logo
Utah's dubious destiny in nuclear power development

Utah's dubious destiny in nuclear power development

Yahoo05-03-2025

Union Electric Callaway Nuclear Power Plant in Missouri. (Photo by)
In February, 2025, in remarks delivered to the Nuclear Industry Council's showcase in Salt Lake City, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox outlined Utah's future as a national leader in nuclear power development: 'We believe that Utah is uniquely positioned to lead the nuclear renaissance in the U.S.'
At a conference in Park City in October 2024, Utah Senate President Stuart J. Adams went Cox one better and said, 'We want to establish Utah as an expert here for energy innovation . . . we want to be the world leader. And to do that, nuclear is going to be a big part of it.' Another Utah politician eyeing the moon while jumping on a pogo stick, Utah Congressional Rep. John Curtis (now Utah Senator) said at the same Park City venue, 'We want to be a big part of this. We're ready for nuclear facilities here in our state.' Unclear about referencing the state or the nation, he also said, 'We're not talking about dozens of nuclear facilities. We're talking about hundreds of nuclear facilities.'
Utahns have heard this before — big promises, big plans, out-of-this-world expectations, and fizzling results. A parade of top Utah leaders have long excelled in making thrilling predictions about the state.
For example, a Utah attorney in 1976 promised to sweep corrupting long-term power out of Utah's future. Orrin Hatch criticized then-incumbent Senator Frank Moss' 18-year tenure in the Senate, saying, 'What do you call a Senator who's served in office for 18 years? You call him home.' Hatch argued Moss had lost touch with his constituents after so long a time gulping down the muddy waters of the Potomac River.
Orrin Hatch won the election that year and promptly lost touch with his constituents for the next 42 years as he became the longest running elected U.S. Senator up to that time, serving seven six-year terms in office. His treacherous contribution to the political landscape helped to lay the basis of the Senate's current House of Lords-style lifetime service model, devoted primarily to serving the interests of an autocratic occupant of the White House rather than the people of this country.
Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt made promises and predictions during his 11 years in office about education that neither he nor the Legislature could bring to pass: reducing class sizes, raising up students in poor areas of the state, and improving educational achievement by handing out special grants to 'Centennial' schools. He and the state could not manage to improve the state's ranking of dead last in per student spending among the 50 states. Furthermore, Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores under Leavitt slid backward for 5th and 8th graders.
The aforementioned Utah Senate President Stuart Adams glibly promised the people of Utah that Utah would lead the nation out of the pandemic. However, Utah, with all its anti-vax religious libertarians leading the way, arguably led Utah and the nation back into another round of pandemic illness and death.
Now, along comes Gov. Spencer Cox in the prime of his fame and power in 2025. It seems to have slipped the governor's mind that Utah was the recipient of drifting nuclear mushroom clouds during the atom bomb testing beginning in 1945 at the Nevada Test Site. This tidy little underperformed piece of history produced an American Chernobyl with cascading cancer deaths from generation to generation as a result of the 'downwinder' effect on southern Utahns.
Cox also seems not to have taken to heart another nuclear warning story that comes to us from Utah's west desert. That part of the state is a holding place for some of the US military's deadliest materials. One article cites, 'Everything from compacted urban trash to nuclear reactor waste seems to end up there among the tumbleweeds, alkaline salt flats, and jackalopes. Even the Deseret News once called it 'a place to store and burn and bury our country's toxic trash.'' The Dugway Proving Ground located there became one of the centers of the nation's chemical and biological weapons testing and a dumping ground for nuclear waste. Dugway ran into trouble in 1968 when testing a new nerve agent that accidentally killed 6,000 sheep grazing in the desert.
In another slap to the face of Utah's megalomaniacal ambitions is that Utah is not even mentioned in the short list of states who are leading the way in developing nuclear energy, a list which includes only Virginia, Michigan, and Wyoming.
It is hard to know from what source Utah politicians are taking their delirious political prompts. It certainly is not necessary in an authentic democracy to always be first and best in everything.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump using L.A. unrest to push his big bill in D.C.
Trump using L.A. unrest to push his big bill in D.C.

Axios

time40 minutes ago

  • Axios

Trump using L.A. unrest to push his big bill in D.C.

