The Debt Ceiling in the Presence of Deep Inelastic Scattering: A To-do List for the Two-Week Capitol Resummation
Lawmakers face a lengthy to-do list as they return to the Capitol after a two-week recess to confront a series of critical issues ranging from a looming debt limit crisis to the fallout from a leak of highly classified Pentagon documents.
The debt ceiling will not be raised until the Biden administration and Republicans agree on spending cuts and a debt limit increase in order to give the economy time to recover.
McCarthy will be tested in the next several weeks when the speaker starts his conference. There is little room to navigate competing priorities in a razor-thin majority as the House Republicans hit a 100 day milestone, and they face internal divisions over issues from the budget to the border.
House Republican leaders are trying to get their conference on board with a plan that would raise the debt ceiling with cuts and revenue raisers.
In a statement ahead of McCarthy’s speech, however, the White House said the debt limit issue should be addressed “promptly, without brinksmanship or hostage taking – as Republicans did three times in the last administration and as Presidents Trump and Reagan argued for in office,” pointing to a quote from former President Donald Trump.
Senate Democrats have broadly supported Feinstein’s request to give her more time to recover. But without GOP support to replace her, there will likely be new pressure on Feinstein.
Democrats want to replace her with a resolution that will have the backing of a few Republicans, but they’ll need the help of all Republicans. It’s still not clear whether GOP leaders or even rank-and-file members will back the move, especially because granting the request could speed confirmation of judicial nominees they strongly oppose.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has been out recovering after a fall, has said he will return to the chamber on Monday. John Fetterman will be returning to the Senate after the recess period following treatment for depression, according to his office.
The Pentagon and the House Returns Recess after the Leaky Pentagon Documents Leaked Two Months After Trump Made History on Capitol Hill
Concern and frustration from lawmakers over highly classified Pentagon documents leaked online in recent weeks will also be center stage as congressional leaders press the administration for information and details about how the damaging leak happened and what the consequences will be for allies and adversaries of the US now that sensitive intelligence has been revealed.
McCarthy said that the House committees would investigate the leak. All senators will receive a briefing on the leaked documents on Wednesday afternoon, according to a Senate Democratic aide. Sources tell CNN that a classified report for all House members may be on Wednesday.
There are classified documents that were found at the homes of Vice President Biden, former President Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence, and key lawmakers are continuing their review of them.
Congress was not in session when Trump made history as he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony criminal charges of falsifying business records in a Manhattan criminal court. It’s certain to be pressed by reporters for their reaction to those developments back on Capitol Hill.
The House plans to vote on a bipartisan measure condemning recent actions taken by the Russian military to down a United States Air Force drone, as early as Monday.
The House is also expected to take up a GOP-led resolution to block a DC policing bill. The Senate would take up the resolution if it passes the House.
This comes after both chambers of Congress voted to overturn a controversial DC crime bill – and Biden signed the measure, upsetting some Democrats who argued that debate over the bill had been distorted and the federal government should not interfere in the district’s affairs.
This time around, Biden would veto the GOP measure to overturn police reforms enacted in Washington, DC, if it reaches his desk, according to a White House official.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/17/politics/congress-returns-recess/index.html
The Senate Judiciary Committee on the Biden-Sue Labor & Social Welfare Nomination Act: a Preliminary Hearing in New York City
Democrats decried the GOP bill as an attack on trans children, and are expecting it to be taken up by the House.
Julie Su, a key nominee for labor secretary by Biden, will face scrutiny as Republicans paint her as too liberal to head that department. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing Thursday to consider the nomination. The nominee’s performance during the hearing – and how lawmakers react – will be key to see if she can be confirmed.
The House Judiciary Committee will be in New York on Monday for a field hearing with Republicans expected to highlight violent crime in New York City as part of the GOP effort to discredit Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg amid the criminal case against Trump. The hearing was called a political stunt by a spokesman for the office.
