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Lawmakers furious at Democratic leaders after stock trading ban stalls

Anger is boiling over at House Democratic leadership for failing to deliver on a bill to ban members of Congress from trading stocks — a key priority for voters on both sides of the aisle — ahead of the midterm elections.  

Democratic leaders unveiled draft legislation to tackle the issue Tuesday, just days before Congress was set to leave for an extended recess. That left lawmakers little time to review the bill or offer changes, such as closing loopholes that critics say make the bill toothless, dooming its chances of a floor vote. 

Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) on Friday issued a scathing statement, accusing Democratic leaders of slow-walking her own stock trading proposal — introduced two years ago with bipartisan backing — and ultimately offering a more complicated bill that was designed to fail. 

“This moment marks a failure of House leadership — and it’s yet another example of why I believe that the Democratic Party needs new leaders in the halls of Capitol Hill, as I have long made known,” Spanberger said in her statement.  

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters Friday that the bill didn’t come to the floor because it didn’t have the votes to pass.  

The delay is a momentous setback for the stock trading reform effort, which drew a rare confluence of support from an overwhelming majority of Republican and Democratic voters.  

Public scrutiny of lawmakers’ trades intensified when Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) unloaded much of his portfolio after attending a private briefing on the devastating impacts of COVID-19 at the start of the pandemic. Pelosi, whose husband is a prolific trader, also drew backlash when she said she wouldn’t support a ban on stock trading in Congress, a position she later reversed. 

“Passing a stock trading bill before the midterms would have been a good faith sign to the voters that Congress takes its responsibility to the public interest seriously,” said Danielle Caputo, an ethics lawyer at the Campaign Legal Center. “And so obviously, that’s disappointing.” 

The Combatting Financial Conflicts of Interests in Government Act, spearheaded by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) at the request of Pelosi, aims to prevent insider trading among members of Congress, federal government officials and Supreme Court justices. 

The bill is meant to stop insider trading by making officials put any stocks they own into what’s called a blind trust, whereby the stocks are handed over to a third party that manages them without their owner’s knowledge. 

But critics of the bill say that it contains a loophole that allows officials to get out of this requirement. 

“The problem is that the bill allows people to create a trust that they can claim is blind and diversified, and yet it doesn’t actually have to meet the criteria that are currently in the law for it to officially be a blind trust,” said Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, an advocate with The Project on Government Oversight (POGO), a nonprofit watchdog organization.  

Congressional ethics committees, notorious for failing to hold lawmakers accountable for violating existing ethics rules, would sign off on the blind trusts under the proposal.  

“It’s basically a fake blind trust,” he said. “We don’t have that much trust in what the ethics committee is going to do because they’re notoriously weak in doing anything that’s particularly restrictive or robust around what happens internally.” 

Critics of Democratic leaders’ approach say that the stock trading bill should have stuck to the legislative branch, and that including ethics reforms to the judiciary and federal government only complicated its chances of passage. Those changes could have come in future bills, they said. 

Lawmakers complained this week that the Lofgren bill was not crafted with input from many rank-and-file lawmakers, particularly Republicans.  

“This is a complex issue requiring thought, debate, amendment and a full airing in committee to build as much bipartisan agreement as possible rather than the normal cram-down from the top that permeates literally everything we do,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who partnered with Spanberger on a stock trading bill, said in a statement Wednesday. 

House Judiciary Committee member Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) said in an interview that he suspects that many members of his committee haven’t had time to properly review the legislation. 

“I would suppose there are many members who have not actually read the legislation. And it’s certainly an important enough issue that we need to take adequate time to deliberate on it. We know that stock trading by members of Congress and by judges — Article III judges — is unacceptable,” he said, referring to judges who are nominated by the president and can only be removed from office with impeachment proceedings. 

A recent analysis by The New York Times found that one-fifth of U.S. lawmakers traded financial assets in industries that relate to their work on government committees in recent years.  

A 2012 law called the STOCK Act forbids members of Congress from using insider information when buying and selling stocks, but watchdogs say violations of the law are common. 

“We keep seeing STOCK Act violations,” POGO’s Hedtler-Gaudette said. “We see them time and time again. And they’re not even assessing penalties on the people who are violating the STOCK Act.” 

The proposed stock trading ban in the House is one of several bills now being debated in the Senate from lawmakers including Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). 

