White House makes case for Baltimore bridge

Democrats stay on offense over IVF

Also in today’s edition of ‘Regular Order’ for March 28, 2024:

• A postscript on blocked military nominations.

• Wyden presses for details on Manafort ties to Russian intel.

• New Hampshire Democrat surprises with retirement.

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TIME OFF. With the Easter weekend almost here, I’m going to take a few days off with my family. My plan is to return with a new Regular Order on Tuesday, as the Congress does not return for another week. But we’ll see if breaking news intervenes. That’s usually what happens.

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BALTIMORE BRIDGE. Still trying to sort through the recovery work in Baltimore after a giant container ship knocked down a major interstate highway bridge, federal officials vowed again yesterday to build a new one as quickly as possible. "The original bridge took five years to construct," said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "That does not necessarily mean it will take five years to replace."

• CONGRESS. At a White House briefing on Wednesday, Buttigieg said the plan is still to ask Congress for money to help rebuild the I-695 bridge. The Transportation Secretary said his department has just under $1 billion in emergency funds on hand - but obviously there are other projects looking to access that money as well.

• HARRIS. One of the key players on this in Congress might be Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), a top GOP lawmaker on the House Appropriations Committee. The Maryland Republican urged the feds to streamline any environmental or regulatory barriers. “It’s still going to take years to rebuild,” said Harris, “but four or five years is much better than eight or ten years.”

• COST. Early cost estimates have reportedly come in around $2 billion. I'm not a highway construction expert - but I have watched Congress spend money before - and I just think that sounds somewhat low. We'll see.

• GOP. A few Republicans continued to attack President Biden over the bridge collapse - basically laying the blame on him, like he was somehow piloting the ship. "Biden promised to build back better, instead he is destroying everything," said Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), who is running for Senate in November.

MONEY. House GOP leaders still haven't given any hints on how they view the idea of approving money to rebuild the bridge. I think it's almost certain to cause a fuss with more conservative Republicans - but look for White House officials to frame this like disaster aid relief in the wake of a hurricane or other natural disaster.

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IVF. Democrats continue to stay on offense on the issue of in vitro fertilization. 69 House members sent a letter this week to the VA Secretary, supporting a new move to expand access for veterans to IVF, in a bid to help them have children - and using it to slam Republicans on the IVF issue.

• LETTER. "We applaud the VA's decision to expand access to IVF treatment," the letter states, also jabbing at the GOP. "We remain committed to opposing these extreme attacks on Americans’ most fundamental freedoms – the right to make decisions about what is best for our bodies and our families."

• GOP. Earlier this month, a group of Republicans also sent a letter to the VA Secretary opposing the new IVF rules - and attacking IVF in general. "IVF is morally dubious and should not be subsidized by the American taxpayer," wrote a group led by Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT).

ALABAMA. This week's election win for Democrats in a state legislative race in Alabama shows IVF opposition is not a winner for Republicans. "We all turn to IVF for the same reason - to start a family," said Rep. Lori Trahan (D-MA), who did exactly that. "Why would anyone call that 'morally dubious?'"

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ABORTION. Remember the big dustup from last year when Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) held up hundreds and hundreds of senior military promotions at the Pentagon? Tuberville and other Republicans were mad about a new policy which gives time off and travel money to women who needed to travel to a state where they could get reproductive health care services.

• COST. The Pentagon this week finally told us how often that was used by active duty servicewomen, and how much it cost the taxpayer. "The policy was used 12 times," said Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh. "The total cost for the department for travel and transportation in these 12 instances was $44,791.20."

• DETAILS. Singh raised one interesting point - saying the 12 instances where the policy was used didn't necessarily mean it was for an abortion. "This could have been IVF treatment, egg retrieval, basically any type of non-covered reproductive health service," she told reporters.

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TRUMP CAMPAIGN. Earlier this week, I noted a story about how little Donald Trump has been campaigning of late. I know he has the GOP nomination wrapped up, but I like to talk about how there are only so many days before November - and when you waste one of those days, you never get that time back.

