| | | | |  | | By Burgess Everett and Ursula Perano | Presented by the League of United Latin American Citizens | With assists from POLITICO’s Congress team
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Schumer remains adamant that Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan aid should be linked. | AP | CROSS-CAPITOL CRUNCH TIME FOR UKRAINE AND ISRAEL AID House Republican leaders made some news this hour, announcing that they hope to send a quartet of bills to counter the Senate foreign aid package – including assistance for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. If those votes happen, it will end a lengthy logjam for Speaker Mike Johnson after months of inaction on Ukraine. But here’s the big question: If the bills come over from the House to the Senate broken up into pieces – particularly a piece that sends aid to Israel without conditions – would it be a problem for the Senate, given rising Democratic concerns over the U.S. ally’s handling of its war in Gaza? Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) had a simple answer: “I think it would” be a problem. “Many of us would have a difficult time voting for” a standalone Israel aid bill that has no conditions attached, said Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). Though the Senate passed a combination of aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan earlier this year, Democratic calls for new restrictions on Israel aid have grown since then. That would make revisiting Israel assistance another difficult exercise in the Senate – not to mention that Republicans opposed to new Ukraine aid would make any votes on a Ukraine-only bill as difficult as possible. Senate leaders on both sides of the aisle adamantly insist the issues remain tied together, and they're not the only players who have concerns with the House GOP’s emerging approach. White House spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday that the administration is “opposed to a standalone bill that would just work on Israel, as we’ve seen proposed.” Senate Republicans, however, are increasingly opening the door to a new approach, though many who voted for their own chamber’s bipartisan package still say it’s the easiest solution. (That camp includes Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his deputy, GOP whip John Thune of South Dakota.) Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), for one, on Monday said he’d support a standalone Israel aid bill. And Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said he’s willing to vote for whatever gets the aid through: “'l’ll vote for a separate Israel bill, a separate Ukraine bill or a bill that includes both of them … I think that we have waited too long to get this supplemental passed.” Not every Democrat is pessimistic about a path forward: “I think we could pass all four bills, if we did up or down on Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and humanitarian. I think the Senate could pass it,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). She added that a majority of Senate Democrats would not need conditions on Israel aid. But other Democrats don’t want to entertain anything other than the foreign aid bill that the Senate has already passed. That would inarguably be the quickest way to get a new law -- and send aid to key allies as soon as possible – though it’s not clear whether Johnson has any path to getting it through his bitterly divided chamber across the Capitol. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said she won’t “even get that far in the argument” about considering new House legislation. “I just feel enormously frustrated, the idea that they are going to start from scratch and build something better than we already sent from the Senate, doesn’t even make sense at all,” Warren said. — Burgess Everett and Ursula Perano GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Monday, April 15, where recess is so close … yet so far.
| | | | A message from the League of United Latin American Citizens: The Dept. of Transportation’s (DOT) decision to terminate a longstanding partnership between Delta Air Lines and Aeroméxico could threaten travelers, including Latino-American families, with higher fares and fewer choices. Get the facts. | | | FISA, IMPEACHMENT, FOREIGN AID, OH MY It’s fair to say Senate denizens are bracing themselves for a rough week. In addition to what’s become a months-long fixation on the status of foreign aid legislation, the upper chamber has to deal with an impeachment trial for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas AND the Friday expiration of government surveillance authorization. It’s safe to say that dealing with everything on the to-do list involves a juggling act by leaders in both parties. “There’s going to be a bit of a pile-up,” said Senate Minority Whip Thune said on Monday. Let’s take a quick look at how this could go down:
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is expected to set up the first votes for the bipartisan House-passed surveillance bill midweek, probably on Thursday – though there’s an outside chance of Wednesday.
- The House is expected to present the impeachment articles to the Senate on Tuesday. Senate Democrats are expected to dispose of the trial on Wednesday with a motion to dismiss or table the articles, after a few forced GOP votes that are designed to keep Democrats from cutting things short.
- Then the Senate would probably advance the surveillance reauthorization, immediately gauging the possibility of a deal to vote on some amendments before the program lapses on midnight Saturday. The big amendment request will be on requiring warrants to search communications collected without a warrant from foreign targets for Americans’ information; Thune said his members would likely push for a roll-call vote on that.
So, how much appetite is there for a shutdown showdown over the surveillance program? In a fundraising email on Monday, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said it “has been abused to spy on American citizens” and said the Senate needs to “fix it or shut it down.”
