The Senate gets moving on the supplemental

Feb 08, 2024

View in browser

By Garrett Ross

Presented by

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

THE CATCH-UP

ON THE GRIDIRON — The Gridiron Club announced this morning that Virginia GOP Gov. GLENN YOUNGKIN and Michigan Democratic Gov. GRETCHEN WHITMER will headline the spring dinner scheduled for March 16.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) looks on during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol Feb. 6, 2024.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed that his chamber will keep working on the supplemental spending bill until "the job is done." | Francis Chung/POLITICO

SUPPLEMENTAL SKATES ON — The supplemental spending bill providing aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan is suddenly on track to pass the Senate after a handful of Republican senators emerged from a long morning meeting and cast votes to open debate.

How exactly that debate will end remains very much up in the air, though. Leaders of both parties, our colleagues Ursula Perano and Burgess Everett report, are “still stuck on how to address conservative demands on amendment votes — and senators' urgent desire to go on recess.”

“We are going to keep working on this bill until the job is done,” Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER said after the 67-32 vote.

The about-face comes a day after Republicans voted en masse to tank a bipartisan border security deal and then dithered on whether to move forward on the standalone foreign aid bill. Now, Ursula and Burgess write, they’re headed for “a rare weekend session even as some Republicans still question what amendments they might propose.”

There’s a possibility that senators could be watching the Super Bowl from their Capitol hideaways: If senators can’t strike an amendment deal to speed up final passage, they could be stuck in Washington until Tuesday. (Sen. ROGER MARSHALL (R-Kan.), a Chiefs superfan, says he’s prepared.)

“There seems to be a lot of willingness by the Democrats to give us amendments,” Sen. TODD YOUNG (R-Ind.) said after the meeting today. “It's whether we can get everyone [in the GOP] around a strategy of supporting a certain menu of amendments. I think the answer there is going to be no.”

On the other hand, as Burgess smartly points out, the jet fumes are percolating in the Capitol: “They’ve been in session for five weeks and the only thing between senators and a two-week recess is this vote …”

Complicating things (as ever) is Sen. RAND PAUL (R-Ky.), who told Ursula that he will object to anything that “speeds up” consideration of the package.

Protesters and journalists are seen outside the U.S. Supreme Court.

A throng of reporters and protesters descended on the Supreme Court this morning as the bench heard two hours of argument over whether states can boot Donald Trump from their ballots. | Francis Chung/POLITICO

THE SCOTUS SCUTTLE — DONALD TRUMP had his day in the Supreme Court, with the nine justices hearing two hours of argument over whether states can boot the former president from their ballots.

There is no decision yet, but Chief Justice JOHN ROBERTS and his colleagues — including the liberals — seemed skeptical of Colorado’s case for striking Trump from the ballot.

“Justices on both the left and right raised pointed questions to JASON MURRAY, the lawyer arguing in favor of Colorado's position, about the ‘extraordinary’ ramifications of letting individual states decide whether a candidate is an insurrectionist,” our colleague Kyle Cheney writes.

Roberts said it is “a position that is at war with the whole thrust of the 14th Amendment,” adding that that the position would have empowered the former Confederate states to weigh in on whether a candidate is disqualified from holding federal office.

Not just Roberts: Justice BRETT KAVANAUGH “immediately picked up on Roberts' question, reinforcing the point in a line of skeptical questions to the lawyers for the Colorado challengers,” while Justice ELENA KAGAN “followed up suggesting it would be ‘extraordinary’ for a single state to effectively influence the entire nation’s presidential election.”

And here’s Justice KETANJI BROWN JACKSON drilling deeper: “Why didn't they put the word president in the very enumerated list in section three? The thing that really is troubling to me is, I totally understand your argument, but they were listing people that were barred, and president is not there.”

Without Roberts or Kavanaugh, the challengers from Colorado will be hard-pressed to get a result here, as those two justices were viewed by court watchers as the most “gettable” of the conservatives on the court. Follow along with all of today’s coverage with POLITICO’s live updates

Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at gross@politico.com.

