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April 21, 2022
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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| → | 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. |
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