Questioning Bondi
For the first time since she was confirmed, Attorney General Pam Bondi will be publicly questioned by the Senate Judiciary Committee. So much has gone on in her short tenure that senators may have a hard time deciding what to focus on.
At least a third of senior career leaders have left the Justice Department, taking with them centuries of combined expertise, according to a Bloomberg Law analysis. Additionally, more than 275 former Justice Department employees have asked Congress to increase its oversight of the department, Axios reports.
Bondi could be questioned about that exodus or about the indictment of former FBI director James Comey. Senators will also have a chance to follow up on statements Bondi’s made about the government’s files on Jeffrey Epstein and about the firing of a lead prosecutor on a Medicare fraud case just days before it was to go trial.
The Miami Herald reports that a critical comment about Trump in 2017, years before joining DOJ, led to last week’s dismissal of Will Rosenzweig. His departure so upended the case that the government asked for a delay because there was “currently no one at the U.S. Attorney’s Office who is sufficiently familiar with the discovery and evidence in this case to refute the expected unmeritorious discovery allegations by defense counsel at trial,” according to the report.
One more dynamic to watch: Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is both a Judiciary Committee member and the target of a mortgage fraud probe stemming from claims by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte. “What really is going on here is this is Donald Trump trying to bring about political retribution, retaliation — trying to distract from his Epstein files problem,” Schiff said at the time.
Trump’s New Tune
President Donald Trump set off a scramble when he told reporters yesterday, “We are speaking with the Democrats, and some very good things could happen with respect to health care.”
Which Democrats? He didn’t say. “Trump’s claim isn’t true — but if he’s finally ready to work with Democrats, we’ll be at the table,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement.
Democrats have focused on the approaching expiration of beefed-up Affordable Care Act subsidies. Jack Fitzpatrick reports that Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) has been talking to centrist Democrats about proposals to both renew and pare those subsidies back via an income limit. “But first we’ve got to reopen government,” Collins said.
By the end of the day yesterday, Trump was saying the same thing, that ending the shutdown has to come first.
Still, Catherine Lucey and Erik Wasson report the president’s apparent willingness to negotiate suggests mounting pressure within the White House to end the standoff. Fitzpatrick and Ken Tran have the latest on the shutdown negotiations in this morning’s BGOV Budget.
See Also:
- Government Shutdown Worsens Budget Concerns for Health Centers
- Rural Air Service Program Funding to Lapse as Soon as Oct. 12
Canada Tariffs
There are a lot ways the discussion could go today when Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, makes another trip to the White House.
The US has imposed tariffs on steel, aluminum, autos, and lumber from Canada. Each of those is an important segment of that country’s economy.
Flip side: there are things that American businesses want from Canada. Amazon, Netflix, and Spotify are among the companies lobbying against a new 5% fee on certain streaming services that they call illegal and discriminatory.
And the head of the Distilled Spirits Council issued a statement calling on Trump “to help facilitate a lasting return to tariff-free trade with our longstanding trading partners” after quarterly data showed an 85% drop in sales to Canada. Read More
See Also:
- Refund Chaos Looms If High Court Affirms US Tariffs Illegal
- Trump Tariff Pain Deepens for Brazil as Exports to US Drop Anew
- Levy on Imported Medium- and Heavy-Duty Trucks Starts Nov. 1
Election Day
We’ll get a chance to collect a Trump-influence data point today in a crowded special congressional primary in Tennessee.
Trump has endorsed Army veteran Matt Van Epps for the nomination to succeed ex-Rep. Mark Green (R) in a very GOP-tilted district. Dynamics to watch include whether that seal of approval impacts turnout, or of course, the result. The Republican nominee is expected to be a shoo-in in the general election. Greg Giroux previewed the contest.
Looking ahead to the mid-terms, Mica Soellner reports that the White House is going all-in to prop up their party’s prospects.
Trump’s political team has been meeting with congressional candidates nearly every week with an eye toward avoiding primaries and fending off Democrats in competitive seats. They’ve shown a particular interest in Texas, which has the potential to net five GOP House seats after a quickie pro-Republican redistricting. Read More
See Also:
- Utah Lawmakers Send New Congressional Map for Judge’s Approval
- Maine Democrat Gets Primary Foe After Backing GOP Spending Plan
Three Rules for Government Relations Now
Raben’s Eduardo Soto has three rules for government relations in this era: Find Opportunity, Stay Ready and Don’t Give up on Ethics. Read More
Before You Go
The Supreme Court will hear arguments today in a case that offers an opportunity to reexamine the edges of the First Amendment. A Colorado therapist is challenging the state’s ban on conversion therapy, and the justices could approach it as a larger conflict about limits on speech. Read More
National Guard: A federal judge declined to quickly issue a temporary order blocking the Trump administration from sending National Guard troops to Chicago, while urging the government to delay the controversial plan until she rules. Read More
Bluegrass Blues: Kentucky Democrat Andy Beshear, the governor of one of America’s most trade-reliant states, warns that Trump’s tariffs are hurting the industries he’s trying to revive. Beshear says that while Trump wants to boost domestic manufacturing, “his tariffs are actually preventing it from occurring.” Read More
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