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![]() PRESENTED BY![]() BY JOHN BRESNAHAN, ANNA PALMER AND JAKE SHERMAN THE TOP![]() Getty Images “Get rid of them all.” That was former President Donald Trump yesterday evening at CPAC in Orlando. Standing under a banner that said “AMERICA UNCANCELED,” Trump called out every Republican who voted to impeach and convict him, and he urged voters to dump them in the next election. We’ve been waiting for this moment, only because it gives us the opportunity to write about the challenges of this approach for Trump and for D.C. Republicans. It’s not nearly as easy and clean as everyone is making it out to be. For Trump: The principal question we have here is whether Trump is going to have the infrastructure and, more importantly, the sustained interest in launching and facilitating primary challenges against these Republicans. That would include endorsing and most likely clearing the field for candidates in various congressional districts across the country. Saying you want to get rid of Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) is one thing. But ensuring that Cheney or any candidate faces just one challenger is the critical dynamic to watch. Remember: Many of the Senate Republicans Trump named are not real targets. Mitt Romney is up for election in 2024, and Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins and Ben Sasse are up for re-election in six years. Two of them — Richard Burr and Pat Toomey — are not running for re-election. In the Senate, the only real target is Lisa Murkowski, who is up in 2022. In the House, Reps. David Valadao (Calif.) , John Katko (N.Y.), Jaime Herrera Beutler (Wash.) and Fred Upton (Mich.) are all from moderate districts. Reps. Tom Rice (S.C.) and Cheney are at real risk. But if a bunch of Republicans turn out to claim the Trump mantle, the incumbent could easily prevail just on the strength of their name ID. Republican leaders have a series of thornier questions to answer in this Trump-versus-the-GOP universe. Will Republican leaders cut checks and raise money for these candidates? The NRCC — and that means House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), a Trump ally — put $3.1 million into Katko’s race in 2020 and $4.5 million into Valadao’s. If they make it through their primary, will the party continue to support them even though the leader of the party wants them out? Valadao is from a district not far from McCarthy. The NRCC under Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) will not get involved in primaries — even to defend dues-paying members of the House Republican Conference. But many of these lawmakers will be looking to the NRCC for support in a general election. In other words, Trump’s anger is going to force a lot of recalibration. Punch List: NYT: “Trump’s Republican Hit List at CPAC Is a Warning Shot to His Party,” by Jonathan Martin in Orlando and Maggie Haberman in New York PRESENTED BY AMERICAN EDGE PROJECT Maintaining America’s Technological Edge New Report: Top national defense experts detail the critical, long-term national security consequences that the United States faces if it relinquishes its technology leadership role. The report warns that forfeiting the U.S. competitive edge to foreign entities puts the safety, privacy, and economic prosperity of Americans at risk. ![]() ![]() For March and in honor of Women’s History Month, we pass the punch to Republican lobbyist Ashley Davis. Davis is a George W. Bush White House alum and is a founding partner at West Front Strategies. In 1964, Geraldine “Jerrie” Mock became the first women pilot to fly solo around the world. Jerrie flew from Columbus Ohio in a single-engine Cessna 180 named the “Spirit of Columbus." She would return to Columbus 29 days later after 21 stops, including in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Thailand, marking a significant milestone for both aviation and women. Jerrie recounts in her book, Three-Eight Charlie, that after landing in Saudi Arabia, a crowd of men around her looked puzzled with one man shouting that there was no man in the plane! Imagine the scene she caused in 1964 Saudi Arabia, where women were not allowed to drive cars until 2017. This Women’s History Month, there is a lot to be proud of when it comes to the progress women have made globally since Jerrie’s solo flight. Today, women make up over a quarter of all members of the 117th Congress – the highest percentage in U.S. history. In corporate America, women now hold 20.4% of the board seats of Russell 3000 companies. Not to mention the historic milestone of Kamala Harris becoming the first woman Vice President in our nation’s history. If Jerrie were to take her historic flight today, the women leaders she could meet along the way would astonish her. Stopping in Wyoming, she could meet prominent Republican leader, Congresswoman Liz Cheney, who similarly is unafraid of carving her own path. During a stop in Washington D.C., she could meet the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. In Europe, she could meet with the fearless women leading the democracy movement in Belarus. In Nigeria, she could meet Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala the new, and first woman, to lead the World Trade Organization. Across our history, women have always led the way forward, often from the background, but now more than ever, women are leading from center stage. As we press forward, we should be proud of the achievements women have made both here at home and around the world while continuing to use our collective power to push for change. — Ashley Davis FIGHT FOR RELIEF Covid fight shifts to the Senate ![]() Getty Images With House passage of the $1.9 trillion “American Rescue Plan” early Saturday morning, the battle now shifts to the Senate. And that’s going to take up the entirety of this week, even with Senate Democrats operating under expedited budget reconciliation procedures. First point: The $15 per hour minimum wage is done for now. The 17 million people who get paid minimum wage likely aren’t getting a pay raise. Not anytime soon. After the Senate parliamentarian ruled last week against its inclusion in the reconciliation package, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), two of the pay hike’s biggest advocates, had come up with a backup plan to tax large companies that don’t meet the $15 per hour standard. While it was always a long shot, now the backup plan is dead too, according to Senate aides. There was opposition to the proposal inside the Senate Democratic Caucus, and House Democrats — including Ways and Means Chair Richard Neal (Mass.) — didn’t love it either. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has signaled she will do a standalone bill on a minimum wage, although that may not happen until April. Sanders’ and Wyden’s retreat was first reported by Jeff Stein of the WaPo. Second point: It’s gonna be a long week — we know, we’ve been saying that a lot lately. Because of the Byrd Rule, which controls what can be included in a reconciliation package, Senate Democrats have to draft a substitute for the bill that passed the House. That’s expected on Wednesday. That starts the clock on up to 20 hours of debate, equally divided between the two sides. Amendments can and will be offered during this period. Even after that time has expired, senators can still offer amendments or make other motions, although without further debate. And then begins another vote-a-rama (Senate wonks celebrate here), similar to what happened during the budget resolution a couple weeks ago. There’s no time limit on the vote-a-rama, but traditionally, there hasn’t been a need to invoke cloture to end it — that means cut off debate. There’s also some restrictions on what types of amendments can be offered. After that comes a vote on the final passage of the bill. That’s a simple majority vote because of reconciliation. Senate Republicans are privately warning there are “structural problems” with the House bill that could violate the Byrd Rule, but they were close-mouthed about the nature of those problems or whether they could force a delay in consideration of the legislation. It’s clear Republicans will do whatever they can procedurally and politically to slow this bill down or derail it. This is a big week for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) We keep saying that too, yet it’s true. Schumer will be trying to manage all this with just a 50-vote majority. And he’s got Cabinet nominations on the floor this week in addition to the Covid bill. There’s also still the matter of whether Neera Tanden can be confirmed as OMB director or whether her nomination will be pulled. The White House is adamant that it wants Tanden confirmed — or was as of Sunday — but unless there’s some surprise reversal, this nomination probably isn’t going anywhere. HISTORY The Senate will welcome first Black Sec. of Senate The Senate will swear in Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) pick for Secretary of the Senate, Sonceria “Ann” Berry. Berry is the first Black person to hold the post, which was created in 1789. Berry — a 40-year plus Senate staffer — has been serving as deputy chief of staff for Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). She’s also worked for Sens. Tom Carper (D-Del.), John Edwards (D-N.C.), Pat Moynihan (D-N.Y.) and Howell Heflin (D-Ala.). PRESENTED BY AMERICAN EDGE PROJECT Defense Experts Release Policy Framework “We are proud to release the American Edge Project’s national security policy framework – the details of which reflect decades of experience and expertise gained in the subject, including from our respective tenures at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the White House.” WHAT’S NEXT FOR HOUSE DEMOCRATS Dems move to police reform, guns and immigration With Friday’s vote on President Joe Biden’s “American Rescue Plan” behind them — for now — Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Democrats will shift gears. Up next: Election reform, police reform, guns, immigration, a pro-workers’ rights bill and possibly the Violence Against Women Act and the Equal Rights Amendment. Another Covid relief vote is expected if and when the Senate clears their version of the bill. And that’s all in the next two weeks. Much of this legislation passed the House during the last Congress. But now Democrats run the Senate and Biden is in the White House. So Pelosi and her top lieutenants are bringing these proposals back again. In addition, bills can move to the floor without a markup or hearing before April 1. So for the next two weeks, House Democratic leaders plan to push through as much legislation as they can. In mid-March, the House will kick off a month-long span with no floor votes. The committees will be in session for part of that period, but many members won’t be on Capitol Hill. It’s one of the realities of the ongoing Covid pandemic, according to Democrats leaders; House committees find it difficult to hold hearings or markups when each floor vote takes an hour to 90 minutes to complete. So Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) have changed the House schedule accordingly. This week, H.R. 1 — a massive election package favored by Democrats — will be on the floor. While there have been some issues with the legislation due to concerns raised by the Congressional Black Caucus, party leaders say it’ll pass. The House adopted the legislation in 2019, but it went nowhere in the Senate. Also scheduled for a vote is the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021 (H.R. 1280.) Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) is the lead sponsor of the bill, which passed the House last year only to stall in the Senate. House Democrats will hold an online issues conference this week as well. In addition to panels on economic issues, systemic racism, health care, immigration and climate change, Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken will address the lawmakers. House Democratic leaders expect a vote on whatever Covid relief package comes out of the Senate next week. This is the top priority for Biden and the congressional Democrats. Also on the floor will be the “PRO (Protecting the Right to Organize) Act,” (H.R. 842) a major workers’ rights bill that was approved by the House in 2020. This legislation, introduced by Education and Labor Committee Chair Bobby Scott (D-Va.), would allow the National Labor Relations Board to fine employers for workplace violations, weaken “right to work” laws, give workers more opportunities to strike, and rein in companies’ ability to classify employees as independent contractors. Republicans and business groups are vehemently opposed to this bill And Democrats may schedule another controversial vote that week as well — legislation requiring universal background checks on gun sales (H.R. 8). Another bill would close the so-called “Charleston Loophole,” which allows gun purchases to proceed if the background check isn’t completed in three businesss days. Both bills passed the House during the 116th Congress only to be blocked by Senate Republicans. House Democratic leaders are whipping a major immigration bill proposed recently by Biden, but it’s unlikely to get the votes it needs to pass. Democrats would then seek to move legislation on the Dream Act and migrant farm workers. Pelosi and Hoyer could also try to bring up reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) or legislation pushed by Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) to extend the deadline for passing the Equal Rights Amendment. In the longer term, Pelosi and senior Democrats are eyeing a security supplemental funding package to address issues from the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol; a standalone minimum wage bill; and the Paycheck Fairness Act. There have already been talks with the White House on a jobs and infrastructure package — with cost estimates ranging from $1.5 trillion to $3 trillion — but that’s more likely a target for the spring, according to Democratic aides. CUOMO FALLS ![]() MOMENTS 10:40 a.m.: President Joe Biden will leave Wilmington, Del., for D.C. 10:50 a.m.: Biden will receive the daily briefing on board Air Force One. 11 a.m.: The Covid team will brief. 11:35 a.m.: Biden will arrive at the White House. Noon: Jen Psaki and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will brief. 4:30 p.m.: Biden will meet virtually with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Biden’s week: Tuesday: The president will attend a virtual lunch with Senate Democrats. Wednesday: The president will hold a meeting on cancer legislation, and will meet with House Democrats virtually. CLIP FILE NYT: “How Pro-Trump Forces Pushed a Lie About Antifa at the Capitol Riot,” by Michael Grynbaum, Davey Alba and Reid Epstein “Under Siege Over Sex Harassment Claims, Cuomo Offers Apology,” by Jesse McKinley and Dana Rubinstein in Albany, N.Y. WaPo: “Trump rules out third party as he moves to firm up control of GOP,” by David Weigel and Michael Scherer in Orlando “Allies of Rep. Adam Kinzinger launch super PAC to support Republicans who have bucked Trump,” by Josh Dawsey WSJ: “Iran Rejects Offer of Direct U.S. Nuclear Talks, Ratcheting Up Tension With West,” by Laurence Norman in Brussels and Michael R. Gordon in Washington AP: “Netanyahu accuses Iran of attacking Israeli-owned cargo ship,” by Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem JOB MOVES Pelosi’s new hire Speaker Nancy Pelosi has named Jessica Presley as Director of Digital Strategy. Presley comes to the speaker’s Office from the House Judiciary Committee. Presley also served as the lead digital staffer on the second impeachment and Senate trial of former President Donald Trump. Presley also worked for Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. CLARIFICATION On Friday, we wrote that Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) had reached an agreement on earmarks for the upcoming spending bills. They’re still negotiating on several provisions. DeLauro, however, did release her committee’s new rules for earmarks — which tracks precisely with we reported. PUNCHBOWL NEWS BOOK CLUB Jonathan Capehart joined the Punchbowl team last night for our February Punchbowl Book Club on "The Devil You Know" by Charles M. Blow. Check out one of our favorite parts of the conversation here. ![]() Enjoying Punchbowl AM? ![]() Subscribe 10 friends with your unique link (below) and get a Punchbowl News hat! Your referral link is: Or share via You currently have: 0 referrals Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up https://punchbowl.news
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Presented by Pharmaceutical Reform Alliance
Americans know who to blame for rising drug prices: Big Pharma. A majority of Republicans, Democrats, & Independents all believe Big Pharma’s focus on profits keeps drug prices high. Let’s hold Big Pharma accountable – it’s an issue we’re united on.