“President Donald Trump has been making calls to Republican senators on behalf of Ed Martin, his controversial nominee to serve as US attorney for Washington, DC, who faces a difficult confirmation process,“ CNN reports.
Six Republican ‘Red Lines’ Could Upend Trump’s Agenda
“As Republican lawmakers hammer out a ‘big, beautiful bill’ to enact President Donald Trump’s policy plans, they’re running into a problem: their colleagues’ growing list of red lines,” the Washington Post reports.
“Some House Republicans say they won’t vote for a bill that cuts Medicaid. Others have refused to support the legislation unless it lets their constituents deduct more of their state and local taxes. Last week, one Senate Republican ruled out voting for any bill unless it pares back spending to the level before the pandemic — which would require massive additional cuts.”
“The growing list of policy ‘no-gos’ will make it even harder for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to draft a bill that can pass their narrowly divided chambers.”
Semafor: Senate prepares to change the House’s “big, beautiful” Trump bill.
Duckworth Pledges ‘Brutal Hearing’ for Mike Waltz
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) told CBS News that she expects Mike Waltz to have a “brutal hearing” for U.N. ambassador after his surprise departure last week from his post as President Trump’s national security adviser.
Said Duckworth: “He’s not qualified for the job, just by nature of the fact that he participated in this Signal chain.”
Republicans Use Obscure Law to Roll Back Regulations
New York Times: “In recent weeks, the GOP has pushed through a flurry of legislation to cancel regulations on matters large and small, from oversight of firms that emit toxic pollutants to energy efficiency requirements for walk-in freezers and water heaters.”
“To do so, they are employing a little-known 1996 law, the Congressional Review Act, that allows lawmakers to reverse recently adopted federal regulations with a simple majority vote in both chambers. It is a strategy they used in 2017 during Mr. Trump’s first term and are leaning on again as they work to find ways to steer around Democratic opposition and make the most of their governing trifecta of the House, the Senate and the White House.”
“But this time, Republicans are testing the limits of the law in a way that could vastly expand its use and undermine the filibuster, the Senate rule that effectively requires 60 votes to move forward with any major legislation.”
John Fetterman’s Staffers No Longer Recognize Him
A year after Sen. John Fetterman’s (D-PA) release from the hospital for clinical depression, the senator’s behavior had so alarmed then chief of staff Adam Jentleson that he resigned his position and wrote to Fetterman’s doctor, New York Magazine reports.
His 1,600-word email came with the subject line “concerns,” and it contained a list of them, from the seemingly mundane (“He eats fast food multiple times a day”) to the scary (“We do not know if he is taking his meds and his behavior frequently suggests he is not”).
Wrote Jentleson: “We often see the kind of warning signs we discussed. Conspiratorial thinking; megalomania (for example, he claims to be the most knowledgeable source on Israel and Gaza around but his sources are just what he reads in the news — he declines most briefings and never reads memos); high highs and low lows; long, rambling, repetitive and self centered monologues; lying in ways that are painfully, awkwardly obvious to everyone in the room.”
Senate Democrats Angry About Tariff Vote
Senate Democrats are upset about the failed tariff vote this week, Politico reports.
Democrats knew Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) was out of the country and would be absent but thought Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) would be there.
Said one senator: “It was a mistake… Politics 101 is you don’t count on your adversaries.
Senate Democrats Eager to Grill Mike Waltz
“Senate Democrats who have complained of a Trump administration impervious to their pleas for oversight and accountability, following recent national security blunders, will soon have the opportunity to interrogate the man at the heart of it all,” the Washington Post reports.
“Michael Waltz, who did not require congressional approval to serve as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, will need the Senate’s approval if he is to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.”
Axios: Trump relights Signalgate with Michael Waltz nomination.
Republicans Kill Measure to Overturn Trump’s Tariffs
“The Senate narrowly defeated a resolution seeking to overturn President Donald Trump’s global tariffs, handing GOP leaders a victory,” Punchbowl News reports.
“The measure would have passed with full attendance but was deadlocked at 49% to 49%, with Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) absent. Both would have voted for the resolution if they were present.”
Senate Republicans Headed for Defeat on Tariff Vote
“Attendance issues in the Senate could prove pivotal for GOP leaders ahead of a vote on a resolution to overturn President Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs,” Punchbowl News reports.