It is likely that Democrats in Washington will put a focus on abortion when they return after the election. The Senate Judiciary Committee has announced plans to hold a hearing during the upcoming work period on the consequences and aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision last year to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The Senate Judiciary Committee plans to hold a hearing in order to restore the confidence of the Supreme Court’s ethics standards. That comes in the wake of a ProPublica report that conservative Justice Clarence Thomas did not disclose that he and his wife have gone on several luxury trips involving travel subsidized by and stays at properties owned by a GOP megadonor.
The House Oversight Committee is holding a hearing on the withdrawal of the Biden administration from Afghanistan with Republicans planning to criticize the move.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing the same day examining alleged Russian war crimes and atrocities in Ukraine. The prosecutor general of Ukraine is set to testify.
Changing the Senate Judiciary Committee with McConnell — a beloved senator who’s been there, and what she’s done for her
GOP sources said Sunday it was unlikely the leader would agree to this but that the issue still needed to be discussed, and a final decision had yet to be made on how to proceed.
But if McConnell agrees to the Democratic demands, that could cause blowback from the right, something Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton foreshadowed on Sunday.
One of the only Republicans to publicly weigh in on the issue was Cotton who said that Republicans should not help Democrats confirm most of Biden’s nominees to the courts.
But Feinstein has faced calls to resign from two House Democrats – and if Democrats are not able to replace her on the committee, that number could start to grow.
A major question will play out in the leadership meeting when Democrats discuss how long the Senate can operate without Feinstein. When will the pressure be on her to resign?
Another Republican, Maine Sen. Susan Collins, criticized Democrats, saying Feinstein has “been an extraordinary senator and she’s a good friend of mine. I won’t be part of the campaign to get her off the Judiciary committee.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that Republicans would block an effort by Democrats to replace ailing California Sen. Dianne Feinstein on the Senate Judiciary Committee temporarily as she recovers from shingles at home.
We hated to lose Dick, but the good news was that Dianne will be here for two more years as our colleague and that is very, very good news for Elaine and me.
Through their service, the two forged a bipartisan relationship that transcends some of the bitter discourse that has emerged in the last decade. McConnell got hurt when he tripping and falling at an event in Washington, DC, which left him with a concussion and a fractured rib.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Schumer: Rejoind the Committee on Judiciary and Senate Cases
If any Republican objects to Schumer’s request, Democrats would need nine Republicans and every single Democrat (and independents who caucus with Democrats) to vote “yes” to approve it.
“So let’s be clear: Senate Republicans will not take part in sidelining a temporary absent colleague off a committee just so Democrats can force through their very worst nominees,” McConnell said Tuesday.
McConnell said Schumer’s request to replace Feinstein on the committee was unusual and called her a dear friend.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a member of the GOP leadership team, told reporters Monday, “I would not support [a replacement] at all. We won’t assist the Democrats with that.
“I think that she is anxious to come back and so we will have to see,” said Michigan Democrat Sen. Debbie Stabenow. Over the years, she has been such a force to me, and a role model for me, that I just wanted her to be treated like everyone else. She’s going to make the right decision.
The top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee disagreed with Schumer’s request, but also praised the California Democrat. He believes Schumer wants to get more judges confirmed.
“She’s a dear friend and we hope for her speedy recovery and return back to the Senate. With all due respect, my colleague, Senator Schumer, this is about a handful of judges that you can’t get the votes for,” Graham said.
Feinstein announced in February that she would not run for reelection, and a number of Democrats have already launched campaigns for her seat in 2024 in what is shaping up to be a competitive primary.
Cardin told CNN Tuesday he had discussed with Schumer being the temporary replacement on the committee but that he had not discussed the decision with Feinstein.
The number on the committee are important, and this way we can conduct business. I look at this as a way of dealing with a current situation,” Cardin said.
Reply to the Comment by Cornyn on ‘Finestein’s decision to stay in the Senate during her recovery from shingles’
Many congressional Democrats have remained largely supportive of her decision to remain in office while absent from the Capitol as she recovers from shingles.
The Illinois Democrat was asked if her absence had long-term ramifications for the Democrats’ ability to confirm nominees and she replied, “Yes, of course it does.”
John Cornyn is an adviser to McConnell, and he told CNN that he doesn’t want Feinstein replaced on the Judiciary Committee.