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Punchbowl News AM

Pelosi's big S.F. night

April 21, 2022

Presented by AARP

48 million family caregivers give everything to help older loved ones. They give time and energy, too often giving up their jobs and paying over $7,000 a year out of pocket. With a new Congress, it’s time to act on the Credit for Caring tax credit.

PRESENTED BY

BY JOHN BRESNAHAN, ANNA PALMER, JAKE SHERMAN AND HEATHER CAYGLE

WITH MAX COHEN AND CHRISTIAN HALL

THE TOP

Happy Thursday morning. We accidentally said yesterday was Thursday in the AM edition. Today is actually Thursday. We promise this time.

News: Speaker Nancy Pelosi raised more than $4.4 million at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco Tuesday night. The fundraiser was conducted through the Nancy Pelosi Victory Fund, which is a joint fundraising committee between Pelosi’s congressional account, Pelosi’s PAC to the Future and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

A Pelosi aide told us it was the single largest individual donor fundraiser in DCCC history.

Pelosi far surpasses any other lawmaker when it comes to fundraising. The California Democrat raised a record $45.7 million for Democrats in the first quarter of this year. She has brought in a mind-boggling $1.16 billion since joining leadership 20 years ago, as we first reported earlier this month.

On another note, Pelosi was very unhappy about Wednesday’s night incident involving a small plane flying over Washington, D.C., that resulted in the evacuation of the Capitol and other congressional buildings.

The U.S. Capitol Police ordered an evacuation at 6:32 p.m. last night because they couldn’t identify the plane and were worried about an attack. The radar flight path showed the plane circling just south of the Capitol, and it wasn’t “responding to communication,” as our colleague Heather Caygle reported.

It turned out, however, that the plane was part of the pre-game festivities for the Washington Nationals’ “Military Appreciation Night.” Several members of the Army’s Golden Knights parachute team jumped onto the field.

The Federal Aviation Administration reportedly didn’t give a heads-up to the Capitol Police, who saw the plane as a threat to the Capitol complex. Pelosi’s statement on the incident is, well, it’s pretty clear that someone at FAA is going to have a bad day.

“The Federal Aviation Administration’s apparent failure to notify Capitol Police of the pre-planned flyover Nationals Stadium is outrageous and inexcusable. The unnecessary panic caused by this apparent negligence was particularly harmful for Members, staff and institutional workers still grappling with the trauma of the attack on their workplace on January 6th.

“Congress looks forward to reviewing the results of a thorough after-action review that determines what precisely went wrong today and who at the Federal Aviation Administration will be held accountable for this outrageous and frightening mistake.”

One other note – When the plane incident occurred, President Joe Biden was meeting with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, Joint Chiefs Chair Mark Milley and other “top Pentagon brass,” Lucas Tomlinson of Fox News noted.

PRESENTED BY ALIBABA GROUP

Alibaba is partnering with thousands of American companies of all sizes to expand their growth in China. Our ability to connect U.S. businesses with over 900 million consumers in China is truly unique—making Alibaba a powerful growth engine for U.S. businesses.

In fact, U.S. businesses made sales of over $61 billion across Alibaba’s e-commerce platforms last year alone.

THE BUSINESS OF WASHINGTON

News: Scalise vs. the BRT

The Business Roundtable released a “suite of policy recommendations” Tuesday to help combat skyrocketing energy prices. Most notably, a statement from the group calls for a carbon pricing system – something that many businesses and activists are eager to put in place as a way to fight climate change and promote alternative energy sources.

Here’s what BRT said:

Establish a price on carbon* that provides a clear long-term signal and incentivizes the development and deployment of technologies to lower emissions, and lead on international efforts to align potential cross-border carbon measures. …

*Business Roundtable supports a market-based emissions reduction strategy that includes a price on carbon where it is environmentally and economically effective and administratively feasible, but it does not endorse any specific market-based mechanism.

This has touched a nerve in House Republican leadership.

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise and Reps. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) and Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) said in a statement shared with Punchbowl News that the BRT is risking alienating itself from Republicans and will “find itself alongside other fading organizations who lost their way.” This is a clear reference to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is on the outs with the GOP after it backed Democratic incumbents last cycle.

“At a time when skyrocketing inflation is hammering American families, it is shocking and tone-deaf that The Business Roundtable’s latest energy policy proposal calls for a new energy tax that would increase energy costs even higher while also pushing for crony tax credits that will only benefit special interests and Washington insiders.

“We strongly oppose the BRT’s proposed energy tax that will hit lower-income families, small businesses, and those on fixed incomes the hardest while doing nothing to confront China, the world’s largest emitter of carbon.

“Their approach would do nothing to lower gas prices or tame inflation; it calls for billions in new taxes, subsidies, corporate welfare, and government slush funds to further fuel inflation while doing nothing to roll back the Biden Administration’s regulatory assault on our economy.

“Advocating for an energy tax while soliciting massive government handouts for special interests is destructive, ineffective, and unaffordable.

