The Archive

IN THIS EDITION

Scalise opens up about his faith, survival and the road ahead

Diving into Cornyn and Thune’s tax worlds

Freedom Caucus and NRCC play nice, for now

Why Republicans are running so many transgender-themed ads

THE TOP

Scalise opens up about his faith, survival and the road ahead

Welcome to The Readback, our weekend digest featuring the best of Punchbowl News this week — a quick roundup of all our scoops, analysis and Capitol Hill insight you won’t find anywhere else. We’ve also included a few of our favorite outside reads from the week.

Our goal in the weeks leading up to the 2024 election was to travel with as many top congressional leaders and aspirants as possible. We’ve been in Pennsylvania with Speaker Mike Johnson, Texas and Arizona with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and Wisconsin and Minnesota with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

We’ve also been to Ohio with House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Indiana with Senate Minority Whip John Thune and at least one more trip scheduled for the days ahead.

We’ll focus this morning on Scalise. The Louisiana Republican has had a hell of a decade. He was shot and nearly killed by a crazed gunman in 2017, leading to more than a dozen surgeries. And in August 2023, Scalise was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer.

He had a stem cell transplant early this year, keeping him out of the Capitol for weeks.

When I was in Scottsdale, Ariz., with Scalise earlier this week, he alluded to his resilience in his “personal life.” So I asked him how he felt. He seemed to tear up.

He said that during a rally for Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas), an attendee approached him and said, “I pray for you.” Scalise said this happens almost everywhere he goes. Does it make a difference?

He said that during the 2017 shooting, he prayed that he’d be able to attend his daughter’s wedding. God “delivered” every one of his petitions, he added.

Cancer diagnosis: We’re writing this because Scalise doesn’t talk a lot about his health publicly. But during this car ride, on the way to a fundraiser for Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) at a hip restaurant in Scottsdale, Scalise totally let loose.

He recounted his experience with cancer. He said he was out to dinner in New York during a fundraising swing for Republican Reps. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) and Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.). Scalise said he felt “wiped” and had no appetite for the “good wines” offered to him at the fundraiser.

Now remember: Scalise travels constantly. If he’s not in D.C. or his native Louisiana, he’s traveling from city to city, raising money for the NRCC or other political committees. It’s not unusual for Scalise — or other GOP leaders — to be exceedingly tired.

But Scalise said he went to see a doctor and within two days, he found out he had cancer. The No. 2 House Republican began treatment immediately and slowly got his energy back.

When Scalise got his stem-cell transplant, he had to be away from the Capitol for six weeks. He said he binged “a lot of stuff” on Netflix, but got itchy and was monitoring the Republicans’ vote struggles.

For example, the House GOP lost a vote to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Scalise asked his doctor if he could return to the Capitol, but was rebuffed because his immune system was far too weak.

Less than four months after his diagnosis, Scalise was cancer-free. He’s determined to live his life and stay busy.

A lot of Republicans are worried about Scalise’s stamina and health. I’m not a physician, but he seemed pretty energetic to me.

What I’m listening to: Phish opened a three-night stand last night in Albany, N.Y. I will be listening to these shows in totality — as I do for every Phish show. Why? Because you don’t open a book and read a random page. You read the whole book. To understand where a band like Phish is at any given moment, you need to listen to it all.

This is a very special trio of concerts for Phish. The shows benefit the Divided Sky Residential Recovery Center. Phish’s lead singer Trey Anastasio has been open about his struggles with addiction. And he has opened a facility in Vermont to help those who are sick with addiction and want to get help.

— Jake Sherman

Listen to The Readback Podcast! Enjoying a behind-the-scenes look at how the biggest stories of the week came to be? Punchbowl News’ Max Cohen unpacks a key story of the week with fellow reporters in our newest podcast: The Readback. Tune in today!

Diving into Cornyn and Thune’s tax worlds

Here at Punchbowl News, covering congressional leadership is a central part of what we do. So as a tax reporter, I’m always looking at the intersection between the policy arena I cover and dynamics at Congress’ top ranks.

I’ve been thinking about digging more into the race to succeed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for a while now. Senate Minority Whip John Thune and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) are prominent figures for any Hill reporter, but I’ve gotten an interesting view of those two candidates from covering the tax-writing Finance Committee.

Both Thune and Cornyn sit on the Finance Committee. They each show up and say their piece at Finance hearings and can talk tax policy knowledgeably in the halls. We focused on these two and not Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), the third contender in the race, because he isn’t on Finance and wasn’t on the Hill in 2017.

So given all this, I’d really wanted to delve into both Cornyn and Thune’s tax worlds. They each played a unique but active role in the push to get the Trump tax cuts done back in 2017.

Here are a few nuggets from what I wrote in the Sunday Vault:

– Cornyn was GOP whip in 2017; so that involved work to win over Republican holdouts for the Trump tax cuts. Finance’s top Republican, Sen. Mike Crapo (Idaho), was chief deputy whip at the time. Thune was part of Finance’s “core four” tasked with working on policy and socializing pieces of the bill with Republican senators. Thune got particularly involved with a deduction for pass-through businesses.

– It’s notable that Cornyn has one of the longest-serving tax aides among the Finance GOP. Andrew Siracuse has been with the Texan for nearly two decades.

– On policy, Thune has an interesting angle given his background from a big agriculture region and as Senate Commerce Committee chair. Thune has led on some big GOP tax issues that impact ag, including scrapping the estate tax. And he’s worked on a notable number of tech-related tax bills, which taps into his Commerce expertise.

I’m really looking forward to tracking how the leader race all plays out after the election. My biggest focus for months already has been the 2025 tax fight, which will be in full swing when we know the election results.

Much of the Trump tax cuts are set to expire at the end of next year, so there’s a chance for a major tax package. That could very likely be the first big legislative accomplishment for whoever becomes the next Senate GOP leader.

McConnell isn’t known for playing a direct active role in tax policy. So I’m also eyeing exactly how a successor would approach the job.

What I’m watching: “Nobody Wants This.” I binge-watched this one when I was sick a couple of weeks ago, and it definitely lived up to the hype. Adam Brody and Kristen Bell are such great leads.

– Laura Weiss

Freedom Caucus and NRCC play nice, for now

Sometimes you start reporting out a story with one angle in mind and it turns out to be the complete opposite.

Well, that’s exactly what happened with a story I wrote this week with my colleague Mica Soellner about the relationship between the House Freedom Caucus and the House GOP’s campaign arm.

Initially, we had been hearing griping from conservatives about how some of their candidates were struggling in their races and weren’t getting enough support from the NRCC.

But after talking to well-placed sources in both camps, we discovered something even more interesting and unusual happening behind the scenes: an alliance between the Freedom Caucus and NRCC.

As we scooped, HFC members — who in the past have boycotted giving campaign cash to the GOP — have transferred a whopping $1 million to the NRCC in the final stretch.

And in turn, the NRCC is not only spending millions on ads to boost HFC-backed candidates, but even allowing members to receive credit for their membership dues if they donate to former Freedom Caucus chair Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) through them.

For context, these two organizations have long viewed each other with skepticism. In fact, the Freedom Caucus founders decided to keep their membership secret out of fear that leadership would try to snuff them out in primaries.

But with several HFC members now in tough general election races or trying to flip key seats, the group is recognizing the benefits of getting institutional help. And the NRCC, of course, is fighting to keep as many seats as possible in the battle for the House.

So in the end, what we found is that these two groups are willing to play nice in the sandbox — at least for now.

What I’m watching: “Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare” on Netflix. An insane story with a jaw-dropping ending.

– Melanie Zanona

Why Republicans are running so many transgender-themed ads

If you live anywhere with a competitive election taking place, odds are you’ve seen Republican ads focused on attacking their Democratic opponent on transgender issues.

Some ads, like this one from Rep. John James (R-Mich.), claim Democrats are supported by groups that want to give students gender reassignment surgeries without parental consent.

Other ones, like this attack from Michigan Republican Paul Junge, accuse Democrats of “allowing biological men in girls’ sports.”

According to our friends at AdImpact, Republicans have spent $68.5 million on these transgender-focused ads in House and Senate races. Democrats, for their part, have invested just $1.6 million in ads pushing back against GOP attacks.

Why do Republicans think this message will cut through the noise? Consider the Democratic rallying cry this election cycle of “Team Normal.” The phrase, used widely by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and down-ballot candidates, intends to present Democrats as the steady hand at the wheel in contrast to “chaotic” Republicans.

In many races in 2022, this framing paid off. Democrats focused on GOP attacks on abortion rights and argued to independent voters that Republicans were “MAGA extremists.”

Eager to shed the title, Republicans are trying to flip the tables on Democrats and say, “No, you’re the crazy ones!”

Here’s Republican Mike Rogers (Mich.), attacking his Democratic Senate opponent Rep. Elissa Slotkin (Mich.): “She voted to allow biological males in women’s sports, men in women’s locker rooms. I’m sorry, that’s not ‘Team Normal.’”

Here’s Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio): “The divide in America today is normal versus crazy. It’s crazy to say men should compete against women in sports.”

Democrats told us Republicans are worried about the wrong issues. Slotkin told us “the real threats” to school-age children are school shootings, not transgender athletes.

What I’m reading: This deeply reported ProPublica story on Nicaraguan immigrants in Whitewater, Wis. It’s a jewel of on-the-ground journalism and is well worth your time.

— Max Cohen