Dems tee up House Oversight leadership election
The contest to serve as the panel's ranking member — and as a prominent foil to President Donald Trump's administration — is shaping up to be a competitive four-way race that could test Democrats' adherence to their seniority system for committee leadership and appetite to elevate younger members.
Reps. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts, Kweisi Mfume of Maryland and Robert Garcia of California are all expected to run for the position.
Lawmakers have until this point generally avoided publicly campaigning for the position out of respect for Connolly, whose funeral was held Tuesday. But quiet maneuvering had already begun.
Crockett, seen as a rising star in the caucus and a talented communicator, had blanketed her colleagues with texts making her case for the job. Mfume, who is more senior on the panel, had also privately messaged his colleagues about the position. And Garcia, a member of House Democratic leadership, has quietly met with his colleagues, too.
Many House Democrats see the race as wide-open after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York opted to forgo a bid to keep her seat on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee. She came up short in last year's contest against Connolly.
Candidates for the job this time around will first go before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which will make recommendations to the full caucus. The caucus will then have to vote to ratify the selection.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
28 minutes ago
- New York Times
Trump Wants to Fight Democrats on Crime. They're Treading Cautiously.
With his efforts to take control of law enforcement in Washington, D.C., this week, President Trump has pushed the issue of crime back to the foreground of American politics. In doing so, he's invited a fight with Democrats, who are treading cautiously as they seek to forcefully oppose the federal incursion into the nation's capital, something no president has ever attempted, without getting caught up in a debate over public safety on Mr. Trump's terms. Mr. Trump and his Republican allies wielded the sharp increase in violent crime in urban areas during the pandemic as a campaign cudgel, winning control of the House in the 2022 midterms. Mr. Trump expanded his winning coalition two years later, in part with promises to prevent the rest of America from becoming like the cities he called 'unlivable, unsanitary nightmares,' deriding the data that showed improvement across the country. While his tactics in Washington, D.C., are extraordinary, the effort is an actualization of one of his most tried-and-true political arguments: Democrats — often Black Democrats — have let lawlessness run rampant in the cities and states they were elected to run. At a moment when Mr. Trump's approval ratings even among his supporters are declining, he appears to be laying the groundwork for Republicans to once again weaponize the issue in the midterm elections. Mr. Trump has sent National Guard troops to patrol the streets, turned federal law enforcement officers into beat cops and sought to put the local police department fully under his administration's control. And the president has suggested he wants to bring his brand of law and order to Chicago; Baltimore; Oakland, Calif.; and New York, all liberal cities in blue states, while avoiding any mention of high-crime cities in red states, like Memphis or St. Louis. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CNN
28 minutes ago
- CNN
Texas and California are set to push forward in the national redistricting fight
This week marks a flashpoint in an escalating and unprecedented fight over redistricting, with the country's two most populous states taking center stage and control of the US House during the second half of President Donald Trump's term potentially at stake. California Democratic lawmakers could take just three days to advance new congressional maps intended to offset Republican redistricting efforts in Texas. Legislation asking voters to approve the new maps is expected to be introduced Monday when lawmakers return to Sacramento from their summer recess, with final passage as early as Thursday, according to a person familiar with the Democratic planning. It will be heard in several committees along the way. The Texas legislature is also scheduled to reconvene Monday, with the increasing likelihood that Republicans will get a quorum and move forward. Democrats who fled the state to hold up passage of GOP-friendly maps could return within hours. In pushing Texas and other states to redraw their congressional lines mid-decade, Republicans have undertaken extraordinary efforts to preserve their unified hold on power in Washington, prompting Democrats to consider equally unorthodox countermeasures. Here's a look at what to expect Monday: The Trump-backed effort to redraw Texas' maps has stalled since August 3, when more than 50 Democratic lawmakers left the state to block a quorum and halt a special legislative session. But it is expected to move forward in a new session that began Friday. Texas Democrats could return to the state Capitol as soon as Monday, paving the way for Republicans to pass the new congressional maps in the second 30-day special session. House