Morning Report — Gaetz vs. McCarthy showdown is set

Presented by Collaborative for Student Success — Fresh off averting a government shutdown, Congress is heading into October and November with uncertainty

View Online  MORNING REPORT PRESENTED BY Tuesday, October 3  by Kristina Karisch Tuesday, October 3  by Kristina Karisch © The Associated Press / Mark Schiefelbein | Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), pictured at the Capitol Monday, has threatened to use a procedural tool to force a vote to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Gaetz vs. McCarthy showdown is set Fresh off averting a government shutdown, Congress is heading into October and November with uncertainty looming about funding for Ukraine, the state of the appropriations process — and Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) political future.    After McCarthy successfully passed a bipartisan stopgap spending bill in the House Saturday that cleared the Senate just hours later, far-right House conservatives are planning an effort to oust him from his post. Leading the charge is Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz (R), a House Freedom Caucus member and longtime McCarthy antagonist, who on Monday moved to force a vote to remove the Speaker.    A vote on the motion to vacate the chair will have to be brought up within two legislative days. But it is likely that the House, rather than voting on the resolution itself, would first vote on some mechanism to kill or delay it, such as voting to table the resolution. McCarthy, for his part, is exuding confidence amid the effort to oust him. The Speaker told reporters Monday morning that his support within the House GOP conference is "very strong," and he said Sunday "I'll survive" if a vote is brought against him (The Hill).  I think we need to rip off the Band-Aid. I think we need to move on with new leadership that can be trustworthy," Gaetz told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday.  At least four House Republicans said they will support or are leaning in favor of the "motion to vacate." In the slim House majority, just a handful of Republican lawmakers could be enough to push the Speaker out — largely depending on how Democrats vote (The Hill). They're now presented with a tricky question: Should they help rescue the Speaker, who has worked against their agenda and recently opened an impeachment inquiry into President Biden?  The Washington Post analysis: Gaetz is accusing McCarthy of a horrible act: Compromise.  Politico: Congress has never before successfully ousted a Speaker — and the path to get there isn't simple. THE BATTLE OVER UKRAINE FUNDING is escalating in the House as the chamber races to pass funding bills. The money wasn't included in the short-term spending patch that averted a shutdown over the weekend, but some House Republicans are already warning about the looming battle.     "There are a lot of us that care deeply about this, and it's a hill we're willing to die on," Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) told The Hill on Saturday, shortly after the House passed legislation to keep the government funded through mid-November. "It's an existential threat to global security. We believe that. And we're going to take up that fight and we're going to win that fight. Ukraine will be funded."    Over in the Senate, the failure to include Ukraine funding in the spending bill marks a loss for Senate leaders who were outmaneuvered by McCarthy — and a setback to a cornerstone of Biden's foreign policy agenda. The stopgap without Ukraine money got to Biden's desk primarily because of House Democratic support, giving McCarthy strong leverage over Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Now, Biden will have to get Democrats to align on their strategy if he wants to get more money for the war.      Politico: The U.S. will send more aid to Ukraine "soon" amid funding concerns, the White House said.    THE UPSHOT: While the Gaetz vs. McCarthy battle is consuming Washington this week, experts across the political spectrum question whether the congressional chaos will have any long-lasting effect on the Republican brand or damage the party's chances of retaking the White House next year. As The Hill's Niall Stanage writes in The Memo, virtually no one thinks the infighting is good for the GOP, but the Republican Party has been riven by factionalism for more than a decade — which makes the current drama just one more episode in a familiar story.     "Most voters don't really pay attention to the Machiavellian ins-and-outs of this stuff," said GOP strategist Dan Judy. "But what voters do see is continued utter dysfunction in Washington. That is what hurts the Republican brand more than the details of any specific situation."    The Wall Street Journal: Do voters want compromise or combat? The shutdown battle reflects a deep divide.    3 THINGS TO KNOW TODAY Matt Graves, the U.S. attorney for D.C., set for a closed-door interview with House investigators today as part of the GOP's impeachment inquiry into Biden. It's the same day that the president's son, Hunter Biden, will be arraigned in Delaware on gun charges.  Vice President Harris will travel to San Francisco this week with second gentleman Doug Emhoff to attend the funeral service for the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).  📲 Be prepared to hear an alarm blaring on your phone Wednesday afternoon — but don't worry, it's a scheduled government test. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Federal Communications Commission will conduct a nationwide emergency test on devices.  