Texas steps up showdown with feds over border

Prospects darken for Senate border security deal

Also in today’s edition of ‘Regular Order’ for January 25, 2024:

• Trump threatens retribution against Haley donors.

• “Donald Trump threw a temper tantrum.”

• Biden wins UAW endorsement.

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LONE STAR. A deepening constitutional dispute between Texas and the federal government escalated further on Wednesday, as the GOP Governor declared that his state would continue to take defensive actions to secure the border in an effort to stop migrants coming in from Mexico. The move basically ignores a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, which said the feds can pull down barriers erected by Texas.

• ABBOTT. "The federal government has broken the compact between the United States and the States," said Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), who asserted that the Constitution 'reserves to this State the right of self-defense' under Article I, §10, Clause 3. "That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal law to the contrary," Abbott said.

• WIRE. At issue is razor wire and other barriers placed by the state of Texas along part of the Rio Grande at Eagle Pass, Texas. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined with the court's three liberal justices to let the feds temporarily remove those Texas barriers.

• SCHOOLHOUSE DOOR. "Texas’ razor wire is an effective deterrent against the illegal border crossings encouraged by Biden’s open border policies," Abbott said on Wednesday as he all but defied the nation’s highest court. "We continue to deploy this razor wire to repel illegal immigration."

• NULLIFICATION. The feds are responsible for border controls, not the states. But this move by Abbott turns that on its head. "Whatever you think about current immigration policy, this is just a 21st century re-packaging of nullification," tweeted University of Texas law professor Steve Vladeck.

CONGRESS. On Capitol Hill, Republicans rushed to the defense of Gov. Abbott. "Texas must be allowed to stop the invasion at our border without fear of retaliation by the federal government," said Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX). "I stand with Governor Abbott,” House Speaker Mike Johnson tweeted late last night. “The House will do everything in its power to back him up.”

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SENATE. Those moves by Texas came as former President Donald Trump was reportedly pressuring Senate Republicans to oppose any bipartisan border security deal, which could then be used to unlock billions in military aid for Ukraine. Senators had hoped to start debate on that plan this week - instead, we've mainly heard more complaints from GOP Senators.

• DETAILS. With no final details public as yet, GOP critics have taken the opportunity to flood the zone with charges about the specifics of the bill - ginning up the opposition even more back home. "The phrase that keeps going through my mind is Rube Goldberg," said Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI).

• NEWSER. At a news conference on Wednesday, a group of Senate Republicans made very clear they want no part of the deal - even before they know what's in it. "The truth of the matter is Joe Biden has every tools disposal right now to close the border," said Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO).

• RAZOR. Over in the House, a group of GOP lawmakers quickly introduced a bill that forces the feds to leave any border barriers in place - if they are put up by Texas or any other state. "If the Supreme Court won’t allow states to defend their sovereignty and our nation, Congress has a moral imperative to act," said Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA).

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UKRAINE. If the border security deal is going nowhere, that could mean the end of efforts to send more aid to Ukraine - an outcome which worries lawmakers in both parties. "Every single day that we delay aid is a boon for Vladimir Putin," said Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA).

• MONEY. It might mean that supporters of Ukraine will have to get creative to find funding sources for Kyiv. One such bill - a bipartisan plan - was approved yesterday by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. It's called the REPO Act, and would tap some of the billions in Russian money frozen in U.S. banks.

• REBUILDING. The bill makes clear that Russian money would be used only for the 'reconstruction of Ukraine,' and not to buy new weapons or ammunition. But if Republicans and Trump are able to block any efforts to send aid to Ukraine - you never know what ideas lawmakers might come up with.

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HALEY. A day after a stronger than expected second place finish in New Hampshire, Nikki Haley gave no sign that she's going to just stand aside for former President Donald Trump in the GOP race for President. Back in her home state of South Carolina, Haley used a rally to ridicule Trump over the insults he threw at her one day earlier.

• TANTRUM. "Donald Trump got out there and just threw a temper tantrum. He pitched a fit, " Haley said to a delighted crowd of supporters. "I know that's what he does when he's insecure. I know that's what he does when he is threatened, and he should feel threatened, without a doubt."

• JAN. 6. Haley wasted no time bringing up Trump's odd moment from last week, when he repeatedly accused Haley of not securing the Capitol on Jan. 6 - confusing her with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "He said it over and over and over and over again," said Haley. "Somebody's got to tell him I wasn't there on January 6."

TRUMP. If Haley is going to stay in the race - she's got a full month to keep her campaign going until the South Carolina Primary on February 24. That's a long time, and that takes money. It led Trump last night to threaten revenge on anyone who wants to contribute to Haley, (he now calls her 'Birdbrain').

• POST. "Anybody that makes a “Contribution” to Birdbrain, from this moment forth, will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp," Trump wrote on his TruthSocial website. It was much like his outburst on Tuesday night in New Hampshire, when he insulted Haley repeatedly, and made fun of her dress.

• COMPLETION BACKWARDS PRINCIPLE. The reaction to my tweet about Trump’s declaration was notable - as a number of anti-Trump conservatives said they would donate to Haley, just so they could be blacklisted from MAGA.

• MESSAGE. Just think if Trump had some message discipline on Tuesday night in New Hampshire. He could have come out and talked proudly about his victory. Instead, he couldn't stop himself from savaging Haley in personal terms, creating a furor which somewhat overshadowed his primary win.

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ENDORSEMENTS. Like the aftermath of the Iowa Caucus, there were a few more GOP lawmakers in Congress who have now jumped back on board with Trump with his latest victory. "It's time for Republicans to unite around President Donald Trump and make Joe Biden a one-term President," said Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE).