Speaker Dustin Burrows expressed hope the chamber could reach a quorum when it reconvenes at 12 p.m. CT (1 p.m ET). Once a quorum is met, the legislative process to approve the congressional maps will kick off, including consideration in the redistricting committee and debate and votes on the floor. The state Senate, which passed a redistricting bill in the first special session, will go through a similar process. The Senate's redistricting committee held public hearings on Sunday and will hold another round Monday. The GOP's proposal would create five new districts friendlier to Trump and Republicans ahead of the midterm elections. It would likely force Democratic US Reps. Greg Casar and Lloyd Doggett to run against each other in a redrawn district. GOP leaders have not laid out a timeline for final passage of the new map, but it could come as soon as this week. When California lawmakers return from their summer recess on Monday, Democrats there will take the first step toward redrawing congressional boundaries to give them a greater chance at winning five additional seats — an extraordinary move intended to counteract Texas' mid-decade redistricting. Unlike in Texas, the legislation under consideration will also require voter approval to override a constitutionally mandated independent redistricting commission. Lawmakers will have to move quickly; the California secretary of state's office gave the legislature a Friday deadline to make the November ballot, and bills must be in print for 72 hours before they can be voted on. Democrats are expected to formally introduce the legislation Monday, with final passage pegged for Thursday. Because lawmakers are proposing to change the state constitution, two-thirds of each chamber must vote in favor of it to pass. Democrats hold three-quarters of the seats in both chambers. The State Assembly returns at 1 p.m. PT (4 p.m. ET). The State Senate reconvenes an hour later. Texas House Democrats have said they plan to fight the redistricting bill on the floor, laying out their case against the measure ahead of expected legal challenges in the coming months. They argue they brought national attention to the GOP-led redistricting in Texas and helped create the momentum for California's counteroffensive and calls in New York and other Democratic-led states to redraw their maps. But their options to stop Republicans were always limited, short of staying out of Texas for the next year-plus. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott vowed that he would keep calling special sessions until the new maps passed. California Republicans, who have little power in Sacramento to slow the redistricting push, are nevertheless closely monitoring how Democrats proceed. GOP lawmakers are anticipating Democrats will put forward a package of legislative proposals that will not only advance the new maps but also outline how they intend to hold and pay for a statewide election in less than three months, a person close to the Republican caucus told CNN. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a likely contender for the Democrats' presidential 2028 nomination, is already planning for a statewide campaign to support a referendum. A victory could help Democrats win back the US House next year and give Newsom a boost in the next presidential primary. But some significant opposition to the proposed referendum is already forming. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday posted a picture of himself working out while wearing a T-shirt that said 'F*** the politicians/Terminate gerrymandering.' The caption read: 'I'm getting ready for the gerrymandering battle.' Charles Munger Jr., the son of the late Berkshire Hathaway vice chairman, has signaled he intends to fight the Democratic-led initiative. Munger spent more than $12 million in 2010 to entrench the independent redistricting commission in the state constitution, and he will fight any efforts to circumvent it, his spokeswoman Amy Thoma Tan said in a statement responding to California Democrats on Thursday. 'Two wrongs do not make a right, and California shouldn't stoop to the same tactics as Texas,' Thoma Tan said. 'Instead, we should push other states to adopt our independent, non-partisan commission model across the country. That's how we can protect and defend democracy.' Newsom's approach has also led to a divide among good government groups that have traditionally opposed gerrymandering. While the League of Women Voters continues to urge California lawmakers to reject the redistricting push, leaders at Common Cause have said they will not proactively reject 'counterbalancing' efforts done in response to other states. The group said Wednesday it would not oppose redistricting pushes that are proportional responses to other states, involve public participation and have a set expiration date, among other criteria. Leaders at the organization said they would determine whether to oppose the California push after the full proposal has been released and judged against its rubric. 'We welcome the governor to adopt our fairness criteria,' said Omar Noureldin, the organization's senior vice president of policy and litigation strategy. 'And if the maps that are proposed in the process that's laid out in its totality meet that fairness criteria, then we won't oppose it.'