“If the Business Roundtable really wanted to promote a forward-thinking energy strategy for America, they would stand up for their members and American workers by advocating for more American energy production to lower costs and carbon emissions, and they would abandon the idea of adding crushing new energy taxes that will hit hard-working families who are already struggling under the weight of President Biden’s runaway inflation and Washington spending.”

“By pushing radical policy positions like a national energy tax, the Business Roundtable will quickly find itself alongside other fading organizations who lost their way.”

To be absolutely clear, the BRT is not calling for a national energy tax, but rather a carbon pricing program. The fervor with which Scalise is responding to the proposal is instructive. With Republicans on the brink of the House majority, Scalise – a big ally of the oil and gas industry – is declaring that a top business group will find itself in a tough spot with Republicans if they pursue a certain set of policies.

Michael Steel, the vice president of communications at the BRT – himself a former senior House Republican leadership staffer – said: “Business Roundtable members support a balanced, responsible energy plan that would invest in new technologies and that incorporates many longstanding Republican priorities, including permitting reform and increased onshore and offshore energy development. Business Roundtable’s proposal would lower energy prices for Americans, strengthen our economy, and allow the U.S. to better compete around the world, including with China.”

DOWNTOWN DOWNLOAD

→	You don’t see this too often. The University of California Student Association has registered to lobby on “The Pell Grant, the EATS Act, the RISE Act.”

→	The Republic of Turkey has signed up the Van Aucker Group to lobby Congress on U.S-Turkey relations.

→	Huawei, the Chinese telecom giant, has signed up Rosewood Strategies to lobby on “Telecommunications services, technical support, software, hardware, and cyber security issues facing congress.”

PRESENTED BY ALIBABA GROUP

Thousands of U.S. companies, like Stride Rite, are partnering with Alibaba to grow their businesses and succeed in China.

→	We thought this was interesting. Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) is running for Senate and his chief of staff sent out some internal polling that shows him handily leading the field in the primary.

→	Gotta love this one. Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), the dean of the House, is hosting a pre-Kentucky Derby reception.

→	Love golf? Love House Armed Services Committee Chair Adam Smith (D-Wash.)? Well, here you go. T-Mobile PAC has a golf outing for Smith at the very posh and exclusive RTJ Golf Club next month.

FRONTS

PRESENTED BY ALIBABA GROUP

American businesses are using Alibaba to drive sales in China.

MOMENTS

All times eastern

9 a.m.: President Joe Biden will get his daily intelligence briefing.

9:45 a.m.: Biden will speak about Russia and Ukraine.

10:20 a.m.: Biden will leave the White House for Andrews, where he will fly to Portland, Ore. Karine Jean-Pierre will gaggle aboard Air Force One. Biden will arrive in Portland at 3:40 p.m.

4:05 p.m.: Biden will visit Portland International Airport to “highlight critical investments that will ensure stronger, more resilient infrastructure, such as an earthquake-resilient runway at PDX.”

5:10 p.m.: Biden will speak about the infrastructure law.

6:30 p.m.: Biden will attend a DNC fundraiser in Portland.

7:25 p.m.: Biden will leave Portland for Seattle. He’ll arrive at 8:15 p.m.

9:30 p.m.: Biden will attend a DNC fundraiser in Seattle.

Here is a memo from the White House on Biden’s trip.

CLIP FILE

NYT

→	“‘I’ve Had It With This Guy’: G.O.P. Leaders Privately Blasted Trump After Jan. 6,” by Alex Burns and Jonthan Martin

→	“After Pardon for Bannon, 2 to Admit Bilking Donors to Border Wall,” by Benjamin Weiser

→	“If Biden’s Plan Is Like a ‘New Deal,’ Why Don’t Voters Care?” by Alex Burns in Richmond, Va.

“Russia’s Missile Test Fuels U.S. Fears of an Isolated Putin,” by David Sanger

WaPo

→	“Biden administration to appeal ruling striking down transit mask mandate,” by Dan Diamond and Ann E. Marimow

→	“On the battlefield with Russia, Afghanistan’s loss is Ukraine’s gain,” by John Hudson

→	“AP-NORC poll: Many say Biden not tough enough on Russia,” by Nomaan Merchant and Hanna Fingerhut

Politico

→	“Youngkin prepares to wade into national politics,” by Alex Isenstadt

PRESENTED BY ALIBABA GROUP

Ocean Spray, Stride Rite, Fender, and Bissell. These are just a few of the American companies partnering with Alibaba to drive business growth in China. Our ability to connect these companies—and thousands more like them—to almost one billion consumers in China makes us a powerful growth engine for U.S. businesses.

And it’s not just big companies. Emily’s Chocolates, Antica Farmacista, Nuria Beauty, and other U.S. small businesses also use Alibaba’s e-commerce platforms to enter the Chinese marketplace and increase sales.

In fact, last year, U.S. businesses made sales of over $61 billion while working with Alibaba. That’s $61 billion in sales in 2021 alone!

Editorial photos provided by Getty Images

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