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Politico
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Behind the Dem U-turn on redistricting
IN TODAY'S EDITION:— Dems used to be anti-gerrymandering. Not anymore.— Díaz-Balart confident ahead of funding fight— GOP fears Dem hardball on ACA credits Democrats are making a full U-turn on redistricting. But they insist they have no choice but to respond in kind when backed into a corner by Republicans, Nicholas Wu and Andrew Howard report. The last time Democrats were in power, then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed a sweeping package of good-government reforms — including attempts to end partisan gerrymandering. Groups like the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, founded by former Attorney General Eric Holder, had long advocated for changing the system that allowed partisan gerrymandering. Now, Democrats have abandoned their initial hesitation to engage after Texas Republicans — backed by President Donald Trump — launched a mid-decade redrawing to give the GOP five additional seats. Progressives are cheering on leaders like Gov. Gavin Newsom, who triggered the effort to expand the party's advantage in California by sifting away as many as five seats from Republicans — potentially offsetting the Texas redraw. 'Democrats must respond to Republicans' blatant partisan power grab,' Pelosi said in a statement to POLITICO. 'Democrats cannot and will not unilaterally disarm.' She noted the party continues to support laws to create nationwide independent redistricting commissions. NDRC President John Bisognano said the committee is now 'taking a posture that we're not going to oppose states taking corrective and temporary measures.' Other Democrats are still aiming for the high road. Rep. Jamie Raskin argued the party should revive its previous efforts — like the For the People Act and a narrower measure aimed at restoring the 1965 Voting Rights Act — and eventually go even further by implementing multi-member congressional districts and ranked-choice voting. But even he acknowledged their limitations under Republican control. 'I would rather fight fire with water and put gerrymandering out of business,' Raskin said. 'But if the Republicans are going to plunge us into a race to the bottom, then we have to fight back with every means at our disposal.' TGIF. Email us: crazor@ mmccarthy@ and bguggenheim@ THE LEADERSHIP SUITE No. 2 House Appropriator talks fall funding fight Ahead of the government funding deadline this September, Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, vice chair of House Appropriations, says he's confident that all 12 spending bills will get floor votes — despite the GOP's track record in the previous Congress of having to pull appropriations bills from consideration or watch them collapse. 'The goal is, obviously, to continue to move those bills. We just need floor time,' Díaz-Balart told Mia in an interview Thursday. 'And I'm pretty confident that we will.' The House has passed two appropriations bills so far. He also said the Senate's ability to pass its three-bill 'minibus' earlier this month on a bipartisan basis is 'really helpful' to the cause of finding common ground on a larger package to avoid a shutdown Oct. 1. But he acknowledged negotiations will come down to congressional leaders and the White House. 'That's really not in the hands of the appropriators,' Díaz-Balart said of shutdown talks. 'That's above our pay grade.' House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, meanwhile, noted in an interview with ABC News Thursday that he has not heard from Republicans after sending a letter to Thune and Johnson earlier this week asking for a meeting on the appropriations process. What Jeffries has been up to this week Jeffries was home in New York City this week to mingle with voters and attack the GOP megabill. Jeffries delivered keynote remarks at a leadership conference, where he panned the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as an attack on health care, organized labor and well-paying jobs. He also appeared at an outdoor office hours event with City Council member Chris Banks, attended events promoting police-community partnerships, met with anti-gun violence organizations and youth in Brownsville and toured medical facilities in Bed-Stuy. POLICY RUNDOWN GOP FEARS DEM HARDBALL ON ACA CREDITS — Rumors are spreading on Capitol Hill that Democrats are going to drive a hard bargain when it comes extending enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits that are set to expire at year's end. Members of both parties are eyeing a year-end bipartisan health care package, and Democrats and a handful of Republicans believe that an extension of the sunsetting tax credits should be a part of it. Democrats and Republicans are wary of political fallout if Congress allows the credits to sunset, which could cause millions of people to lose their insurance heading into an election year. But one person close to House Republican leadership – granted anonymity to speak candidly – tells Benjamin some Republicans suspect that Democrats intend to weaponize this dynamic. They would do so by refusing to shore up the votes for extending the credits in a larger health care package unless Republicans agree to other partisan demands, like approving additional funding for community health centers. A person close to Senate Democratic leadership insisted Democrats are focused on extending the enhanced credits and that it's too early to be talking strategy for notching that win. TEXAS REPUBLICANS PRESS SMITHSONIAN ON MEGABILL LOBBYING — Sen. John Cornyn and Rep. Randy Weber pressed the chancellor of the Smithsonian in a new letter Thursday about potential violations of anti-lobbying rules with regard to implementation of the GOP's megabill. The lawmakers cite reporting that Smithsonian Institution employees took steps to oppose a provision in the bill that will require the relocation of the NASA space shuttle, Discovery, from the National Air and Space Museum in Washington to the NASA-run Johnson Space Center in Houston. 