Upon hearing the news of the stalled bill Friday, Hawley tweeted, “Pathetic. This should be a slam dunk.”

“Congress AND their spouses from owning stock. But no. Pelosi & Company won’t give up the $$$$,” he continued.

The proposals from Hawley and Ossoff allow for stocks to be put into blind trusts, while the bipartisan measure from Warren and Daines is more strict and requires that stocks be sold off outright. 

Supporters are still hopeful that lawmakers can finish a stock trading bill in a lame duck session after the election. But they note that there will be less pressure on lawmakers to appease voters, and Congress will already have its hands full with a slew of legislative priorities, including a government spending bill. 

The Hill has reached out to Pelosi’s office for additional comment.

Updated 4:02 p.m.

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Biden blasts Putin, Russia over annexations, pipeline ‘disinformation’

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not intimidate or scare off the U.S. and its allies from helping Ukraine, President Biden said Friday in a public response to Putin’s ceremony earlier in the day that carried out an annexation of Ukrainian territory.

The annexation move was declared illegal by Ukraine, the U.S., many of its Western allies and the United Nations by officials who said it violated Ukrainian and international law.

“America and its allies are not going to be intimidated by Putin and his reckless words and threats. He’s not going to scare us or intimidate us,” Biden said from the White House following remarks addressing the federal response to Hurricane Ian.

Calling Putin’s annexation ceremony in the Kremlin a “sham routine,” Biden committed to providing Ukraine with military equipment and reinforced NATO’s resolve to “to defend every single inch of NATO territory. Every single inch.” 

“Mr. Putin, don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. Every inch,” the president emphasized.

Biden made his remarks following House passage of a short-term government funding bill that includes nearly $13 billion in assistance for Ukraine.

The president further said he’s in touch with allies over a coordinated effort to impose sanctions on “anyone who provides political or economic support to Russia’s fraudulent claims.”

Putin’s move to annex Ukrainian territory is a dramatic escalation seen as a response to domestic criticism of his flailing war. Putin has also used bellicose rhetoric describing Russia’s nuclear capabilities, raising fears that the Russian leader will take the unprecedented step of using the weapons.  

“Putin’s actions are a sign he’s struggling,” Biden said. “The sham referenda he carried out and this routine he put on … the sham routine that he put on this morning showing the unity and his people holding hands together — well, the United States is never going to recognize this and frankly the world is not going to recognize it either.”

Biden also spoke to mysterious explosions on two natural gas pipelines that transit from Russia to Europe under the Baltic Sea, describing the situation as “a deliberate act of sabotage.”

Europe has vowed investigations but so far withheld assigning blame, although experts point to Putin and Russia as the main suspect.

Russia has denied responsibility and sought to cast blame on the U.S., a strategy which Biden described as “pumping out disinformation and lies.”

“We’ll work with our allies to get to the bottom, exactly, precisely, [of] what happened,” the president said.

“At my direction, I’ve already begun to help our allies enhance protection of critical infrastructure and at the appropriate moment, we’re going to send divers down to find out exactly what happened,” he added.

Biden continued, “We don’t know that yet, exactly, but just don’t listen to what Putin is saying. What he’s saying we know is not true.”

Source: TEST FEED1

House sends stopgap funding bill to avoid government shutdown to Biden's desk

The House on Friday passed a short-term funding bill to keep the government running for the next few months, narrowly avoiding a shutdown just hours until the midnight deadline.

The Democratic-led House voted 230-201, largely along party lines, to advance the legislation as GOP leadership urged their members to reject the bill over disagreements about the timing and policy areas like border funds. 

The legislation, known as a continuing resolution, passed the Senate on Thursday and now heads to President Biden’s desk for approval. 

The measure will allow the government to remain funded at the current spending levels through Dec. 16. Negotiators say it will give them more time to work out a larger agreement over how to fund the government for fiscal 2023, which begins on Saturday.

The legislation also includes more than $12 billion in security and financial assistance for Ukraine to defend itself from Russia’s ongoing invasion, as well as funding for disaster relief. The White House requested emergency funding in both areas earlier this month.

More than 200 Republicans voted against the bill on Friday as GOP leaders accuse Democrats of not doing more to address border security, supply chains and inflation. Republicans in both chambers have also taken issue with the length of the CR, with many pushing to put off working out spending levels for the coming fiscal year until January, when the next congressional session comes into power.

