Dems debate a Bibi blowoff

An evening recap of the action on Capitol Hill and preview of the day ahead

Jun 14, 2024 View in browser   By Daniella Diaz, Nicholas Wu and Ursula Perano With assists from POLITICO’s Congress team Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) is one of the lawmakers who’s skipping the speech. | AP MORE THAN A BOYCOTT?  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s joint address is nearly six weeks away, but a broad array of congressional Democrats are already signaling they have no intentions of showing up for the speech. What they haven’t quite agreed on is what, if anything, they will be doing instead. An incipient effort to organize a semi-official alternative to Netanyahu’s visit has been slow in coming together, lawmakers said, in the latest sign of the continued divide with the Democratic Party on how to handle the politics surrounding Israel’s war with Hamas. “Those of us that don't want to be a prop for Benjamin Netanyahu have consensus — we agree that this is political, it's inappropriate, and we want this war to end and we're not sure that Netanyahu does,” he said. “Beyond that you start to get into some disagreements. So the counterprogramming gets into some of those fault lines.” Meetings but no plan: Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), the former Democratic whip, told our friends at the Playbook Deep Dive podcast that he’s planning to skip the July 24 address and that he was having discussions this week about some potential “alternative meetings.” “This guy's getting away with some horrible stuff … and it doesn't make sense to me” to attend, said Clyburn, who also skipped Netanyahu’s 2015 joint address. “There may be other folks who may want to have some alternative meetings on this. Irrespective of that, if I'm the only one, I won't be attending.” Prominent progressives said there’s not yet consensus on what those alternatives might be. “We're still figuring out our approach to it,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.) in a brief interview. “I'm certainly going to be part of the contingent of members that will either be boycotting or responding in some way. I think that, frankly, his presence and his potential address in Congress at this time is one of the darkest days that I've seen here.” Added Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), “I’m not solid on what I’m going to do. … I just don't want to see him here. So, like, I haven't even moved past that.” Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), another progressive planning to skip, said not to read too much into the lack of planning: “Things around here usually get planned a little bit closer to the actual date.” Big names aren’t sure: Boycotts of a controversial joint address are nothing new, with some progressives opting out of speeches by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli President Isaac Herzog last year (not to mention the scores of Dems who passed on attending Netanyahu’s 2015 speech). What would be more novel is organizing an event or series of events specifically designed to draw attention away from the main attraction in the House chamber. While those discussions continue, some prominent Democrats yet aren’t saying whether they plan to go. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told us this week that he hasn’t made up his mind yet on whether he will attend. Asked what factors he’s considering, Durbin replied, “The totality of circumstances.” Former speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was also noncommittal Thursday on whether she’d attend. She quipped in response, “Do you think he’ll be the prime minister? We’ll see.” Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) will skip, per their spokespeople, joining Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who has loudly denounced the visit. Sens. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), also critical of Netanyahu’s approach to the Gaza War, are still making up their minds, aides said. There appears to be no formal encouragement for members to attend from the two top Democratic leaders, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who signed the letter inviting Netanyahu to speak. Said Jeffries Friday, “As is the case with respect to any joint address to Congress, every individual member will make a decision as to whether they will participate or not participate.” — Daniella Diaz, Nicholas Wu and Ursula Perano   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. The Pro platform 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.     GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this June 14, where we have been waiting for this Friday for what feels like a year. THANKS, BUT NO THANKS  If House members are going to finally give themselves a pay raise, they might have to do it without the votes of five centrist lawmakers. “Representing your community in Congress is about public service, not about how big your paycheck is,” Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Josh Harder (D-Calif.), Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) wrote in a letter to House leaders asking for language in fiscal 2025 appropriations blocking any cost-of-living adjustment. The request comes as appropriators again explore including a lawmaker COLA for the first time in 15 years. Golden and Fitzpatrick have previously teamed up to block a pay raise earlier this year as part of the fiscal 2024 government funding process. — Anthony Adragna BOWMAN BOWS OUT OF VOTING Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) is facing a tough primary election in two weeks. But he also hasn’t been in the Capitol for several weeks, having skipped nearly 50 votes as he campaigns to keep his job. The last time he voted was May 23. His primary opponent, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, has already made Bowman’s attendance record a campaign issue. Bowman has been active on the campaign trail in that time, including appearing for a tense televised debate with Latimer Wednesday night. Bowman’s office declined to comment. The primary is June 25. — Nicholas Wu and Daniella Diaz   JOIN US ON 6/13 FOR A TALK ON THE FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE: As Congress and the White House work to strengthen health care affordability and access, innovative technologies and treatments are increasingly important for patient health and lower costs. What barriers are appearing as new tech emerges? Is the Medicare payment process keeping up with new technologies and procedures? Join us on June 13 as POLITICO convenes a panel of lawmakers, officials and experts to discuss what policy solutions could expand access to innovative therapies and tech. REGISTER HERE.     HUDDLE HOTDISH Nancy Mace said she’s encouraged by former President Donald Trump’s comments on abortion, encouraging Republicans to moderate their tone on the issue. “I liked that he said we need to speak about it correctly, and that he's willing to admit that we lost seats and we lost races we could have won,” she told Inside Congress. “I'm pro-life. I'm also pro-woman. The two are not mutually exclusive. And we shouldn't be afraid of it.” QUICK LINKS  House Republicans narrowly pass defense bill loaded with culture war issues, from Connor O’Brien Empty House: When speechmaking and legislating become performative, not much happens, from Ben Jacobs for The Washington Examiner DOJ: Garland won’t face charges after House contempt vote, from Jordain Louisiana Congressman Garret Graves won't run for reelection, from Greg Hilburn at the Shreveport Times TRANSITIONS  Maria Martirosyan Issakhanian will be policy adviser for agriculture, energy, and transportation to Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.). She previously was senior legislative assistant to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), focused on energy. MONDAY IN CONGRESS The House is out. The Senate is in session. MONDAY AROUND THE HILL *crickets* TRIVIA THURSDAY’S ANSWER: This one stumped y’all. The last time a major motion picture studio was allowed to film parts of a movie on the Capitol Hill campus was for “Quiz Show” in 1994. TODAY’S QUESTION, from trivia master Tyler Weyant: The hot summer weather coming into town has us thinking about the Olympics later this year. A five-ring question: Which former member was the captain of the U.S. judo team at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo? 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

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://login.politico.com/?redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to rouf@idiot.cloudns.cc by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service