The Archive

IN THIS EDITION

The Golden Age of Pettiness

Senate Dems face potential squeeze on year-long CR

Tillis’ big fundraiser hits a snafu

The Vault: Senate Republicans’ reconciliation dilemma

THE TOP

The Golden Age of Pettiness

Happy Wednesday morning.

Screaming and yelling from the crowd. Blaming and barbs from the podium.

It’s the Era of Pettiness. The trolling has become the focal point.

The annual presidential address to Congress – once a dignified event that was the height of American political pomp and circumstance – has devolved into a tired display of pettiness and hyper-partisanship. We’re not sure what the average American – or anyone — gets out of this anymore.

President Donald Trump, back in the House chamber for the first time since 2020, opened his Tuesday night speech by declaring that “America is back!” to loud applause from GOP lawmakers.

It was part of a record-breaking 100-minute speech that was sometimes more campaign rally than presidential address, full of rhetorical red meat for Republicans and Trump supporters on DEI, DOGE, immigration and America First-isms. Trump offered no concessions to anyone and wasn’t looking for any.

Trump bashed Democrats over not applauding for him or recognizing any of his triumphs, as if Republicans did that for his predecessors. Trump claimed voters had delivered him a mandate, although they didn’t. Trump called Joe Biden “the worst president in American history,” while also asserting that Oracle and OpenAI wouldn’t have invested $500 billion in the United States if Kamala Harris had won.

“Our country will be woke no longer,” Trump said, slamming diversity, equity and inclusion as useless policies from the left.

Trump at one point insulted Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) by calling her “Pocahontas,” a remark that elicited boos and groans from Democrats.

But Democrats showed they can be just as bad as Republicans, even as Trump plumbed levels of disrespect and scorn for his political opponents that no other president has ever reached – at least not in public.

Democratic leaders declined to join the escort committee to bring Trump into the House chamber. And despite pleas from House Democratic leaders against in-speech disruptions, dozens of rank-and-file Democrats spent much of the speech protesting Trump by holding up signs or walking out in disgust. A Republican ripped a sign out of Rep. Melanie Stansbury’s (D-N.M.) hands.

Within minutes of Trump starting his speech, Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) stood up, cane in hand, and yelled at the president that he doesn’t have a mandate – precisely the kind of disruption Democratic leaders wanted to avoid. Speaker Mike Johnson had Green removed from the chamber after the Texas Democrat ignored several warnings, in a shocking scene. Green told reporters as he was leaving the Capitol that “It’s worth it to let people know that there’s some of us who are going to stand up against this president’s desire to cut Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.”

Throughout the speech, Democrats held signs that said “Save Medicaid,” “Musk Steals” and “False.” These were coordinated by the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

A few Democratic lawmakers wearing “Resist” t-shirts left the chamber in the middle of Trump’s speech. Others yelled “Liar!” and “False!” when Trump went on about disparities in Social Security records.

Trump did talk about policy but only after mocking Democrats, saying they should vote for his tax-cut plan.

The president reiterated he wants to eliminate taxes on tips, overtime pay and seniors’ Social Security benefits. Trump once again pitched a tax cut for companies that manufacture in the United States.

Trump called for “permanent income tax cuts all across the board,” giving a boost to Senate Republicans’ push to make his 2017 tax cuts permanent in Republicans’ reconciliation bill. But his tax wish list also grew.

Trump tacked on extra tax priorities: making interest payments on U.S.-made cars tax deductible, a campaign pitch; tax incentives for ship building; and reviving full, upfront deductions for businesses buying short-term assets like equipment and machinery. Trump called for making “full expensing” retroactive back to Inauguration Day, though it’s been phased down for longer than that.

At one point, Trump called on lawmakers to eliminate the CHIPS Act, a bipartisan bill that was approved last Congress with the help of dozens of Republicans and signed into law by Biden. Paging Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Todd Young (R-Ind.).

And Trump thumbed his nose at the wide array of Republicans who spent the day expressing deep unease with his new tariffs on Canada and Mexico. Multiple GOP senators and members, including party leaders, said they don’t want to see a prolonged trade war because of how it could hurt American consumers.

But Trump railroaded them, saying there will be another wave of reciprocal tariffs next month, adding: “There may be a little bit of an adjustment period.”

On foreign policy, Trump announced that the mastermind of the Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan, which killed 13 U.S. servicemembers, had been captured and was en route to the United States.

Trump spent only a few minutes talking about Ukraine, but he made several false claims, including that the United States has spent $350 billion on the conflict. Trump misrepresented how much money European nations have contributed to the war effort. And he accused Democrats of wanting to prolong the war, which is when he called Warren “Pocahontas.”

The president mused that the U.S. has spent “hundreds of billions of dollars to support Ukraine’s defense with no security, no anything,” though it’s unclear what he was referring to. Trump then claimed that Russia was ready for “peace,” even though Moscow has continued to bombard Ukraine with drone attacks.

Toward the end, Trump spoke movingly about the assassination attempt against him last July 13 at a rally in Butler, Pa.. The incident left one spectator and the shooter dead while Trump was struck on the ear.

“I believe I was saved by God to make America great again,” Trump declared.

— Jake Sherman, Andrew Desiderio and John Bresnahan

GOVERNMENT FUNDING

Senate Dems face potential squeeze on year-long CR

Senate Democrats are starting to feel the pressure over a government funding fight that could leave them with no good options.