Republicans are hopeful about their chances of taking back control of both chambers in the November midterms.

The pushback provides just a glimpse of the obstacles that have threatened the funding package’s path to passage in recent weeks.

The House vote on Friday comes days after lawmakers cleared one of the biggest hurdles to Congress greenlighting the bill: a permitting reform proposal offered by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).

Manchin had previously pushed to use the must-pass funding bill as a vehicle to advance a deal struck with top Democrats that promised a measure aimed at speeding up the approval process for energy infrastructure projects in exchange for his vote on Democrats’ sweeping tax, climate and health care bill last month.

The proposal was stripped from the funding bill this week following growing opposition from Democrats and Republicans that threatened final passage of the overall legislation.

More than a handful of Senate Democrats had pushed for the package and energy proposal to be delinked after their colleagues in the House began to line up against the push over concerns it would undercut environmental reviews.

At the same time, Republicans argued the reforms didn’t go far enough while drawing red lines around the issue. 

The package passed on Friday also excludes supplemental funding for the nation’s coronavirus and monkeypox response, despite a request by the White House for billions of dollars, after Senate Republicans opposed the ask.

The back and forth underscores the challenges Democrats have faced in passing funding priorities in Congress, with razor-thin majorities in both chambers.

Anticipation is building on Capitol Hill around the coming critical midterm elections, which members on both sides say will likely be a major factor in larger funding talks for fiscal 2023.

The House is scheduled to begin its weeks-long recess when members leave Washington on Friday, and it’s unclear how much work appropriators will be able to get done between now and November. 

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, told The Hill on Thursday that she thinks Republicans “want to wait until after the elections” to hash out spending, though she added she thinks “there’ll be conversation” in the meantime.

But lawmakers will face a time crunch after midterms to finish work on fiscal 2023 omnibus, setting the stage for another shutdown showdown in December, as Congress also stares down an end-of-year deadline for a defense authorization bill and other measures.

Pressed about the chances of Congress having an omnibus by the next deadline, Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told The Hill on Thursday: “If the past is any indication of what’s going to happen in the future, we’d be lucky for that to happen.”

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Pipeline sabotage is mystery, but Putin, Russia are prime suspects

Russia is the prime suspect in the apparent sabotage of pipelines transporting natural gas to Europe, which has left foul methane gas spewing into the Baltic Sea.

Experts say damage to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines is a cynical use of a “gray zone” aggression that leaves few good options for retribution. 

“We have war-gamed this for years, we’ve always been a bit afraid that this is something that the Russians could do if they wanted to,” said Jim Townsend, who served as deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Europe and NATO during the Obama administration. 

“I think all of us have got to know that Putin has other cards that he can play besides conventional or nuclear, he’s got something in between — this critical infrastructure that can be a target.”

National security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday about protecting critical infrastructure in the wake of the “apparent sabotage” of the pipelines.

Explosions on the pipelines, which were not in use, released the trapped gas, first discovered in Danish waters early Monday.  

Top European and NATO officials are bluntly assigning sabotage, even as they stop short of directly blaming Putin ahead of an investigation.  

“The sabotage of the Nordstream pipelines is of deep concern. NATO is committed to deter and defend against hybrid attacks,” Stoltenberg earlier tweeted. 

“Any deliberate attack against Allies’ critical infrastructure would be met with a united and determined response.”

Russia has worked to cast blame on the U.S. by circulating out-of-context clips of President Biden lambasting the Nord Stream pipelines — which were opposed by the Obama and Trump administrations. Moscow held up a since-deleted tweet from a Polish politician, Radek Sikorski, that appeared to sarcastically thank the U.S. over the pipeline attack.

Sikorski, a former Polish minister of defense and foreign affairs, is a well-known, outspoken Kremlin critic who for years has railed against European politicians that pursued construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany. He traveled to Washington to urge former President Trump to impose sanctions to halt the pipeline’s construction. 

“I was surprised, of all people, that Radek Sikorski was to hint it was the U.S.,” Townsend said. “I think he could have been trying to be clever and he came across as being stupid.”

Sikorski could not be reached for comment by The Hill. 

Elisabeth Braw, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, called Sikorski’s tweet — which he later deleted — “extremely foolish.” 

“He clearly meant to be sarcastic or ironic, but that completely misfired and has fed Russian propaganda and conspiracy theories,” she said. 

