White House feels heat on border surge
Outrage grows among Dems over new Thomas revelations
Also in today’s edition of ‘Regular Order’ for May 5, 2023:
Stalemate continues on debt limit.
Senators call for fast action to stop migrants.
The ‘World’s Greatest Processor of Nominations.’
The Muse of History sounds like current events.
IMMIGRATION. Amid bipartisan fears of a large surge of migrants starting later this month, some Democrats in Congress are pleading with the White House to immediately rush more aid and resources to the southern border. “I’ve spoken with border towns,” said Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ). “They’re overwhelmed and need assistance.”
FOUR LETTERS. In a series of letters sent Thursday to President Biden and top officials, Gallego asked for details on how Biden would deal with any surge. "As Title 42 lifts next week, it will be more important than ever to have in place a cohesive and responsive government strategy, " the Arizona Democrat wrote.
TROOPS. Biden's decision this week to send an extra 1,500 troops to the border region - to help free up more border agents to deal with migrants - landed with a thud for some in his own party. "Sending troops to the border isn't a replacement for real policy solutions," said Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-IL).
DEMS. As House Republicans get ready to approve a legislative border security package next week, Democrats in Congress seem barely involved in the immigration debate - not unified on alternative plans, and at odds with some steps taken by the Biden Administration. That’s not a winning formula.
SENATE. That reality was hammered home last night when four Senators unveiled a bill to give the feds the power to swiftly expel illegal immigrants for two years, basically extending the special 'Title 42' COVID authorities which expire next week. "Despite our repeated calls, the Biden Administration failed to plan ahead," said Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ).
ACTION. “It's clear that Congress must immediately step in,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC). “It is truly a shame we continue to govern from crisis to crisis,” added Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV). "What is now a flood of humanity coming across the border is going to turn into a tsunami,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).
BILL. This Senate bill is much more limited in scope than a GOP immigration package being voted on next week in the House. But both measures get at the same thing - the number of people illegally crossing the border remains unacceptably high, and the White House has not been able to reverse that tide.
WHAT'S NEXT. While this bill certainly doesn't have 60 votes in the Senate, the legislative situation could always change after Title 42 expires next week. The White House has been flat footed on the border - as have Democrats on Capitol Hill. I wouldn’t rule anything out.
DEBT LIMIT. Senators went home on Thursday after what was basically another wasted week on Capitol Hill regarding the debt limit. Lawmakers now know they face a June 1 deadline for when Uncle Sam might default and not pay its bills. But there have been no negotiations to figure a way out. Congressional leaders will meet next Tuesday with President Biden.
ATTACKS. The White House and Democrats tried very hard again this week to cast the Republicans as evil, awful, and terrible people, arguing the GOP budget/debt limit plans are akin to political terrorism. But it sure doesn’t seem like that’s having any impact on the debate.
GOP. Have you heard any Republicans start to crack over the past week because of attacks by the White House? Nope. Instead, they are focused on fiscal sanity. "We are over $31 trillion in debt — we should be talking about how to reduce spending," said Sen. James Lankford (R-OK).
SPENDING. As of last night, over 30 Republican Senators had signed a letter declaring their opposition to any simple increase in the debt limit. “The Senate shouldn’t raise the debt ceiling without substantial spending reforms,” said Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT).
BUDGET. While the White House has shunned negotiations with the GOP, Capitol Hill veterans know that needs to happen. "I think you have to recognize that we're going to have to negotiate," Bill Hoagland, a former top Senate GOP aide, told C-SPAN this week. "I'm really worried about this game of chicken.”
SENATE. A hearing held Thursday by Senate Democrats had a lot of bluster, but didn't change the underlying dynamics. "Attempting to extract partisan policy confessions with threats to intentionally drive the American economy off a cliff is the very definition of extremism," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
WATCHDOGS. Much to the chagrin of Democrats and the White House, budget watchdog groups have embraced the GOP bid for spending cuts - which is what happens when budget deficits of $1.5 trillion start becoming yearly events.
TALKS. "The House passed a reasonable bill that would raise the debt limit, reduce deficits, and slow the growth of our national debt," said Maya MacGuineas of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. “Lawmakers need to commence serious discussions immediately.”
REGULAR ORDER. Help me spread the word about my Congressional newsletter. Buy yourself a subscription, give someone the gift of straight news, and support independent journalism in the halls of Congress! If that doesn’t float your boat - you can just always buy me a drink.
SUPREME COURT. Thursday brought two new stories about Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife, raising more financial questions, drawing more calls for ethics reforms at the Court - plus calls for Thomas's resignation. "This is no longer just one scandal, or a simple partisan dispute," said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI).
DEMS. "First, lavish vacations. Then, a property deal. Now tuition payments," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), as Texas billionaire Harlan Crow paid private school tuition for a grand-nephew of Thomas, who had been taken in by the Justice and his wife. The cost was about $6,200 per month.
LIBERAL GROUPS. "At this point, we should be asking ourselves what isn't Harlan Crow paying for," said Brian Fallon, who runs the group Demand Justice. "Is he paying for his grocery bill? Is he paying for his Comcast subscription?"
GOP. Republicans quickly rode to Thomas's defense again. "Leftists are pushing to delegitimize the court by attacking constitutionalist justices," said Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). Allies of Thomas said he didn't have to reveal the gift - Democrats said that was exactly the problem.
SUBPOENA. One Senator raised the possibility of a subpoena to Crow, if he doesn't voluntarily provide answers about his many gifts to Thomas. "If he doesn't comply by May 8, I will absolutely explore other tools," said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), who called the stories examples of 'blatant corruption.'
