The Hill's Morning Report — Presented by Delta Air Lines — Can House Republicans govern?

View Online  MORNING REPORT PRESENTED BY Wednesday, September 20  by Alexis Simendinger & Kristina Karisch Wednesday, September 20  by Alexis Simendinger & Kristina Karisch ©  The Associated Press / J. Scott Applewhite | Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Tuesday. Can House Republicans govern?  Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) found himself in yet another circle of hell Tuesday. Lawmakers in both parties are asking whether the House majority can govern.     The GOP's escalating discord suggests that keeping the government operating, usually basic governance, is akin to a Gordian knot that McCarthy cannot slice through. Or at least not while keeping his job.     CONSERVATIVE INFIGHTING forced House leaders Tuesday to pull a key vote on a proposed monthlong stopgap spending bill that would have been dead on arrival in the Senate and at the White House (The Hill).     Shortly after, House leaders failed to advance a Pentagon spending bill. McCarthy had wanted to pass defense appropriations to eventually strengthen his negotiating posture with Senate appropriators, who say they're horrified by the feuding, reports The Hill's Alexander Bolton.     The usually popular measure was turned back from consideration, 214-212, after five renegade House conservatives helped sink it (The Hill). Worth noting: It was a vote on the rule that sought to bring the bill to the House floor. These are usually straight-party line votes and pass 99.9 percent of the time.   This is not conservative Republicanism. This is stupidity. The idea that we're going to shut the government down when we don't control the Senate, we don't control the White House," Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) told reporters outside the Capitol. "It's a clown show. You keep running lunatics, you're going to be in this position."  Lawler represents a congressional district Biden won in 2020. The failure to reach agreement and the focus on impeachment more than the pocketbook issues worries some Republicans who fear Democratic candidates could flip the House or scuttle potential GOP victories next year in the Senate or the presidential contest.     "We're waiting to see what the House is going to do on a continuing resolution," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters Tuesday (The Hill). "I think all of you know I'm not a fan of government shutdowns. I've seen a few of them over the years. They never have produced a policy change and they've always been a loser for Republicans, politically."    The White House issued a statement using the words "radical," "reckless," and "extreme" to describe GOP aims while highlighting specific federal funding at risk next week. "House Republicans are consumed by chaos and marching our country toward a government shutdown that would damage our communities, economy and national security," the statement said (The Hill).    PLAN B? Some Republicans are considering support for a shell bill that could, as soon as next week, serve as the vehicle that would allow moderates to supersede McCarthy's control of the House floor and force a vote to keep the government open. What goes in that vehicle, a discharge petition, is unknown except that it would include short-term funding intended to garner enough support from House Democrats and the Senate to keep the government funded after Sept. 30 (The Washington Post).    SHOULD HOUSE FIREBRANDS move to oust McCarthy, Democrats in the House could face a big decision: Save the Speaker who opened an impeachment inquiry into their president, or join Republicans in booting him? Top Democrats say they have not formulated a strategy for handling such a vote, dismissing questions as hypothetical (The Hill).    McCarthy has brushed aside the idea that his gavel is in jeopardy. Asked on Monday if he thinks he will need support from the other side of the aisle to salvage his Speakership, he responded, "I'm not worried about that."  The Associated Press: McCarthy faces an almost impossible task trying to unite the House GOP and fund the government. The Hill: Republicans explore dueling Plan Bs on averting a shutdown. 3 THINGS TO KNOW TODAY Attorney General Merrick Garland will testify this morning to the House Judiciary Committee amid an impeachment push. House Republicans' first impeachment inquiry hearing, focused on constitutional and legal questions, is scheduled for Sept. 28 in the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) plans to subpoena the personal and business bank records of Hunter Biden and the president's brother, James Biden, "as early as this week."   In a surprise move, the Food and Drug Administration late Tuesday night rejected the first needle-free alternative to EpiPens, calling for more research. More than 1.2 million patients are prescribed epinephrine in injectable form, according to 2020 data.  