• INFRASTRUCTURE. The money problems that have hit the RNC and Trump's campaign are also evident in a different way. The Associated Press reported this week that "Trump's Republican Party has little general election infrastructure" in key swing states.

• MONEY. You can't hide from money problems in a race for President - especially when President Biden has amassed a huge war chest already. Watch this story closely, especially since Trump has such big legal bills as well.

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MANAFORT. With word that Donald Trump may be looking to bring back former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort to his team, one Senate Democrat is asking U.S. Intelligence officials to make public more about how Manafort was involved with Russian operatives during the 2016 campaign.

• WYDEN. In a letter to the Director of National Intelligence, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) zeroed in on questions about Manafort sharing campaign information with people tied to Russian intelligence services. "Specifically, I request the declassification of information related to Paul Manafort," Wyden wrote.

• REDACTED. Wyden quoted his own comments about the original U.S. Intelligence report on Manafort's actions, as the Oregon Democrat complained it was covered by 'extensive redactions.' "It is critical that these details be made public to the greatest extent possible," Wyden added.

• VOLUME 5. Wyden specifically referred to Volume 5 of the Senate Intelligence Committee report on Russian interference in the 2016 election. Manafort's name is mentioned 1,267 times in that volume. You can take a peek at this link.

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CASUALTY LIST. Rep. Annie Kuster (D-NH) surprised supporters and fellow Democrats on Wednesday, as she announced she will not run for reelection, unexpectedly opening a competitive seat in Congress from the Granite State. "I always said I was not going to stay in Congress forever," said Kuster, who was first elected in 2012.

• NUMBERS. The casualty list numbers have gone up and down in recent weeks because of the two GOP lawmakers who decided to resign instead of just retire (Buck and Gallagher). At this point, 43 sitting House members won't be back after the 2024 elections for Congress - that's sitting right at 10 percent.

• PRIMARIES. The next round of primaries for Congress doesn't come until April 23 in Pennsylvania. Then it really gets moving with eight states in May and 16 other states in June.

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LIEBERMAN. Former Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut - who went from being a Democratic nominee for Vice President to an Independent thorn in the side of his own party during his four terms in the U.S. Senate - died on Wednesday at age 82.

• NUTMEG. "Joe Lieberman was my friend for over 50 years," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who called Lieberman "a courageous leader who sought to bridge gaps and bring people together." "He fought and won for what he believed was right and for the state he adored," added Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT).

• JOEMENTUM. After being Al Gore's running mate in 2000, Lieberman sought the Democratic nomination for President in 2004 - but his campaign was a dud, and went nowhere. He tried to stay in the race long after he was done, talking repeatedly about 'Joementum.'

• PARTY. What happened next was crazy. In 2006, Lieberman lost his party primary, but won election as an Independent. By 2008, he endorsed Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) for President over fellow Sen. Barack Obama, completing an evolution that most Democrats never understood or accepted.

• OBAMA. "Joe Lieberman and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but he had an extraordinary career in public service," Obama said. Obama didn’t mention the battle royale Democrats had with Lieberman, who refused to go along with the 'public option' as part of the Obama health law debate.

POST MORTEM. In many ways, Lieberman was simply the Joe Manchin or Kyrsten Sinema of his time in the Senate, leaving his fellow Democrats exasperated as he repeatedly derailed legislative priorities of the liberal wing of the party.

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RAP SHEET. The arrests continue in the Jan. 6 investigation - one this week was in Mississippi. Donald Walker was charged with a felony for repeatedly trying to pull apart the bicycle rack barricades set up outside the Capitol by police. He later entered the Capitol through the fire door by the Parliamentarian's office.

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MUSE OF HISTORY.  March 28, 1888.  On this date, Senators and House members gathered in the House chamber for the funeral of Supreme Court Chief Justice Morrison Waite.  Among those in attendance was President Grover Cleveland and the First Lady, members of the Cabinet, other Justices, and the diplomatic corps.  It was a tough seat - one newspaper report claimed tickets were being sold for as much as $5.

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LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:

The House next has votes on April 9.

The Senate is back on April 8.

Check President Biden’s schedule.

Follow me on Twitter @jamiedupree.

Email me at jamiedupree@substack.com

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