Top Dems not ready for debt limit talks yet
GOP: We've done our job in the House
Also in today’s edition of ‘Regular Order’ for April 28, 2023:
House to hold immigration votes in two weeks.
More pressure for change at the Supreme Court.
Democrats spar over Feinstein’s future.
DEBT LIMIT. A day after House Republicans narrowly approved a plan to raise the debt limit and hold down spending over the next decade, Senate Democrats basically told the GOP to pound sand - demanding only a basic increase in the nation's debt limit, with no budget restraints attached. The Senate went home for the weekend with no plan of action.
DEMS. "If the Republicans want to negotiate over how much money they should spend," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), "that's what budget discussions are all about." "The document which they produced yesterday is nothing more than an ideological statement," said Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), who sharply criticized provisions to repeal clean energy tax breaks.
SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK. We all know that after the House passes a bill, then it goes to the Senate for work. But Senate Democrats don't want any part of that GOP bill. "If anything, the House's actions have made the likelihood of default more likely," said Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
GOP. Republicans swiftly moved to put pressure on both Senate Democrats and the White House. "President Biden, the ball is in your court," said Rep. Jake LaTurner (R-KS). "If Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer don’t have any ideas, pass our bill," said Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN).
TICK TICK TICK. The refusal yesterday of the White House or Senate Democrats to even talk about negotiations sounded an odd note - almost like they didn’t expect Republicans would be able to pass a debt limit bill in the House. So, Senators went home for the weekend without any plan on what’s next.
GAME PLAN. While Democrats don’t want the House bill, they also know they can’t get 60 votes to pass a simple debt limit increase on the Senate floor. On the flip side, Republicans can’t get 60 votes for what they want.
COMPROMISE. There is a pretty logical way forward. Both sides will have to give some ground. There will have to be talks - and soon. Neither party will be happy with the final product. But that’s how it works.
CUTS. Look for Democrats to keep arguing that Republicans are going to cut everything under the sun. But I don’t see that scaring GOP lawmakers. As I told you yesterday, there will be domestic spending cuts - we just don’t know the specifics as yet.
TAX CUTS. Reports that House Republicans were eyeing a new package of tax cuts immediately drew the ire of one budget watchdog group in Washington. "The House was right to pass deficit reduction this week," said Maya MacGuineas of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, praising the GOP debt limit plan. But then she blasted the GOP.
DEFICITS. "It is brazenly hypocritical to warn about the consequences of high deficits and debt one day while promoting unpaid-for tax cuts the next," MacGuineas added. "In fact, it’s outright outrageous."
TAX HIKE. One thing Republicans did not really advertise this week was that their debt limit plan actually raised taxes by about $500 billion - because the GOP eliminated a series of tax breaks for clean energy which had been approved as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.
IMMIGRATION. Republicans plan to bring a major immigration package to the House floor the week of May 8 - that's the same time the 'Title 42' restrictions at the border will expire, which could unleash a surge in migrants. "This is the worst I've ever seen it on the border," said Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX). "It's wide open."
GOP PLAN. Republicans announced yesterday that they will combine two bills from the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees - though the final details could still prove problematic for Speaker Kevin McCarthy, especially about any restrictions on asylum.
GAME PLAN. If there is one subject which makes the blood boil for Republicans - it's immigration - as they charge the Biden Administration is asleep at the wheel. "Republicans are fed up," said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA). "We challenge President Biden to work with us to solve this problem."
COMPROMISE. But like the debt limit, there isn't much in the way of a middle ground on immigration. Democrats want to propose a pathway to legal immigration status or citizenship for some already here illegally - and that's a non-starter with almost all Republicans.
DRUGS. The other wild card here is about fentanyl coming over the border, which Republicans have been more vocal about in the halls of Congress. "My oldest daughter has been to five funerals," said McCaul. "My son went to one just last Sunday. It's killing young people in America."