President Trump and his allies have a new message for wobbly Republicans in Congress: Either support his "Big Beautiful Bill" or get bashed for backing the Los Angeles protesters waving Mexican flags in front of burning cars. Why it matters: It's a sign of the political hardball Trump is playing within his own party. At the same time, he's squeezing California's Democratic leaders with what critics call an over-the-top response to protests fueled by his immigration crackdown. The drama in L.A. has helped the White House shift some of its focus from Trump's feud with Elon Musk and place it squarely on immigration — an issue on which Trump continues to poll relatively well despite growing discontent over his aggressive push for arrests and deportations. As California Gov. Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass accuse Trump of escalating the tension there, the White House sees a chance to attack sanctuary city policies, embarrass Democrats and show the need for the immigration funding in the mammoth bill that most Republicans strongly support. Zoom in: Trump has long backed using force — even the military — to subdue destructive protests. But his advisers say there was no master plan for immigration raids to spark the type of protests and vandalism in L.A. that would lead Trump to call in the National Guard, over Newsom and Bass' objections. The big picture: To Trump's team, Newsom's opposition, the televised images of vandalized cars, and protesters throwing rocks and waving foreign flags to oppose U.S. immigration arrests did more to boost the White House's push to maintain GOP support for Trump's bill than any of its recent talking points. "We see the riots in L.A. laden with political opportunity, in that it's a fight between what Republicans say they want vs. the radical left and protesters waving the Mexican flag in front of burning cars — and the Democrats supporting them," said a senior White House adviser. "It's the best BBB marketing ever. It has brought the critical nature of increased border funding and immigration enforcement to the fore," said Andrew Kolvet, spokesman for Turning Point USA, a major voice in Republican advocacy. "Everyone we're talking to in the Senate says this put it over the top." To Kolvet's point, Tom Cotton, chair of the Senate's Republican conference, sent out three talking points Monday to his GOP colleagues emphasizing Newsom's role and violent protestors. Cotton also tussled with Newsom on X. In one reply, the senator posted a picture of a masked demonstrator waving a Mexican flag atop a vandalized car with flames in the background. Reality check: There is a constitutional question about whether Trump is empowered to call up the California National Guard when its governor is opposed. Newsom is suing. The context is dramatically different, but a president calling in the Guard over a governor's objection has happened before. In 1968, President Johnson did so to enforce civil rights laws amid opposition from Alabama Gov. George Wallace. Late Monday, Trump also moved to deploy Marines to Los Angeles, an unprecedented escalation in modern times, further angering California officials. What they're saying:"Republicans are trying to take away health care from millions of Americans in order to give tax breaks to billionaires — so Trump is manufacturing a crisis, demonizing immigrants with increasing extremism, cruelty and disregard for the law," California Sen. Alex Padilla said on X Monday. "It's the Trump playbook." But Padilla's post, which featured a TV news clip of him making the comments, showed the messaging problem Democrats face. It was displayed in a split screen of him talking juxtaposed with video of a burning car. It wasn't clear Monday whether Trump's California political play was changing any holdout Republicans' votes on his signature bill. Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, one of the few GOP no votes on the legislation last month, still opposes the bill because of its deficits and policies favoring state and local tax (SALT) deductions that particularly benefit blue states. "The 'Big Beautiful Bill' actually rewards Gov. Newsom's failed polices with a $100 billion gift to California in the form of increased SALT deductions," he told Axios in a written statement. The protests "are a bitter reminder that Trump let California and NY Republicans ransom his border security agenda," Massie added. Another congressional Republican who has serious problems with the bill told Axios on background that "this has always been the plan by BBB supporters — to use the border as pressure to not address the fiscal impact of some/many of the taxes." Trump's L.A. response is "just a circumstance of not letting a crisis go to waste."

What to watch in New Jersey's primary election for governor
What to watch in New Jersey's primary election for governor