As a government shutdown looms, a number of Democratic senators are considering supporting a Republican-led year-long continuing resolution — if it can clear the House — simply because the alternative would be worse.

Federal agencies run out of money at midnight on March 14. House Republicans are moving ahead with plans to pass a CR that lasts through Sept. 30. While the margins are tight, House GOP leadership will try to pass the funding bill with only Republican votes. Speaker Mike Johnson is enlisting President Donald Trump for help, with the president set to lobby House Freedom Caucus members on the CR approach later today.

If House Republicans can pass a CR on their own and it reaches the Senate (and that’s not a sure thing), Democratic support would be necessary to get to the needed 60-vote threshold.

Senate Democrats aren’t eager to make Republicans’ lives easier and give into a plan that Democratic appropriators — who favor a short-term CR — oppose. But the prospect of a government shutdown isn’t appealing either. It’s a lesser-of-two-evils decision for a number of Senate Democrats.

“I think the implications of a full-year CR are really horrible, especially for the military,” Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) told us. “And for a state like ours, a shutdown is even worse.”

Here’s Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who’s frequently willing to work with Republicans: “I will never vote for or withhold my vote to shut the government down. That’s chaos and I’ll never vote for chaos.”

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), a Senate Appropriations Committee member, also expressed an openness to a long-term CR.

“I’m going to wait and see what comes over, how that full-year CR is worded and what kind of anomalies are included,” Shaheen said.

Some Democrats insist that the choice isn’t a binary one between a full-year CR or a shutdown, especially since some Senate GOP appropriators also favor a stopgap CR. But if the House passes a long-term CR, that’s the only live option.

Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), the top Democratic appropriator, is among those pushing for a short-term CR. The idea would be to give negotiators more time to write and pass full-year spending bills.

Murray said a full-year CR would only enable Elon Musk and his DOGE operation.

“We cannot stand by and accept a year-long power grab CR that would help Elon take a chainsaw to programs that families rely on and agencies that keep our communities safe,” Murray said Tuesday.

At the same time, Murray says she doesn’t want a shutdown and noted that Musk has called for one.

But if the House sends the Senate a full-year CR, it would be difficult for Senate Democrats to say no when the only alternative at that point is a shutdown.

The same can be said for Republican defense hawks, many of whom have been sounding the alarm about the detrimental impacts a full-year CR could have on the Pentagon.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.), the top GOP defense appropriator, wrote in a Washington Post op-ed that “forcing the U.S. military to equip itself for next year’s threats at this year’s prices with last year’s dollars is a recipe for disaster.”

— Max Cohen and Andrew Desiderio

SENATE MAP

Tillis’ big fundraiser hits a snafu

Sen. Thom Tillis’ (R-N.C.) campaign is holding a major fundraiser in Raleigh on March 21, seeking to highlight a deep bench of in-state Republican supporters.

But in a sloppy start to Tillis’ high-stakes reelection campaign, a number of House Republicans mentioned in the invite were included without their knowledge.

One House Republican listed as a special guest on the invite — Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-N.C.) — told us he isn’t endorsing Tillis and wasn’t aware he was included in the fundraiser.

“Congressman Harrigan did not authorize or approve the use of his name in any materials for an event supporting Senator Tillis,” Lexi Kranich, Harrigan’s communications director, said in a statement. “While we recognize the importance of holding this critical Senate seat for Republicans, Congressman Harrigan’s focus remains on advancing President Trump’s America First agenda.”

We’re also told that Reps. Addison McDowell (R-N.C.) and Brad Knott (R-N.C.) weren’t consulted on their inclusion on the fundraising invite.

Tillis’ team didn’t comment.

The snafu shows how Tillis will face issues uniting the North Carolina GOP as he faces a brutal fight for his political future in 2026. On top of a potential primary challenge, Democrats are likely to pour tens of millions of dollars into the Tarheel State to flip the seat, meaning Tillis will need to maximize his Republican voteshare to win.

Another North Carolina Republican, Rep. Mark Harris, told us he isn’t endorsing Tillis yet. Harris wasn’t included on the fundraising invite.

“I haven’t had much time to start thinking about [the] 2026 elections,” Harris told us. “Sen. Tillis and I haven’t talked about his race nor has he asked me for my endorsement in his reelection campaign.”

Tillis’ willingness to work across the aisle has angered his home state’s base in recent years. In 2023, hardline delegates from the state Republican Party voted to censure Tillis after he supported the Respect for Marriage Act and the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Tillis has also been a prominent GOP supporter of Ukraine, often challenging members of his own party on the issue.

As a result, right-wing activists have vowed to unseat Tillis. Local businessman Andy Nilsson has already announced a primary run. One potential challenger, former Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, won’t be running against Tillis.

Tillis has brushed off the censures and stood by his dealmaking tendencies. And following President Donald Trump’s victory, Tillis has voted for every single one of Trump’s nominees and tied himself closely to the administration.

Tillis was instrumental, for example, in Kash Patel’s confirmation as FBI director.

— Mica Soellner, Max Cohen and Jake Sherman

… AND THERE’S MORE

Downtown Download. S-3 Group is promoting several employees to partner: Hastie Afkhami, Jose Ceballos and Marty Reiser.

Afkhami is an alum of Ogilvy and the Podesta Group. Ceballos was the director of government affairs for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Reiser was the policy director for House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.

In addition, Sarah Dolan Schneider has been promoted to senior vice president in the firm’s public affairs practice.

– Jake Sherman

MOMENTS

CLIPS