GINNI. The story about Thomas’s wife showed a conservative judicial activist arranging nearly $100,000 in payments to Ginni Thomas through GOP pollster Kellyanne Conway - but it was all done with secretive billing, so Thomas's name would not show up on the documents.
CONGRESS. I often talk about how weak the ethics rules are for the Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court. Compare some of the stories about Justice Thomas to this from Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ). "Today a member of my staff mailed back a Dunkin Donuts gift card sent to our office because it'd violate our ethics rules."
SHOGAN. President Biden's pick to head the National Archives won't face a filibuster in the Senate. Three GOP Senators voted with all Democrats to advance the choice of Colleen Shogan. She's likely to get a final vote next week. Voting for Shogan were Sens. Capito (R-WV), Collins (R-ME), and Murkowski (R-AK).
NOMINATIONS. Thursday was another typical day in the modern Senate. Not a single bill or amendment was debated on the floor - but Senators did have to take several procedural votes on various nominees from President Biden.
WORLD'S GREATEST. That's why I'm suggesting a new nickname for the Senate. Instead of the 'World's Greatest Deliberative Body,' the Senate should be known as the 'World's Greatest Processor of Nominations' - because that's just about all the Senate does now. More in my column this week for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
FEINSTEIN. After missing another week on Capitol Hill, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) issued a statement on Thursday which praised fellow Senators for still approving judicial nominations in her absence. But she gave no hint when she will return to the Capitol and the work of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
JUDGES. "The Senate continues to swiftly confirm highly qualified individuals to the federal judiciary, including seven more judicial nominees who were confirmed this week," Feinstein said, pushing back against those who have criticized her absence. "There has been no slowdown," she added.
DI FI. "I'm confident that when I return to the Senate, we will be able to move the remaining qualified nominees out of committee quickly," Feinstein wrote - but there was no explanation of 'when' she might be back. Feinstein has been out since mid-February. She was hospitalized for a time with shingles.
MINIMUM WAGE. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) unveiled a plan on Thursday which would increase the federal minimum wage to $17 per hour. "Nobody in America can survive on $7.25 an hour," Sanders said, noting the current federal minimum, which is still the minimum pay rate in 20 states.
SANDERS. "Nobody should be forced to work for starvation wages," Sanders told a news conference outside the Capitol on Thursday. "It is time to raise the minimum wage to a living wage."
TWENTY STATES. These states have a $7.25 minimum wage: Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
REALITY. Democrats never really tried to advance an increase in the minimum wage when they controlled both houses of Congress under President Biden. There seems little chance this can go anywhere in this Congress.
CASUALTY LIST. Another Democrat in Congress has announced a bid for U.S. Senate. The latest is Rep. David Trone (D-MD), who will try to replace retiring Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland. Trone could be hard to beat because of his wealth - as he spent over $13 million of his own money to win his House seat in 2016.
NUMBERS. The trend for 2024 right now is pretty clear - a lot of House Democrats want to become a Senator. Seven Democrats are running for a seat in the Senate compared to two Republicans. So far, 10 House members and four Senators won't return after 2024.
KENTUCKY DERBY. It wouldn't be right to send out this newsletter without talking about the Derby, which is scheduled for 6:57 pm on Saturday. But before we get to the race, I always offer the link to Hunter S. Thompson's unparalleled dive into Derby weekend. It is mandatory reading - whether you like horses, politics, or neither.
Here's a few horses to think about. Check the odds at this link.
Confidence Game #4. At 20-1 in the morning line, he offers a price, and a good name. He's won twice at Churchill Downs. On the down side, he hasn't raced since late February.
Kingsbarns #6. I like lightly-raced 3-year old horses. Kingsbarns has run three times and won three times. One note - this horse got Lasix the first two races, but not the third, so he might get a bounce this time.
Mage #8. This horse also fits my lightly raced profile. Mage circled 5-wide in the Florida Derby and lost by a length to the favorite, Forte. That kind of race profile often works in the Derby. At 16-1, there is value.
Forte #15. This horse should be the favorite, as Forte is currently on an unbelievable five race winning streak, which included four Grade I stakes and a Grade II. He has only lost one time in seven starts.
Lord Miles #19. If you want a horse which has a hint of royalty on this coronation weekend, then Lord Miles might be it. Despite being bumped and jostled in the Wood Memorial, he stayed close and won by a nose.
MUSE OF HISTORY. May 5, 1969. Rep. H.R. Gross (R-IA) took the floor on this day to call again for the resignation of Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas, after news reports revealed that Fortas accepted outside fees from individuals and corporations. "His failure to do so should lead to the institution of impeachment proceedings," said Gross. What was especially notable about the Fortas situation was that such news stories generated bipartisan outrage in Congress. Under pressure, Fortas resigned ten days later.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:
The House next has votes on Tuesday May 9.
The Senate next has votes on Tuesday May 9.
President Biden’s daily schedule link.
Follow me on Twitter @jamiedupree. Email me at jamiedupree@substack.com
If you want to say ‘thanks’ - you can buy me a cup of coffee.
This is why the infield at the Derby is not for people who want to see the actual race:
"Thousands of raving, stumbling drunks, getting angrier and angrier as they lose more and more money. By midafternoon they'll be guzzling mint juleps with both hands and vomiting on each other between races. The whole place will be jammed with bodies, shoulder to shoulder. It's hard to move around."
Fantastic stuff. And the political descriptions from HST still work pretty well, 50+ years later. I've been to Derby / Breeders Cup at Churchill a few times with my dad. Some great stories.