Politico

time40 minutes ago

  • Politico

What to watch in New Jersey's primary election for governor

Tuesday's primary in New Jersey is set to lay the groundwork for a high-stakes general election that will decide if Democrats can hold on in the typically blue-leaning state or if Republicans can continue to make gains. The race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy is the most competitive primary in recent history, thanks in part to a new ballot design and a large pool of prominent candidates. As one of only two gubernatorial races this year — and the only one with a fierce primary — Tuesday's results in New Jersey will be closely watched as both parties gear up for what's expected to be a close race in November. In the Republican primary, Jack Ciattarelli — who came just points away from unseating Murphy in 2021 — is looking to seal the deal against his top opponent, former radio host Bill Spadea. The Democratic contest, where six candidates are vying to replace Murphy, is more up in the air. Rep. Mikie Sherrill is seen as having the best shot, though the other candidates — Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller and former state Senate President Steve Sweeney — all have a path to the nomination depending on turnout. But the demographic of primary voters is a wildcard in what's expected to be a low-turnout, off-year primary. More than 460,000 people voted early, according to the Associated Press. The unusual possibility of most candidates having a real shot has led to record-breaking spending. A whopping $120 million has been poured into the race among candidates and independent expenditure groups — spending that is expected to ramp up in the general election. Polls close at 8 p.m. Eastern. Here are some of the dynamics at play in Tuesday's election. Tuesday's election is the first without the so-called county line, a layout that gave party-backed candidates a better spot on the ballot and all but guaranteed a primary win. It also gave county party bosses unusual sway over primaries. Candidates have argued the new format — office-block, the most common used across the country — gives contenders without the traditionally imperative support of party bosses a real chance. On the Democratic side, Sherrill and Sweeney have the most support from county parties — Sherrill primarily in North Jersey, the most populous and Democratic areas of the state, and Sweeney, the only candidate from South Jersey, in that region. For the Republicans, Ciattarelli was the only candidate to partake in every county nominating process. Many gubernatorial hopefuls used the death of the county line to make an argument against the party establishment. A handful of candidates shunned the endorsement processes, reasoning that their time was better spent with voters rather than appealing to the most tuned-in activists. There are still some advantages that come with having the endorsement from county parties, including get-out-the-vote efforts. Party-backed candidates were also awarded the party's slogan on the ballot, though it's unclear how persuasive that will be for voters, many of whom are not aware of what the party's slogan is. The outcome of the primary — if the victor is a candidate with significant establishment support or one who abandoned the process — will fuel the fight over the county line, which is expected to continue post-election. Republicans have raised the possibility of pushing to bring the line back. Separately, the federal judge overseeing the litigation that ended the county line system suggested the new ballot design may not pass constitutional muster. President Donald Trump, who had a closer-than-expected loss in New Jersey last year, has been a consistent presence in the primaries on both sides of the aisle. Ciattarelli and Spadea have long sparred over who is the most loyal to the president — a fight that has continued even after Trump endorsed Ciattarelli. In past elections, Ciattarelli was a Trump critic; he has since come around to support the president. Ciattarelli is the favorite in the primary, not just because of the Trump endorsement, but because of his high name ID from previous campaigns. But if Spadea pulls off an upset, that would be the second New Jersey election in a row in which the president backed the losing candidate, after he supported the runner-up in last year's Senate GOP primary. In the days leading up to this election, Trump doubled down on his support of only Ciattarelli. (The president has a history of endorsing multiple candidates in tight primaries.) He hosted a telerally for him, and over the weekend reupped his endorsement on Truth Social, writing that Ciattrelli's opponents 'are going around saying they have my Endorsement, which is not true, I don't even know who they are!' The Democratic primary has also centered on Trump, with each of the Democrats using him as a foil in their campaign messaging. It's a tactic that likely appeals to Democratic primary voters — but could be a harder sell to the broader general electorate, many of whom helped Trump make gains in the state last year. But Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, who visited the state over the weekend, argued that 'there's a lot of buyer's remorse' when it comes to the president, which 'provides an opportunity to Democrats in this state to expand our coalition, bring people back into the fold who may have left us.' 