The Archive

IN THIS EDITION

House GOP no closer to resolving spending mess

Scott will seek another term atop Ag panel despite health concerns

Senate pressures House on KOSA, while Schumer pushes IVF again

ICYMI: An uplifting CBCF ALC week

THE TOP

House GOP no closer to resolving spending mess

Happy Monday morning.

Trump assassination attempt latest: Federal authorities haven’t yet charged Ryan Wesley Routh after he was detained on Sunday following an alleged failed assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump during a round of golf. You can read about Routh here, here and here.

Trump was wounded in the deadly July 13 shooting in Butler, Pa., so the fact that the alleged gunman got anywhere close to Trump is especially shocking. The political fallout is just beginning, as is the FBI investigation. Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that state officials will conduct their own probe. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic congressional leaders released their own statements decrying any kind of political violence. This isn’t and won’t be enough for Trump allies, however.

Reps. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and Jason Crow (D-Colo.), chair and ranking member of the task force looking into the July 13 shooting, released a joint statement saying they have requested a briefing from the Secret Service.

Government funding: The House comes back into session Tuesday. Take your time, people. The federal government only runs out of money in 15 days, no big deal!

Here’s the reality: The House Republican leadership is no closer to getting the votes for Speaker Mike Johnson’s six-month stopgap funding bill with the SAVE Act attached. Johnson — who was with Trump on Sunday before the former president went to the golf course — pulled this package from the floor last week when it was clear that he was nowhere near 218 votes.

The outlook has only gotten murkier over the last few days. In fact, the GOP leadership seems content with spending the week trying to figure out if there’s anything they can pass. But if House Republicans can’t do that, they’ll have to accept a clean mid-December CR, either their own or one from the Senate.

Here’s what rank-and-file House Republicans told their leadership over the last few days:

– Some GOP lawmakers are saying they’ll never vote for a CR no matter how long it is. That’s the view of many hardline conservatives in the House Republican Conference.

– Other Republicans are saying that they need a long-term stopgap until March 28. This is Johnson’s plan. Others want a different date early in the next Congress. The idea is that Republicans don’t get jammed with a massive end-of-year omnibus funding bill filled with Democratic priorities. These Republicans hope Trump wins and can exercise more power over the spending process early in his term.

– Then there are traditional Republicans who are telling their leadership they should give in and accept a mid-December end date for a CR. This is also what House Democrats, the Senate and the White House want.

This all points to an uncomfortable reality for Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer — it’s increasingly obvious that House Republicans may not be able to pass any CR on their own.

In order for the House to have any influence at all in this process, the chamber needs to pass something soon. The Senate will need several days at least to process any stopgap package. Federal funding runs dry Oct. 1.

If the House doesn’t act, the Senate could pass a CR that extends funding until mid-December. Think Dec. 13 or Dec. 20. That would give Johnson a massive headache.

Consider the situation for a moment and you’ll understand why Johnson has very limited leverage vis-a-vis House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and President Joe Biden. House Republicans are deeply split over their goals and strategy here. Democrats and the White House know what they want. This is always the first rule of legislating — you must know where you want to end up. Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell will tell you this.

In order to prevent a shutdown that Johnson admits wouldn’t “behoove” the nation, he’ll need Jeffries to provide a good deal of the votes. Possibly a majority. Advantage Jeffries.

Even worse, Johnson’s leadership team is quietly warring with each other internally. Johnson publicly said Emmer needs to get the votes for his six-month CR plan. That’s Emmer’s job, of course. Allies to Scalise say Emmer is unable to do so. And Emmer’s allies say that Johnson is pursuing a plan that doesn’t have a chance of succeeding and dumping the responsibility on the whip’s plate.

So much for unity.

One more thing: The Federal Open Market Committee meets starting Tuesday, with an announcement on a possible interest rate cut on Wednesday. The political and economic ramifications of this are huge. Follow The Vault all week for the latest on the Fed’s moves.

— Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan

Happening next week! Join us next Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 8:30 a.m. ET for an extended conversation on the importance of small business policy and its impact on the nation’s economic future.

We’re speaking with Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) for conversations focused on the news of the day and their legislative priorities when it comes to small business issues and the economy. This event is the culmination of a partnership with Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices program and the final event in the series for 2024. RSVP here!

DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS

Scott will seek another term atop Ag panel despite health concerns

News: House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member David Scott (D-Ga.) will seek another term atop the panel next Congress despite widespread worries among Democrats over his health.

