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PRESENTED BYBY JOHN BRESNAHAN, ANNA PALMER AND JAKE SHERMAN THE TOPNews: House Democratic moderates have been privately back-channeling with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) as they took on critical pieces of President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion reconciliation package this week. Sinema, for instance, has been strategizing with some moderates who serve on the Energy and Committee, lawmakers and aides familiar with the situation told Punchbowl News. Three Democrats on that panel — Reps. Scott Peters (Calif.), Kathleen Rice (N.Y.) and Kurt Schrader (Ore.) — voted with Republicans in opposing a plan to allow HHS to negotiate prescription drug prices for Medicare recipients. The Energy and Commerce vote ended in a 29-29 tie, meaning the proposal failed. While the Ways and Means Committee approved similar language as part of its piece of the reconciliation package, the opposition from the trio of E & C Democrats signaled a huge problem for the leadership. Party leaders are planning on using hundreds of billions of dollars in projected savings from prescription drug negotiations to expand vision, dental and hearing programs under Medicare, a major priority for progressives. And now there are serious doubts about whether it can get out of the House. Yet there are a half-dozen Senate Democrats who have similar concerns about the prescription drug proposal too, making it difficult for some of their House counterparts to back the effort. Why vote for the House version of this proposal if it won’t make it through the Senate? The drug industry has also poured millions of dollars into ad campaigns targeting key House and Senate Democrats, further upping the political stakes in this fight. Sinema — who already has publicly declared opposition to a $3.5 trillion price tag for reconciliation — also told House moderates about her concerns with tax increases approved by or under consideration by Ways and Means and the Senate Finance panel, our Democratic sources told us. Manchin is close with several of the House moderates as well, and he’s been talking to them behind-the-scenes throughout the reconciliation process. It’s not that Sinema or Manchin are “quarterbacking” or directing opposition among House moderates. That’s not the point. These House moderates, some of whom represent tough swing districts, don’t need that. What these lawmakers do need, though, is some insight into where Sinema and Manchin will focus their efforts during Senate consideration of the reconciliation package, which is potentially valuable to them in deciding what they can or can’t support during the House debate. We’ll point out again a statement from Rep. Stephanie Murphy (Fla.), the only Democrat on Ways and Means to vote against the panel’s reconciliation bill: “House and Senate Democrats must work together, in a careful and thoughtful way, to get this bill to a place where it can pass both chambers and be signed into law by President Biden. Every moment we spend debating provisions that will never become law is a moment wasted and will delay much-needed assistance to the American people.” BTW: This will be a hot ticket for a lot of people. Murphy is hosting a virtual fundraiser Thursday in the midst of the reconciliation drama. PRESENTED BY FACEBOOK Internet regulations are as outdated as dial-up. The internet has changed a lot in the last 25 years. That’s why Facebook supports updated internet regulations to address today’s toughest challenges, including: – Combating foreign election interference THE DEBT LIMIT A new-ish deadline for the nation’s borrowing cap Wrightson ICAP — a Wall Street data firm followed by Treasury watchers — has moved its debt limit date slightly. Here is their read this morning:
The Deadlines: 13 days until the government shuts down … 38 days until the debt limit deadline (if you assume Oct. 25). → We reported in Thursday’s Midday edition that the House Rules Committee was going to take up a bill to fund the government through early December on Monday. The bill is expected to include language on the debt limit — although it’s not clear what that will look like quite yet. 2022 Here’s what happens when you oppose Trump Our pal Jonathan Martin of the New York Times scooped last night that Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio) was retiring. Recruiting Gonzalez to run for Congress in 2018, as JMart pointed out, was a catch for House Republicans. He’s Cuban American, young and a former Ohio State and NFL football star. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy always says you can’t win a House majority without a football star running. We have no idea whether that’s true, but it’s a favorite McCarthy-ism. However, Gonzalez voted to impeach former President Donald Trump following the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Trump, in turn, has endorsed a primary opponent against Gonzalez. The second-term lawmaker still believed he could win, but for what? “You can fight your butt off and win this thing, but are you really going to be happy? And the answer is, probably not,” told JMart. Gonzalez was running against Max Miller. So let’s take stock for a moment of what has happened to the GOP lawmakers who voted to impeach Trump, a watershed moment for them and the party. → Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) got rolled by McCarthy when he tried to create a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection. → Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) got booted from House Republican leadership and now has a primary challenger who Trump endorsed. → Reps. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) both have Trump-endorsed primary opponents. → Across the Capitol, Trump has endorsed an opponent to Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski, the only senator in cycle who voted to convict the former president. Murkowski hasn’t formally said whether she’s running again. Other GOP senators were censured by state or local parties back home. FRONTS MOMENTS 8:30 a.m.: President Joe Biden will reconvene “the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF) to galvanize efforts to confront the global climate crisis. 10 a.m.: Biden will receive his intelligence briefing. 11:45 a.m.: The Covid-19 team will brief reporters. 12:20 p.m.: Biden will fly to Dover, Del. He is heading to his home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., and will get there at 1:25 p.m. CLIP FILE NYT → “Thousands of Migrants Huddle in Squalid Conditions Under Texas Bridge,” by James Dobbins, Eileen Sullivan and Edgar Sandoval in Del Rio, Texas → “For Some, Afghanistan Outcome Affirms a Warning: Beware the Blob,” by Sarah Lyall WaPo → “Biden’s submarine accord with Australia angers both France and China,” by Karen DeYoung, Michael E. Miller and Lily Kuo → “At an economic inflection point, Biden leans into expansive, populist agenda,” by Tyler Pager and Tony Romm WSJ → “Court Orders End to U.S. Policy of Turning Back Families Crossing Mexican Border Illegally,” by Alicia A. Caldwell AP → “COVID-19 surge forces health care rationing in parts of West,” by Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho → “Organizer of Saturday rally looks to rewrite Jan. 6 history,” by Brian Slodysko LAT → “After recall flop, struggling California Republicans once again fighting over future,” by Melanie Mason and Seema Mehta CNN → “Key senators eye the exits ahead of 2022 midterms: ‘It’s a six-year commitment’,” by Manu Raju PRESENTED BY FACEBOOK Why Facebook supports reforming Section 230 The internet has changed a lot in the last 25 years—the last time comprehensive internet regulations were passed. There are more ways to share than ever before—and more challenges, too. That’s why we support updating internet regulations—including reforming Section 230, to set standards for the way larger tech companies enforce rules about content. Learn more about the steps we’ve taken and why we support updated internet regulations next. Enjoying Punchbowl News 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
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