'We urge your office and the Smithsonian Institution's Board of Regents to conduct a comprehensive internal review of the Institution's communications, expenditures, and outreach activities related to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' the lawmakers write. A spokesperson for the Smithsonian did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Best of POLITICO Pro and E&E: THE BEST OF THE REST How Mike Johnson Became Trump's Speaker, from Eric Cortellessa and Nik Popli at TIME He could have been the GOP's voice on crime, but his faith intervened, from Emily Davies at The Washington Post THE CARRYOUT Welcome back to your Inside Congress hosts' favorite recess activity: sharing lawmakers' Capitol Hill food recommendations. Sen. Tina Smith is a big fan of Cups (like the rest of us). She said she likes to get the orange chicken from its hot bar. 'It always feels sort of indulgent, like not that healthy,' Smith said. 'But then my fallback is a BLT, so how good is that?' What's your indulgent Cups order? Email us: mmccarthy@ and crazor@ JOB BOARD Laura Flores is now digital director for Colin Allred's Texas Senate campaign. She previously was digital comms director at Student Turnout Projects by Strategic Victory Fund and is a David Trone alum. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Ron Klain … Ken Cook of the Environmental Working Group … Jay Gertsema … Samantha Cantrell of Rep. David Kustoff's office … JoJo Duchesne of Rep. Adam Gray's office … Catharine Cypher … Mike Dankler … former Michigan Gov. Jim Blanchard … Bipartisan Policy Center's Joe Walsh … Ted Thompson of Easterseals … American Conservation Coalition's Sarah Rosa TRIVIA THURSDAY'S ANSWER: Joan Kleiman correctly answered that the first overnight session in the Senate was in 1915, to debate the Ship Purchase Act. TODAY'S QUESTION, from Joan: Who was the first president to receive the Nobel Peace Prize? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@
Politico
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Congress ramps up DCA crash scrutiny
Presented by With assists from POLITICO's Congress team IN TODAY'S EDITION: The deadly crash near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is triggering new aviation oversight efforts on Capitol Hill as potential contributing factors draw scrutiny, including whether congressional dysfunction has strained the safety of air travel. Here's the latest on how Congress is responding to the Wednesday night tragedy at an airport that hundreds of lawmakers use to commute: Committees dig in: Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz, who has authority over the FAA and DOT, is pledging to monitor the federal investigation and continue speaking with relevant authorities. House Transportation is expected to schedule a hearing soon, our Nicholas Wu, Daniella Diaz and Chris Marquette report in a piece detailing lawmakers' intimate relationship with Reagan National. The FAA and the NTSB briefed lawmakers throughout the day Thursday, our Oriana Pawlyk reports. What they're focusing on: Per Oriana, the incident follows years of alarms about air safety, including a shortage of air traffic controllers, government shutdowns that made it harder to train workers and replace equipment and an FAA that spent stretches without a permanent leader while warnings about near-collisions increased. 'We know we have a critical shortage of air traffic controllers, and many of them are forced to work overtime, they'll often work fatigued — that's mostly the fault of Congress,' former House Transportation Chair Peter DeFazio said. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, who lobbied American Airlines to run the Wichita to Washington route that the passenger plane that crashed into an Army helicopter was on, said he expects the Senate Commerce aviation panel to follow up on what the NTSB finds and 'pursue whatever legislative changes may be necessary to further protect the traveling public.' Another area of focus among some members will be to revisit contentious decisions by Congress to add more flights to Reagan National, though there's no evidence that the added traffic played a role in the collision. 'I've flown in there over a hundred times, I'm always amazed at the amount of traffic,' said Rep. Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican on House Transportation. What Republicans aren't entertaining: GOP lawmakers — including some of Donald Trump's biggest congressional allies — are keeping their distance from the president's unsupported claim that diversity, equity and inclusion efforts were to blame for the crash. Follow our live coverage at the Inside Congress blog at GOOD FRIDAY MORNING. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims of Wednesday's tragedy. Email your Inside Congress authors: lkashinsky@ and mmccarthy@ COMING SOON IN MUNICH — POLITICO is joining forces with the Munich Security Conference for the international security forum's 61st annual meeting. Join our all-star team at MSC beginning Thursday, February 13. Full details here. THE SKED The House is out. — Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will host a 9 a.m. press conference — The House will have a pro-forma session at 10 a.m. The Senate is out. Next week: The Senate on Thursday night moved to end debate on former Rep. Doug Collins for VA secretary and Chris Wright's nomination as Energy secretary, setting them up for confirmation votes in the coming days. Expect the chamber to confirm Wright on Monday, as well as take up procedural votes on Russell Vought for OMB director and Pam Bondi for attorney general. Majority Leader John Thune also teed up Scott Turner's nomination as HUD secretary. THE LEADERSHIP SUITE John Thune weighs Trump's tariff war Thune is at risk of being thrown into the crossfire of Trump's trade battles as the president threatens 25 percent tariffs against Canada and Mexico as soon as Saturday, our colleagues Meredith Lee Hill and Jordain Carney report. Trump's 2018 trade war with China bruised South Dakota's agriculture-dependent economy, and a similar fight with Canada and Mexico could be devastating. Chuck Schumer's caucus takes a stand Senate Democrats are beginning to ramp up their resistance efforts to Trump by reviving tactics from his first term. Democrats boycotted the Budget Committee vote on Vought's OMB nomination Thursday. Republicans advanced him in an 11-0 vote. POLICY RUNDOWN NO DEEPSEEK — House staffers are being urged not to use the Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek due to concerns about malicious software, Ben and Meredith report. In a notice to staffers, the House Chief Administration Officer said it is reviewing the technology. NOMINEE HEALTH CHECK — After a day of tough hearings, it's still unclear if Tulsi Gabbard can get confirmed as director of national intelligence. HHS secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. might have hit a speed bump, but it seems like Republicans are sticking with FBI director nominee Kash Patel. Here's where things stand: GABBARD — Trump's pick for national intelligence director, likely the most vulnerable of his remaining nominees, didn't do much to ease Republicans' concerns, especially after refusing to call Edward Snowden a traitor multiple times. Gabbard also said she was in favor of using warrants to carry out Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, to ensure searches are 'justified.' Sen. James Lankford, who previously said he would support Gabbard, told reporters Thursday evening that 'there are a lot of questions' after she failed to call Snowden a traitor. Sen. John Curtis also expressed concerns. Sen. Susan Collins still won't say how she'll vote, though she appeared satisfied with Gabbard's responses to her questions about Snowden and Hezbollah. Sen. John Cornyn said he would 'consent' to Gabbard's appointment — albeit in a backhanded way, adding that Trump had the right to pick his Cabinet. KENNEDY — Trump's nominee to lead HHS may find that his confirmation chances come down to Senate HELP Chair Bill Cassidy, our colleagues Chelsea Cirruzzo, Daniel Payne and Laurn Gardner report. The former gastroenterologist pressed the HHS nominee on his past doubts of vaccines, asking him to answer 'yes or no' to whether hepatitis B and measles vaccines cause autism. He seemed unsatisfied with Kennedy's answer and said he might reach out to him over the weekend to talk about it more. PATEL — Don't expect Republicans to jump ship, though he's clashing with Democrats. Patel declined to disclose what he testified before a grand jury investigating Trump's handling of classified documents, distanced himself from Trump's Jan. 6 pardons and wouldn't say that former President Joe Biden won the 2020 election. Notably, Patel took a different view on FISA from Gabbard, saying that surveillance warrant requirements under Section 702 aren't practical. FENTANYL CRACKDOWN — The House is poised to vote on legislation next week that would lead to harsher sentences for fentanyl dealers, our Ben Leonard reports. The HALT Fentanyl Act from Rep. Morgan Griffith seems on track to head to Trump's desk — the Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on their version Tuesday, there's enough Democratic support to avert a filibuster, and it passed the House with some bipartisan backing in the last Congress. Best of Politico Pro and E&E: THE BEST OF THE REST Mitch McConnell had polio as a child. It could cloud RFK Jr.'s nomination, from Rachel Roubein, Liz Goodwin and Lena H. Sun at the Washington Post. Molinaro, Congestion Pricing Foe, to Lead Federal Transit Agency, from Nicholas Fandos and Ana Ley at the New York Times. JOB BOARD Rep. Eric Swalwell promoted Benjamin Burnett to legislative director. Anneliese Slamowitz is now a legislative assistant for Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán. She previously was a legislative aide for former Sen. Jon Tester. Austin Walton is joining The Internet & Television Association as VP of government relations. He previously was policy adviser to Sen. Eric Schmitt. The Senate Sergeant at Arms is looking for a risk threat management analyst, a technology solutions architect, an administrative coordinator and cybersecurity principled specialist. HAPPY BIRTHDAY National Security Adviser Michael Waltz…Reps. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Russell Fry (R-S.C.) (40) and Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.) (50) … Ali Zaidi … David Plotz … former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt … Nic Pottebaum … Chris Marklund … Barbara Slavin … former Reps. Garret Graves (R-La.), Larry Kissell (D-N.C.), Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), and Gwen Graham (D-Fla.) … David Thomas … Sam Dorn … BGR Group's Erskine Wells … Fred Karger… Kripa Sreepada of Sen. Ron Wyden's (D-Ore.) office and the Senate Finance Dems … Rational 360's Jacqueline Thomas (30) … Tricia McLaughlin … Michael Kempner of MWW TRIVIA WEDNESDAY'S ANSWER: Josh Taylor correctly answered that Kono Taro interned for then-Democratic Rep. Richard Shelby. TODAY'S QUESTION, from Josh: What was the purpose of the first bill signed by Trump during his first term? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@
