Wanted: A Plan B for Israel and Ukraine aid

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

Jan 31, 2024 View in browser   By Anthony Adragna and Ursula Perano Presented by With assists from POLITICO’s Congress team The best efforts of Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) and other negotiators have yet to produce a border deal, imperiling the push for Ukraine and Israel aid. | Francis Chung/POLITICO WHAT SUPP? With a bipartisan border deal in serious doubt, the national security supplemental is falling apart at the seams, and this much is clear: There is no obvious Plan B for passing Israel and Ukraine aid — both bipartisan priorities that for months now have been entangled with the much thornier immigration issue. “I'm not aware of a Plan B. We're focused on Plan A,” said Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.). “We’ll burn that bridge if we get to it. We'll get the chance to hopefully vote on a package at some point,” said Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah). “If that doesn't happen we'll have to consider other options.” While Senate Republican leadership is still behind Sen. James Lankford’s (R-Okla.) efforts to negotiate border policy changes as part of a broader package, swaths of their conference have soured on the idea as GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump urges lawmakers to oppose it. “It's certainly been a challenge to try to reach an agreement on the border, that's why we've been talking about this so long,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters Wednesday. “It’s time for us to move something, hopefully including a border agreement. We need to get help to Israel and Ukraine quickly.” Foreign aid follies: While there’s support in both parties for Israel and Ukraine aid, a serious split on Ukraine funding in the Republican-controlled House prompted the White House and congressional leaders to pursue a logrolling strategy, combining funding for both countries with aid for Taiwan and the southern border — and, later, major border policy changes. That strategy is now showing some cracks, to put it mildly, and some lawmakers are ready to split up the package. “I support Ukraine — that's absolutely essential — whether it's part of the package or separately,” said Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.). “One way or the other, we've got to do it.” “We've had standalone Israel funding — I would do that again tomorrow,” said Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.). The push lands as two prominent conservatives — Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), the Republican Study Committee chair — floated a “clean, un-offset Israel bill” on Wednesday as a logical next step for House consideration, a move that would leave the border and Ukraine issues behind (and difficult to pass through the chamber). Standing up for Lankford: Layered over the debate about what’s next is frustration at more than three months of potentially wasted negotiations — and at some Republicans who have seemingly thrown Lankford, a noted border hawk, under the bus. “When James was chosen by McConnell to be the Republican lead negotiator on this, many of my colleagues said, ‘Oh, boy, he's too conservative. We will never get to an agreement with him.’ And he has been fixed and difficult,” Coons said. “Some in their conference are just not serious about legislating.” Said Marshall: “If the Democrats can't get a deal done with him, they can't get a deal done with anybody,” adding, “We're not going to get policy changes in the near future — in the next decades — even if the Senate has 55 Republican senators” absent a deal now. — Anthony Adragna and Ursula Perano, with an assist from Burgess Everett GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Wednesday, Jan. 31, where we are still surprised this has continued on day 3.   A message from American Chemistry Council – Chemistry Creates America Competes: President Biden: American chemistry is the backbone of innovation. It's time to address the regulatory overload stifling American chemistry. Chemistry powers our semiconductors, medical devices, and clean energy initiatives. But your administration’s avalanche of regulations is hampering America’s progress and competitiveness. American chemistry is more than an industry; it's our future. The Biden Administration must commit to smarter, growth-oriented regulations before it’s too late - because when chemistry is enabled to create, America competes.   