Nobody’s Budging
It’s Day 6 of the federal shutdown, and leaders of both political parties are doubling down on their blame-the-others strategies. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will be in town, and plans to talk to the press, but his rank-and-file members have been told to stay home.
“The message was very simple, the House has done its work,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) said on Fox News. “House Republicans are ready to get back to work and finish the people’s business as soon as Chuck Schumer and Democrats in the Senate reopen the government.”
Democrats, in turn, are making their main message the refusal of the party in power to discuss avoiding massive increases in the health-care premiums of tens of millions of Americans.
You might also hear them talking about Jeffrey Epstein. The decision not to let the House gavel in delays the swearing-in of Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who’s on track to become the crucial 218th signature on a discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files. The congresswoman-elect told Maeve Sheehey she’s frustrated about not being able to get to work yet.
In this morning’s Congress Tracker, Jonathan Tamari walks through the stakes for each of the top leaders involved in the shutdown showdown. Read More
A dynamic to watch today: the potential firing, rather than furloughing, of federal workers. Unions have asked a court to block any mass firings during the government shutdown while they press a legal challenge. Asked about job cuts yesterday, President Donald Trump said firings are “taking place right now.” Read More
See Also:
- Vance Emerges as White House Frontman in US Shutdown Fight
- IRS to Furlough Nearly Half of Workers If Shutdown Persists
Portland Pause
A federal judge in Portland, Ore., blocked Trump for now from sending any National Guard troops to the city during protests against his immigration crackdown. That includes guard troops from California, who were ordered in after the judge on Saturday barred Trump from federalizing 200 Oregon National Guard troops.
The judge said the protests have been limited and there are no facts to support Trump’s claims that Portland was “war-ravaged” and that anarchists and professional agitators were trying to burn down federal property and other buildings. Read More
Trump also ordered National Guard troops to Illinois over the objection of Gov. JP Pritzker (D), who called the move “un-American.”
New SCOTUS Session
The judiciary has continued to work during the shutdown, handling multiple cases brought in response to Trump testing the edges of presidential authority.
Some of that litigation will be taken up in the Supreme Court session that begins today.
Trump’s tariffs are on the docket, and the administration is warning that a bureaucratic nightmare involving reams of refund paper checks could ensue if the court says he didn’t have the authority to boost customs duties.
Read More about the cases before the court, and check out a few additional stories to help you get ready for the term:
- Trump Tests Limits of His Powers as Supreme Court Reconvenes
- Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Gun Case Testing Right to Carry
- Detainee Wage Case to Go Before Justices
How Well Do You Know Washington — Obamacare Edition
With Democrats building their shutdown strategy around upgraded breaks for people buying health insurance on Affordable Care Act exchanges, it made sense to examine the receipts.
Of the roughly 21 million people enrolled in those health plans, how many live in congressional districts represented by Democrats?
A) 5 million
B) 9 million
C) 15 million
D) 19 million
Scroll down for the answer.
Peace Pursuit
Mediated talks are to begin today to try to stop hostilities in Gaza. US officials are among the participants, and Trump has a lot on the line; if there’s a truce and hostages are freed, it could boost his pressure campaign for a Nobel Peace Prize.
The first sign of whether the negotiations, being hosted by Egypt, are serious will be whether Hamas follows through on Trump’s demand to release hostages, including those who’ve died, in return for Israel releasing Palestinian prisoners.
A swap would happen immediately upon securing an agreement, while Hamas’ disarmament would come in a second stage, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “We are the closest we have been in a very long time,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Fox News Sunday. Read More
Your Politics Fix
Ambition on the Line: California Gov. Gavin Newsom is turning a statewide vote on congressional redistricting into a face-off with Trump that could either propel or clip any White House ambitions. Read More
Seeking a Different Kind of Involvement: An attorney who helped Elon Musk’s America PAC raise more than $250 million to support Trump in 2024 is now a candidate for Congress in Texas. Chris Gober will seek to succeed Rep. Michael McCaul (R). Read More
Did You Ace the Quiz?
Give yourself a star if you chose Option B. According to data for 2024 compiled by KFF, a nonpartisan health research foundation, 9 million people in Democratic-held House districts were covered by health plans purchased through Obamacare exchanges, in addition to 12 million people in Republican-held House districts.
Congress beefed up assistance to offset the cost of that coverage during the Covid-19 pandemic, and is letting the amped-up tax credits revert to the lower, pre-pandemic levels at the end of this year. Read More
Before You Go
Fewer Huddled Masses Yearning to Breathe Free: Trump is considering imposing a massive drop in the cap for refugee admissions from 125,000 to 7,500 and is expected to favor White South Africans over immigrants fleeing war or famine. Read More
Perp Walk: The FBI is weighing an arrest and public “perp walk” for its former director, and suspended an agent for refusing to help, CBS News reports. The FBI is now working to put together a team to arrest James Comey between now and his court appearance on Thursday, the report said. Reuters was first to write about the sidelining of the agent.
Limiting Disability Payouts: Trump administration officials are considering changes to what gets factored in when the government’s deciding who gets disability benefits, the Washington Post reports.
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