“Senate Republican leaders were on track for yet another defeat today, with four GOP senators prepared to cross party lines and vote with Democrats to rebuke Trump’s tariff regime for the second time in less than a month.”
Lindsey Graham Pushes Russia Crackdown
“Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Trump, is forging ahead on a plan to impose new sanctions on Russia and steep tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil, gas and uranium, as Trump struggles to fulfill his campaign promise to end the war in Ukraine,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The South Carolina Republican said that support for his bill crossed the critical threshold of 60 co-sponsors on Wednesday, meaning it has enough votes to overcome a Senate filibuster. By the end of the week, Graham predicted, the bill will have at least 67 co-sponsors, enough to override a potential presidential veto.”
Jonathan Lemire: What would it take for Trump to stand up to Putin?
Ron Johnson Won’t Support House GOP Budget
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) told Punchbowl News that, as it stands now, he can’t vote for the House Republicans’ reconciliation package.
Said Johnson: “There are enough senators here that are insisting on returning to a reasonable pre-pandemic level of spending, which we’re not even coming close to in terms of what the House is working on. That will go nowhere here in the Senate. The administration has to understand that.
Johnson said he’s speaking out now so that GOP colleagues have a “fair warning” about his objections.
What Congress Got Done in Trump’s First 100 Days
Time: “So far, Congress has only passed six bills—five of which have been signed into law—the fewest of any president in the first 100 days of an administration in the last seven decades.”
“At this point in his first term, Trump had already signed 30 bills into law—a high watermark for Presidents this century. Former President Joe Biden signed 10 bills by his 100th day in 2021, compared to 14 by Barack Obama in 2009 and seven by George W. Bush in 2001. Some earlier presidents—including Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter—signed 20 or more pieces of legislation within their first 100 days.”
Josh Hawley at War with His Party
New York Times: “Since his arrival to the Senate in 2019 at the age of 39 as its youngest member, Hawley has charted two seemingly parallel courses: as a full-throttle champion of socially conservative causes and, somewhat less noisily, as a populist who aligns himself with Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, on many populist issues.”
“Mr. Hawley may be a lonely voice, but he underscores a central question of the second Trump term: What will the president do to improve the lives of the working-class Americans who voted him back into office?”
Brian Schatz to Run for Democratic Whip
“Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) has formally launched his campaign to take over as the No. 2 Senate Democrat, vowing to guide an ’emerging generation’ of the party’s leadership,” the Washington Post reports.
“Schatz, 52, is pitching himself for Democratic whip as someone focused on the tedious work on the Senate floor jousting with Republicans to help shape the debate. A regular in the Senate gym’s pickup basketball games, Schatz likened his approach to how some people ‘just love rebounding,’ diving into scrums for loose balls that are not pretty but can determine the outcome.”
Said Schatz: “Not everybody loves the aspect of politics that occurs on the floor. This is where I think I can be most useful.”
Senate Still Waiting for Trump’s Judicial Nominees
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA) are ready to start cranking out a new class of conservative judges — but they’re waiting on the White House to send them some nominees, Axios reports.
Jon Ossoff Strongly Backs Impeaching Trump
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) said he “strongly” supports a push to impeach President Trump a third time, but he told attendees at a town hall that the effort isn’t realistic until Democrats regain control of the U.S. House, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
Ossoff added that “there is no doubt that this president’s conduct has already exceeded any prior standard for impeachment by the United States House of Representatives.”
Booker Backs Schatz for Senate Democratic Whip
“Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) is picking up a key endorsement in his yet-to-be-announced bid to become the next Senate Democratic whip,” Punchbowl News reports.
“Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), who was floated as a potential contender for the job, told us that Schatz has his ‘full, unqualified support’ for the No. 2 Senate Democratic leadership post.”
“Schatz hasn’t officially jumped into the contest but is seen as the frontrunner and has been making calls to Democratic senators.”
Senate Democrats Brace for Leadership Fight
“Sen. Dick Durbin’s (D-IL) retirement is setting off a once-in-a-decade leadership fight for Senate Democrats,” Axios reports.
“Durbin, 80, has been the Senate Democratic whip since 2005. Whoever replaces him becomes the instant front-runner to replace Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer down the road.”
“An open fight for the whip spot next year could also complicate Schumer’s strategy of privately mediating intraparty disputes. It will potentially expose the party’s deep divide on whether to elect a moderate — or a progressive — to help them return to power.”
Punchbowl News: The Durbin chain reaction.
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