“In a situation like this, even more than in previous months and years, citizens have to be extremely careful about what they share on social media, they have to try and verify,” Braw continued. 

“Because that gives the Russians the upper hand in this sort of influence game, and they manage to steer attention away on things they have done and cast doubt on America, or whoever their target happens to be.”

A Russian request to hold an urgent Security Council meeting to determine the culprit behind the pipeline attacks was rejected by the French, who hold the presidency of the United Nations Security Council for the month of September.

“French Presidency of the Security Council did not find an opportunity to accommodate our urgent request for convening today a UNSC meeting regarding subversive activities at the NordStream pipeline,” Russia’s mission to the U.N. tweeted. “We are truly disappointed by this decision.”  

Western nations on Friday focused on their rejection of Putin’s move to annex four regions of Ukraine despite Moscow holding a tenuous military occupation on only some of the territory.  

Europe and the U.S. are unlikely to take any action against Russia related to the pipeline sabotage absent the conclusion of an investigation. 

“They’re going to be doing a forensic investigation, presumably, trying to ascertain what caused” the damage to the pipelines, said Scott Savitz, senior engineer at the RAND Corporation.

The time needed to carry out the investigation depends on sea conditions and the human and machine resources needed and available to collect what Savitz said should be “incontrovertible” evidence. 

“This is substantial, [the explosions] occurred in multiple locations, which will make it that much harder. Divers and specialized gear will need to be addressing multiple problems at once,” he said. 

Savitz, who based his analysis on media reports, said the attack on the pipeline appeared to be “relatively straight forward,” with explosives placed near the pipe — an action that could be as simple as pushing mines off a ship or enlisting human divers or an uncrewed undersea vehicle.

“These are heavily trafficked waters in which a ship, pushing a heavy object, or multiple, over the side would not be terribly difficult and all it would need to have is a simple setting in that it detonates after a certain time period. That’s trivially easy. That’s technology from a century ago, if not more,” he said.

“Conceivably based on the evidence we’ve seen thus far, it’s not 100 percent the case that it was Russia, but it looks very probable.” 

If Russia is determined to be behind the attack, the problem for the international community is how to respond. 

“I don’t think we’re wading into Article V territory,” Braw said, referring to NATO treaty text that provides for collective defense, that an attack on one member is an attack on all. 

“It will have to be more sanctions, even though we are running short of entities and people to sanction. That is the one area where we can do something without escalating and risking a situation where then Russia would escalate back, and that would be extremely dangerous.”

Townsend, who is also an adjunct senior fellow with the Center for a New American Security, said NATO should at least send some of its naval units as a show of support to the Danes. 

“They’re not big battle ships. That might be, at least initially, what NATO might do, just to tell the Danes and others in the Baltic that NATO is there, NATO knows this is happening.”

Townsend added that the episode is a stark reminder that while Russia is hemorrhaging its military, economic and human resources in Ukraine, it retains the ability to keep its global adversaries in the crosshairs. 

“We cannot just say, ‘Well, we don’t have to worry about Russia, they are just incompetent,’” he said.

“Well, things haven’t gone very well for them, but I wouldn’t call it incompetent, I’d call it evil geniuses. And what will we see next? We’ve got to be aware of that and be ready to deal with it.”

Source: TEST FEED1

In scathing statement, Democrat calls for new leaders in House

Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) on Friday called for new Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill after top House Democrats scrapped plans to vote on legislation banning lawmaker stock trading.

The scathing statement from Spanberger, a two-term congresswoman in a tight reelection race, came one day after House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said a bill prohibiting lawmakers from trading stocks would not be put up for a vote this week.

Spanberger was one of a number of Democrats in tough reelection contests pushing for a vote on the legislation — which has widespread public support — before the November midterms, in the hopes of securing a victory to tout in the final weeks of campaigning. She sponsored a bill on the matter last year.

“This moment marks a failure of House leadership — and it’s yet another example of why I believe that the Democratic Party needs new leaders in the halls of Capitol Hill, as I have long made known,” Spanberger said in a statement.

“Rather than bring Members of Congress together who are passionate about this issue, leadership chose to ignore these voices, push them aside, and look for new ways they could string the media and the public along — and evade public criticism,” she added.

