Friday, Aug. 29 | By Jonathan Easley |
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin |
Kennedy, Epstein, funding fights set to grip Capitol Hill
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LAWMAKERS WILL RETURN from August recess next week to dive into funding fights and multiple controversies involving the Trump administration: one focused on Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and another over convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Congress will also gavel back into session Tuesday with speculation swirling around the future of Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). Ernst is expected to announce next week she does not plan to seek reelection in 2026, leaving an open seat in a tough midterm elections environment for Republicans. But first, Washington will be gripped by a funding fight, with the clock ticking toward a government shutdown at the end of September. The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports on the critical decision facing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.): "Senate Democrats took a beating from their base during the last funding showdown in March, when they helped pave the way for Republicans to pass a GOP-crafted plan to keep the government open through early fall, averting a shutdown in the eleventh hour. As Congress prepares to return to a monthlong sprint until the funding deadline, pressure will be on Schumer to hold his ground and tensions could significantly heighten." That's not the only funding fight in the making. President Trump is seeking to claw back nearly $5 billion in congressionally approved funding for foreign aid programs through a rarely used "pocket rescission," which has provoked bipartisan backlash. The White House informed Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) of the effort to rescind funding allocated by Congress to the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which is being dismantled. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) called it an "attempt to undermine the law." "Given that this package was sent to Congress very close to the end of the fiscal year when the funds are scheduled to expire, this is an apparent attempt to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval," Collins said in a statement, pointing to conclusions by the Government of Accountability Office that such attempts are "unlawful and not permitted by the Impoundment Control Act." "Article I of the Constitution makes clear that Congress has the responsibility for the power of the purse," Collins continued. "Any effort to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval is a clear violation of the law." Schumer cited the move as evidence Republicans are "are hellbent on rejecting bipartisanship and 'going it alone' this fall." "As the country stares down next month's government funding deadline on September 30th, it is clear neither President Trump nor Congressional Republicans have any plan to avoid a painful and entirely unnecessary shutdown," Schumer said. |
Kennedy will appear before the Senate Finance Committee at a hearing where he's certain to be pressed on Trump's firing of former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Susan Monarez. Monarez is contesting her ouster after being fired for clashing with Kennedy over vaccine policy, as the administration moves to reduce access to COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy has also overhauled an advisory panel for vaccine approvals. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), the chair of the Senate's health committee, called on the vaccine advisory panel to indefinitely postpone its next meeting, scheduled for Sept. 18. "Serious allegations have been made about the meeting agenda, membership, and lack of scientific process being followed for the now announced September ACIP meeting," Cassidy said in a statement. After Monarez was fired, four CDC officials resigned in protest. The Trump administration picked Deputy HHS Secretary Jim O'Neill to serve as acting director of the CDC. GOP senators are deeply uneasy about the turmoil at the CDC. Collins said she was "alarmed" by Monarez's firing and called for congressional oversight over the decision to remove her less than one month after she was confirmed by the Senate. The Hill's Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech and Joseph Choi report: "The sudden departures of five top officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has rocked the public health community, with leading experts and organizations warning it may leave the United States unprepared for future outbreaks and pandemics." |
EPSTEIN, CONFIRMATIONS ON THE DOCKET |
There are other battles brewing. Johnson said Friday he thinks the House will "probably" vote on "one measure or another" related to releasing more info about Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in federal prison. Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) plan to bring Epstein's victims to the Capitol next week as they seek support for their bipartisan resolution that would force the release of additional case files. Meanwhile, the Senate is staring down a backlog of Trump nominees. Republicans are considering changing the rules in order to more swiftly confirm the nominees. |
💡Perspectives: • The Hill: The 2026 midterms will be the most dramatic ever. • Issues and Insights: Are we better off now than we were a year ago? • Orlando Sentinel: Gutting FEMA will spell disaster for Florida. • Wired: The dark money group secretly funding Dem influencers. • The Nation: Is it the end of the line for Amtrak? |
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed into law a new House map that's expected to give Republicans five additional pick-up opportunities ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Attorneys for Kilmar Abrego Garcia are asking a federal judge to issue a gag order against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi, to bar them from making "baseless public attacks" him.
