Latest news with #House
Politico
16 minutes ago
- Business
- Politico
Senate GOP leaders close in on SNAP grants for wary Alaskans
Republicans' 'big, beautiful bill' is in tatters. President Donald Trump still wants it on his desk by July 4. Here's everything that will have to go right to make that happen: GOP senators and staff now believe Saturday is the earliest voting will start on the bill. Senate Majority Leader John Thune acknowledged Thursday that parliamentarian rulings forcing Republicans to rewrite key provisions of the bill are throwing his timeline into chaos. A Saturday vote would assume no more major procedural issues, but that is not assured: Republicans could run into trouble with their use of current policy baseline, the accounting tactic they want to use to zero out the cost of tax-cut extensions. Other adverse recommendations from Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough could force additional redrafts of Republicans' tax plans. Even if Republicans resolve every outstanding issue with the parliamentarian in the next 24 hours, Thune needs to firm up his whip count. The cap on state provider taxes remains among the thorniest issues, with senators threatening to block debate on the megabill until the Medicaid financing issue is resolved. If the Senate does vote Saturday to proceed, expect Democrats to use the bulk of their 10 hours of debate time, while Republicans forfeit most of theirs. Then comes the main event — vote-a-rama — which would set up likely final passage for sometime Sunday. That starts the timer for the House. GOP leaders there have pledged to give members 48 hours' notice of a vote — and they have already advised the earliest that voting could happen is Monday evening. Republicans will have to adopt a rule before moving to debate and final passage. But the House's timeline depends wholly on what condition the megabill is in when it arrives from the Senate. Groups of House Republicans are already drawing red lines on matters ranging from SALT to clean-energy tax credits to public land sales. The hope is that the Senate will take care of those concerns in one final 'wraparound' amendment at the end of vote-a-rama. If they don't, House GOP leaders are adamant that there will need to be changes — likely pushing the timeline deep into July, or perhaps beyond. For one, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said Thursday the Senate's slower phase-out of clean-energy tax credits 'will need to be reversed,' or else. 'If there are major modifications that we cannot accept, then we would go back to the drawing board, fix some of that and send it back over,' Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday. 'So we should avoid that process, if possible.' What else we're watching: — Senate war powers vote: Senators are expected to take an initial vote at 6 p.m. on Sen. Tim Kaine's (D-Va.) resolution that would bar the president from taking further military action in Iran without congressional approval. Kaine believes Republicans will support the measure but won't say who or how many. — House Iran briefing: House members will receive a briefing on the Iran conflict from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Gen. Dan Caine and CIA Director John Ratcliffe in the CVC auditorium at 9 a.m. This comes as some House lawmakers are mulling two competing war powers resolutions, which Johnson could attempt to quash in advance using a rule.
National Observer
30 minutes ago
- Politics
- National Observer
Eby says explosive 'deliberately' set outside BC minister's office
An explosive device damaged and blasted open the front door of British Columbia Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma's office on Friday morning, police said, and they are investigating whether the "jarring incident" was linked to an earlier blast nearby. While politicians decried the explosion at Ma's constituency office in North Vancouver — with interim federal NDP leader Don Davies calling it a "blatant act of terror"— neither Ma nor Cpl. Mansoor Sahak with North Vancouver RCMP gave any indication of the possible motive. "I don't know if it's politically motivated. We're not calling it that, but we're investigating all possible avenues at this point," Sahak told a news briefing. Sahak said the 4:15 a.m. blast "breached the door and damaged the door frame." He said the blast was "indicative of an explosive device detonation" and no one was injured. 'This was a jarring incident that undoubtedly startled sleeping residents in the area,' said Sahak. Scorch marks were visible on the door at the office where there was a heavy police presence Friday afternoon. Ma said in statement that she was "grateful for the outpouring of support from community members and people across B.C., including MLAs from all sides of the House." "My staff, my family, and I are okay," Ma said. She said police are taking the incident seriously, and she had "full confidence in their ability to conduct a thorough investigation." Ma's constituency office on West Esplanade Street, not far from the Lonsdale Quay Seabus station, was cordoned off with police tape as investigators examined the damaged door. People who work in the building said Friday afternoon they were unaware of what occurred, and building management sent out an email about media coverage of the reported explosion without any additional information. Sahak said a previous explosion had been heard in the nearby 100 block of West 1st Avenue at 2:45 a.m. and police were looking into whether the blasts were connected. But no residue of the earlier explosion was found and Sahak said it wasn't known "if it was an explosive device or a firecracker or anything." Premier David Eby said police told him an explosive device had been "deliberately set" at Ma's office. He said the incident was "profoundly concerning" and struck at the heart of how elected officials performed their duties. "I am deeply concerned about trend