GOP senators to House: Drop the poison pills

Presented by American Chemistry Council: An evening recap of the action on Capitol Hill and preview of the day ahead

Feb 26, 2024 View in browser   By Daniella Diaz Presented by American Chemistry Council With assists from POLITICO’s Congress team The intraparty criticism reflects a growing annoyance among many Republican senators who are tired of their House colleagues exacerbating repeated shutdown threats. | Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images SENATE TO HOUSE GOP: “DROP THE RIDERS” Policy riders pushed by House Republicans have become a major obstacle to a deal to avert a partial shutdown this weekend. Some of their colleagues across the Capitol are telling them to drop it. Lawmakers are impatiently waiting for congressional leaders to announce a spending deal, as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker Mike Johnson trade barbs over who is at fault for holding up negotiations. But neither side disputes that House GOP leaders are pushing partisan policy riders, such as a ban on mail delivery of abortion pills and a pilot program proposed by Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) that would restrict SNAP food aid purchases. Many Senate Republicans don’t see the point.“The bills need to be as clean as they can be,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) said Monday evening. When asked about the riders the House GOP specifically is pushing, Capito pointed out that she has already voted for a Senate spending bill that didn’t include any of the controversial riders. “As always, the task at hand will require that everyone rows in the same direction: Toward clean appropriations and away from poison pills,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a Monday floor speech. He also told reporters: “We are not going to allow the government to shut down.” The intraparty criticism reflects a growing annoyance among many Republican senators who are tired of their House colleagues exacerbating repeated shutdown threats. The GOP has a solid shot of winning the Senate in November, and the conference doesn’t want to see those chances dragged down by a public perception that the party as a whole can’t govern. “Everybody’s at the table. We’re all working really hard to get this done. If the House Republicans would back off their extreme policy riders, we’d be through,” said Patty Murray, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. One note: Johnson has said part of the hold up is also Schumer’s push for more funding for a federal nutrition program that supports low-income moms and babies. “We want to get this done. The issue between us is we’re not going to have a bunch of extreme policy riders. We’ve told them that from the beginning,” Murray added. “We’re not talking about tiny little things. They’re asking for huge, extreme things.” Flashback: When the Senate voted on a “minibus” last year, which included the Military Construction-VA, Agriculture, and Transportation-HUD appropriations bills (three of the four bills that expire on Friday), it passed with resounding bipartisan support: 82-15. A week is an eternity in Congress time, so a deal could still come together and pass both chambers before Friday. But that gets a lot harder if lawmakers don’t see a deal by Wednesday, at the latest. — Daniella Diaz, with assist from Caitlin Emma and Ursula Perano    A message from American Chemistry Council: America is under assault and Congress has left the door open to our adversaries. The constant threat to national security is real and shows no signs of diminishing. The country lost a critical tool in the fight against terrorism when Congress allowed the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program to expire. Communities and companies should not be forced to go it alone. Congress must join the fight and act before terrorists do. Restore CFATS now!   GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Monday, Feb. 26, where we are missing last week’s recess already. HAWLEY’S NEW PLEA Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) mission to reauthorize a program meant to compensate victims of nuclear exposure could complicate Congress’ hopes to avert a government shutdown. The Missouri Republican said he’s keeping all options on the table as he pushes to attach the measure to spending legislation that needs to pass both chambers by Friday to prevent a partial shutdown. “We’ve developed the most advanced nuclear weapons on earth, but we cannot forget the working people of this country who were sacrificed for it,” he wrote in a dear colleague letter obtained by POLITICO. “If we can send hundreds of billions of dollars in security assistance to foreign nations, we can spend a fraction of that on our own constituents who deserve help.” Reminder: The Senate will need agreement from all 100 senators to pass spending legislation before Friday. Hawley could hold this up, though it seems more likely he’ll demand an amendment vote or seek some other commitment from leadership. Hawley has beat this drum repeatedly, including encouraging Hollywood to honor the victims of the nation’s nuclear legacy as it prepares to recognize “Oppenheimer” at the Academy Awards. — Anthony Adragna   GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE.     