The House leaves Washington on Friday and is not scheduled to return until after the midterms.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) — who was at first opposed to a stock ban but backed the effort in February — had teased a September vote on the measure earlier this month. Hoyer, who is reportedly against the stock ban push, told reporters on Thursday that lawmakers did not have enough time to review the legislation, which was unveiled this week.

Spanberger claimed that leadership engaged in “repeated delay tactics.”

“For months, momentum grew in both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate to finally take a step towards prohibiting Members of Congress from day trading while on the job. We saw remarkable progress towards rectifying glaring examples of conflicts of interest. And after first signaling her opposition to these reforms, the Speaker purportedly reversed her position. However, our bipartisan reform coalition was then subjected to repeated delay tactics, hand-waving gestures, and blatant instances of Lucy pulling the football,” she wrote.

The bill introduced by the House Administration Committee this week would have implemented a stock trading ban for members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children, senior congressional staffers, the president, the vice president, federal judges, Supreme Court justices and others.

Momentum behind such a ban has been on the rise in recent months, especially amid reports of members of Congress violating conflicts of interest laws.

The committee, led by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), began working on the legislation after Pelosi backed the effort and directed the panel to work on policy recommendations. A number of bipartisan bills aimed at ending congressional stock trading had already been introduced at that point.

But Spanberger on Friday argued that the House Administration Committee crafted a bill that was bound to be unpopular in the chamber because of its wide-ranging provisions.

“As part of their diversionary tactics, the House Administration Committee was tasked with creating a new piece of legislation — and they ultimately introduced a kitchen-sink package that they knew would immediately crash upon arrival, with only days remaining before the end of the legislative session and no time to fix it,” she said.

“It’s apparent that House leadership does not have its heart in this effort, because the package released earlier this week was designed to fail. It was written to create confusion surrounding reform efforts and complicate a straightforward reform priority — banning Members of Congress from buying and selling individual stocks — all while creating the appearance that House Leadership wanted to take action,” she said.

The Virginia Democrat vowed to “be dogged in my efforts to ban Members of Congress from using the privilege of their position to profit,” in the coming months.

“I look forward to working with both my Democratic and Republican colleagues to get these reforms done,” she added.

Source: TEST FEED1

Biden administration unveils Russia sanctions in response to annexations

The Biden administration on Friday announced a new round of sanctions in response to Russia’s annexation of four Ukrainian territories, targeting government and military officials and their family members.

The departments of Treasury, Commerce and State each announced separate sanctions intended to target decisionmakers in Moscow, allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin and entities that support the military-industrial complex in Russia.

“The United States unequivocally rejects Russia’s fraudulent attempt to change Ukraine’s
internationally recognized borders, including by holding sham ‘referenda’ in Ukraine’s Luhansk,
Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya regions. This is a clear violation of international law and
the United Nations Charter,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Blinken said the sanctions serve as a clear warning from the U.S. and its Group of Seven allies that there will be “costs for any individual, entity, or country that provides political or economic support to Russia as a result of its illegal attempts to change the status of Ukrainian territory.”

The Treasury Department is sanctioning Elvira Sakhipzadovna Nabiullina, the governor of Russia’s Central Bank and a former adviser to Putin. The department is also sanctioning more than 100 members of the Russian Duma.

Treasury and State are also sanctioning relatives of members of Russia’s National Security Council, including the wife and children of Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

The State Department is also imposing visa restrictions on Ochur-Suge Mongush, a Russian soldier who is accused of castrating and torturing a Ukrainian prisoner of war. The sanctions also target hundreds of other individuals, including members of the Russian military and Belarusian military officials.

The Commerce Department will also add 57 entities to its sanction list in a bid to restrict Russian access to key technologies and other materials that fuel the war effort in Ukraine.

The latest round of sanctions were publicized hours after Putin delivered a speech at the Kremlin in which he signed decrees to declare four Ukrainian regions as part of Russia. Putin cited the “will of millions of people” after referenda in each region that have been widely condemned as a “sham” and manipulated by the Kremlin.

The annexations, which experts said are the largest land grab since World War II, come as Putin has grown increasingly aggressive in his rhetoric since a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive earlier this month forced Russian forces to retreat.

Putin has made veiled references to Russia’s nuclear capabilities and its willingness to defend Russian territory. On Friday, he argued the U.S. “created a precedent” by using an atomic bomb in Japan at the end of World War II.

