP Senators, after he took a fall inside the weekly Republican lunch. The 82-year-old McConnell, who is giving up his leadership post at the end of the year, was later sporting a bandage on his left cheek, and a brace on his left wrist.
BLUEGRASS. It was back in March 2023 that McConnell fell at a Washington hotel and suffered a concussion. There were further concerns about his health after he 'froze' at a Capitol news conference, and then again during an appearance in his home state.
JUDGES. Earlier this year, the Senate unanimously approved a bipartisan bill to add a total of 66 federal judges in more than 20 states over the next 11 years. With rising caseloads, the plan had strong support in both parties. But yesterday, the White House dumped cold water on the whole effort and issued a veto threat.
VETO. "The bill would create new judgeships in states where Senators have sought to hold open existing judicial vacancies," the White House said, taking aim at GOP delaying tactics in the Senate. The statement also complained about House Republicans waiting to act on this bill until after the election.
TIMING. The Biden veto threat had a bit of a sore loser feel to it. Can you imagine a veto threat against this bill if Kamala Harris was going to be the next President? Probably not. The House is expected to vote on the bill later this week - approval would send it to the President's desk.
VIBE CHECK. After a rough few weeks, there is more optimism among Senate Republicans about one controversial Cabinet choice of President-elect Donald Trump, as chances for Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth seem to have brightened in recent days. "He's much better off this week than he was last week," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
MURKOWSKI. Hegseth still must win over two Republican women in the Senate who might not be impressed by tales of alcohol and affairs. "I had a good exchange and we'll see what the process bears," Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) told reporters after meeting with Hegseth. He'll sit down today with Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME).
RFK JR. You might have noticed that we haven't seen any visits yet by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who has been nominated to be Trump's health secretary. It's not clear when he will make his first appearance.
PARDON THE INTERRUPTION. There was a larger than usual crowd of reporters waiting for Senators on Tuesday in the Senate subway. Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) was taking questions when Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth interrupted the Q&A to shake hands. “You got me off the hook,” Kennedy said with a smile.
RAP SHEET. A Michigan couple facing Jan. 6 charges is going different ways. Karla Adams this week pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct inside the U.S. Capitol building - but her husband, Dustin Adams is still considering his next move. A judge has already rejected various challenges from the Adamses, who claimed they didn't know entry to the Capitol was restricted.
MUSE OF HISTORY. December 11, 1805. On this date, the House began debate on a resolution designed to recognize Gen. William Eaton, who led an expedition of marines across the desert in Libya during actions against the Barbary Pirates. Some wanted the President to present Eaton with a sword - as testament to 'his gallantry and good conduct.' Others advocated a gold medal. After two days of debate, lawmakers voted to have a committee figure it out.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:
The House meets at 10 am.
The Senate convenes at 11 am.
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Re: House Speaker Mike Johnson adding in a provision which bars transgender medical treatment for kids of military servicemembers — it’s astonishing how the right uses trans people as boogey persons to score points with their base. Aside from fouling up a no-brainer bill (in a largely ineffectual congressional session led by Johnson) in order to further demonize trans kids, what’s the point?
All Johnson is doing is stoking fear and hatred which I can tell you has real life consequences. On Tuesday, I was texting with my cousin who has a trans daughter. Her mother, her child’s grandmother (a Fox News diehard viewer) refused to ever accept her granddaughter and tried to convince my cousin to cut off contact with her own child. My aunt died this year without ever saying a kind or supportive word to her grandchild after her transition. This is literally the hill folks want to die on. It’s wild.
Can’t wait for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema to give her final speech or press release. I’m sure it will start “It has been the honor of my lifetime to serve in the Senate” despite not showing up for the last several weeks.