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), his party’s leading Democratic opponent of wiretapping reauthorization in the chamber, maintained that he is against the bill. But asked if he would actually hold up proceedings, Wyden said only that he is “not getting into anything like that right now.” And then of course, there is Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) — a regular aficionado of drawing out Senate debate, including forcing a brief shutdown of Patriot Act programs in 2015. The Kentuckian said on Monday that he wants amendment votes on the bill and isn’t afraid of the program expiring for a couple days at least -- even if that’s not his overall goal. “That’s scaremongering,” Paul said of those raising national security concerns over the surveillance authority’s expiration during an ongoing conflict in the Middle East. “You think we can maybe live under the Constitution? We did until 1978, lived without this thing.” — Burgess Everett and Ursula Perano
| | | | A message from the League of United Latin American Citizens:   | | | SCOTUS CLOSES DOOR ON CLYDE’S FINES The Supreme Court has declined to take up Rep. Andrew Clyde's (R-Ga.) appeal of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision that upheld the House’s ability to fine members who skirted the metal detectors during the 117th Congress. Quick refresher: After the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, House Democratic leadership changed some of the chamber’s rules – including requiring members entering the floor to walk through metal detectors, with fines imposed for anyone who dodged the security measure. The penalties were steep, at $5,000 for the first violation and $10,000 for additional infractions. The GOP majority banished the metal detectors when it took over after the midterms, but members who were fined, including Clyde, still sued over the issue. The court’s choice to let the lower court decision stand is pretty much the end of the line for Clyde’s challenge to his fines. Clyde’s team did not respond to a request for comment. — Katherine Tully-McManus, with assist from Kyle Cheney | | | | 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. | | | | | FIRST IN IC: BOLD PAC TRIES TO SIZZLE BACON The campaign arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, BOLD PAC, is turning its sights to Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) with a new digital ad buy that dubs him “MAGA mentirosa” (“liar,” for our readers not fluent in Spanish). You can watch the new ad here. It highlights Bacon’s endorsement of Trump, opposition to abortion rights and alignment with the GOP, despite his frequent criticism of some of the most extreme voices within his party. BOLD PAC is pouring a six-figure budget into targeting 12 Republican incumbents ahead of the 2024 election. — Katherine Tully-McManus
| | | | A message from the League of United Latin American Citizens: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) recently announced its tentative decision to terminate the partnership between Delta Air Lines and Aeroméxico.
If DOT cancels the Delta / Aeroméxico partnership, 23 flight routes between the U.S. and Mexico are at risk of cancellation.
If the Department of Transportation moves forward with terminating this agreement, travelers, including Latino-American families, could be hit with higher fares and fewer choices.
It’s no wonder why a recent survey found that over 70% of Mexican-American voters oppose this DOT proposal. Get the facts. | | | Special Edition Pro Briefing: The Middle East Crisis Join us on Tuesday, Apr. 16, at 11:00 am ET, for a special panel of POLITICO's Congress, energy, defense, and national security reporters Caitlin Emma, Ben Lefebvre, Lara Seligman and Alex Ward as they discuss the latest developments in the Middle East, how quickly lawmakers could move on new aid for Israel and what more to expect. Tensions in the Middle East escalated over the weekend as Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel. The threat has been anticipated for weeks after an airstrike in Syria earlier this month that killed two senior leaders at the Iranian consulate. What might happen next? Here’s more on details and registration. | | | Tweets and treats, courtesy of Rep. Debbie Dingell’s DPCC chair bid. Exiled former Rep. George Santos has given $400 personally to Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), according to her most recent FEC filing. QUICK LINKS “GOP lawmakers are all-in on Trump — a conviction be damned,” by Riley Rogerson at The Daily Beast “Bitter contest emerges for GOP in Alabama’s 2nd congressional race,” by John Sharp at Al.com
| | | | THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. POLITICO Pro dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists. Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY. | | | | | TUESDAY IN CONGRESS The House is meets at 10 a.m. The Senate is in but TBD. TUESDAY AROUND THE HILL 10:30 a.m. Reps. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.), John Garamendi (D-Calif.), and Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.), Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)b discuss national monuments and sacred lands. House Triangle. 10:45 a.m. Democratic Caucus Chair Aguilar (Calif.), Vice Chair Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), and the newly-elected DPCC Chair deliver a post-meeting press conference. HVC Studio A. 1:00 p.m. Reps. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Jason Crow (D-Colo.) and Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) host a press conference ahead of the 25-year anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting. House Triangle.
| | FRIDAY’S ANSWER: Dan Cohen was the first to answer that since the first official leaders in the 1920s, three states have produced both a Senate Republican and Democratic leader: Kentucky, Illinois and Maine The leaders were: Kentucky (Sens. Mitch McConnell and Alben Barkley), Maine (Sens. Wallace White and George Mitchell), and Illinois (Sens. Everett Dirksen and Scott Lucas). TODAY’S QUESTION, from Dan: who was the first president to be interviewed by a female reporter? Bonus points for her name and the nickname bestowed by said president. 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 us | | | | |
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