Morning Report's Alexis Simendinger is on leave.    Leading the Day © The Associated Press / Seth Wenig | Former President Trump speaks at the New York Supreme Court on Monday. Former President Trump's fury was on full display Monday during the first day of his civil fraud trial in New York, reports The Hill's Ella Lee. He lambasted the judge overseeing the case outside of the courtroom and stared daggers into New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), whose office is investigating business practices involving some of his most famed properties.    The former president's frustration — and his counsels' — was apparent throughout the day, encapsulated in stern glares and sometimes heated arguments between the parties and the judge. Trump also raged to the news media during a break in the hearing telling them that although he was not required to be there in person, he wanted to "watch this witch hunt myself."    Last week, Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that James's office proved the crux of their case and found Trump liable for fraud. The decision stripped some of Trump's business licenses and raised the potential for him to lose control of some of his famed properties, such as Trump Tower and Mar-a-Lago — the same ones that catapulted him to fame, television success and eventually the White House.   Axios: "They're trying to damage me": Trump's New York civil fraud trial begins. The Hill: The Supreme Court declined to hear a long-shot 14th Amendment challenge to disqualify Trump.  The Washington Post: The Supreme Court denied an appeal from Trump lawyer John Eastman. Justice Clarence Thomas did not participate in the decision involving his former law clerk, the architect of Trump's 2020 legal strategy. The Hill: The Supreme Court opened its term with a case on prison terms for drug offenders. Where and When The House convenes at 10 a.m.     The Senate meets at 3 p.m.     The president will receive the President's Daily Brief. He has no further public schedule.    The vice president will swear Butler into the Senate at 3 p.m. The second gentleman will attend the ceremony.    Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Houston, where he will meet with State Department staff and former Secretary of State James A. Baker. At 6 p.m. CDT, he will participate in a conversation at Rice University moderated by Baker Institute for Public Policy Director Ambassador David Satterfield.    The White House press briefing is scheduled for 1 p.m., and will feature National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.  Zoom In © The Associated Press / Susan Walsh | Laphonza Butler, President of EMILY's List, was selected by California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to fill the Senate seat made vacant by Sen. Dianne Feinstein's (D-Calif.) death. Laphonza Butler is set to make history as the first LGBTQ+ person to represent California in the Senate. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) appointed the activist and EMILY's List president just two days after the death of Feinstein, who was the longest-serving female senator. When she's sworn in today, Butler, 44, will not only be the first LGBTQ+ person to represent California, but also the first openly Black lesbian to serve in the Senate. She also becomes only the third Black woman to serve in the Senate — and the only sitting Black woman senator.     Butler will be sworn in Wednesday by Harris, herself the second Black female senator, also representing California. Newsom had previously promised to appoint a Black woman to the seat if the opportunity presented itself. Though many wanted to see Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) — a candidate for Feinstein's seat in the 2024 election — chosen, Butler's appointment has still generated approval from leading Black organizations. In a statement, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) celebrated Butler's appointment, saying that her background and experience will bring a "much-needed perspective" to the Senate (The Hill).    "For many years, Laphonza Butler has been a champion for women and girls, students, and union workers, and we believe she will bring that same fight to the U.S. Senate on behalf of Californians and our entire nation," the CBC said.    Newsom said Monday at an event in San Francisco that it's up to Butler whether she'll run for the seat in the 2024 election, and expressed some regret about saying last month he'd choose an interim senator as a sort of caretaker for the seat (Politico).    The Hill: Lee wishes Butler well as California senator, stresses her focus is on winning Feinstein's seat.  2024 ROUNDUP Matt Gaetz's father, Don Gaetz, is seeking a return to the Florida state Senate. Few voters are enthusiastic about the potential for a rematch next year between Biden and Trump, according to a new Monmouth University poll.   Democrats are still publicly backing Biden for 2024. Privately, their fears are growing.  The president is hitting crucial swing states as his team tries to make 2024 a repeat of 2020. Though Trump drives MAGA voters, says one Biden insider, "he's an even better motivator for Democrats."  Biden and United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain have forged an uneasy alliance amid labor turmoil. Relations between the president and union leader could affect the nation's economy — and the next election.  