'It's not only the right strategy, it's the right thing to stand up and fight back on what they're trying to do,' Martin said. 'I absolutely think we're going to continue to saddle [Ciattarelli] with the fact that he's best buddies with Donald Trump, and that doesn't help most hard-working New Jerseyans actually afford their lives.' Both sides acknowledge the November election will be competitive, even though New Jersey has typically been viewed as a blue state. Particularly on the Democratic side, the nominee will provide the latest insight into what voters hope the direction of the party will be. As the party out of power, Democrats nationally have struggled with how to get back on track ahead of the midterms. If Democrats nominate a more centrist Democrat, like Gottheimer or Sweeney, versus a progressive like Baraka or Fulop — and if that nominee is successful come November — that could be a sign of the path forward for the party. Some Republicans have argued that Baraka would be the easiest candidate to defeat in the general election, given how far to the left some of his policies are — a notion that Baraka has repeatedly pushed back on. Baraka fired up progressives and garnered national attention last month after he was arrested at an immigrant detention center in Newark, though it's unclear if that spotlight will translate to higher turnout for him at the ballot box. The electability argument is also underway in the Republican primary. State Sen. Jon Bramnick, a moderate Republican who has largely stayed out of the Ciattarelli-Spadea brawls, has asserted that he'd be the most competitive in a general election, given his success in Democratic-leaning districts. (Two other candidates, former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac and contractor Justin Barbera are also running, though they remain longshots.) Ciattarelli, meanwhile, has claimed he would give a boost to down-ballot candidates — a point that Spadea has chided him for, considering he lost a gubernatorial campaign twice already. But Spadea, too, hasn't had the most successful electoral history. Spadea, who positions himself as a political outsider, has faltered running for office twice before, in Congress and the state Assembly, more than a decade ago. This election will show if the third time's the charm for Ciattarelli, a former state Assemblymember who also ran for governor in 2017 in addition to 2021. Last year was not a great year for repeat candidates on the congressional level, as many of them lost despite having the built-in advantages of having campaign infrastructure more or less in place from their previous runs. The entire state Assembly is up for grabs this year with competitive Democratic primaries across the state. Traditionally, candidates without party backing — or who only had it in a sliver of a legislative district — have faced long odds at winning primaries. But the fall of the county line is testing that conventional wisdom. Many of the state's most competitive Assembly races are fueled by Fulop, who has recruited Assembly candidates in around two dozen districts — many of them running against incumbents. The decision to run Assembly challengers plays into Fulop's anti-establishment message and also could boost him as they function as de facto surrogates for his candidacy. But he has also faced some criticism for the tactic, including accusations of acting like a party boss despite railing against them. And some of his chosen candidates have received negative headlines over the course of the primary. Tuesday will show if Fulop could provide some tailwinds for these candidates — or if he and his slate stumble up and down the ballot. But should the Fulop candidates be successful, it could shake up the dynamics of the Assembly's Democratic caucus, which is favored to maintain its 52-28 majority. Some Assembly races are a reflection of local power struggles. In the 33rd Legislative District, the Hudson County Democratic Organization and local power broker state Sen. Brian Stack is backing Assemblymember Gabriel Rodriguez and Larry Wainstein for Assembly against Frank Alonso and Tony Hector, who are allied with North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco. Sacco and Stack have a long-running personal feud, and the Assembly race has become a proxy battle between the two. (Alonso and Hector are also allied with Fulop.) The neighboring 32nd Legislative District has a six-way Assembly primary. Assemblymember Jessica Ramirez and Jersey City Councilmember Yousef Saleh — backed by Fulop — are up against two party-backed candidates, municipal government employees Crystal Fonseca and Jennie Pu. Two other high-profile candidates, Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla and Katie Brennan, a former Murphy administration official. Three slates of candidates are also competing in Bergen County's 37th Legislative District: Assemblymembers Shama Haider and Ellen Park, Fulop-backed attorney Tamar Warburg and Tenafly Councilmember Dan Park, and former Teaneck Deputy Mayor Yitz Stern and small business owner Rosemary Hernandez Carroll. The viable slates could make this a competitive primary. Republicans are not facing as many contested primaries. One in North Jersey features two-time unsuccessful congressional candidate Frank Pallotta running against two incumbent GOP Assemblymembers, Bob Auth and John Azzariti.