In a brief conversation, Scott told us that he plans to continue serving as the top Democrat on the Agriculture Committee, which is currently struggling to figure out its next steps before key farm bill provisions begin expiring on Sept. 30.

Scott sent a memo to committee members last week saying he and Chair G.T. Thompson (R-Pa.) agree they should forgo another short-term extension. They want to keep pressure on negotiators to hash out a long-term bill before December, which is seen as the real deadline for action.

Scott’s leadership has come under scrutiny by some Ag Committee Democrats, particularly those running in swing districts. These concerns are especially heightened as Democrats have a chance to retake the House, putting the chairmanship of a key committee — and potentially control of a hugely important legislative priority — up for grabs.

Democrats’ worries ‘widely expressed’: Scott made history in the previous Congress by becoming the first Black lawmaker to chair the Agriculture Committee. But the 79-year-old’s health has concerned several lawmakers, who have privately complained about both his ability to communicate with members and lead the negotiations on the farm bill.

Scott rarely speaks to the press and relies heavily on his staff for assistance on the Hill. One House Democrat told us doubts about Scott’s ability to steer the committee are “widely expressed.”

“I haven’t met a member who isn’t concerned,” said the Democratic lawmaker, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “There was a lot of frustration heading into the markup. We needed to have a comms strategy and a legislative strategy, but it took us a long time to get organized.”

The day before the May 24 farm bill markup, a group of Democrats even raised their concerns directly with Thompson, the Republican chair, according to multiple sources.

The meeting — which included Reps. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.), Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.) and Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.) — was held so members could report to Thompson why they planned to vote against the bill in committee. But some members also vented about Scott’s lack of communication on how negotiations were going.

One member who attended that meeting told us the group also went to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to figure out a plan on the farm bill due to a lack of direction from Scott.

When asked about Scott running again, Jeffries’ office said Democrats were focused on “working toward an equitable Farm Bill before the end of the calendar year.”

Succession plans: Multiple Democrats told us there are internal conversations about someone challenging Scott after the election when the Democratic Caucus picks its committee leaders. Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.) have been floated as potential successors.

Bennie Thompson, who is the ranking member on the Homeland Security Committee, still has seniority on the Ag panel. Jeffries also tapped him to lead an agriculture and nutrition task force last year. Some saw that as undercutting Scott.

Thompson’s office disputes that he’s trying to leave the Homeland Security panel. Hayes didn’t respond for comment.

“Congressman Thompson is planning on building upon his long standing legislative record on the Homeland Security Committee and is eager to seek his colleagues’ support to lead the Committee next Congress,” said Adam Comis, spokesperson for Bennie Thompson.

If Scott runs again for the Agriculture Committee gavel, it could be a messy endeavor to replace him, which may require delicate leadership intervention, which they have so far declined to do. House Democrats are very touchy about seniority issues and replacing aging members.

Scott’s allies think the effort by mostly white members to push him out has “racial undertones,” even though the potential candidates to replace him are also Black.

– Mica Soellner and Melanie Zanona

SENATE

Senate pressures House on KOSA, while Schumer pushes IVF again

News: Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) is ratcheting up the pressure on the House to take up the Kids Online Safety Act, her Senate-passed bill that would force social media platforms to design their products with the safety of younger users in mind.

We scooped last month that House GOP leadership wouldn’t be taking up the bipartisan package. But Blackburn, a hardline conservative, is trying to make it hard to skip. The Senate bill passed with 91 votes in July.

First up is a video interview with the mother of a 17-year-old in which Blackburn says the boy’s death — after taking what his mother describes as a “counterfeit Xanax” — shows Congress should pass KOSA. When asked how the teenager obtained the pill, his mother responds: “Some of that might have happened via Snapchat.”

Blackburn, who authored KOSA with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), notes the bill’s bipartisan status in the video.

Dozens of parents and kids will be holding meetings in the House this week to push the bill, according to Blackburn’s office. Officials from the University of Colorado’s medical school who specialize in preventing child abuse and trauma will also be meeting with House offices.

Some House Republicans worry the bill would infringe on speech and boost surveillance. And Democrats and civil liberties advocates are concerned it would empower Republicans to go after content supporting LGBTQ youth.

Dems’ new IVF push: The Senate will vote Tuesday on the Right to IVF Act, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced in a “Dear Colleague” letter Sunday. Senate Democrats are looking to revive the issue in the home stretch of the 2024 campaign.