Politico
an hour ago
- Politico
The GOP shift on earmarks
IN TODAY'S EDITION:— GOP eyes earmarks in shutdown talks— Schumer: Dems all in on energy cost attacks— Emergency alerts in peril post-rescissions Vulnerable Republican incumbents and GOP fiscal hawks are teaming up over a historically contentious issue: earmarks. Our Meredith Lee Hill reports that Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris and his allies are supporting the inclusion of so-called community project funding in a continuing resolution — as long as that short-term, shutdown-averting bill keeps other spending 'at least flat.' Moreover, says Meredith, House GOP leaders are seriously considering this compromise as they stare down an end-of-September deadline to avoid a federal lapse in funding. It's a change of tune for many Republicans who have long shunned the practice of steering federal dollars to pet projects back home as wasteful. In March, leadership nixed billions in previously-approved community project funding in the seven-month stopgap bill to appease fiscal conservatives. But deficit hard-liners now want to avoid having to vote for a larger, full-year package at higher spending levels, and they think earmarks could be what convinces other House Republicans to let a scaled-back measure go through. 'Allowing earmarks on a CR is a hell of a lot cheaper than an omnibus,' said one Republican with direct knowledge of the ongoing conversations. Rep. Mike Flood, who chairs the Republican Main Street Caucus, said in a recent interview he's promoting earmarks as a way to boost GOP incumbents in tough races next fall. His 83-member coalition is stacked with business-friendly lawmakers and front-liners who could use an opportunity to brag about delivering money for key investments back home. Speaker Mike Johnson's team is listening, says Flood, as leadership looks to hold onto its fragile majority in 2026. But Harris, who is also a top appropriator, isn't stopping with his demand for a flat-funded-CR sweetened with earmarks: He's pushing for a guarantee that Congress will pass more rescissions packages to claw back funding lawmakers have already approved. In addition, Harris wants the White House to send over a pocket rescissions package between now and the end of the current fiscal year on Sept. 30, which would have the effect of revoking billions of dollars in appropriated money on Oct. 1 if Congress doesn't act on the request. That could run afoul with many congressional Republicans who worry about the administration's steady encroachment on their 'power of the purse,' and are still sore from the last grueling round of clawback negotiations. The legality of pocket rescissions also remains in question. GOOD MONDAY MORNING. Email us: cdumay@ and crazor@ THE LEADERSHIP SUITE Schumer's August marching orders Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer thinks Democrats are hitting their stride this August break on one of his top priorities: slamming Republicans on rising energy costs. 'We will make sure people know why the electric bills are going up,' Schumer told Cassandra in an exclusive interview of the messaging strategy he's reinforcing inside his caucus. 'We're on the same page.' During constituent events this month, congressional Democrats have been highlighting the cuts to clean energy incentives which Republicans baked into their massive, party-line tax and spending package. Those tax credits were established in the Democrats' 2022 climate law, which turned three years old over the weekend. The incentives led to major green investments in red states and districts, but they continue to be politically polarizing, and Republicans rolled back and weakened many of them as part of the newly enacted megabill. Schumer told Cassandra that Democrats are sounding the alarm that these actions will lead to job losses and more expensive utilities. He also pointed to the millions of dollars environmental groups have already spent on ads to bolster this message, which he predicts will be 'one of the [Republicans'] weakest' points ahead of the midterms. 'We are letting people know they're losing their jobs because Trump and Senate Republicans repealed the energy tax credits,' Schumer said. POLICY RUNDOWN RUSSIA SANCTIONS BLEAKER BY THE DAY — Democrats are increasingly doubtful they'll get to vote to put sanctions on Russia for its aggression against Ukraine when the Senate returns from recess next month. 'This next set of sanctions could be more impactful,' Sen. Chris Murphy told NBC's Meet the Press Sunday. 'The problem is, in the Senate, the Republican leader won't even bring up a vote, a debate on this bill because Donald Trump doesn't even want a discussion about these sanctions because he's so worried that it might upset his great friend Vladimir Putin.' Murphy's pessimism comes as Trump left his Alaska summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin this past Friday without securing a ceasefire agreement, his long-stated goal for the confab. Instead, Trump said he would pursue a broader peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, around which there continues to be enormous skepticism about a successful outcome. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has so far been mum. However, Sen. Lindsey Graham — who has been leading the Russian sanctions effort on Capitol Hill but is also one of Trump's most loyal allies — said following the Alaska meeting he is now feeling hopeful and will defer to the president on next steps for a legislative response to force Putin's hand. Trump is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House this afternoon. LAWMAKERS TEE UP ACTION ON DC — Competing measures are in the works on Capitol Hill to either end or extend Trump's federal takeover of the District of Columbia's police force. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna introduced a resolution Friday that would grant Trump the authority to maintain federal control of the Metropolitan Police Department 'for as long as necessary to restore law and order' — a measure also backed by Rep. Andy Ogles, a member of the House Freedom Caucus. That same day, D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton rolled out a joint resolution with fellow Democratic Reps. Jamie Raskin and Robert Garcia that would terminate Trump's action, with Sen. Chris Van Hollen prepared to offer a companion resolution in his chamber. There's little chance Democrats make headway on their proposal, while Trump could put pressure on GOP leaders to take up the Luna measure — though it would likely have difficulty getting the votes to clear a necessary procedural hurdle in the Senate. FALLOUT FROM RESCISSIONS 1.0 — Public radio and TV stations are scrambling to keep disaster-warning systems alive following Congress' vote to nix $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Kylie Williams and Avril Silva report. The impact is widespread. Station managers in Alaska — where news stations serve rural communities and tribal villages — say funding has already dried up. PBS outlets in Northern California towns that send alerts during earthquakes are facing shutdowns. And stations in Oklahoma are unable to replace aging transmitters that provide warnings for emergencies. Craig Fugate, who led the Federal Emergency Management Agency during the Obama administration, said lawmakers may not realize how much certain communities rely on public broadcasting: 'It's important that a lot of senators and a lot of representatives start to hear from folks and start to realize the ramifications at the local level.' The CPB, which provided over 500 grants to more than 1,500 public radio and TV stations, is winding down operations with plans to fully shutter after January. Best of POLITICO Pro and E&E: THE BEST OF THE REST Midterm Fight Over Trump Bill, Tariffs Starts Early at Iowa Fair, from Erik Wasson at Bloomberg Georgia GOP fears bruising primary in race to unseat Ossoff, from Caroline Vakil, Al Weaver and Brett Samuels at The Hill The Democrats' biggest Senate recruits have one thing in common, from Russell Berman at The Atlantic CAMPAIGN STOP DEMS ADVANCE REDISTRICTING FIGHT IN CA — The Democrats who serve in the Texas legislature but left town to block the GOP majority's ability to approve new congressional maps are returning home to expected defeat — but their counterparts in the blue state of California are preparing to pick up the fight. California Democrats will circulate a long-awaited redistricting proposal among members of their own state legislature this week — and lawmakers are expected to approve the maps and related legislation by Thursday, Melanie Mason, Blake Jones and Dustin Gardiner report. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a Nov. 4 special election for voters to green light the mid-decade redistricting effort. In the plan released Friday, Democrats have drawn themselves hefty advantages in districts currently held by GOP Reps. Doug LaMalfa, Kevin Kiley, David Valadao, Ken Calvert and Darrell Issa. At the same time, the new maps would provide some protection to other vulnerable Democrats, deepening the advantage for Reps. Adam Gray in the Central Valley, Derek Tran and Dave Min in Orange County and George Whitesides in Los Angeles County. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Rep. Jay Obernolte … former Reps. Toby Moffett and Louie Gohmert … Erik Wemple … WSJ's Sadie Gurman … Scott Haber-Katris … Megan Scully … H.R. Bert Peña … POLITICO's Lee Hudson … CNN's Simone Pathe … Bryan Greene of the National Association of Realtors … Roger Zakheim … Elizabeth Letter … Jordan Baugh … former Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner … Bob Woodruff … Jules Polonetsky (6-0) … Ben Wermund … Robert Lynch TRIVIA FRIDAY'S ANSWER: Nikki Bannister correctly answered that New Hampshire and Vermont are the two states where governors serve two-year terms. TODAY'S QUESTION, from Cassandra: Who was the first painter to depict an African American in a Capitol mural? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@