GOP eyes cuts to Trump's tax promises
GOP eyes cuts to Trump's tax promises

Politico

timean hour ago

  • Politico

GOP eyes cuts to Trump's tax promises

Presented by IN TODAY'S EDITION:— GOP senators target Trump's tax priorities— New X-date gives megabill breathing room— RFK Jr. to fire CDC's vaccine advisers Senate Finance Republicans are increasingly looking to dial back key items on President Donald Trump's tax policy wish list. And it's pitting them against the architect of the House-passed tax legislation, Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith — and potentially even the White House. The rub is this: The House version of the megabill would restore tax incentives for research and development, business equipment and debt interest through 2029, which Trump has indicated he supports. But Senate Republicans are dead-set on making them permanent, a proposition that would likely add hundreds of billions in more red ink to the legislation. To offset that cost, GOP senators are looking to water down other tax provisions they believe aren't as 'pro-growth.' Those policies include 'no taxes on tips,' 'no taxes on overtime' and tax relief for seniors — all proposals Trump touted on the campaign trail and collectively boast a price tag of roughly $230 billion, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. Smith is warning senators to tread carefully in challenging Trump's desires. 'I think that the United States Senate will not want to scale down the president's priorities. No tax on tips, no tax on overtime are two of his top priorities,' Smith told reporters Monday. 'Are there some tweaks that they can do to it that I would recommend? Yes, and I have recommended.' But some Senate Republicans who sit on the Finance panel have made clear they have their own ideas. When we asked Ron Johnson whether he believes 'no tax on tips' or 'no tax on overtime' are pro-growth, he gave a terse 'nope.' 'They're making a case to increase the labor supply,' Johnson told us. 'I would just extend the current tax law.' Sen. Thom Tillis has likewise been pushing to make changes to both policies, telling Benjamin Monday that 'no tax on overtime' should be rewritten to ensure it only applies to people working over 40 hours a week. Meanwhile, House Republicans are hoping to tweak some language in their bill they believe the Senate parliamentarian will identify as non-compliant with the budget reconciliation process. They'll do so by using a procedural maneuver within the Rules Committee that won't require the chamber to take a standalone vote on a revised measure, five people told our Meredith Lee Hill, Jordain Carney and Jennifer Scholtes. House Republican leaders expect a report on the potential Senate problems this morning, though Majority Leader Steve Scalise acknowledged they may not have the full list before the Rules hearing scheduled for later today. 'I don't think there will be any big surprises,' Speaker Mike Johnson added Monday, 'but that's part of the process.' GOOD TUESDAY MORNING. Please give a warm welcome to Calen Razor, the newest member of our Inside Congress team! Reach him at crazor@ and email the rest of your Inside Congress scribes at bguggenheim@ mmccarthy@ lkashinsky@ and bleonard@ Follow our live coverage at the Inside Congress blog at THE SKED The House is in session and voting on a bill that would undo a District of Columbia ban on collective bargaining with respect to police discipline matters and a bill that would prohibit non-citizens from voting in the district at 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. — Appropriations will have a subcommittee hearing on the president's fiscal 2026 budget request for the Defense Department with Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan Caine testifying at 9:30 a.m.; a subcommittee hearing on the president's fiscal 2026 budget request for HUD with Secretary Scott Turner testifying at 10 a.m.; and a classified subcommittee markup for the fiscal 2026 Defense funding bill at 12 p.m. The full panel will mark up the fiscal 2026 Military Construction-VA funding bill at 3 p.m. — Republicans and Democrats will hold their weekly conference meetings at 9 a.m. Democrats will meet at the DCCC. — GOP leaders will hold their post-meeting news conference at 10 a.m. — Agriculture and Financial Services will mark up a digital assets bill at 10 a.m. — Judiciary will mark up a bill to repeal a law that prevents protesters from blocking people from receiving reproductive services, among other legislation at 10 a.m. — Energy and Commerce will have a subcommittee hearing on the president's fiscal 2026 budget request for the Energy Department with Secretary Chris Wright testifying at 10 a.m. — Intel will have a closed subcommittee hearing on the president's fiscal 2026 budget request for the CIA with Director John Ratcliffe testifying at 10 a.m. — Oversight will have a hearing on security concerns over 23andMe's bankruptcy sale at 10 a.m. — Democratic leaders will hold their post-meeting news conference at 10:45 a.m. — Small Business will have a hearing on minor league baseball's impact on the economy at 2 p.m. — Rules will vote to establish parameters for floor debate on the rescissions package at 2 p.m. The Senate is in session and voting on David Fotouhi's nomination to be deputy administrator of the EPA and to end debate on Stephen Vaden's nomination to be deputy secretary of Agriculture at 11:15 a.m. The Senate will then vote on Vaden's nomination and to end debate