SUPREME COURT. Two Senators introduced a bill this week to force the U.S. Supreme Court to formally establish an ethics code for the nine Justices. "Americans have made clear their concerns with the transparency — or lack thereof — coming from the Supreme Court and its justices,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
ETHICS. Murkowski joined with Sen. Angus King (I-ME) on that proposal, which simply brings the Supreme Court up to speed. "The other two branches of government already have codes of conduct, it is only reasonable the full Judiciary should as well," King said.
THOMAS. Most Republicans have rejected calls for ethics changes, claiming it is nothing but a political attack against Justice Clarence Thomas - amid recent revelations that he accepted private jet and yacht trips from a Texas billionaire. "Justice Thomas did nothing wrong," said Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT).
RULES. I’m going to keep saying this - the Justices are able to accept trips, speaking fees, and much more that lawmakers in Congress could never do - and the same goes for top officials in the Executive Branch. Lawmakers have been pressing for change for over a decade.
REGULAR ORDER. Twitter owner Elon Musk was in the Capitol this week, but I didn’t get the chance to ask him why he keeps limiting links to my newsletter. It’s not really a fair fight when the guy who can’t talk has to fight a billionaire to get out my reports - but that’s the hand I’ve been dealt.
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TRUMP RAID. On Capitol Hill to present his agency's budget request to a House spending panel, FBI Director Christopher Wray took some flak from one Republican over the FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago last year, where agents seized classified materials in the possession of former President Donald Trump.
TESTIMONY. Asked about the search warrant in the case by Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA), Wray said he did not know the details by heart. "Was the Presidential Records Act referenced in the request for a warrant?" Clyde asked. "I would refer you to the warrant," Wray responded.
WARRANT. "I'm asking you a question," Clyde shot back. "I don't have the warrant in front of me," Wray said as Clyde expressed disbelief that Wray didn't know it by heart. "I mean, this is one of the most historic raids and warrants ever done in this country," the Georgia Republican said.
LAW. If Clyde thought he could draw Wray into a legal debate, it didn’t work. Clyde then asked about taped interviews that Bill Clinton supposedly kept in a sock drawer. "I can't recall a case involving a sock drawer," Wray replied, leaving Clyde even more frustrated. "I'm very careful as the FBI Director to stay in my lane," Wray explained.
MRS. GREENE OF GEORGIA. Every week seems to bring a new bit of controversy for Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). Last week, she was silenced in a House committee after violating the rules by calling the Homeland Security Secretary a liar. This week, she told a teacher's union official at a hearing that she wasn't a 'real mother' - because she's a stepmom.
REAL MOTHER. "You just need to admit that you're just a political activist," Greene said to Randi Weingarten, the head of the American Federation of Teachers. "Not a mother." At another point, Greene told Weingarten she was 'not a biological mother.'
RULES. Democrats tried to strike Greene's words from the record, but panel chair Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) did not entertain that motion. "It would be nice if we didn't attack the witnesses," said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA).
DEMS. "Telling someone that they’re not a ‘real mother’ because they are a parent through marriage is vile and evil," added Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY).
FEINSTEIN. I told you yesterday about how Democrats lost a Senate vote on Wednesday because of the absence of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), as the Senate voted 50-49 to repeal a federal rule on pollution and heavy-duty trucks. That set off a new round of finger pointing about the future of the California Democrat.
RESIGN. Once more breaking the normal code of silence about health questions of fellow lawmakers, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) again called for Feinstein to resign. "We are putting decorum over democracy and our values,” Khanna said. “It’s time for Senator Feinstein to step down gracefully.”
WOLVERINE. Those calls by Khanna have aggravated some Democrats. "I've been very disheartened to see public calls from California members for her to step down," Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) told the New Yorker magazine, suggesting that such calls were sexist.
STROM. In the same interview, Stabenow noted how the Senate became a care facility for Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC) in his later years. She’s right about that. But I also remember covering Thurmond on the campaign trail when he was 95 - and he was in way better shape than Feinstein has been in recent years.
MCCONNELL. While the arrows keep flying about Feinstein, Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell continues to improve after missing several weeks following a fall at a Washington hotel. Some women Democrats have pointed to McConnell’s extended absence to say it’s wrong for Feinstein to face repeated calls to resign - while McConnell did not.