President Biden on Thursday said the United States would never recognize the territory Russia illegally seized from Ukraine.

“This so-called referenda was a sham — an absolute sham — and the results were manufactured in Moscow,” Biden said at an event with Pacific island leaders. “And the true will of the Ukrainian people is evident every day as they sacrifice their lives to save their people and maintain the independence of their country and in defense of freedom as well.”

The Biden administration has levied numerous sanctions against Russian officials, financial institutions and allies since it first launched its invasion of Ukraine roughly six months ago, targeting Putin himself, his closest advisers and major banks in a bid to cut off financing and crush the Russian economy.

Source: TEST FEED1

Putin annexes four Ukrainian territories in escalatory move

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday announced he is moving forward with a plan to annex four regions of eastern Ukraine, escalating a conflict with Ukraine and its western allies who called the decision an illegal move.

Putin made the announcement in a lavish ceremony at the Kremlin before a crowd of seated supporters in Moscow, with Russian flags as his backdrop.

Putin is set to sign “accession treaties” for the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, after holding referendums in the four Russian-occupied regions that were described as “sham” elections by the west. Moscow claimed that around 90 percent of individuals supported joining Russia.

The United States and its allies have rejected Moscow’s referendums.

“This so-called referenda was a sham — an absolute sham — and the results were manufactured in Moscow,” President Biden said at an event with Pacific Island leaders on Thursday. “And the — the true will of the Ukrainian people is evident every day as they sacrifice their lives to save their people and maintain the independence of their country and in defense of freedom as well.”

Biden vowed to never recognize Russia’s claims on eastern Ukraine at the event on Thursday, denouncing Putin’s move as a “flagrant violation” of the U.N. charter.

“I want to be very clear about this: The United States will never, never, never recognize Russia’s claims on Ukraine sovereign territory,” Biden said.

Putin’s annexation of the four eastern Ukrainian regions represents a major escalation of Russia’s seven-month long war with Ukraine. As Ukrainian forces made major gains in recent weeks, Putin ratcheted up his rhetoric, calling up 300,000 additional troops and making explicit nuclear threats.

The mobilization effort was made in response to criticism of how the war has been handled by Russia. A Ukrainian offensive this month made huge progress for Ukraine and dealt a political blow to Putin.

The calling up of reservists has also led to criticisms across Russia, with images of people seeking to cross the country’s borders and reports of violence at recruiting centers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remained defiant in an address on Thursday, saying the annexation will not be “what the Kremlin hopes for.” Zelensky also met with military commanders on Friday to discuss the “further liberation of Ukrainian lands from the occupiers,” according to a press release.

This story was updated at 9:12 a.m.

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Fetterman's lead over Oz shrinks in Pennsylvania Senate race: poll

Democratic candidate John Fetterman’s lead over Republican Mehmet Oz is narrowing in Pennsylvania’s Senate race, according to a new Emerson College Polling-The Hill survey released Friday. 

The survey found that 45 percent of likely Pennsylvania general election voters backed Fetterman while 43 percent supported Oz, falling within the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Eight percent said they were undecided, while 5 percent said they plan to vote for another candidate. 

The 2-point difference is down from Fetterman’s 4-point lead in the same survey last month and comes less than six weeks from Election Day.

But the latest Emerson College Polling-The Hill survey also found that regardless of who they support, 55 percent of Pennsylvania voters said they expect Fetterman to win. Forty-five percent said the same about Oz. 

Respondents were also asked about the stroke Fetterman suffered in May and Oz’s New Jersey residence.

Fifty-nine percent of Pennsylvania voters said Fetterman’s stroke will make no difference to them when they cast their ballot, marking a 9-point drop from voters who said the same in the August Pennsylvania survey. Twenty-seven percent of voters said the stroke makes them less likely to support Fetterman, while 14 percent said it makes them more likely to support the Democratic Senate candidate. 

When asked about Oz’s residence in New Jersey, 47 percent said it makes no difference to them, while 39 percent said it makes them less likely to vote for him. Fourteen percent said it makes them more likely to support Oz. The share of voters who said they are less likely to support Oz because of his residence has decreased by 12 points since the August Emerson College poll.

