Happy Wednesday! Rep. Tim Burchett accused former Speaker Kevin McCarthy of elbowing him in the kidneys while walking through the Capitol yesterday—a charge McCarthy vehemently denied. Burchett, one of the eight GOP members who voted with Democrats to oust McCarthy last month, briefly lunged after the former speaker but was rebuffed by his security detail. Thankfully, things were much calmer in the “cooling saucer” of the Senate.
Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories
- Following a lengthy conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Joe Biden said yesterday that he believes a deal to release some of the hostages in Gaza is feasible. “I’ve been talking with the people involved every single day,” he told reporters. “I believe it’s going to happen, but I don’t want to get into detail.” Qatar has served as a mediator for the hostage negotiations, and Hamas reportedly discussed a deal to release up to 70 women and children in exchange for a short-term ceasefire and the release of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. Netanyahu, however, seemed to temper expectations of a deal following Biden’s statement. “Our hearts are with all the hostages and their families,” he said. “If and when there will be something concrete to report, we will do so.”
- Ukrainian authorities indicted three officials this week on charges of treason involving alleged collusion with Russian intelligence services to help Rudy Giuliani find compromising material on Joe Biden. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and the State Bureau of Investigation accused three people—Oleksandr Dubinsky, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament; Andriy Derkach, a former parliament member; and Kostyantyn Kulyk, a former Ukrainian deputy prosecutor general who had pushed for Ukraine to investigate Hunter Biden—of engaging in “subversive informational activities in favor of the Russian Federation” and being members of criminal organization financed by Russia. “The main task of this organization was to take advantage of the tense political situation in Ukraine and discredit our state in the international arena,” SBU said in a statement. “For this, the group was getting money from Russian military intelligence. Financing amounted to more than $10 million.”
- The House voted 336 to 95 on Tuesday to pass a short-term “laddered” continuing resolution on Tuesday to fund the government at existing spending levels through early next year, with 93 Republicans and two Democrats voting against the measure. Senate Democrats are expected to pass the legislation and President Joe Biden is expected to sign it, averting a government shutdown set to go into effect at the end of the week. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said yesterday that he’d work to pass the measure “as soon as possible.”
- Tens of thousands of people participated in a March for Israel on the National Mall in Washington on Tuesday, marking what was estimated to be the largest pro-Israel demonstration since Hamas’ October 7 attack. In a display of bipartisanship and unified American support for Israel, Schumer, House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Senate Republican Policy Committee Chairwoman Joni Ernst appeared together on stage at the rally, affirming their support for Israel.
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday that inflation continued to slow in October. The Consumer Price Index was more or less unchanged in October, rising just 0.04 percent month-over-month and 3.2 percent annually—slightly below economists’ expectations, and down from 0.4 and 3.7 percent in September, respectively. Core inflation, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, edged down to 0.2 percent month-over-month and 4.0 percent annually, the lowest such annual figure since September 2021. The cooling data could lead the Federal Reserve to continue its pause on rate hikes at the central bank’s meeting next month, and both the Nasdaq and S&P 500 had their best day since April.
- A Michigan court ruled on Tuesday that former President Donald Trump can remain on the primary ballot in the state, but left open the possibility of a legal challenge over his ballot eligibility in the general election. Judge James Redford argued in his decision—which comes on the heels of a similar decision in Minnesota last week—that it should be up to Congress whether Trump should be disqualified under the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment, saying the issue is “a nonjusticiable political question that is left to Congress to decide.” Redford also said that Trump’s eligibility in the general election “is not ripe for adjudication at this time.”
The drama that played out in the House of Representatives yesterday was like every bad sequel you’ve ever watched: same plot, slightly different cast, and entirely without the charm of the original. (No one pulled the fire alarm, but the writers did throw in a fight scene just to keep things interesting.)
Alleged “shots to the kidneys” notwithstanding, the House managed to avert a shutdown on Tuesday as 127 Republicans, joined by all but two Democrats, voted for a laddered continuing resolution (CR) that would extend funding for the federal government at current levels through early next year. The proceedings echoed those that spelled the end of Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s tenure—though current House Speaker Mike Johnson may have earned a temporary reprieve from his fractious conference.
How did we get here? In September, Congress gave itself a 45-day extension on funding the government by passing a bipartisan CR, which extends government funding—usually at current levels—without passing new appropriations bills. In response, a handful of hardline Republican members of Congress pursued a side quest: ousting McCarthy for his sin of passing an extension with Democrats’ help, and spending several weeks trying to find someone—anyone—to replace him.
After several false starts, Republicans elected Johnson Speaker of the House—but made no progress on the very thing that set off the power struggle in the first place: funding the government. With virtually no senior congressional experience and the national name I.D. of a neighborhood dog catcher, Johnson was saddled with the task of coming up with a way to once again extend government funding without it costing him his gavel.
But even the hardliners who voted to oust McCarthy seemed willing to give Johnson, just finishing up his third week on the job, some breathing room to do just that. “You don’t judge a quarterback in his first game, second quarter—I think that’s how a lot of us see it,” Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona, one of eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy, told reporters after voting against the CR. “He’s been put in a tough situation. None of us like it. It has nothing really to do with Johnson. … I think all of us, for the most part, agreed that the new speaker would get a little bit of a grace period. He’s still under that.”
Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee, another one of the eight Republicans who booted McCarthy (with the help of House Democrats), was similarly magnanimous toward the new speaker in a conversation with The Dispatch on Tuesday before voting to oppose the CR. “People aren’t mad at him. They realize he’s only had two weeks,” he said. Later, he said he thinks Johnson is “doing what’s supposed to be done” when it comes to the appropriations bills.
