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February 27, 2023
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THE TOP
Happy Monday morning.
Congress is back! At least for a little while.
Fresh off a historic trip to Ukraine, and with the fight over federal spending and the debt limit about to ramp up, President Joe Biden will meet separately with House and Senate Democrats this week.
Biden will speak to House Democrats on Wednesday during their retreat in Baltimore (more below). On Thursday, Biden will attend a special Senate Democratic Caucus lunch.
Here’s what Biden will tell his fellow Democrats, per a White House official:
The White House will release its FY 2024 budget on March 9, a week from Thursday. The budget’s release will kick the fight over the debt limit into a much higher gear. Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy have held one meeting on the topic, but there’s been no contact between the two men since then.
The retreat: At House Democrats’ retreat this week in Baltimore, members will hear from Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and White House infrastructure czar Mitch Landrieu. Democrats will focus a lot on the implementation of the legislative agenda they passed in Biden’s first two years in office, including the Inflation Reduction Act and the $1 trillion-plus bipartisan infrastructure law.
East Palestine: With Congress returning, House and Senate committees will focus on the Feb. 3 train derailment and fire in rural East Palestine, Ohio, which has turned into a huge political issue. Three House panels and two committees in the Senate are currently looking into the still unfolding disaster.
In the House, the Energy and Commerce, Oversight and Accountability, and Transportation and Infrastructure panels all have begun probes into the crash, which led to the release of toxic vinyl chloride as emergency responders and state officials sought to avoid an even more catastrophic explosion. East Palestine residents are worried about the long-term health impact from that exposure and are challenging the quality of the testing programs implemented by federal and state environmental agencies.
Energy and Commerce and Transportation will likely be the lead House panels. Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), who represents East Palestine, is chair of the environment, manufacturing and critical materials subcommittee on Energy and Commerce. Johnson and Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) have sought information from EPA Administrator Michael Regan on the agency’s response to the crash.
But we’re told that EPA hasn’t given the committee anything up to this point. That includes a request from the panel for a bipartisan briefing. So we’ll keep an eye on that.
The Transportation Committee has jurisdiction over both the Transportation Department and National Transportation Safety Board, the independent agency leading the federal review into the crash.
On the Senate side, the Environment and Public Works Committee is going to hold a hearing on the incident. That hearing – not officially scheduled yet – will take place on March 8, according to a source familiar with the situation.
We’re also told Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will call on Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw to testify at that hearing.
Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) has also sought information on how Norfolk Southern and other railroads are handling hazardous materials.
With all the media and congressional attention on the derailment, the Biden administration is trying to step up its outreach efforts in East Palestine, as well as issuing a timeline detailing what’s been done on the federal level since Feb. 3.
At Biden’s order, officials from EPA, CDC and FEMA went door-to-door over the weekend and contacted more than 350 families, with a goal of reaching 400 families by Monday, according to a White House official.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg – who’s come under heavy GOP criticism over the administration’s handling of the incident, some of which missed its mark – has also called on Congress to boost fines for rail operators guilty of safety violations.
– John Bresnahan and Jake Sherman
🚨Big news from Punchbowl News: We’re so excited to announce that Mica Soellner is joining our team to cover House Republicans. Mica is joining us from the Washington Times, where she impressed us with her reporting and hustle. Mica previously worked at the Washington Examiner and is a graduate of the University of Missouri.
CHINA WATCH
Gallagher previews China committee’s primetime hearing
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) wants to do things a little differently with the China select committee that he leads. The panel — officially labeled the Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party — will hold its first hearing during primetime on Tuesday night.
“Let’s face it, most congressional hearings are boring,” Gallagher told us. But for the committee’s opening salvo this week, Gallagher said he wants maximum attention. The panel will aim to shine a light on the Chinese Communist Party’s “vision of Orwellian totalitarian control” with the help of “charismatic and compelling” witnesses, Gallagher said.
A major mission of the first hearing will be to reveal “this is not a distant over-there problem, it’s a right-here-at-home-problem,” Gallagher said. “This is a matter of American sovereignty.”
Those testifying Tuesday include former National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and former Deputy National Security Adviser Matt Pottinger. The former Trump White House officials are expected to discuss the military and ideological threats China poses to the United States.
What can we expect from the committee moving forward? Gallagher said instead of issuing one big report “that no one will ever read,” the panel is planning a series of smaller reports to identify China-related legislation that can pass in a divided government.
— Max Cohen
INVESTIGATION TRACKER
Deadline on Jordan’s subpoenas for school board protests looms
It’s a busy week in congressional oversight. But don’t fret. We have you covered on what to look out for:
Subpoenas: Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Chris Wray and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona have until March 1 to comply with House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan’s (R-Ohio) subpoenas into the Biden administration response to school board protests.
By way of an update, DOJ officials flagged to us this portion of a letter the department’s legislative affairs chief sent to Jordan last month:
Letter deadlines: House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) fired off a flurry of letters to top administration officials requesting documents related to the Afghanistan withdrawal earlier this month. All these requests are due Friday March 3:
| → | Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Mark Milley |
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Letter updates:
| → | The Department of Labor replied last Wednesday to House Education and Workforce Committee Chair Virginia Foxx’s (R-N.C.) query about how Secretary Marty Walsh was handling his exit from the administration. Read the department’s response here. |
| → | As part of Comer’s probe of President Joe Biden’s business dealings, the Kentucky Republican requested information from Hunter Biden, James Biden and Eric Schwerin that was due last week. Here’s the latest from Comer’s office on their talks with the three men: |
| → | Former Biden executive assistant Kathy Chung has agreed to sit for an interview with the committee to discuss the president’s handling of classified documents, CNN reported. |
— Max Cohen
THE LEADERS
Tomorrow, we’re sharing our second profile of The Leaders with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens (D). Dickens spoke to us about the role of Atlanta in the South’s economy and how he’s tackling challenges around housing and support for small businesses. Check out our first profile of Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) today!
PRESENTED BY META
📅
What we’re watching
| → | Monday: The House Rules Committee will meet on a number of bills scheduled for the floor this week. |
| → | Tuesday: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will consider a number of ambassadorial nominations, including former L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti for ambassador to India. The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on Ukraine. |
The House Science, Space and Technology Committee will hold a hearing entitled “The United States, China, and the Fight for Global Leadership: Building a U.S. National Science and Technology Strategy.” The House Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing on challenges for American agriculture.
The House Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing entitled: “Every State is a Border State: Examining Secretary Mayorkas’ Border Crisis.” The House Financial Services Committee will hold a markup on a number of bills.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on Colleen J. Shogan’s nomination to be archivist of the United States. The Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing on sanctions with a number of administration officials.
The House Appropriations Committee will hold a Ukraine oversight hearing. House Oversight will hold a hearing on Covid-19 policy decisions.
| → | Wednesday: The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the fentanyl crisis. The House Appropriations Committee will hold an oversight hearing on the United Nations. Senate EPW will hold a confirmation hearing on Joseph Goffman’s nomination to be assistant administrator of the EPA. |
Senate Commerce will hold a hearing on Phillip Washington’s nomination to be FAA administrator. Attorney General Merrick Garland will be in front of Senate Judiciary. Senate Foreign Relations will hold a hearing on a number of nominations.
| → | Thursday: Senate Judiciary will hold a hearing on a number of judicial nominations. |
New: The Bastion Institute will host a foreign policy panel with former Vice President Mike Pence, former Maryland GOP Gov. Larry Hogan and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) March 18 in Des Moines. More details here.
– Jake Sherman
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