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PRESENTED BY
THE TOP
Happy Friday morning.
There’s never a dull moment in this Congress.
Breaking overnight: The Congressional Black Caucus’ chair, Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), has reached a preliminary agreement with Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) on a pair of bills that provide more funding for police departments.
This could lead to a floor vote on an assault weapons ban today, as well as passage of the police funding package, although this isn’t set yet.
Beatty and other CBC members have been pushing for the addition of “accountability” language to the funding bills – provisions that spell out how police departments handle accusations of misconduct or improper behavior. A source close to the talks said Beatty secured such language in both bills.
The CBC will meet this morning to discuss whether to support the revised legislation.
The Congressional Progressive Caucus – the other key faction in this debate – needs to sign off as well. The CPC hadn’t seen the new accountability language as of Thursday night and will discuss it today.
The leadership – namely Speaker Nancy Pelosi – is pushing for a vote on all these measures before the House leaves town for the August recess. Pelosi is reportedly set to leave for a high-profile trip to Asia this evening.
Should the CBC and CPC approve of the police funding deal – and the situation was still fluid at press time – the leadership could then bring up the assault weapons ban, as well as the police-funding package. We scooped this last night.
The House Rules Committee moved late Thursday to give Pelosi the authority to call up and pass any bill on the same day.
Moderates have been pushing to pass police funding before the August recess. They want to push back on the narrative that Democrats are soft on crime.
But progressives and the CBC were unhappy about quickly moving this legislation without fully working through all the related issues. Several of the police funding bills were never marked up in committee.
Progressives were concerned that several of the moderates’ police funding bills could advance in the Senate while their priorities – including the assault weapons ban – stalled due to GOP opposition. The CBC wanted guardrails on the additional police funding.
At the start of this week, leadership planned to put the whole group of bills on the floor — the assault weapons ban and police funding — but following an uproar in the caucus, Pelosi intimated the House would consider the bills when members returned in August to pass the reconciliation package.
But Gottheimer and Beatty have been engaging in quiet negotiations all week, with the goal of trying to get everything passed before the recess.
So in sum, today could be a bigger day than expected as Democratic leaders look for another win going out the door. Or it could all fall apart. We’ll have more throughout the day.
– Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan
PRESENTED BY META
The metaverse may be virtual, but the impact will be real
In the metaverse, surgical residents will be able to practice risky, complex cases over and over.
The result: improved training practices and better care for patients under even the most trying circumstances.
LEADER LOOK
McCarthy’s barnstorming summer begins tonight
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy will barnstorm the country this summer, hitting 25 states for events with more than 100 members and candidates. This is all part of his quest to win the majority and become speaker of the House.
McCarthy will travel to all corners of the country: Florida to Oregon, California to Rhode Island. He’ll be doing an array of events on behalf of candidates, GOP incumbents and the NRCC.
McCarthy’s blitz is scheduled to kick off tonight in South Carolina. McCarthy will keynote the South Carolina Republican Party’s 55th annual Silver Elephant Dinner. The dinner began in 1967 and the keynote speaker that night was a California Republican by the name of Ronald Reagan.
Some of McCathy’s early stops include New York, where he will discuss crime; North Carolina, where he’ll discuss agriculture; and Ohio, where he’ll discuss jobs and energy. He has dozens of events scheduled for the month.
– Jake Sherman
FRANKING-STEIN’S MONSTER
House Dems fret over franking gap
One of the many perks of incumbency is that the federal government pays for lawmakers to send out mail and digital communication to every single household in their congressional district. This mail can’t be political and has to be approved by House authorities, but it’s a great deal for incumbents: the taxpayer foots the bill for mass mailings to constituents.
House Democrats are privately fretting that their incumbents have been slow to take advantage of what’s called “franked communication,” and are missing an opportunity to target constituents free of charge.
What’s worse: multiple vulnerable House Democrats told us they weren’t aware of the changes in the franking blackout rules, which allows constituent communication to be sent out closer to Election Day. And some top Democratic aides are raising the alarm that their candidates are being outspent on franked communications by incumbent Republicans in neighboring districts. With the Democratic majority in big trouble, leadership aides don’t want to ignore any tool that could help save it.
Traditionally, House members have been barred from sending out franked communicatoin — paid-for mass communications informing constituents of legislative accomplishments — within 90 days of a primary or general election.
But under new regulations in effect this cycle, the franking blackout has been rolled back to 60 days before an election. That leaves the entire month of August as fair game for franking.
The leadership has privately raised concerns to Democratic chiefs of staff about lawmakers’ unwillingness to take advantage of franking.
It’s a critical stretch before the general election when House members can reach voters directly, while potentially saving money on campaign expenditures in the process. The practice could be a lifeline for Democrats at risk of losing their House majority — if they seize it.
→ | “Honestly, I’m not completely up to speed on the franking,” Frontline Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.) said. |
Wild’s office hasn’t sent out a single piece of franked communication all year, according to an online database. Referring to her communications aide, Wild said, “she probably knows more than I know about it.”
→ | “We haven’t really been doing a lot of franked mail,” Frontline Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) said. “We are now using digital. So that’s basically what we do.” Bishop’s office has also sent no franked communications to constituents in 2022. Also, lawmakers can send franked digital communications too. |
→ | Another Frontliner, Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), has only sent out one mass communication from his congressional office this year. |
“We use every vehicle we can use to communicate to constituents,” Kildee told us when asked about his office’s lack of franked communications. “Especially now the way people consume information, the more we can directly communicate, the better.”