SCHMITT EYES VOTE ON COVID FUNDS  Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) is planning to introduce a Congressional Review Act resolution on Thursday targeting the Treasury's handling of Covid recovery funds. Schmitt, a freshman conservative, told Inside Congress he is hoping to force a vote on the measure “as soon as we can,” pinning Democrats down on the lingering issue of ongoing Covid spending in a post-pandemic landscape. The details: The 2021 American Rescue Plan allocated $350 billion for a Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund. More than $100 billion of that has yet to be spent, with the funding slated to expire at the end of this year. A new Treasury Department rule, however, makes some changes and adds some flexibility to how the money should be spent by the deadline, drawing Schmitt’s ire. “This is more of a taxpayer protection initiative more than it’s about partisan politics,” Schmitt said. “I think that the money is supposed to expire at the end of ’24, which is pretty generous to begin with. So the idea that you would extend that further was never contemplated initially… I think it will just lead to more wasteful spending.” Schmitt said he is planning to talk to Democrats about the proposal as well in hopes of building “as broad of a coalition as possible.” The CRA gives Congress the power to directly overturn agency rules, and resolutions filed under its auspices can be fast-tracked to the floor without leadership consent. A Treasury Department spokesperson told Inside Congress that “[t]o address grantee questions, Treasury clarified what recipients must do to meet a particular December 2024 cost incurred deadline that was established by Congress. It did not change any existing deadline.” The resolution is cosigned by Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.). Rep. Troy Balderson (R-Ohio) has a matching resolution in the House. — Ursula Perano, with an assist from Caitlin Emma   A message from American Chemistry Council – Chemistry Creates America Competes:   RAISING KAINE’S ALZHEIMER’S PITCH Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a senior member of the Senate HELP Committee, said he expects action on a broader health care package in 2024 even as the country heads into presidential election season. “We need to do it,” the former vice presidential candidate said at an event moderated by your usual Inside Congress host, Daniella. “They are talking about a health care package in March. … It would be really important to do a health care package this year.” Kaine spoke at a POLITICO Live event on solving Alzheimer’s and ALS at Union Station in Washington. Regarding Alzheimer’s itself, the Virginia Democrat said: “It's diagnosis, it’s treatment, it's cost, and then it's caregivers. To tackle the issue, you have to tackle all four of those.” — Anthony Adragna HUDDLE HOTDISH Cori Bush is hiring a communications assistant, “urgently.” We have some questions about how Derrick Van Orden checked his information. John James has big truck swag as he vies for a seat on the Energy and Commerce Committee.   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.     QUICK LINKS  House Republican reported for doing pull-ups at the top of Capitol dome, from Katherine Tully-McManus How Cori Bush’s private security payments prompted a criminal investigation, from Gabe Kaminsky in The Washington Examiner ‘People just don’t want to remember’: Congress blows past deadline for Jan. 6 plaque, from Megan Mineiro and Justin Papp at Roll Call Congress confronts security risks as it seeks to expand Hill’s AI use, from Katherine Tully-McManus Zuckerberg apologizes to families of kids harmed online as Senate grills tech CEOs, from Cheyenne Haslett and Alexandra Hutzler in ABC News Bush blasts GOP lawmaker who said she should ‘tone it down a little bit,’ from Filip Timotija in The Hill   A message from American Chemistry Council – Chemistry Creates America Competes: President Biden, America’s priorities depend on chemistry America’s chemical industry is the foundation of semiconductors, medical devices, infrastructure, defense, clean energy and more. But there's a looming threat – ballooning regulatory overload. Over the past two decades, regulations on chemical manufacturing have doubled. This isn't just numbers, it's a reality that hampers policies like the Inflation Reduction Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the Chips and Science Act. The Biden Administration’s current approach is a direct hit to America's innovation and global standing. We need to wake up to the reality that over-regulation stifles growth and production. It's time for the Biden Administration to adopt smarter, growth-oriented regulations. Join us in urging the Biden Administration to stop undercutting national priorities and American competitiveness. American chemistry isn't just an industry -- it's our future. When Chemistry Creates, America Competes.   TOMORROW IN CONGRESS The House and Senate are in session.   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.      THURSDAY AROUND THE HILL 8 a.m. National Prayer Breakfast with President Joe Biden, Speaker Mike Johnson, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and others (Statuary Hall) TRIVIA TUESDAY ANSWER: Jim Weinstein correctly answered that John Tyler was the former president who supported secession and the Confederacy. TODAY’S QUESTION, from James: Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) can trace his family’s record of public service back to the Continental Congress. His great-great-great-grandfather John Kean represented which state? 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 Anthony on X at @AnthonyAdragna and Ursula at @UrsulaPerano.   Follow us

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