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PRESENTED BY

BY JOHN BRESNAHAN, ANNA PALMER AND JAKE SHERMAN
WITH MAX COHEN AND CHRISTIAN HALL

THE TOP

Good Wednesday morning.

We’ve spent a lot of time during these past few months explaining how little trust there is between moderate and progressive Democrats. Yet that can’t even begin to compare to how bad the relations are between the two parties in the House, especially on the leadership level. 

Republicans accuse Speaker Nancy Pelosi of abusing her power in numerous ways — installing metal detectors outside the House chamber and imposing a mask mandate on the floor, with violators fined directly from their congressional salary. They gripe about her decision to exclude certain Republicans from the Jan. 6 select committee. Proxy voting. Passing multi-trillion-dollar legislative proposals with little or no debate.

Democrats counter that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Republicans remain in thrall to former President Donald Trump, to the detriment of Congress and the country. They believe some Republicans remain a real threat to their personal safety. And they accuse McCarthy of refusing to rein in his fringe members because he may need their votes to become speaker in 2023, which Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) openly alluded to on Tuesday.

Which leads us to Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) and what’s going to unfold today in the House.

The House will vote on a resolution to censure Gosar and strip him of his committee assignments, an extraordinary move by Democratic leaders. But it perfectly demonstrates what we’re talking about — the anger, the deep distrust and lack of decorum or civility between members on many occasions. 

The twin sanctions against Gosar came after he tweeted out an animated video showing him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and preparing to strike President Joe Biden. Gosar removed the video — which received millions of views — following a call from McCarthy. Gosar apologized in private to House Republicans on Tuesday, although he hasn’t done so publicly.

Only a half dozen House members have been censured during the last century. Former Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) was the most recent in 2010, but that came after a lengthy ethics investigation.

And Gosar will join Greene as the second House Republican to lose their committee assignments this year, another unprecedented action by Pelosi and the Democratic majority, but one they feel is necessary.

Gosar is an outspoken Trump loyalist who falsely claims the 2020 election was stolen from the former president. And Gosar, who was first elected in 2010, has ties to white supremacist and white nationalist groups, according to numerous media reports. Gosar even claims the Jan. 6 insurrection was an “antifa provocation.”

Gosar’s behavior has outraged Democrats — and some Republicans — for years. Rank-and-file Democrats pressed the leadership to “send a message” by punishing him over the video. Ocasio-Cortez also wanted “concrete” steps taken against Gosar.

“At some point, you have to say, ‘Enough is enough,’” House Rules Committee Chair Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) said Tuesday in justifying the move against Gosar. "Is there no decency? Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez has to pay for her own security, and the threats that she gets come as a result of behavior like we have seen with Mr. Gosar."

Republicans complained that there should’ve been an ethics investigation into the incident before any punishment was meted out to Gosar. Democrats countered that McCarthy would have to go along with such a probe, yet he hasn’t shown any interest in doing that.

One thing is very clear — Republicans will retaliate against Democrats if they win the majority in 2023. GOP lawmakers mention Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar (Minn.) and Maxine Waters (Calif.) among those who would be in danger of being removed from their panels by a GOP majority. More such removals may follow.

There are still more than 13 months to go in this Congress. We haven’t found the bottom yet.

The latest on BBB

Even as the Gosar drama unfolded Tuesday, Pelosi and House Democrats remain on track for a big vote later this week on the $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act. No time has been set for the vote yet. We’re still expecting it to happen Friday, although the Democratic leadership is holding out hope for Thursday. 

Democrats are still waiting for scoring from CBO on several major committee titles of the legislation, including the sections covering the Education and Labor, Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means committees. Moderate Democrats are especially interested in seeing if the CBO analysis is in line with preliminary White House spending and revenue estimates.

Yet the moderates seem pretty steady at this point, and are giving no sign of backing off the timetable they agreed to for the BBB vote. They also don’t seem rattled that some of the projections made by the White House may not be matched by CBO. For instance, the Biden administration is anticipating that CBO won’t score potential revenue gains by increased IRS enforcement anywhere close to what the White House projects. Yet moderates apparently are ok with that.

