Lunch at 1600 Pennsylvania
Republican senators head to the White House “Rose Garden Club” today for lunch with the president and some Shutdown Day 21 solidarity.
“The invitation came to us as a chance to talk about the shutdown and going forward, so I look forward to what he has to say,” said Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.).
The gathering comes as legislative leaders are figuring out their strategy going forward. They’re calculating the advantages and disadvantages of federal employees missing their next paychecks, of food benefit cards going unreplenished for the poorest Americans, and of health insurance open enrollment beginning Nov. 1 without a resolution to demands from Democrats for a subsidy extension.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who previously said he’d had no substantive conversations with Speaker Mike Johnson since the shutdown began, says the two spoke over the weekend. No, he didn’t offer any details about that conversation. — Lillianna Byington and Maeve Sheehey
In Congress Tracker today, Jonathan Tamari looks at Trump’s relationship with Congress and how another branch of government being stuck in neutral may not be much of a worry.
See Also:
- Trump Proceeds With Some Shutdown Layoffs After Court Freeze
- Nuclear Bomb Agency Furloughs 1,400 Workers Amid Shutdown
- Park Service Employees Among Planned Trump Layoffs at Interior
- Thune Says House Should Consider Return to Pass Longer Stopgap
Nomination in Trouble
More Republican senators are expressing opposition to President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Office of Special Counsel — perhaps enough backlash to doom the confirmation, Byington reports.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) had already said he planned to oppose Paul Ingrassia, calling him “unfit to serve.”
After Politico published chat messages said to have been written by the nominee, hallway interviews showed other GOP senators are rejecting Trump’s choice. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), a member of the committee handling the nomination, told reporters he can’t support Ingrassia. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), another member of the committee, said he thinks Ingrassia should withdraw.
“He’s not gonna pass,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters. Read More
‘A Lot of Anger’
Republicans should take seriously the surge of political energy on display over the weekend, Sen. Ted Cruz said.
“Unquestionably, we should take political peril seriously,” Cruz (R-Texas) said in a Bloomberg Television interview. “There is a lot of energy. There is a lot of anger on the left. And elections can be dangerous when one side is mobilized, is angry.” Watch Here
Organizers said that as many as 7 million people took part in roughly 2,700 demonstrations nationwide on Saturday, making the “No Kings” events the largest protests since Trump returned to office in January. Read More
Automation Pro Up for a Vote
A Senate committee will vote today on a tech industry veteran’s bid for a top job at the Transportation Department. The nomination of Seval Oz is part of Trump’s push to streamline regulations for the auto industry, Zach Williams reports.
Oz holds multiple patents related to automation and has held leadership positions at Google and other technology companies. She’s up for the role of assistant secretary of transportation for research and technology.
Her brother Mehmet Oz leads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Read More
In addition to considering that nomination, the Senate Commerce Committee also plans to vote on compromise legislation (
Eye on Tariffs
Heading toward next month’s Supreme Court hearing, wine and liquor distributor VOS Selections and other small businesses laid out their written argument against Trump’s tariffs. They say the levies step on Congress’s taxing power.
“The government contends that the president may impose tariffs on the American people whenever he wants, at any rate he wants, for any countries and products he wants, for as long as he wants — simply by declaring longstanding US trade deficits a national emergency and an unusual and extraordinary threat,” they said.
Groups of Democratic-led states and small businesses also are challenging the duties imposed under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a law that gives the president tools to address national security, foreign policy, and economic emergencies. Read More
Beef Imports
The president says he’ll let in more beef from Argentina, though that may offer little relief from high prices.
“More imports from Argentina will benefit the global packers without helping consumers,” said Bill Bullard, chief executive officer of cattle producer group R-CALF USA. Read More
See Also:
- White House Weighs Fresh Nicaragua Tariffs Over Human Rights
- Swiss Watch Exports Slump in September, Hurt by US Tariffs
320,000 Messages
If you work in a Senate office you may have been on the receiving end of some of the 320,000 messages generated in the last few weeks as part of a giant lobbying clash.
At issue: whether cryptocurrency exchanges should be allowed to offer financial incentives — similar to interest. Banks oppose that. They want lawmakers to broaden an existing ban on stablecoin interest payments. Kate Ackley and Karl Evers-Hillstrom explain the dispute and possible ramifications. Read More
Before You Go
National Guard: The full US appeals court in San Francisco will vote on whether to reconsider a ruling that for now allows Trump to deploy troops to Portland, Ore., over the objection of state and local leaders. Yesterday’s 2-1 decision focused on a series of violent acts at a single Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, including a failed attempt to burn the building down. Read More
Don’t Drive: A DACA recipient and an asylum seeker are among the plaintiffs challenging a Department of Transportation rule barring certain immigrants from receiving commercial driver’s licenses, Andrew Kreighbaum reports. Read More
Ballroom-Triggered Demolition: The Washington Post reports that crews have begun tearing down part of the White House to build Trump’s ballroom despite his pledge that construction of the $250 million addition wouldn’t “interfere” with the existing building.
And developments on the war in Ukraine:
- Russia Plays Down Expectations for Early Putin-Trump Summit
- Europe Leaders Back Immediate Freeze of Battle Lines in Ukraine
- Trump Casts New Doubt On Ukraine’s Ability to Defeat Russia
- Thune Says Russia Sanctions Bill Will Be Held Until After Putin Meeting
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