• LONE STAR. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) also endorsed Trump, a few months after very publicly saying that he thought it would be hard for Trump to win a second term. "Republicans need to unite around a single candidate, and it's clear that President Trump is Republican voters' choice," Cornyn tweeted.

• MCCONNELL. Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell continues to stay on the sidelines. "I don't have any announcement to make on the presidential race," McConnell told reporters this week. "When I change my mind about that, I'll let you know."

DELEGATES. As the final votes were counted in New Hampshire on Wednesday, Donald Trump's lead over Nikki Haley settled at just over 11 percent. But because delegates are handed out proportionally in the Granite State, Trump didn't gain much, winning 12 delegates to 10 for Haley.

• TOTAL. Last week in Iowa, Trump won 20 of the 40 delegates at stake. Haley won 8 from her third place finish. The February 24 primary in South Carolina has much bigger stakes because the 50 delegates from the Palmetto State are winner-take-all, both at the statewide and Congressional district level.

• DEMS. The write-in votes for Democrats are still being tabulated, but Joe Biden now has 56 percent of the vote in the Democratic Primary. Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) won 19.5 percent. Vermin Supreme - the nut job with the boot on his head - currently has 732 votes.

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ENDORSE. With the November elections basically set, President Biden took back some of the spotlight on the day after the New Hampshire Primary, officially winning the endorsement of the United Auto Workers. "Donald Trump is a scab!" yelled UAW President Shawn Fain to cheers at a conference in Washington, D.C.

• UNION. "This November, we can stand up and elect someone who stands with us and supports our cause, or we can elect someone who will divide us and fight us every step of the way," said Fain. "That's what this choice is about."

• BIDEN. "I’m honored to have your back and you have mine,” Biden told UAW members. "I kept my commitment to be the most pro-union president ever."

• BIG LABOR. Don’t dismiss the importance of the unions in an election year. Their ability to organize in large numbers is a big deal for Democrats.

TEAMSTERS. Next week in Washington, both Trump and Biden have been invited to speak at a roundtable of the Teamsters Union. "Our members want to hear from all candidates of all parties about what they plan to do for working people as President," said Teamsters head Sean O'Brien.

• RUST BELT. It's always been obvious to me that Trump is a natural candidate to win the support of union members in states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. But Democrats have kept the leadership of those unions on their side. We'll see if the Teamsters stay with that.

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ARIZONA SENATE. There have been some major developments in the past 24 hours in a completely bizarre story out of Arizona. Kari Lake - the Republican election denier who is running this year for U.S. Senate - leaked out audio of the state GOP chairman basically trying to bribe her to stay out of the Senate race. Now the GOP chair has resigned.

• AZ GOP. Party Chair Jeff Dewit says he did urge Lake to not run for Senate - worried that she could not win. Dewit resigned when he said Lake was going to release other taped conversations with him. "I have decided not to take the risk," Dewit said in a statement. "I am resigning as Lake requested."

• STATE PARTY. Arizona is one of a handful of state Republican Party groups in financial and political turmoil (Michigan is another). The rise of MAGA has brought new officials into the state parties, creating management disarray and fundraising troubles. That’s not good in an election year.

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MISSING BILLS. I've written multiple times about how House Republicans passed some bills last year, but never sent those measures to the Senate for further action. It was never clear why the GOP did that. One of those bills is the top legislative priority of the House GOP, H.R. 1, the 'Lower Costs Energy Act.'

• SPEAKER. Many Republicans have demanded to know why the Senate hasn't acted on the energy bill - just like the Senate has not voted on H.R. 2, a major GOP border security bill. "Yet another good piece of legislation collecting dust on Senator Schumer's desk," tweeted Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday.

• FLAG. As odd as it may seem, Johnson's claim is false. The House has never walked H.R. 1 over to the Senate - and so, it has not been sitting and collecting dust in the Senate since being approved on March 30, 2023. Why? It's never been explained by the GOP.

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VETO. President Biden has vetoed another resolution passed by Congress which is designed to overturn a federal rule. This effort would block a plan at the Federal Highway Administration to waive the 'Buy America' requirements for electric vehicle chargers. This was Biden’s tenth veto.

• MESSAGE. "If enacted, this resolution would harm my Administration’s efforts to encourage investment in critical industries and bring high-quality jobs back to the United States," Biden said in his veto message. There won't be two-thirds in either the House or Senate for a veto override.

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RAP SHEET. A father and son from Virginia have pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Farhad (the dad) and Farbod Azari (the son) threw water bottles, swung flagpoles, and rushed police lines. The father was one of the first rioters to enter the Capitol at the Senate Wing Door.

• SIBLINGS. A brother and sister from Tucson, Arizona have been sentenced to jail for their actions on Jan. 6. Felicia Konold got 45 days; her brother Cory received a 30-day sentence. The duo joined with a group of Proud Boys to push back police, and while in the Capitol, Cory stole a police riot helmet.

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MUSE OF HISTORY.  January 25, 1870.  On this date, Joseph Segar presented his credentials as an elected member of Congress from Virginia.  But like in 1861, he was not seated.  This time, Segar laid claim to a Ninth District seat from Virginia - but Congress had only allowed eight seats for the Old Dominion after the Civil War.  While the House would later vote not to seat Segar, lawmakers did ultimately decide to pay Segar $2,000 to offset his legal costs.

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LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:

The House next has votes on Jan. 29.

The Senate convenes at 10 am.

Check President Biden’s schedule.

Follow me on Twitter @jamiedupree.

Email me at jamiedupree@substack.com

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