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Manuel Balce Ceneta and Alex Brandon, Associated Press |
Federal judge weighs Trump firing of Fed's Lisa Cook |
President Trump's move to fire Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook landed in federal court Friday, with the judge saying the case raises "important questions" that courts may not have mulled before. Judge Jia Cobb, who was appointed by former President Biden, acknowledged the "novel" issues before her. The president can only fire Federal Reserve members for "cause." Trump moved to fire Cook after one of his administration officials accused her of lying on a mortgage application by claiming two primary residences. Cook has not been charged with any crimes. Cook's lawyers described it as a "clerical error" that occurred before she was appointed to the Fed. They said she didn't profit off of it, and that even if she had, the president still wouldn't have cause to fire her. Attorney Abbe Lowell said the Trump administration is digging up dirt to try to get a majority on the Fed board so he can dictate monetary policy. "'For 'cause' means she won't go along with an interest rate drop," Lowell said Friday. The Trump administration argued that "making facially contradictory statements in financial documents" is "more than sufficient ground for removing a senior financial regulator from office." The Hill's Ella Lee reports: "Cobb, the judge, said she is 'uncomfortable' with Cook's pretext argument — but is also 'uncomfortable' with the notion that a 'majority' might be sought by digging up dirt on board members, as Cook's counsel alleged." Stephen Miran, Trump's nominee to fill an open Fed board governor seat, will get a confirmation hearing in the Senate next week. If Cook is removed, Trump will have an opportunity to fill a majority of the board seats. ELSEWHERE... The Associated Press reports that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), who is challenging Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), signed documents claiming three houses as his primary residence — the same infraction the Trump administration has levied against Cook, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D). MEANWHILE… Inflation moved slightly higher in July, but was inline with economists' expectations. Many are expecting an interest rate cut when the central bank meets in September. Federal Reserve board of governors member Christopher Waller reiterated his support for an interest rate cut, while expressing openness to additional cuts in the next three to six months aimed at strengthening the labor market. |
💡Perspectives: • The Hill: Trump has resurrected one of economics' oldest fallacies. • Racket: For some, the Russia investigation never ended. • Washington Times: When Google messes with football. • Vox: ChatGPT isn't just for cheating anymore. |
Here's who's talking Sunday... NewsNation's "The Hill Sunday": Education Secretary Linda McMahon; Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer (D); Mississippi state Superintendent of Education Lance Evans. Fox News' "Fox News Sunday": U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro; Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.); Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.). ABC's "This Week": Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D-Md.); Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.); Former CDC official Demetre Daskalakis. NBC's "Meet the Press": Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.); Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). CNN's "State of the Union": Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.); Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to President Trump. CNN's "Inside Politics": Former CDC Director Tom Frieden. — Elizabeth Crisp contributed. |
Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press |
Newsom moves to address crime, homelessness
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California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) will deploy "crime suppression teams" throughout the state as President Trump threatens to send National Guard troops to police blue cities and states. California Highway Patrol officers will work with local law enforcement in San Diego, Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Central Valley, Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area. "When the state and local communities work together strategically, public safety improves," Newsom said in a statement. "While the Trump Administration undermines cities, California is partnering with them — and delivering real results." Newsom also announced a statewide task force "to prioritize and dismantle homeless encampments and accelerate care." "The task force will work in a unified way across state government to clear highly visible and unsafe encampments on state property while expanding access to housing, shelter, mental health, and substance use services," Newsom's office said in an announcement. This comes as polling shows voters are deeply concerned about crime, particularly in major cities. The White House believes Trump's tough-on-crime policies are a winner, although a new Emerson College poll shows a plurality of voters oppose National Guard troop deployment and the federal takeover of local police stations to address lawlessness. Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) said earlier this week that the surge of federal law enforcement has reduced crime in the nation's capital. Vice President Vance on Thursday defended the use of federal troops in D.C. while urging the mayors and governors of blue cities and states to ask for federal support in combating crime. "We want you to be able to walk down a city street in broad daylight without getting mugged," Vance told supporters in LaCrosse, Wis. "We want you to be able to take your family out for a nice meal wherever you want to without the fear of violence and criminals, whether they're domestic criminals or international drug cartels." "We would love to come and help the people of Milwaukee, but the president of the United States has said he wants to be asked," he added. "We would love to come in and lock up those violent criminals." |
💡Perspectives: • The Hill: On crime, the Democrats still don't get it. • MSNBC: Trump wants Chicago to be scared and silent. |
Read more: • Judge rejects Saudi attempt to dismiss 9/11 families' lawsuit • Fallout for universities that struck deals with Trump raises concerns. • White House plans to use Chicago-area Navy base for DHS crackdown • DC 'sandwich guy' charged with misdemeanor assault after grand jury rejects felony. |
Roundup: Trump revokes Harris Secret Service protection
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• President Trump revoked Secret Service protection provided to former Vice President Kamala Harris, who is set to embark on a book tour next month across the U.S., Canada and United Kingdom. Secret Service protection for vice presidents typically lasts for six months. Harris's would have expired in July, but former President Biden extended her protection for a year beyond that. Only former presidents have Secret Service protection for life. • Russia launched another major offensive against Ukraine overnight, killing at least 21 people and damaging the European Union diplomatic office in Kyiv. The Trump administration approved a $825 million arms sale to Ukraine to boost the nation's defense capabilities. • Axios has details from an Oval Office meeting this week between Trump, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Israeli official Ron Dermer to discuss post-war plans for Gaza. Dermer said Israel is not seeking a long-term occupation of Gaza, but that it must be assured Hamas will not be in power. Israel said the bodies of two hostages were returned this week, as its military prepares a new offensive on Gaza City. |
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