“We anticipated that there’s apparently a legitimate difference of opinion,” Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), a key moderate, said on Tuesday. “I talked to the CBO guy [Phillip Swagel] last week and even he admitted there’s just different interpretations of how the consumer is going to react. Again, what is a monopoly on the truth, if you will? I think it’s ok, that would not dissuade me.”

Also: You’re going to hear a lot about this headline today from Reuters: “Rating agencies say Biden’s spending plans will not add to inflationary pressure” 

THE COUNTDOWN

A December to remember — or forget

Just so you’re aware. There are:

→ 16 days until a government shutdown.

→ 28 days until the Treasury Department says the debt limit needs to be lifted.

→ “About” 3 days until President Joe Biden said he would make news about the next chair of the Federal Reserve.

→ 45 days until 2022.

→ 356 days until Election Day 2022.

THE WORKFORCE FEATURING RACHEL CARLSON

The third profile in our newest editorial product, The Workforce, drops today. We’re profiling Rachel Carlson, CEO and Co-Founder of Guild Education. 

Carlson is an innovator who saw the complex problem of teaching and reskilling the current workforce and honed in on the role that community colleges can play. Carlson launched Guild Education to work closely with private sector employers who wanted to provide education incentives to their workforce. By overhauling how companies help pay for additional skills training and installing coaches to work directly with employees, Guild has built a track record for the future of workplace education.

Read more about Carlson and her work transforming America’s workforce today!

TREND ALERT

From your local news channel to Capitol Hill

Over at Punchbowl News, we’re keen observers of local Jacksonville politics. Especially our colleagues Christian Hall and Max Cohen.

So when Donna Deegan, a former TV anchor in the area, announced she was running for mayor last week, it got us thinking. Why are there so many former local news broadcasters in politics? And how many of them are in Congress? 

Here’s a list of newscasters who started out in local journalism and ended up in the U.S. Capitol.

→ Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.): Salazar boasts a decorated TV career that began in 1983. After working as a general assignment reporter for Channel 23, Salazar rose to the role of main newscast anchor at Telemundo. Salazar’s career also included stints as a Washington correspondent for Univision and as anchor for CNN Español.

→ Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa): Before defeating Democratic Rep. Abby Finkenauer in 2020, Hinson was an anchor for KCRG-TV9 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

→ Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.): Crawford worked as a news anchor and agriculture reporter for KAIT-TV in Jonesboro, Ark. before winning his House seat in 2010. Crawford launched a farm-focused news service called AgWatch Network that serves dozens of radio station affiliates across the South.

→ Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.): Walorski worked as a television reporter for WSBT-TV in South Bend, Ind. 

→ Sen. Angus King (I-Maine): Maine’s junior senator hosted a Maine Public Television show for eight years in the 1980s and 1990s.

Here are the other members of Congress with media backgrounds. These names are courtesy of the comprehensive CQ database of congressional careers:

Print journalism:

→ Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.): After graduating from the University of Illinois Springfield in 1985 with a master’s in journalism, Bustos worked as a night-shift police reporter for the Quad-City Times. She clocked 17 years at the paper as an investigative reporter and later an editor.

→ Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.): Craig majored in journalism at the University of Memphis and was a reporter for the Commercial Appeal in Memphis for 11 years.

Newspaper publishing:

→ Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.): Yarmuth founded the Louisville Eccentric Observer, a liberal alt-weekly, in 1990. Yarmuth also wrote a column for the magazine.

→ Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.): Fitzgerald ran the Dodge County Independent News in Juneau, Wis. from 1990 to 1996. 

Radio careers:

→ Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.): Long co-hosted a morning drive-time radio show for six years. The show — “Keep Watching The Ozarks” — was based out of Springfield, Mo., and covered four states.

→ Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.): In the early 2000s, Tenney co-hosted a radio and television program called “Common Cents” in New York’s Oneida and Herkimer Counties. 

→ Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.): When he was in college at Morgan State University, Mfume became a radio personality at Baltimore station WEBB-AM.

→ Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.): Hice launched an evangelical radio show called “Let Freedom Ring” that played on WIMO 1300 AM in Bethlehem, Ga.

→ Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.): After Cleaver’s stint as mayor of Kansas City, he hosted a live KCUR radio show.

→ Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.): Womack’s father founded northwest Arkansas radio station KURM-AM in 1979. Womack was the station’s manager for its first 11 years.

Sports analysis: 

→ Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.): Tuberville, a former Auburn University football coach, worked as an on-air analyst for ESPN’s college football broadcasts in 2017. 

And an honorable mention:

→ Casey DeSantis: Florida’s current first lady and wife of Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis was a local newscaster in Jacksonville for WJXT. 

Did we miss anybody? Shoot us a line at team@punchbowl.news.

Heritage Action is spending $1.25 million on TV and digital ads targeting five House Democrats over their support of raising the state and local tax (SALT) deduction.

The SALT deduction is part of President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Act and is a top priority for Democrats in New Jersey, New York and other blue states. Early on in negotiations, the ‘SALT caucus’ demanded the provision be included in BBB in return for their support of the proposal. 

Heritage is targeting Reps. Carolyn Bourdeaux (Ga.), Cindy Axne (Iowa), Jared Golden (Maine), Elissa Slotkin (Mich.) and Susie Lee (Nev.). The campaign is part of a larger $2 million campaign the group has spent against the BBB.

Here’s the ad targeting Golden (who, for what it’s worth, has opposed the SALT deduction in BBB). 

PUNCHBOWL NEWS X JON TESTER

Sen. Jon Tester on how Democrats can win back rural voters

Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) joined us yesterday for a virtual conversation on the future of rural America. Tester discussed how his party can win back rural voters nationwide, how the ‘defund the police’ movement has hurt Democrats and what the bipartisan infrastructure bill means for Montana.

In case you missed the conversation, you can watch the full video below.

FRONTS

MOMENTS

10 a.m.: President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris will receive the daily brief in the Oval Office. … Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and other Democrats will speak about the BBB’s investment in climate. 

11 a.m.: The White House will hold a briefing with Covid-19 Response Team and public health officials.

12:30 p.m.: Biden leaves the White House en route to Detroit, Mich. Deputy Press Secretary Chris Meagher will gaggle aboard Air Force One. 

1:30 p.m.: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik will speak about the Biden agenda on the Capitol steps on the East Front.

2:30 p.m.: Pelosi will hold a photo op with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trudeau will meet Thursday with Biden and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

3:05 p.m.: Biden visits General Motors’ Factory ZERO electric vehicle assembly plant. 

4:30 p.m.: Biden will give a speech about the bipartisan infrastructure law.

5:40 p.m.: The president departs and returns to D.C.

7:20 p.m.: Biden returns to the White House.

CLIP FILE

NYT

→ “F.D.A. Plans to Authorize Pfizer Boosters for All Adults This Week,” by Noah Weiland and Sharon LaFraniere

→ “From Electric Bikes to ‘Tree Equity,’ Biden’s Social Policy Bill Funds Niche Items,” by Jonathan Weisman

WaPo

→ “States circumvent federal guidelines to offer booster shots to all adults,” by Katie Shepherd

→ “Beto O’Rourke’s bid for governor of Texas faces a big challenge: A state pushed to the right by Trump,” by Mariana Alfaro and Michael Scherer

WSJ

→ “Retail Sales Rose by 1.7% in October Despite High Inflation,” by Gabriel T. Rubin

→ “Senate Confirms Jonathan Kanter as Justice Department Antitrust Chief,” by Brent Kendall

AP

→ “Biden pushes electric vehicle chargers as energy costs spike,” by Aamer Madhani and Tom Krisher

→ “Reviving Biden’s big bill, Democrats look to regain momentum,” by Lisa Mascaro 

Politico

→ “Sinema strikes back,” by Burgess Everett and Marianne Levine

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Editorial photos provided by Getty Images