lines, which basically mean an increasing separation of elected officials from the people they're meant to serve, which doesn't benefit anybody at all," Eby told an unrelated news conference. Eby said a "routine safety review" was being conducted for all MLA offices across the province, through the legislature's Sergeant-at-Arms. Sahak said police were seeking witnesses who were in North Vancouver near West Esplanade Avenue or who may have captured dashcam or CCTV footage from 2:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. on Friday. Ma said all meetings and appointments at the office had been cancelled for the day. "Thankfully, nobody was injured, but incidents like this can be quite frightening," she wrote. Ma didn't describe the incident and said that due to the active police investigation, she would not be able to provide more details about what happened, although she wanted to thank the officers who responded. "I appreciate the concern expressed by community members and am grateful to serve such a caring and compassionate community," she said. NDP leader Davies said on social media that he was "deeply alarmed" by the incident. "This blatant act of terror is an affront to democracy and has no place in our nation. We are grateful no one was hurt and hope those responsible are apprehended as soon as possible," Davies wrote. B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad said on social media that all members of the legislature "must stand with NDP MLA Bowinn Ma and her constituency office staff." "The idea that someone would set off a device to damage or somehow threaten an MLA's (constituency) office is deeply concerning," he said. City of North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan said in a statement that the explosion "understandably caused concern in our community and I know residents may feel alarmed and uneasy. " She said the city is working with police as they investigate "all possible avenues," and said she is grateful to people who called police to report the blast.
Politico
39 minutes ago
- Politics
- Politico
Key GOP centrist Rep. Don Bacon will not seek re-election
The Senate on Friday rebuffed a Democratic-led push to require President Donald Trump to seek approval from Congress before taking further action against Tehran following U.S. airstrikes against Iranian nuclear sites last weekend. Support for Sen. Tim Kaine 's (D-Va.) war powers resolution — the first legislative challenge to Trump on the strikes — fell almost entirely along party lines. The measure failed in a 47-53 vote. Democrats in both the Senate and House have sought to force a vote that would allow them to weigh in against Trump launching military operations without consulting Congress. The U.S. launched airstrikes last weekend targeting Iran's nuclear sites at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz, marking the first ever combat use of the 30,000-pound GBU-57 bunker busting bomb to strike deeply buried facilities. The move followed strikes by Israel on Iran's nuclear sites and days of the two nations trading air and missile strikes. Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran Monday. But the president said Friday he would bomb Iran again 'without hesitation' if intelligence suggests Tehran continues to have the capability to enrich uranium, even as he and his administration maintain the airstrikes 'obliterated' its nuclear program. The surprise attack, Democrats argued, amounted to a breach of Congress' constitutional prerogative to declare war. 'I pray the ceasefire continues, but I fear we're going to be back here on this floor,' Kaine said in a speech Friday. 'And I hope when we are on this floor again, members of this body will stand for the proposition ... that war is too big an issue to allow one person to make the decision that sends our sons and daughters into harm's way.' The measure was doomed without Republican support, and only Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky supported it. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.), a vocal supporter of Israel and strikes against Iran's nuclear program, bucked his party to oppose it. Republicans, who control the Senate, were unlikely to break ranks and largely touted the success of U.S. strikes on Iran this week. Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the No. 2 Senate Republican, accused Democrats of rushing to turn a 'successful strike into a political fight.' 'Iran used diplomatic talks to stall. It did so as it raced towards nuclear weapons. As commander-in-chief, President Trump has full authority to act,' Barrasso said on the Senate floor. 'He did so decisively. It was a limited, powerful and precise strike. It was aimed specifically at Iran's nuclear facilities — at not Iran's leadership and not at Iran's people.' The near-party-line outcome contrasts with the last Senate vote to restrain Trump's war powers on Iran in his first term. Four Senate Republicans voted for the proposal in 2019 as tensions between Washington and Tehran ratcheted up: Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Mike Lee of Utah, Jerry Moran of Kansas and Paul. But all but one of those Republicans opposed the resolution Friday, as did other GOP senators who've often been skeptical of broad presidential war powers — a sign of shifting attitudes in the party following Trump's return to the White House. Trump has called out Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) this week after the libertarian lawmaker called out the president's decision to attack Iran as unconstitutional and sponsored a resolution to block further military action. Senators received a classified briefing Thursday from top military and intelligence officials on the assessment of the weekend strike against Iran. Some Senate Republicans exited that session not quite ready to endorse Trump's claim that Iran's nuclear program was 'obliterated' — though many still hailed the attacks' success.
Politico
an hour ago
- Business
- Politico
The California climate export catching fire in Trump's D.C.
With help from Alex Nieves and Jordan Wolman CATCHING FIRE: California's wildfire tech companies are seizing their D.C. moment as Congress and President Donald Trump eye sweeping fire reforms. Representatives from Truckee-based forest mapping company Vibrant Planet and Earth Fire Alliance, a nonprofit coalition working on wildfire-tracking satellites that includes Google and MuonSpace, backed the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act in a House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing in Washington D.C. on Thursday focused on wildfire policy and technology. They had a receptive audience, with both Rep. Bruce Westerman, the Republican chair of the committee, and Rep. Jared Huffman, the Democratic ranking member, enthusiastically encouraging everything from drones to artificial intelligence to mapping software. 'There is no downside to scaling new technologies across the federal government, especially innovative technologies that improve wildfire suppression and response and facilitate more proactive land management,' said Westerman. To be sure, there are still cracks. Though the bill passed the House, it's cooling its heels in the Senate, where Sen. Alex Padilla is co-sponsoring it, amid broader budget talks. And on Thursday, while Westerman praised Trump's executive order seeking to consolidate federal wildfire agencies and encourage the use of privately developed technology, Huffman lambasted the Trump administration's jobs cuts that are hampering those same wildfire agencies ('This is where I feel like sometimes we must be living on different planets,' Huffman told his Republican counterparts.) But the growing bipartisan embrace of fire technology gives California's climate exports an easy and rare win in the age of Trump — and the companies that stand to benefit are leaning in. They engaged 'from the very start' to shape provisions of the bill, including a fire intelligence center and a pilot tech-testing program, said Matt Weiner, the CEO of nonprofit Megafire Action, which has allied with tech companies. 'This is an industry that was largely grown in California, and that's expanding nationwide now,' said Weiner. 'What you're seeing is policymakers nationwide seeing the potential and the need here…it's an exciting time.' They might actually be having more success in D.C. than at home. The Los Angeles fires triggered a wave of state legislative proposals focused primarily on immediate financial relief for victims and boosting Cal Fire staffing, but tech input has been sparse (the exception being Vibrant Planet's support for Sen. Josh Becker's SB 326, which bolsters wildfire planning and coordination among state agencies and utilities.) And last month, a bill by Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris to set up an autonomous firefighting helicopter pilot stalled in the appropriations committee amid the broader budget deficit. Part of the D.C.-Sacramento split-screen is because California's been taking small bites out of wildfire policy as wildfires began shattering records over the past seven years, spending billions to boost its firefighting force — including more than $4 billion for Cal Fire in this year's budget — and tweaking laws to improve prescribed burning and forest management. And partly it's because no one in Sacramento has attempted the type of sweeping reform gaining traction in D.C. Dan Munsey, the San Bernardino County fire chief, testified at Thursday's hearing that he liked the spending on Cal Fire. But he also said that local agencies like his are ahead of the rest of government in embracing technology like firefighting drones. And he said tech can only go so far. 'The answer to this isn't the technology that is broadly available. The answer is leadership,' Munsey said. 'We lack interagency department collaboration. It's very bifurcated. I fully support President Trump's creation of the U.S. wildfire agency. We have to break down the barriers. We're slowly innovating. We are burdened by the regulatory process.' — CvK Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here! GRID GAMES: Everyone from Microsoft to Rivian to IBEW is trying to save a proposal to create a West-wide electricity grid after state lawmakers tried to wrestle back control for California. A broad coalition of business, environmental and utility groups urged state lawmakers to pass legislation to set up the regional grid in a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire and Speaker Robert Rivas on Wednesday. Their fear is that amendments taken earlier this month to Sen. Josh Becker's SB 540 could alienate utilities in other states. The amendments aim to give state lawmakers more oversight of the regionalization effort, but according to the companies and groups, they risk turning off other states that fear giving California too much control over a unified grid. 'Without California's collaborative action on this policy, its partners will leave the current markets, making energy more expensive, less reliable, and making the state's climate goals more challenging and expensive to achieve,' they wrote. Opponents of the bill, including some environmental groups and ratepayer advocates, fear regionalizing California's grid will cede control over its clean energy goals to less environmentally friendly forces. The bill is still waiting for its first policy hearing in the Assembly. — CvK START NEGOTIATING: The clock is ticking for the seven Western states fighting over their share of the dwindling Colorado River. The Trump administration has told the states that border the critical water source that they have until November 11 to reach an 'agreement in principle,' or tell the Interior Department that a deal is unlikely, POLITICO's Annie Snider reports. Scott Cameron, acting assistant secretary for Water and Science at the Interior Department, told state negotiators during a meeting of the Upper Colorado River Commission Thursday that the federal government prefers a state-led deal, but isn't afraid to impose unilateral cuts. States have struggled for more than a year to agree on new rules governing water deliveries to replace those set to expire at the end of 2026. The fight has pitted California, Arizona and Nevada against the Upper Basin states of Colorado, New Mexico and Utah over how to divvy up water from a river that has shrunk by 20 percent over the past quarter century thanks to drought and climate change. — AN RARE EARTH TROUBLE: The Trump administration's fight with China over rare earth minerals is sending a shock through automakers' electric vehicle supply chains. China's tightening restrictions on the critical minerals used in electronics and heavy-duty motors found in electric vehicles and hybrids are already causing reduced parts supply for car companies, Hannah Northey and Mike Lee report for POLITICO's E&E news. Not all automakers are in the same tenuous position. Ford was forced to shut down a plant in Chicago that makes Explorer SUVs for a week, while BMW and Suzuki have reported disruptions. General Motors, meanwhile, has found itself buffered from the growing trade war after stocking up on rare earth minerals early. The disruption to rare earth supply chains comes as automakers warn that Trump's 25 percent tariff on imported cars and parts — and his threat to increase that levy — will lead to shortages and higher prices at dealerships. — AN — 2024 was the hottest year on record, but it's only likely to get hotter this year. — Longtime Elon Musk ally and top Tesla executive Omead Afshar has left the struggling automaker. — Malaysia, a top destination for California plastic waste, says it will no longer accept shipments from the U.S.
Politico
an hour ago
- Politics
- Politico
Senate rejects push to rein in Trump on Iran
The Senate on Friday rebuffed a Democratic-led push to require President Donald Trump to seek approval from Congress before taking further action against Tehran following U.S. airstrikes against Iranian nuclear sites last weekend. Support for Sen. Tim Kaine's (D-Va.) war powers resolution — the first legislative challenge to Trump on the strikes — fell almost entirely along party lines. The measure failed in a 47-53 vote. Democrats in both the Senate and House have sought to force a vote that would allow them to weigh in against Trump launching military operations without consulting Congress. The U.S. launched airstrikes last weekend targeting Iran's nuclear sites at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz, marking the first ever combat use of the 30,000-pound GBU-57 bunker busting bomb to strike deeply buried facilities. The move followed strikes by Israel on Iran's nuclear sites and days of the two nations trading air and missile strikes. Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran Monday. But the president said Friday he would bomb Iran again 'without hesitation' if intelligence suggests Tehran continues to have the capability to enrich uranium, even as he and his administration maintain the airstrikes 'obliterated' its nuclear program. The surprise attack, Democrats argued, amounted to a breach of Congress' constitutional prerogative to declare war. 'I pray the ceasefire continues, but I fear we're going to be back here on this floor,' Kaine said in a speech Friday. 'And I hope when we are on this floor again, members of this body will stand for the proposition ... that war is too big an issue to allow one person to make the decision that sends our sons and daughters into harm's way.' The measure was doomed without Republican support, and only Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky supported it. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.), a vocal supporter of Israel and strikes against Iran's nuclear program, bucked his party to oppose it. Republicans, who control the Senate, were unlikely to break ranks and largely touted the success of U.S. strikes on Iran this week. Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the No. 2 Senate Republican, accused Democrats of rushing to turn a 'successful strike into a political fight.' 'Iran used diplomatic talks to stall. It did so as it raced towards nuclear weapons. As commander-in-chief, President Trump has full authority to act,' Barrasso said on the Senate floor. 'He did so decisively. It was a limited, powerful and precise strike. It was aimed specifically at Iran's nuclear facilities – at not Iran's leadership and not at Iran's people.' The near-party-line outcome contrasts with the last Senate vote to restrain Trump's war powers on Iran in his first term. Four Senate Republicans voted for the proposal in 2019 as tensions between Washington and Tehran ratcheted up: Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Mike Lee of Utah, Jerry Moran of Kansas and Paul. But all but one of those Republicans opposed the resolution Friday, as did other GOP senators who've often been skeptical of broad presidential war powers — a sign of shifting attitudes in the party following Trump's return to the White House. Trump has called out Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) this week after the libertarian lawmaker called out the president's decision to attack Iran as unconstitutional and sponsored a resolution to block further military action.