Biden on Friday will announce the creation of a White House Gun Violence Prevention Office, an idea advocated by Democrats in Congress but stalled as legislation.  Content from our sponsor: Delta Air Lines Delta has been voted the No. 1 airline with the best staff At Delta we take pride in our products and our world-class service, but it's our 90,000 people that set us apart. For the second year in a row Delta was named the No. 1 airline with the best staff in North America according to Skytrax survey. Learn more.   Leading the Day In his annual address to the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday, President Biden called on his counterparts to defend the idea that powerful nations can't seize territory from their neighbors, part of a broad appeal aimed at isolating Russia on the world stage (The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal). As support for the war in Ukraine appears to be flagging in the United States and abroad, the president made the case for continuing to supply Kyiv with aid.    "If we abandon the core principles of the [U.N. Charter] to appease an aggressor, can any member state in this body feel confident that they are protected?" Biden said. "If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure? I'd respectfully suggest the answer is no. We must stand up to this naked aggression today and deter other would-be aggressors tomorrow."     BIDEN'S CALL FOR AID was echoed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who attended the General Assembly in person this year and presented Moscow's aggression as a worldwide unrelenting threat that would not stop at the borders of his country (The Hill and The New York Times).     "The goal of the present war against Ukraine is to turn our land, our people, our lives, our resources, into a weapon against you, against the international rules-based order," he said, adding Russia was weaponizing essentials like food and energy "not only against our country, but against all of yours, as well."    "INCAPABLE OF COMING TOGETHER": United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday delivered a dire warning that the planet is facing mounting global challenges and geopolitical tensions. Guterres stressed that international cooperation is critical, and ticked off a list of "existential threats" the world is facing, from climate change to disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence.    "Our world is becoming unhinged. Geopolitical tensions are rising. Global challenges are mounting. And we seem incapable of coming together to respond," Guterres told the people who run the world's nations. He said that the United Nations — and the ways that countries cooperate — must evolve to meet the era (The Associated Press).    While Biden addressed the danger of climate change and the world's reliance on fossil fuels during his own speech, the first reactions from climate activists to his remarks were not glowing. "President Biden's U.N. speech rightly recognized the climate dangers of fossil fuels, but Biden ignored his own immense powers to get us off them," said Jean Su, of the Center for Biological Diversity (The New York Times).  ©  The Associated Press / Susan Walsh | President Biden speaks at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday. The New York Times: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said 31 American-made Abrams tanks will soon arrive in Ukraine.  Reuters: Corruption accusations continue to plague top Zelensky aides. Politico: McCarthy won't commit to new aid for Ukraine ahead of Zelensky's Capitol Hill visit. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich appealed his pretrial detention on espionage charges in Russian court Tuesday, but contradictory statements from the court and Russian state media caused confusion on the result of the appeal. Gershkovich, 32, has been detained since March on espionage charges, which American authorities and the Journal deny. If convicted, he would face up to 20 years in a Russian penal colony (The Hill).  The New York Times: Iran's president threatened U.S. officials from the U.N. podium, dimming hopes for a rapprochement.  The Hill: Biden and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will launch a partnership on workers' rights amid labor strikes in U.S. Where and When The House will convene at 10 a.m.    The Senate will meet at 10 a.m.     The president will participate in a bilateral meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York City. Biden will meet with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil and participate in a labor-focused event with Lula. The president will headline two campaign receptions in the Big Apple, joined at one by second gentleman Doug Emhoff. Biden will return to the White House tonight.     Vice President Harris will participate at 5 p.m. in a conversation at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Leadership Conference.    Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in New York City with an extensive schedule of meetings and speeches.    Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will hold a bilateral meeting at 9 a.m. with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in New York City. She will be honored with the Atlantic Council's Global Citizen Award at 6 p.m. and deliver will remarks.    The Federal Reserve will issue a statement at 2 p.m. and Chair Jerome Powell will hold a press conference at 2:30 p.m.    First lady Jill Biden at 10:30 a.m. will attend the Organization of African First Ladies for Development #WeAreEqual event in New York City. She will host a reception at 3 p.m. for spouses attending the U.N. General Assembly.    The Congressional Black Caucus today kicks off its four-day annual legislative conference in Washington, hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.    Zoom In On The Campaign Trail Former President Trump wants to finish off Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in Iowa, the GOP's first-in-the-nation caucus, where the 2024 Republican nomination could lock up around the front-runner and leave rivals in the dust. It's a must-win state for DeSantis, who trails Trump by double-digits, despite his investment of time in the state (The Hill and The New York Times).    DeSantis's top advisers say they're emulating a stick-with-it strategy that worked for the Republican victors in the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Iowa caucuses — although none went on to capture the party's nomination.    "Winning an Iowa caucus is very difficult," David Polyansky, DeSantis's deputy campaign manager, told the Times. "It takes a tremendous amount of discipline. It takes an incredible amount of hard work and organization, traditionally. So much so that even in his heyday, Donald Trump couldn't win it in 2016."  ©  The Associated Press / Charlie Neibergall | Former President Trump campaigned in Ames, Iowa, and Iowa State University on Sept. 9. TRUMP MAY HAVE HANDED DeSantis an opening for momentum on the issue of abortion. On Tuesday, the former president was trying to dig himself out with a boast to conservatives in Iowa and elsewhere that his Supreme Court appointments made it possible to overturn Roe v. Wade and send abortion decisions to the states (The Hill).    Trump recently called a six-week abortion ban that DeSantis signed in Florida a "terrible thing." Recognizing that Iowa passed a similar law, DeSantis swiped at Trump Monday during a Radio Iowa interview, saying, "I don't know how you can even make the claim that you're somehow pro-life if you're criticizing states for enacting protections for babies that have heartbeats."  2024 ROUNDUP Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville told colleagues he will try to go around his own abortion-protest blockade on defense nominations today to confirm Gen. Eric Smith as Marine Corps commandant.  Trump and Biden are tied (44 percent each) in a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll of U.S. adults, a hint of momentum for the former president and a warning sign for the incumbent.   DeSantis jabbed at McCarthy Tuesday over who has GOP sway in the Sunshine State, DeSantis or Trump. "I ran 16 points better than Trump in Florida," DeSantis told Fox News Business, referring to the 2022 elections. "We delivered them four additional Republican congressmen; that was instrumental in getting them the bare majority that they have [in the House]."  Democrats retain narrow control of the Pennsylvania state House after Tuesday's special election. Automatic voter registration is coming to battleground Pennsylvania, officials announced Tuesday, opening the door to a driver's license and state ID approval process that could have an impact on the population eligible to vote in 2024. Jack Schlossberg, grandson of former President Kennedy, on NBC's "Today" show Tuesday said he stands by his July criticism of Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom he called "an embarrassment." Schlossberg, who has endorsed Biden for reelection, added, "I'm very glad I did it."  The result of strike-induced blackouts of late-night TV shows could have a not-so-funny impact on political discourse and next year's White House race, writes The Hill's Judy Kurtz.  Meet Olivia Hill, Tennessee's first openly transgender elected official. She secured one of four open nonpartisan seats on Nashville's Metro Council.   Content from our sponsor: Delta Air Lines Delta has been voted the No. 1 airline with the best staff At Delta we take pride in our products and our world-class service, but it's our 90,000 people that set us apart. For the second year in a row Delta was named the No. 1 airline with the best staff in North America according to Skytrax survey. Learn more. Elsewhere STRIKE The United Auto Workers say they will expand their historic strike against Detroit's three major automakers — General Motors, Ford and Stellantis — Friday unless "serious progress" is made toward an agreement. In a video posted late Monday, UAW President Shawn Fain gave the companies a deadline of noon Friday, marking a week since the union began strikes at three factories. The union is seeking a wage increase, expanded benefits and more job protections as the industry shifts toward electric vehicles (The Washington Post).    