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February 23, 2024
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PRESENTED BY
THE TOP
Schumer arrives in Ukraine for historic visit
Happy Friday morning.
News: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer arrived in Ukraine Friday morning, making him the highest-ranking congressional leader to visit the war-torn nation since then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip nearly two years ago.
Schumer and his delegation arrived in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv from Poland this morning. He plans to hold meetings with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian military leaders.
Schumer’s visit comes at a critical time for Ukraine, the Western coalition and Congress. The Senate passed a foreign aid package recently that includes $60 billion in military and economic assistance for Ukraine. But there’s no clear path for that legislation in the House, where opposition to more money for the embattled U.S. ally is growing. This uncertainty dominated lawmakers’ meetings with foreign leaders at the Munich Security Conference last weekend.
Schumer’s trip — which was in the works for several weeks — coincides with the two-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Senate’s approval of new Ukraine funding gives Schumer a boost as he looks to put pressure on the House.
In an interview ahead of his visit, Schumer told us his goal is twofold — reassure the Ukrainians that “America has not given up on them,” and try to persuade his colleagues back home, particularly Speaker Mike Johnson, to move swiftly on an aid package.
“This is truly a turning point in our history… We want to show the Ukrainian people we feel that urgency,” Schumer said. “And we want to get in detail about how the lack of armaments and the inability to pass this supplemental hurts Ukraine, and what the consequences will be if we don’t do it.”
Schumer sat down with us on Wednesday afternoon, just a few hours before he and four other senators — Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) — were wheels-up from Joint Base Andrews.
When asked about it not being a bipartisan delegation, Schumer noted that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell only took Republicans with him when he visited Ukraine in May of 2022.
“There are a lot of Republicans who are torn on this issue,” Schumer said, adding that he wants to speak with Johnson after this visit. “I hope that our trip, and what we bring back, can persuade them to step up to the plate…There’s no better way to win people over than to actually be on the scene and report what is going on.”
Some House Republicans have traveled to Ukraine more recently, including Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner (R-Ohio).
Interestingly, Schumer noted that Americans are asking a number of questions about the war — including whether Ukraine can actually defeat Russia — in light of recent battlefield losses. This has been a fixation of those who oppose new aid for Ukraine, arguing that the United States is simply funding a bloody stalemate.
The White House has said Congress’ failure to act on Ukraine aid is to blame for these setbacks. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said this to lawmakers in Munich, as we first reported.
Schumer told us he intends to “bring back some real answers on that — right from the leadership of Ukraine, the people who know it best.”
More from Schumer:
The trip is also a big moment for Schumer personally. As we’ve written, Schumer wasn’t deeply involved in foreign policy during his 40 years in Congress prior to becoming Senate majority leader — a position that comes with high-level intelligence briefings and an international profile.
“I really feel a passion about getting the aid and going [to Ukraine],” Schumer said. “If not now, when? This is the moment.”
— Andrew Desiderio
Welcome to Punchbowl News! We’re super excited to announce our newest member of our team: Kalyn Epps!
Kalyn is joining us as a digital producer. She was most recently at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business as a communication coach. A New Jersey native, Kalyn is a graduate of Wake Forest University and Stanford University.
And we’re hiring for a lead engineer, check it out and apply here.
HOUSE DEMOCRATS
Tensions flare between White House and Hispanic Caucus over border
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is still upset with the White House for excluding them from border security talks on Capitol Hill. Now, as the Biden administration considers executive action to mitigate the migrant crisis, those tensions are bound to get a lot worse.
President Joe Biden — desperate for a win on the border in a presidential election year — is weighing using executive action to restrict asylum claims. But that comes amid growing strains between the White House and CHC members, who have warned Biden not to give in to hardline GOP demands on border security and immigration.
“I don’t think the Biden administration was going to get any credit for going Republican lite on immigration,” Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) told us. “We’re never going to be halfway on the issue of immigration.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) accused Biden of mimicking former President Donald Trump, calling possible new asylum restrictions “outrageous.”
In a statement, the CHC said Biden’s consideration of using executive power to restrict asylum is “unbelievable.” CHC Chair Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.) asserted the group wasn’t briefed or consulted on any potential White House decisions.