Sen. Tim Scott's (R-S.C.) team's message to donors: Ignore the polls — and bank on South Carolina. Content from our sponsor: Collaborative for Student Success  Moving the Needle on Math Education Stay updated on efforts to advance math with high-quality instructional materials, assessment data, and education recovery investments with the Collaborative for Student Success. Elsewhere INTERNATIONAL Pope Francis suggested he was open to alternate blessings for same-sex couples in a recent letter, signaling a shift from the Vatican's current position that the Catholic Church cannot bless gay unions. The Vatican on Monday released a letter from Francis, dated Sept. 25, which responded to a group of five conservative cardinals who pressed the pope on affirming the church's teachings on homosexuality, women's ordination and other hot-button topics. In the letter, Francis defended the church's teachings — that marriage is a union between a man and a woman — but reportedly stressed this does not mean church leaders "become judges who only deny, reject, exclude."     Francis has previously shown support for civil laws that would extend protections for same-sex couples. The Vatican's publishing of the letter comes days ahead of the Synod of Bishops, where the Vatican is slated to address hot-topic issues including the integration of LBGTQ+ Catholics, the potential for woman deacons and access to the priesthood for married men (The Hill and The National Catholic Reporter).  The Washington Post: Amid liberal revolt, pope signals openness to blessings for gay couples. Politico: Biden administration officials are far more worried about corruption in Ukraine than they publicly admit, a confidential U.S. strategy document suggests.  The New York Times: With hundreds killed, abducted and injured in a worsening cycle of gang violence in Haiti, Kenya has offered to lead a mission to help stabilize the country. The Wall Street Journal: China is gaining a long-coveted role in the Arctic, as Russia yields. © The Associated Press / Riccardo De Luca | Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican in September. HEALTH & WELLBEING Another big work stoppage is on deck at hundreds of Kaiser Permanente hospitals and medical office buildings around the country. A four-day strike of about 75,000 employees could begin as soon as Wednesday morning if Kaiser and a coalition of unions representing its workers don't reach a deal. It would be the largest health care strike in U.S. history, according to the unions (Axios).    A White House proposal to bar medical bills from being used in credit reporting won't get rid of the debt itself or prevent future debts from being accrued — but the move could be life-changing for many. As The Hill's Joseph Choi reports, the Biden administration and debt advocates argue medical debt is not a good predictor of a person's credit worthiness. Allison Sesso, CEO of the nonprofit RIP Medical Debt, said a person with good financial habits in every other aspect of their life can be stuck with an enormous bill they can't pay off.     "The number one predictor of medical debt is not your insurance status. It's whether or not you get sick," Sesso told The Hill. "Which is pretty telling and really speaks to why you don't have a lot of control over whether or not you're in medical debt, which means it probably shouldn't be an indicator of your credit worthiness."    Meanwhile, a coalition of activists from St. Louis and New Mexico is working to broaden which Americans are exposed to federal compensation for exposure to radiation, with the support of a bipartisan supermajority of senators. The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, passed in 1990, covered people exposed to radiation from nuclear testing in Utah, Nevada and Arizona.     However, "the first people ever exposed to radiation anyplace in the world because of an atomic bomb" were left out of the original bill, Tina Cordova, co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, told The Hill's Zack Budryk. Those excluded included people who were exposed to the Trinity test of the atomic bomb in Los Alamos, N.M. A proposed amendment, which passed the Senate earlier this year with 61 votes, would expand eligibility to then-residents of Idaho, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico and Guam.    Opinion My fellow Republicans: It's time to grow up, by former Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.), guest essayist, The New York Times.  The fate of thousands depends on the Supreme Court's interpretation of the word "and," by Eric Fish and Ryan Stitt, opinion contributors, The Hill.  The Closer © The Associated Press / Matt Rourke | Hungarian-American biochemist Katalin Karikó and American physician-scientist Drew Weissman were awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine for discoveries that enabled the creation of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19. And finally … 💉 The 2023 Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded to Hungarian-American biochemist Katalin Karikó and American physician-scientist Drew Weissman, who together identified a chemical tweak to messenger RNA that led to the development of potent vaccines against COVID-19 in less than a year.     Karikó and Weissman's research into mRNA spanned decades, and now their methodology has been used in COVID-19 shots that have since been administered billions of times globally and has transformed vaccine technology, laying the foundation for inoculations that may one day protect against a number of deadly diseases like cancer (The New York Times and The Hill).  Stay Engaged We want to hear from you! Email: Alexis Simendinger and Kristina Karisch. Follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter: (@asimendinger & @kristinakarisch) and suggest this newsletter to friends! 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