A message from The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network:

Multi-cancer early detection tests have game-changing potential in the fight against cancer. By testing for dozens of cancers - including rare forms - at their earliest stages with a simple blood test, these tests could revolutionize early cancer detection once FDA-approved and clinical benefit is shown. Congress: pass H.R. 2407 and S. 2085 to create a pathway to access to these tests in Medicare to make time for patients and their families. Learn more.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — For a preview of the Democratic messaging on the demise of the border deal, the White House is blasting out a memo today, critiquing Republicans for tanking the legislation and framing the failure as the GOP vs. Border Patrol.

“Congressional Republicans – in their own words – are citing former President Donald Trump’s political demands as their reason for denying the American people border security and denying law enforcement professionals at the border the resources they need,” deputy press secretary ANDREW BATES writes. Read the full memo

7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

House Speaker Mike Johnson departs a press conference at the U.S. Capitol.

Speaker Mike Johnson thrust himself into the mix over the Montana Senate GOP primary. | Francis Chung/POLITICO

1. ON THE FLIP SIDE: Speaker MIKE JOHNSON has decided not to endorse Rep. MATT ROSENDALE in the Montana Senate race after receiving blowback from his Republican colleagues, Burgess Everett and Olivia Beavers report. Rosendale is preparing to jump into the GOP primary against businessman TIM SHEEHY, who has the backing of the NRSC and Senate Minority Leader MITCH McCONNELL. Montana GOP Rep. RYAN ZINKE said Johnson “withdrew his endorsement largely based on the reality that Rosendale is the weaker candidate by far against” Democratic Sen. JON TESTER.

By the afternoon, though, Johnson had instead decided to donate to Rosendale’s campaign absent an endorsement, CNN’s Melanie Zanona reports. News of Johnson’s original intention to endorse Rosendale was first reported by Punchbowl, prompting the pushback and reversal.

2. SPECIAL TREATMENT: Next week, New York’s 3rd Congressional District will choose a successor for ousted Rep. GEORGE SANTOS, and polls are indicating that the race between Democrat TOM SUOZZI and Republican MAZI PILIP will come down to the wire. According to the latest Newsday/Siena College poll released this morning, Suozzi leads Pilip, 48% to 44%, with about 7% still undecided. (Interestingly, in the same poll Trump leads Biden 47% to 42% in a head-to-head presidential matchup. The district went for Biden in 2020.) More from Kierra Frazier … See the poll

3. CASH DASH: NIKKI HALEY is still tapping the sap of Republican donors. During a campaign trip through California this week, Haley’s campaign said it has raked in “$1.7 million during in-person fundraising events,” Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser reports. The swing through the Golden State also marked the first campaign events that Haley has held in one of the 15 states that will hold primary contests on Super Tuesday.

YOUR VIP PASS TO THE MUNICH SECURITY CONFERENCE: Dive into the heart of global security with POLITICO's Global Playbook at the 2024 Munich Security Conference. Gain exclusive insights and in-depth analysis as author Suzanne Lynch navigates the crucial discussions, key players and emerging trends that will shape the international security landscape. Subscribe now to Global Playbook and stay informed.

4. FOR YOUR RADAR: “U.S. Airstrike Increases Calls in Iraq to Expel Coalition Forces,” by WSJ’s Sune Engel Rasmussen and Benoit Faucon: “Months of escalating clashes between the U.S. and Iranian-backed militias in the country have increased pressure — both from ordinary Iraqis and from political factions loyal to Iran — on the prime minister to fast-track an American exit.

“Approximately 2,500 U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq, advising and assisting local forces to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State. Should the U.S. be forced to depart or scale back its presence significantly, it could reduce its already waning influence in the region, undermine past successes in defeating Islamic State, and risk upsetting the fragile regional equilibrium between rival powers, from Iran to Russia, Turkey or Saudi Arabia.”

5. WHATCHU TALKIN’ ABOUT: “A Defense Lawyer Caught the Whiff of a Rumor. It Brought Trump’s Georgia Case to a Halt,” by WSJ’s Mariah Timms: ASHLEIGH MERCHANT’S “filing has brought one of the most high-profile legal cases in the country to an impasse, with the nation watching to see whether [Fulton County DA FANI] WILLIS’s office will be disqualified from the case. Merchant joined the racketeering case in September, after [MIKE] ROMAN’s legal team began scouting for a lawyer with state court access and experience with racketeering cases, she said. She first heard rumors of a relationship between Willis and [NATHAN] WADE around then but said she only began digging into Wade’s hiring as part of her usual trial prep.”