The backstory: CHC members remain angry at the administration for snubbing them in the Senate border talks. The lawmakers argued it was unfair for there not to be any Hispanic or immigrant representation at the table.
Barragán even raised the issue at House Democrats’ retreat, typically an event meant for party unity and cheerleading.
“It’s completely unacceptable that the Hispanic Caucus would not be at the table on the issue that we lead on, which is immigration,” Barragán said. “We’ve got to continue to not just talk about it, but making sure something is done. We will continue to fight for that.”
The group was also rebuffed by Biden after requesting a meeting with him in December. CHC members plan to request another meeting once they issue their executive action recommendations likely next month, said a source familiar with the situation.
CHC vents frustration to Mayorkas: Some of that simmering anger bubbled over during a Jan. 31 meeting with DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that included about nine CHC members.
“Up until that point, we hadn’t been engaged and we hadn’t been informed about the communication going on between the Senate and the White House,” said Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), who attended the meeting.
Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) said the meeting was “necessary” after the snub felt by many members on how the administration handled border talks.
Before that, the caucus had only met twice with Mayorkas on the supplemental — Aug. 17 and Oct. 25. Those meetings were described as status updates rather than efforts to consider members’ positions.
Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.), who called the Senate proposal “abhorrent,” said there’s still widespread frustration.
“We’re not happy with the administration right now,” Vargas told us.
The White House did not respond to our request for comment.
— Mica Soellner
PRESENTED BY GOLDMAN SACHS 10,000 SMALL BUSINESSES VOICES
Georgia small business owner Ceata Lash knows how unaffordable capital can affect long-term growth.
THE PUNCH UP
Organizations struggle to narrow the digital gap as Congress drags its feet
Congress is facing yet another government-shutdown threat next week. Meanwhile, key advocates are scrambling to ensure marginalized communities don’t fall through the digital cracks.
But so far, the effort doesn’t appear to be working despite top Democrats and administration officials raising alarm bells about the expiring Affordable Connectivity Program, which is used by 23 million U.S. households.
“Internet connection is not a luxury; it is a necessity,” Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), ranking member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, told us. “Everybody needs the internet to find a job, to get an education, even to shop… for health care purposes, the list is endless.”
As of now, several sources told us it’s unlikely the popular program will receive an influx of new funds in the upcoming spending deal to keep it going beyond April. The FCC stopped accepting applications earlier this month in preparation.
The nonprofit push: Earlier this month, more than 100 organizations wrote to House leaders and top appropriators urging them to “prioritize” passing legislation to extend ACP. But the effort to close the digital divide goes far beyond the pandemic-era program.
“The digital divide is not new; it’s been here for years,” EducationSuperHighway Vice President Adeyinka Ogunlegan said. “The pandemic shone a light on it.”
To underscore that, Pallone and several local and nonprofit leaders — including from the local NAACP and UnidosUS — evoked pandemic images of children doing school work in parking lots during a Wednesday event in Redbank, N.J.
“The question around internet access and having reliable quality, fast internet access is one of the great civil rights challenges of our time,” said Rafael Collazo, executive director of UnidosUS, which advocates on Latino issues.
Pallone is pushing for an extension of the ACP through spending bills but said he will try any legislative means available. Advocates are banking on a bill that would extend funding for the program through 2024.
But the program has GOP skeptics, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), ranking member on the Senate Commerce Committee. Cruz and other top Republicans have questioned the program’s effectiveness and argue it’s had an inflationary impact on broadband prices.
“In light of ACP’s poor record, it would be irresponsible to spend billions more on this program without a total overhaul,” Cruz said in a statement.
We’re following this issue as part of our equity platform, The Punch Up.
— Robert O’Shaughnessy
… AND THERE’S MORE
Downtown Download: Salesforce, the tech giant, has hired Invariant to lobby on issues related to “[c]ustomer relationship management (CRM) platforms.”
Former Rep. Max Rose (D-N.Y.) has registered to lobby for his first client. The Staten Island Democrat will lobby for Friends of United Hatzalah Inc. Hatzalah is the Israeli ambulance service.
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck has signed Sequoia, the venture capital giant. Will Dunham, a former aide to former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, will lobby on “[i]ssues related to AI, emerging technologies, and the VC sector.”
— Jake Sherman
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