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☀️ Punchbowl News AM: NEW: What McConnell told us about the debt limit

During our conversations with Sen. Mitch McConnell this summer he was clear. The Kentucky Republican wanted Senate Democrats and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to lift the debt limit on their own without any assistance from the GOP. Of course, that’s not what happened, but that was McConnell’s position for months, and he never wavered.

What do they want?

What’s next for Karen Bass?

This is our second installment in a series that we’ve dubbed “What do they want?” Today, we’re focusing on Democratic Rep. Karen Bass of California.

The 67-year-old Bass, now in her sixth term in the House, has been mentioned for just about every job we can think of during the past year: vice president, Cabinet, senator and speaker of the House among them.

What do they want?

Here are five of our top takeaways:

We are beginning to sense a deep discontent with leadership on Capitol Hill, as senior aides tell us that lawmakers want to replace the leadership whole cloth. This is especially acute on the Democratic side of the aisle. House Democrats have had the same leaders for nearly 20 years, and the desire for change is beginning to show.

The Money Game

Thanks to our friends at AdImpact, we’ve assembled a handy ranking of political spending. This guide breaks down what outside groups and candidates are spending big. It also shows what the top issues are hitting the airwaves during the last two months.

While we’ve analyzed the data for the top 50 spenders and issues, we’ve graphed the top 10 for both categories for your viewing convenience.

Members Only Brown Bag Lunch

Anna, Jake and Bres will sit down with members of the Premium community to talk about everything that’s going on on Capitol Hill, at the White House and on K Street. The Biden administration’s legislative agenda is jam packed—there will be a lot to talk about. Join us at 1 p.m. We’ll take questions from attendees! Feel free to email us with any questions.

Lookahead

What's popping this week?

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will meet Tuesday to vote on a large group of ambassadors including Tom Nides, Joe Biden’s nominee to be the ambassador to Israel; Cindy McCain, who is the administration’s pick to be the liaison to the World Food Programme in Rome; former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who is up for the posting in Turkey; and Jack Markell, who is up to be the nominee to the OECD in Paris.

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The Content

Go deeper with Punchbowl News as we explore public sentiment on Capitol Hill, the national political landscape, who is up and down each week and more.

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The Canvass

Washington’s only monthly tracking poll of the most important senior aides on Capitol Hill.

Introducing The Punch Up

The Punch Up brings together leading voices on racial equity and sustainability for a much-needed dialogue between the private and public sectors. Follow along for a mix of in-person events, dialogues with industry experts and profiles of influential thought leaders.

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