6. ANNALS OF MISINFORMATION: “Russian Intelligence Is Pushing False Claims of U.S. Biological Testing in Africa, U.S. Says,” by WSJ’s Michael Gordon, Gabriele Steinhauser, Dustin Volz and Ann Simmons: “The effort is part of a Russian campaign to counter the U.S. in Africa and Latin America as Washington and Moscow battle for public opinion around the world. At the heart of the Russian campaign is ‘African Initiative,’ an online news service set up late last year that has used social media to promote criticism of Western public-health efforts in Africa and convened a conference in which participants disparaged Western pharmaceutical companies.”

7. BACKSTORY: “How the Rockefellers and Billionaire Donors Pressured Biden on LNG Exports,” by WSJ’s Benoît Morenne and Andrew Restuccia: “The billionaire-backed campaign, starting around four years ago, worked to identify and fund community leaders already campaigning against fossil-fuel projects. The activists buttonholed White House and federal officials in Washington, Houston and Dubai as part of a high-intensity grassroots campaign.”

CONGRESS OVERDRIVE: Since day one, POLITICO has been laser-focused on Capitol Hill, serving up the juiciest Congress coverage. Now, we’re upping our game to ensure you’re up to speed and in the know on every tasty morsel and newsy nugget from inside the Capitol Dome, around the clock. Wake up, read Playbook AM, get up to speed at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report, and fuel your nightly conversations with Inside Congress in the evening. Plus, never miss a beat with buzzy, real-time updates throughout the day via our Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here.

PLAYBOOKERS

Anthony Fauci has a memoir — titled “On Call” — on the way.

Nikki Haley read mean tweets about her on Jimmy Kimmel’s show.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is getting involved with Adam Schiff’s Senate campaign.

OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at “The Intersect: A Tech + Policy Summit,” hosted by global tech trade association ITI yesterday afternoon: Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.), Harry Coker, Anne Neuberger, Anna Gomez, Steve Benjamin, Alan Davidson, Helena Fu, Laurie Locascio, Barbara Humpton, Clara Shih, David Zapolsky, Ryan Heath, Andrew Levy, Waldo McMillan, Tracy Owens, Nate Tibbits, Kristen Verderame, Tucker Foote, Barbara Baffer, Brad Weltman, Kasey O’Connor, Joby Fortson and Jason Oxman.

— The Motion Picture Association hosted a screening last night of “Society of the Snow” with Netflix, the State Department and the Middleburg Film Festival. SPOTTED: Elizabeth Allen, Charlie Rivkin, Uruguayan Ambassador Andrés Durán, Spanish Ambassador Ángeles Moreno, Ruchi Bhowmik, Nicole Elkon, Catherine Collins, James Foggo, Clare Gallagher, Emily Lenzner, Susan Koch, Gail MacKinnon, Geoffrey Pyatt, Stan McCoy, Hap Rigby, Josh Rogin, Jessye Lapenn and Kate Balcerzak.

— Targeted Victory’s public affairs practice hosted “A Toast to 2024” at Junction Bistro and Bar last night. SPOTTED: Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Cory Gardner, Mike Thom, Mike Alm, Steve Abbott, Courtney Johnson, Alex Schriver, Arjun Mody, Brian Morgenstern, Nathan Leamer, Matt Hoekstra and Katherine Patterson.

— SPOTTED at a Bush-Cheney alumni book party yesterday at the Metropolitan Club celebrating Anita McBride and her work co-authoring “U.S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies” ($81.95) and “Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America's History Making Women” ($29.95): Josh and Ann Bolten, Alphonso and Marcia Jackson, Margaret Spellings, Spence Abraham, Ed and Cathy Gillespie, Nick and Lydia Calio, Ginger and Brett Loper, Israel Hernandez, Sara Fagen, Paula Dobriansky, John Bridgeland, Kristen Silverberg, Candi Wolff, Brian McCormack, Myriah Jordan, Stuart Holliday, Ziad Ojakli, Gordon Johndroe, Claire Buchan Parker, Karen Keller and Emily Lampkin.

BONUS BIRTHDAY: Engine Technology Forum’s Jessica Puchala

Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.

Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton, producer Andrew Howard and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.

Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook PM misspelled Anthony Adragna's name.

A message from The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network: