The Hill's Morning Report — Schumer up against clock, calendar, math
Congress is battling the clock and the calendar with fewer than three legislative days to fund the government. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who demonstrated to his colleagues this summer his appetite for backroom deals, is in a bind. Without a surefire route to adoption of a short-term measure to fund the government after Sept. 30, Schumer started the preliminary process on Thursday, expecting to work with colleagues over the weekend to try to hatch an eleventh hour plan that can get enough votes between Tuesday night and next Friday.
Read MoreTrump declassification claims hit roadblocks in court
After some initial success, former President Trump’s claims he declassified the records found in his Mar-a-Lago home are beginning to hit roadblocks in court. Authorities have recovered some 300 classified documents from Trump’s Florida home over the course of this year, including 100 seized during the August search. Trump doubled down on his claim he declassified the records in the Wednesday night interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity. “I did declassify,” he said. “If you’re the president of the United States, you can declassify just by saying, ‘It’s declas
Read MoreMcCarthy keeps right flank tight as he closes in on Speakership
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is giving the confrontational right flank of the GOP conference a seat at the table as he aims to shore up their support for Speaker if Republicans take the chamber next year. McCarthy is eyeing having to manage a conference next year that is expected to tilt further to the right with a higher proportion of allies loyal to former President Trump. And he’s starting now by including controversial figures and members of the House Freedom Caucus in high-profile events in an effort to seemingly win them over — unlike some
Read MoreDeSantis risks voter backlash in Florida with migrant flights
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is facing mounting scrutiny in his home state over his controversial decision last week to fly dozens of mostly Venezuelan migrants to the elite resort island of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. While the move was lauded by conservatives as a powerful protest of the Biden administration’s approach to border security, it has sparked a wave of criticism from Democrats and members of Florida’s vast Hispanic community, a politically influential force in the Sunshine State. “With this move, this stunt, obviously he made his base very happy,” said
Read MoreSchumer looks for way past Manchin permitting impasse
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is looking for a way to avoid a government shutdown next week while also keeping his promise to Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to pass permitting reform before October. Most Senate Republicans say they will vote against the government funding measure if it includes Manchin’s permitting reform bill, and a group of Democrats are pressing Schumer to separate the continuing resolution and permitting reform. That means Schumer is likely to fall short of the 60 votes he needs to overcome an expected filibuster to a short
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