As we wrote last week, there were several options on the table to extend funding before this Friday’s deadline. Ultimately, a “laddered continuing resolution” won out: The two-tiered approach extends current funding for different parts of the federal government until two different dates next year, January 19 and February 2. The staggered deadlines will theoretically help Republicans avoid an omnibus spending package—bills-of-bills numbering in the thousands of pages that appropriate funding to the entire federal government, as opposed to 12 individual appropriations bills—at the end of the year. Republicans in particular tend to oppose such massive packages because they are nearly impossible to read and amend, allowing what they feel is superfluous spending to slip through the cracks. A “laddered” approach to extending government funding was originally the brainchild of GOP Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, a member of the hardline House Freedom Caucus (HFC).
Unlike some previous Republican CRs (but similar to McCarthy’s September CR), this bill is “clean,” meaning it includes no cuts to current spending levels or additional funding for things like border security—a poison pill for Democrats if not paired with additional money for priorities like Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.
But that also meant the CR was a no-go for members of Johnson’s own conference. “For the same reasons that I opposed the CR on October 1, I oppose the CR that the current speaker, Speaker Johnson, is putting forward,” Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, a HFC member, said Monday. “Because it continues to perpetuate the very system my constituents sent me here to oppose. They don’t want me to continue spending money we don’t have.”
As several other hardline Republicans signaled they would jump ship, Johnson made a risky play to leapfrog his first major legislative hurdle as speaker: He moved to put the measure on the House floor for a vote and bypass the powerful Rules Committee—which ordinarily must approve it being sent to the full House—where it seemed like the measure may fail. The catch? Doing so meant the CR would require a two-thirds majority to pass, instead of the simple majority that is usually required, and therefore Democratic votes. That should sound familiar: McCarthy also needed Democratic votes to pass his CR on September 30, which precipitated his defenestration.
Johnson defended his plan on Tuesday morning, brushing aside accusations that he was giving up on conservative priorities prematurely. “We’re not surrendering, we’re fighting—but you have to be wise about choosing the fights. You got to fight fights that you can win,” he said. “I can’t turn an aircraft carrier overnight.”
Democrats supported the measure—at first obliquely and then by late Tuesday wholeheartedly—and ultimately, more Democrats voted for the CR than Republicans. Passing 336 to 95, the bill garnered an almost-identical number of votes as McCarthy’s CR some 40 days ago. The legislation will now go to the Senate, where GOP Whip Sen. John Thune said Tuesday he expected it would pass easily.
But the CR only extends funding until early 2024, which means at some point between now and January 19, the House must—in theory—pass bills to fund at the very least the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development. The House is only in session for 22 days between now and the first round of funding expirations, making for a tight turnaround even without the Republican infighting that has made appropriations a heavy lift so far.
And while Johnson has survived his first test as speaker, it’s possible the goodwill he’s earned runs out if there are conversations about another CR in the new year. “Though Speaker Johnson’s a very likable guy—I think most of the conference likes him—at the end of the day, this isn’t about a popularity contest,” Crane told TMD. “This is about trying to deliver what we promised our voters we’d come here and do.”
Would a motion to vacate—the mechanism by which members can begin the process of removing a speaker from power—be on the table at that point? Again? “You know,” Crane said. “It’s possible, yeah.”
Worth Your Time
- Writing for The Atlantic, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recounted her experience navigating a 2012 ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, and explained why she believes Hamas must now be dealt with once and for all. “I was relieved that we’d prevented further bloodshed, but I worried that all we’d really managed to do was put a lid on a simmering cauldron that would likely boil over again in the future,” Clinton wrote of the ceasefire. “Unfortunately, that fear proved correct. In 2014, Hamas violated the [ceasefire] and started another war by abducting Israeli hostages and launching rocket attacks against civilians. Israel responded forcefully, but Hamas remained in control of Gaza. The terrorists re-armed, and the pattern repeated itself in 2021, with more civilians killed. This all culminated in the horrific massacre of Israeli civilians last month, the worst mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust. This history suggests three insights for the current crisis and the future of this complex and volatile region. First, October 7 made clear that this bloody cycle must end and that Hamas cannot be allowed to once again retrench, re-arm, and launch new attacks—while continuing to use people in Gaza as expendable human shields. Second, a full cease-fire that leaves Hamas in power would be a mistake. For now, pursuing more limited humanitarian pauses that allow aid to get in and civilians and hostages to get out is a wiser course. Third, Israel’s long policy of containment has failed—it needs a new strategy and new leadership.”
Presented Without Comment
Semafor: China Reportedly Wanted to Target Muslim Students Fasting on Campuses
Also Presented Without Comment
Politico: House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer Told Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz, “You Look Like a Smurf.”
Toeing the Company Line
- The March for Israel rally, the state of Dean Phillips’s presidential campaign, and what’s going on in U.K. politics. Mike was joined by David, Chris, Andrew, and Alex to discuss all that and more on last night’s Dispatch Live (🔒). Members who missed the conversation can catch a rerun—either video or audio-only—by clicking here.
- In the newsletters: Nick breaks down how Democrats are processing Biden’s bleak electoral chances and Haley covers the House’s continuing resolution and lawmakers’ hopes for Biden’s upcoming meeting with Xi Jinping.
- On the podcasts: Jonah is joined by Mike Rothschild on The Remnant to discuss conspiracy theories and the fallacies that undergird them.
- On the site: Andrew reports on Dean Phillips’ presidential campaign from New Hampshire, Charlotte offers an on-the-ground look at the March for Israel in Washington, and Jonah examines Biden’s polling woes.
Let Us Know
Do you think ending Congress’ reliance on omnibus spending packages is a worthwhile goal? And do you consider a “laddered CR” is a step in that direction?