It’s the same bill that Schumer teed up for a messaging vote over the summer. Republicans blocked it at the time, arguing it was a political ploy intended to boost vulnerable Democrats. We expect the same result this time too.

Schumer decided to bring it up again in the wake of former President Donald Trump’s recent comments on IVF, most notably his newfound support for requiring insurance companies to cover IVF. Of course, Trump’s position cuts against everything Republicans argued as they tried to repeal Obamacare.

In his letter, Schumer noted that this is a “key provision” in the Right to IVF Act, adding: “So, we are going to give our Republican colleagues another chance to show the American people where they stand.”

While the bill isn’t going anywhere, it’s worth noting that Republicans debated internally whether to advance it back in June, with some arguing that the GOP should go on offense over the issue. The idea would be to vote to move forward on the bill in order to force votes on amendments. This isn’t likely to be a successful strategy anyway.

“These are show votes, we know that,” Senate Minority Whip John Thune said last week. “[But] we’ll have a response when the time comes.”

On Trump’s idea of mandating insurance coverage for IVF, Thune said he worried it could raise insurance costs across the board.

— Ben Brody and Andrew Desiderio

PBN X CBC

ICYMI: An uplifting CBCF ALC week

Punchbowl News was thrilled to return as a collaborator on multiple experiences for CBCF ALC.

We kicked off CBC Week with our HQ, a day of programming and networking just steps from the Convention Center.

And on Sunday, we partnered with the Black Women’s Congressional Alliance for its third annual brunch at the British Ambassador’s Residence.

The event honored Black women in politics. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) received the Spirit of BWCA award.

We also toasted Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Nd Ubezonu, floor director for House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Punchbowl News Founder and CEO Anna Palmer gave remarks highlighting Punchbowl News’ commitment to championing women of color on Capitol Hill and beyond.

Raising a glass: Keenan Austin Reed, vice president at the Alpine Group; Michael Reed, director of whip operations and member services for House Minority Whip Katherine Clark; Karen Pierce, British Ambassador to the United States; Shuwanza Goff, director of White House Office of Legislative Affairs; and Tasia Jackson, chief of staff for Jeffries.

Also there: Tasha Cole, deputy executive director for diversity for the DCCC; Tamia Booker, founder of T. Booker Strategies; and Mischa Thompson, diversity, equity and inclusion director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Earlier in the week, we also highlighted our 2024 Punchbowl News ambassadors — leaders who have made a significant impact in their work surrounding the Congressional Black Caucus.

THE CAMPAIGN

Musk super PAC plans involvement in House races

News: America PAC, the super PAC founded and funded by mega-billionaire Elon Musk, has earmarked more than $10 million for voter turnout for House races, according to a source familiar with the group’s operations. America PAC will file its first report this evening, showing expenditures in New York and California, critical states in the battle for control of the House.

The super PAC intends to play in more than a dozen congressional districts, setting up canvassing, voter contact and digital ads.

Moving on up? Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) will appear at D.C. fundraiser Wednesday with Senate Republicans and Senate GOP candidates. House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik is getting top billing on the invite. Stefanik raised $1 million on a recent LA swing.

New Dem update: The New Democrat Coalition Workforce Development Task Force is rolling out its job action plan to combat the nationwide worker shortage. Check out the first look at the platform here.

On the air: We have two ads, shared first with Punchbowl News, from Democrat Shomari Figures’ campaign for Alabama’s 2nd District House seat. Figures is running against Republican Caroleene Dobson in a newly drawn majority-Black opportunity district that leans Democratic. One ad plays up Figures’ biography as an aide to President Barack Obama who was raised by two influential Black leaders. In another ad, Figures pledges to make college more affordable and support workforce development initiatives.

Former Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) and the DCCC have an interesting spot against Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.). Lawler just ran an ad saying he’ll “never support a national abortion ban.” The DCCC/Jones’ ad says Lawler “always votes against abortion” and adds that the New York Republican “empowers the worst people in Washington — their platform would ban abortions even here in New York without exception for rape and incest.”

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is running an ad featuring Riley Gaines, the University of Kentucky swimmer who lost an NCAA championship race to Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer from the University of Pennsylvania. In the spot, which is running across Missouri, Gaines says that Democrat Lance Kunce supports the “radical trans agenda.”

– Jake Sherman

MOMENTS

CLIPS