→ | Frontline Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.) has only sent out six franked pieces all year. Five of these communications have been sent following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Lee said she wasn’t aware of the new blackout rules. “I’ll comment on that when I learn about it,” Lee said. |
→ | Frontline Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) has sent out 19 communications all year, five this month alone. But despite acknowledging the benefits of the practice, Pappas said he was unaware of the shortened blackout period. |
“It’s always a way to let people know where you’re showing up in your district and the kind of issues that you’re fighting for,” Pappas said.
The House shortened the blackout period from 90 days to 60 days as part of the COMMS Act. That measure was passed in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 that became law during the 116th Congress. The reduction in the blackout period was instituted so the House would conform with the Senate’s blackout period, a House Administration Committee aide said.
House Democratic leadership say they’re pouring resources into making sure their members are equipped to maximize their constituent communications.
This week, New Dem Coalition Vice Chair Sharice Davids’ (D-Kan.) office led a New Dems training session on how offices can use texting, email, surveys, mailers and more to reach constituents ahead of the upcoming blackout period.
Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark in the past eight months has led multiple small-group workshops and two caucus-wide briefings on how Democrats can best get their message across in a multi-layered strategy.
“It’s important for members of the House Democratic Caucus to use every tool available to effectively and comprehensively communicate with the people they have the privilege to represent what our vision is for the future and what we’ve done to make life better for everyday Americans,” House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries said.
— Max Cohen and Heather Caygle
PRESENTED BY META
THE CAMPAIGN
→ | News: Frontline Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) is out with his third campaign ad of the cycle — a surprising tally considering it’s only July. The latest reelection ad from Kildee’s camp focuses on how the Michigan Democrat has stood up to his own party. |
The ad highlights Kildee’s support for cutting the gas tax, hiring more police officers and banning members and their families from trading stocks while in office.
“While none of this will make me popular in Washington, I approve this message because I’m focused on doing what’s right for Michigan,” Kildee says to close the ad.
Kildee’s seat is now rated as a toss-up by the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter after redistricting shifted the district to the right.
→ | Democratic candidate Alex Lasry, who dropped out of the Wisconsin Senate race this week, poured $2.6 million of his own dollars into the campaign in July. Lasry’s family owns the Milwaukee Bucks. |
— Max Cohen
WHAT REP. ERIC SWALWELL TOLD US
Catch up on our conversation with Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) below.
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME
Republicans clobber Democrats 10-0 in Congressional Baseball Game
Congressional Republicans shut out their Democratic counterparts 10-0 in a one-sided Congressional Baseball Game romp on Thursday night.
Climate protesters had initially planned to “shut down” the game – a longtime annual charity event – but as we reported in Thursday’s PM edition, the demonstration was severely curtailed following the reconciliation deal reached between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).
While the game started with no disruptions, protesters unveiled numerous banners throughout the first few innings. “Why play ball while the world burns,” one poster read.
A torrential downpour forced the game into a brief rain delay during the fourth inning with the Republicans leading 4-0. The GOP cruised to an easy victory behind dominant pitching displays from Reps. Greg Steube (Fla.) and August Pfluger (Texas).
Some color:
→ | Retiring Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) received rapturous applause during his 25th and final Congressional Baseball Game appearance. The top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee walked off to chants of “Brady, Brady” when he left the field. |
→ | Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) was caught flipping off the GOP bench while jogging past. |
→ | Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff was on hand to greet the teams ahead of the first pitch. |
→ | Steube, who hit a home run during last year’s game, wore an “ULTRA MAGA” baseball cap. |
— Max Cohen
PRESENTED BY META
FRONTS
MOMENTS
9:30 a.m.: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy will hold a news conference … Speaker Nancy Pelosi will hold an enrollment ceremony for the CHIPS Plus bill.
10:15 a.m.: President Joe Biden will get his daily intelligence briefing.
10:45 a.m.: Pelosi will hold her weekly news conference.
1:30 p.m.: Karine Jean-Pierre will brief.
CLIP FILE
NYT
→ | “Justices Sotomayor and Barrett Say the Supreme Court Remains Collegial,” by Adam Liptak |
→ | News Analysis: “As Congress Debated Landmark China Bill, Beijing Surged Ahead,” by David Sanger |
WaPo
→ | “Jan. 6 texts missing for Trump Homeland Security’s Wolf and Cuccinelli,” by Carol D. Leonnig and Maria Sacchetti |
WSJ
→ | “Jared Kushner Reveals Rare Details About Ties With Saudi Crown Prince,” by Dion Nissenbaum |
Bloomberg
→ | “Lavrov Ready to Hear Blinken Proposal in Call,” by Alan Crawford |
AP
→ | “For Taiwan, Pelosi visit is about US, China controlling risk,” by Huizhong Wu |
→ | “House Jan. 6 panel interviews Mnuchin, pursues Trump Cabinet,” by Michael Balsamo, Mary Clare Jalonick and Nomaan Merchant |
NPR
→ | “Climate experts experience an odd sensation after the Manchin budget deal: optimism,” by Laura Benshoff |
Politico
→ | “Family of Palestinian American journalist calls on Blinken to open independent probe of killing,” by Ari Hawkins |
LA Times
→ | “Doctors in abortion-ban states fear prosecution for treating patients with life-threatening pregnancies,” by Emily Baumgaertner |
PRESENTED BY META
The metaverse will make learning more interactive
Imagine students roaming with dinosaurs in the Jurassic period, visiting a museum in Paris without a plane ticket or watching Mark Antony debate in ancient Rome.
The metaverse may be virtual, but the impact will be real.
Editorial photos provided by Getty Images
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