on Andrew Hughes' nomination to be deputy secretary of HUD at 2:15 p.m. — Armed Services will have a hearing examining the Navy in review of the fiscal 2026 Defense Authorization Request, with Secretary John Phelan testifying at 9:30 a.m. — Appropriations will have a subcommittee hearing on the president's fiscal 2026 budget request for the NIH, with testimony from Director Jay Bhattacharya at 10 a.m. — Foreign Relations will consider various nominations, including Andrew Puzder to be ambassador to the European Union, Howard Brodie to be ambassador to Finland and Benjamin Black to be CEO of the United States International Development Finance Corporation at 10 a.m. — Republican and Democratic senators will have weekly conference lunches at 12:45 p.m. — Agriculture will consider Brian Quintenz's nomination to lead the Commodity Futures Trading Commission at 3 p.m. The rest of the week: The House will take up the rescissions package, HALT Fentanyl Act and immigration legislation targeting D.C. The Senate will work through Trump's nominations and landmark cryptocurrency legislation. THE LEADERSHIP SUITE Rescissions hits the Rules Committee House Republican leadership is expecting to send the White House's rescissions package through the Rules Committee this afternoon, paving the way for a floor vote by Thursday. Johnson and Scalise are confident they can appease members' concerns about clawing back money Congress has already greenlit and slashing funding for the PEPFAR program and public media. 'I still have questions about the package and I need more specificity,' Rep. Dan Newhouse told Calen Monday. 'We've already appropriated this money and I'm just concerned about the precedent this sets.' Johnson said Monday the White House budget office is working to provide more details for skeptics. Thune gets a 'big, beautiful' timeline reprieve Senate Majority Leader John Thune can take a little more time passing his chamber's version of the megabill now that the Congressional Budget Office is pushing back its forecasted date for when the country will run out of cash to pay its bills. The X-date has always been the unofficial deadline to send Trump his 'big, beautiful bill'; it's now predicted to fall between mid-August and the end of September, rather than by Aug. 1. 'It gives a little more runway,' Thune told reporters Monday, but 'I still think that we want to complete this' by July 4. Top Senate Republicans are plowing ahead: The Energy and HELP committees are set to release bill text today. Agriculture text is expected to land in the 'later part of this week,' Chair John Boozman told Jordain. Finance is aiming for Friday, but could slip into next week. Crapo and Boozman will be among the committee chairs who will brief colleagues on their panels' plans in a closed-door session Wednesday. In more forward movement, Sen. Josh Hawley told Jordain Monday that GOP leaders are actively working with him to address his concerns about the House's freeze on the Medicaid provider tax. Tillis expressed confidence to Lisa and other reporters Monday that aggressive phase-out dates House Republicans set for Biden-era green credits under Democrats' 2022 climate law would get extended. But Thune is still looking for ways to appease deficit hawks who want higher spending cuts. After Dan Bishop, the No. 2 at OMB, met with a group of Senate conservatives Monday night, Ron Johnson said 'we're just not meeting the moment.' He's hoping to finalize a report today that illustrates his concerns and intends to sit down soon with administration officials. Thune tees up more crypto votes Thune wants to pass landmark cryptocurrency legislation this week that would create new rules for dollar-pegged digital tokens, our Jasper Goodman and Jordain report. The Senate majority leader teed up the stablecoin bill for another procedural vote as soon as Wednesday. But GOP leaders have yet to finalize an amendment deal with Democrats, partly because of Sen. Roger Marshall's push to force a vote on controversial legislation to crack down on credit card swipe fees. 'We're trying to figure out if there's still a path forward on amendments, but the goal is to have it across the floor' this week, Thune told Jordain. Opening for Homeland Committee chair Rep. Mark Green's surprise announcement that he will be retiring from Congress this year for another opportunity will free up the House Homeland Security gavel. The current front runner: Rep. Michael McCaul, who previously chaired the committee from 2013 to 2019. The speaker met with Green and McCaul last Thursday for a meeting Green requested, three people tell Joe Gould and Meredith, and the group discussed McCaul taking over the role to avoid a messy, mid-session fight. 'I'd be honored to serve if asked by the conference,' McCaul said. 'I would only do so as a placeholder for the remainder of the term.' If that falls through, Rep. Michael Guest told Meredith he's interested, though he had not talked to the speaker as of early Monday evening and didn't receive a heads up about about Green's retirement. That the Ethics chair was kept in the dark about Green's plans suggests the outgoing Homeland chair might not have disclosed his new job prospects to the Ethics Committee, Meredith writes in. Our Hailey Fuchs adds that under House Ethics rules, members are required to disclose negotiations with a future private employer to the panel. An Ethics spokesperson declined to comment on whether Green shared such information. POLICY RUNDOWN RFK JR. TO FIRE VACCINE ADVISERS — HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is making moves to fire all current members of the CDC's outside vaccine advisory panel, which plays a key role in setting vaccine policy. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, will then be able to select their replacements. And his latest actions will test assurances he made to Senate HELP Chair Bill Cassidy during the confirmation process that he would maintain the panel 'without changes.' Cassidy told reporters Monday that the pledge was about the panel's process, not the members, but still raised concerns. 'Now the fear is that the [panel] will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion,' Cassidy, a physician, said in a social media post. 'I've just spoken with Secretary Kennedy, and I'll continue to talk with him to ensure this is not the case.' Sen. Susan Collins also signaled displeasure with the developments: 'I don't know who serves on those committees,' she told reporters. 'But it seems to be excessive to ask for everybody's resignations … [it] raises serious questions.' MEDICARE OUT OF THE MEGABILL? — Republicans are growing more skeptical that a bipartisan Medicare proposal will make it into the final megabill package, Lisa and Ben report. The bill from Cassidy and Sen. Jeff Merkley would go after overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans, which some Republicans say fits under Trump's pledge to root out 'waste, fraud and abuse.' It could also yield major savings, which would help Republicans pay for the broader tax-and-spending package. But the proposal has sparked heartburn for House and Senate Republicans and backlash from the insurance industry. And backers are facing skepticism from other Republicans that the megabill is the right vehicle for the change. 'There's a lot of work to be done to make sure you don't have unintended consequences,' Tillis told Lisa Monday. THE 'HACK BACK' PLAN — Republicans on the House China Committee are drafting legislation to empower American companies to conduct defensive cyber strikes against Chinese hackers targeting the U.S., our John Sakellariadis reports. The White House has not yet signaled engagement with, or support for, the effort. It's also unlikely this bill would become law this Congress, as the idea has long been criticized by cyber experts as impractical or escalatory. But China hawks see it as a necessary step amid anxiety that the U.S. is on the losing end of a brewing digital conflict with Beijing. The emerging legislative framework would allow U.S. companies to hack and disable IT systems used by the Chinese to stage their attacks. ENERGY SUMMIT TODAY: At 8 a.m. ET today, congressional leaders, White House officials and energy experts will explore the strategic choices shaping America's energy future under the Trump administration at POLITICO's Energy Summit. Key speakers include Jarrod Agen, deputy assistant to the president and executive director of the National Energy Dominance Council; Sen. John Curtis; Sen. Martin Heinrich; Reps. Brett Guthrie and Bob Latta; Jennifer Granholm, former U.S. Energy secretary and senior counselor at DGA Group and more. Find more details about the event or watch live. Best of POLITICO Pro and E&E: TUNNEL TALK ON THE HILL TODAY — You may spot some former professional baseball players around the Capitol. Jim Sundberg and Larry Hardy are set to attend the Small Business hearing on the minor league's impact on the economy, a tipster tells Mia. THE BEST OF THE REST Gelato, Boat Rides, Cooking Classes and Energy Policy: Lawmakers Keep Going to a Stunning Italian Villa for Free, from Haley Byrd Wilt and Anna Kramer at NOTUS White House Pushes Texas to Redistrict, Hoping to Blunt Democratic Gains, from J. David Goodman and Shane Goldmacher at The New York Times CAPITOL HILL INFLUENCE FLY IN — More than 30 owners of rural energy companies will hit the Hill today to urge Republican lawmakers to preserve clean-energy tax credits from Democrats' 2022 climate law. They will meet with the offices of more than 30 lawmakers, including Sens. Lisa Murkowski and John Curtis, who have voiced support for preserving the credits. FLORIDA MAN TO D.C. — Continental Strategy is adding another powerful Floridian in Washington with the hire of Sen. Rick Scott's former top aide, Craig Carbone, POLITICO Influence reports. JOB BOARD Shang Yi has been sworn in as acting administrator of the U.S. Maritime Administration. He most recently was director of investigations for the House Homeland Security Committee. Alyssa Anderson is now chief of staff for Rep. Ryan McKenzie. She was most recently chief of staff for Rep. Juan Ciscomani and previously worked for Rep. Dan Crenshaw and then-NRCC Chair Tom Emmer. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Former Rep. Lynn Jenkins … former Sen. John Edwards … James Rockas of ACLJ Action … Michael Daniels ... Edelman's Matthew Streit … BPI's David O'Brien … Thomas Showalter ... Al Mottur … Matt Jansen of Rep. Melanie Stansbury's office … former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal … Kylie Bohman … Ben DeMarzo … J.D. Grom … Nicole Hager Fingerfoot TRIVIA MONDAY'S ANSWER: Jack McKeon correctly answered that John Trumbull painted the Declaration of Independence painting in the Rotunda and has four paintings total in the Rotunda. TODAY'S QUESTION, from Jack: Who was the first U.S. president to visit all 50 states while in office? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store