Even if the striking auto workers don't get everything they want, now is a great time to try, according to experts. The three Detroit automakers are generating big revenues and profits, fueled by consumer appetites for expensive trucks and SUVs. Biden has characterized himself as one of the most pro-labor presidents. And public favor for organized labor is high, as evidenced by outpourings of support for striking screenwriters and actors.     "This is as much about timing as it is about anything. The union sees an opportunity, and they're trying to use it," Susan Schurman, distinguished professor of labor studies and employment relations at Rutgers University in New Jersey, told USA Today. "If not now, when?"   ©  The Associated Press / Paul Sancya | United Auto Workers members at the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich., on Monday. The UAW strike will likely have an economic impact, but right now, it's hard to quantify, writes The Hill's Taylor Giorno. Any estimate will depend on the length of the strike and how many more workers are called up to picket. And while the targeted strikes may have a limited impact, automakers and pro-business groups are raising red flags about the effect of a full-fledged work stoppage.     Meanwhile, Trump is expected to travel to Detroit next week to speak with auto union members in lieu of attending the second Republican primary debate, putting himself at the center of the strike. His planned trip underscores how the former president has in some ways already turned his focus to a possible general election rematch with Biden, with Trump seeking to appeal to the type of union workers that are critical to Biden's voting coalition.     "MILLIONAIRES AND BILLIONAIRES": Fain said he doesn't approve of Trump's tactics. "Every fiber of our union is being poured into fighting the billionaire class and an economy that enriches people like Donald Trump at the expense of workers," Fain said in a statement. "We can't keep electing billionaires and millionaires that don't have any understanding what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck and struggle to get by and expecting them to solve the problems of the working class."   CNN: The White House is no longer deploying a team to Detroit this week amid the UAW strike. The Hill: General Motors CEO Mary Barra defended her nearly $30 million compensation package during a CNN interview on Friday. The Hill: Americans' support for the UAW strike ticks upward, according to a survey. NPR: How a protracted UAW strike could impact what people pay for new and used cars. Opinion Donald Trump's defense disqualifies him from high political office, by Kenneth Zagacki and Richard Cherwitz, guest columnists, Des Moines Register.  Biden's green energy money is sugar on a poison pill, by Lydia Millet, guest essayist, The New York Times. The UN must focus on choices that will define our century, not just the short-term, by Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, opinion contributor, The Hill.  The Closer ©  The Associated Press / Andrew Medichini | Tourists crowded Rome's Trevi Fountain in June. And finally … Is there anyone who traveled this summer, especially to Europe, and didn't comment on the crowding and the costs? The New York Times asked a good question: What has happened to off-season travel?     Experts say the trend — which in pre-pandemic times was synonymous with fewer travelers, last-minute deals and saner prices — has been altered by flexible work schedules and heat that made "shoulder months" (fall and spring) seem more attractive than July and August.    "I think we're at the beginning of a change," said Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst who runs the firm Atmosphere Research Group based in San Francisco.    And it's not just in air travelers. In an August report, Kampgrounds of America found 67 percent of campers had changed their travel plans this year because of the weather. Nearly 64 percent of campers who delayed trips planned to take them after Labor Day. The RV rental platform RVShare said shoulder season reservations have grown twice as fast as those in their core summer season, which it attributes to flexible work policies and efforts to avoid extreme heat.  Stay Engaged We want to hear from you! Email: Alexis Simendinger and Kristina Karisch. Follow us X, formerly known as Twitter: (@asimendinger & @kristinakarisch) and suggest this newsletter to friends! Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  Sign Up for Other Newsletters 1625 K Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20006 © 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.