IT’S 2024 AND THE HOUSE IS STILL MODERNIZING House staffers are rejoicing about a major step to streamline how bills get filed. Gone are the days of junior aides trudging from door to door trying to get other offices to cosponsor legislation — now members can sign on with the click of a button. It may not sound like a big deal, but the step means the growing number of bills filed every Congress will likely only increase. Just over halfway through the 118th Congress, lawmakers have filed nearly as many bills as members did in all of the 115th Congress. Very few of those will become law, but introducing legislation is a key messaging element for lawmakers who need to bring something home to constituents. And that’s not the only recent step toward bringing Congress into the late 20th century (yes, you read that right). Caller ID says it’s the 1980s: Offices receiving constituent calls through the Capitol Switchboard will now show the caller’s phone number. That’s right, caller ID is now available in Congress. Previously, calls would show up with the generic “Cannon 202” identifier. This will make tracking potential security threats easier and smooth the process of following up with constituents who need to be called back (say, in the case of an accidental hang up). Both of those are the results of follow-through on modernization recommendations by the House Administration Committee’s subcommittee. — Katherine Tully-McManus    A message from American Chemistry Council:   HUDDLE HOTDISH This Missouri Democrats retweet is getting some attention. Harry Dunn gives a Detroit Lions No. 97 (Aidan Hutchinson) jersey to Cassidy Hutchinson. Sorry, Rep. Maxwell Frost. Carly Rae Jepsen is in town on a recess week.   YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS: From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics.      QUICK LINKS  Senate Aide Investigated Over Unofficial Actions in Ukraine, from Lara Jakes, Justin Scheck and Thomas Gibbons-Neff at The New York Times McCormick calls on Lee to resign over scheduled appearance at CAIR gala featuring antisemitic speakers, from Marc Rod in Jewish Insider Patton Guest, son of U.S. Congressman Michael Guest, jailed in Nashville after assaulting cop, from Jason Steen in Scoop Nashville Rosendale camp threatens legal action over Heitkamp accusation he impregnated a staffer, from Anthony Adragna College of Southern Nevada offers ex-Rep. Ruben Kihuen top lobbyist job, from Jacob Solis in The Nevada Independent Bob Casey Illegally Used Taxpayer Money for Campaign Flights, Records Show, from Chuck Ross at The Free Beacon   A message from American Chemistry Council: Chemicals are critical to every U.S. industry and to a strong supply chain. From farms to factories – chemicals are essential for growing food, protecting the safety of our water supply, making life-saving medicines and equipment, and producing energy. The Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program was created specifically to address cyber and physical threats to the chemical sector. It is the only program that allows companies to vet personnel against the FBI terrorist screening database. Congress allowed CFATS to expire, and for the first time in nearly two decades America is without a national chemical security program. According to DHS approximately 9,000 individuals were typically screened each month, which means more than 40,000 people have not been vetted for terrorist ties since CFATS expired. We can’t afford to go another day with our guard down. Congress must do its job and pass legislation to restore CFATS now!   TRANSITIONS  Elizabeth Predit is now the communications director for Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas). She was formerly press secretary for Rep. Carol Miller (R-W.V.). Chris Mewett is now deputy assistant secretary of Defense for global partnerships. He most recently was legislative director for Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and is a Sheldon Whitehouse alum. TOMORROW IN CONGRESS The House is out. The Senate is in session. TUESDAY AROUND THE HILL Crickets. TRIVIA FRIDAY’S ANSWER: The former member of Congress who joined fellow WWII veterans to found a new radio station in Texas before he entered office was J.J. Jake Pickle, who founded KVET-AM in Austin, Texas which signed on air in 1946. Today, it is a sports talk station. Its sister FM station is a country powerhouse in Austin. TODAY’S QUESTION: Who were the first members of Congress to visit Ukraine after Russia’s invasion? (Clue: It was one senator and one House member) The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@politico.com. GET INSIDE CONGRESS emailed to your phone each evening. Follow Daniella on X at @DaniellaMicaela.   Follow us

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