KEYSTONE. I saw yesterday how Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) deals with his hearing troubles. Aides now talk into an iPad while walking with him. Their words then pop out on the screen for him to read and see. (Full disclosure - sometimes I use a tablet to write out questions for lawmakers since my voice doesn’t work right.)
SLOW GOING. Meanwhile, in the House, Rep. David Scott (D-GA) continues to struggle with a bad leg. The 77-year-old Georgia Democrat has used a wheelchair at times this year. He was walking this week - very slowly - with the help of a multi-point cane, steadied by the arm of one of his aides.
REMINDER. Every lawmaker is different, just like all of your friends and relatives are different. Some are totally with it at 85. Others seem to be old at 65. There is no formal guidebook on when someone should retire.
DESANTIS. The jabs continue from Republicans in Congress aimed at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has struggled to get GOP support on Capitol Hill. DeSantis is expected to announce a bid for the Republican nomination next month - putting him on a collision course with former President Donald Trump.
DISNEY. In an ongoing spat with Disney, DeSantis recently threatened to develop land right next to the Magic Kingdom. One of his ideas has been roundly panned. "I don't think the idea of building a prison next to a place that you bring your family is the best idea," Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on CNBC yesterday.
RAP SHEET. The latest people to face charges from the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol are a couple from Pennsylvania, who fought with police at one point. The FBI says the wife kicked one officer in the groin, while the husband grappled with officers. Both were physically dragged out of the building.
CAPITOL. The two took a grand tour, going into Speaker Pelosi's offices, sitting at the desks of Senators on the Senate floor, and walking through the historic hallways. After being tossed out, they joined a crowd forcing their way back into the Rotunda. They finally left the building - carrying their Trump flag with them.
GRANITE STATE. The Capitol attack came up yesterday during Donald Trump's visit to New Hampshire, when he met a woman at a diner who went to jail for her actions on January 6. He hugged her, and expressed his support for her and others arrested that day.
POLICE. "The leader of the party of law and disorder supporting the criminals," tweeted Aquilino Gonell, a former Capitol Hill cop who left the force after being injured by rioters on January 6.
JAN. 6. Democrats were also alarmed, convinced a second term for Trump could unleash even worse violence. "Donald Trump supported the insurrection on January 6 and every day since," said Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA). "He continues to be a mortal threat to American democracy."
NO FRAUD. The Washington Post reported yesterday that a second firm hired by the Trump campaign immediately after the 2020 elections to investigate claims of voter fraud - found nothing. It was another reminder that Trump had no evidence for his never-ending claims of fraud.
2024 ELECTION. Speaking of Trump, this week we saw President Joe Biden announce his reelection bid. Both Biden and Trump are already running TV ads - as we may be on our way to a Biden-Trump rematch. That's my column this week for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Buckle up, America.
MUSE OF HISTORY. April 28, 1810. On this date in 1810, President Madison signed into law a bill to establish post roads in the 17 states of the Union and various territories. Whether it was from Savannah to Brunswick, Charleston to Charlotte, Baltimore to Annapolis, Cincinnati to Dayton, or roads radiating from New York and Washington - this bill was chock full of post roads all around the nation. Basically, the Postal Service blazed the trails which developed into the major roads of today.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:
The House meets at 9 am.
The Senate is back on Monday.
President Biden’s daily schedule link.
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Strom Thurmond and Robert Byrd were two examples of Senators staying way too long. At the end, the Senate writ large - and the Senator's staffers - basically functioned as a daytime care facility for them. I feel bad for Feinstein. One of my early outlets on Capitol Hill was working for a radio station in Los Angeles, and I well remember Feinstein's arrival. 30+ years later - is it really worth it to stay on until you are basically too old to enjoy your life?
The staffers who help escort the ailing lawmaker are often just kids in the office. They are 20-somethings who are just trying to move up the ladder on Capitol Hill, and certainly did not sign up to be a home health aide.