Other recent polling also showed Fetterman with a narrow lead. A Fox News poll released on Wednesday found that 45 percent of registered Pennsylvania voters said they’d vote for Fetterman if the Senate election was held today, compared with 41 percent for Oz, and a Muhlenberg College and Morning Call poll last week showed Fetterman with a 5-point lead.

On the other hand, the Emerson College Polling-The Hill survey found that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro has widened his lead over Republican candidate Doug Mastriano by 3 points since the August Emerson poll, to 51 percent to 41 percent. 

Meanwhile, President Biden has also seen a bump in the polls in the state. Forty-three percent of Pennsylvania voters said they approve of Biden’s job performance, while 51 percent said they disapproved. 

“Since last month, President Biden’s approval in Pennsylvania has increased by four points and his disapproval has dropped by six. This movement in favor of Democrats is not seen evenly in the race for US Senate and Governor, where Fetterman’s race is tightening and Shapiro’s lead is extending,” said Spencer Kimball, the executive director of Emerson College Polling.

The Emerson College Polling-The Hill survey was conducted Sept. 23-26 among 1,000 likely Pennsylvania general election voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points. 

Source: TEST FEED1

The Hill's Morning Report — South Carolina in hurricane Ian's path

Hurricane Ian is not done.

Revived by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, the Category 1 storm this morning with sustained winds of 85 mph is swirling up the Atlantic Coast toward South Carolina, where it is expected to arrive today. In its wake are at least 12 fatalities confirmed in Florida, shoreline streets reduced to barren sand at Fort Myers Beach, damaged bridges and causeways and inland communities transformed into debris-choked rivers up to rooftops.

Residents with small boats navigated muddy, stinking byways. Owners of large power boats found their vessels aground and stacked into improbable piles by the powerful onslaught of what came ashore as a Category 4 monster with sustained winds of at least 150 mph. It is perhaps the largest natural disaster in Florida history, according to the state’s fire marshal (CNN).

The U.S. Coast Guard based in Clearwater, Fla., described harrowing rescues on Wednesday and Thursday of kayakers in trouble, a boat captain who was plowed into mangroves in Cape Coral near where the storm made landfall and in need of medical care, and a boater who found himself nearly capsized (The Washington Post).

The National Hurricane Center at 5 a.m. ET said a hurricane warning is in effect from Savannah River on the border between Georgia and South Carolina to Cape Fear, N.C. The storm “will approach and reach the coast of South Carolina today, and then move farther inland across eastern South Carolina and central North Carolina tonight and Saturday,” the Hurricane Center reports. Hurricane-force winds this morning extend 70 miles out from Ian’s eye. “Major to record river flooding will continue across central Florida through next week,” according to the forecast.

By every measure, the storm’s toll appears enormous. People living in communities that took a direct hit along the Gulf Coast in the Sunshine State triggered at least 500 rescue responses. Searches for victims continue. At least 2.3 million customers were without power on Thursday. Some businesses were reduced to sodden splinters. Tourist attractions that closed ahead of the storm will require repairs to reopen.

A rough estimate of financial losses from the hurricane was just beginning to emerge on Thursday. An initial analysis from Fitch Ratings found that Florida losses covered by insurance alone could range from $25 billion to $40 billion. Officials were assessing what they called widespread damage.

“When you look at Fort Myers Beach in particular, there’s no words to describe it,” Lee County, Fla., Sheriff Carmine Marceno said (The New York Times).

President Biden approved a major disaster declaration for Florida, which will provide 100 percent federal funding in some counties for reconstruction and other needs. He vowed that affected states and residents will receive the government’s sustained support.

“We’re hearing early reports of what may be substantial loss of life,” he added Thursday during a visit to the Washington headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Biden said he would visit Florida soon to tour damage and meet with residents and officials.

“We’re going to do our best to build Florida back as quickly as possible. But we’re not going to be leaving,” the president said. 

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▪ The Washington Post: Biden doubles down on federal hurricane aid to Puerto Rico, still recovering from Fiona.

▪ The Washington Post: Hurricane Ian is expected to make its second U.S. landfall near Charleston, S.C., at midday, bringing high winds, heavy rain and several feet of storm surge.

▪ The New York Times: Here’s how Hurricane Ian became so powerful.

▪ NewsNation: How to help people impacted by Hurricane Ian.  

LEADING THE DAY 

➤ CONGRESS  

The Senate on Thursday approved a sweeping stopgap spending bill, likely averting a government shutdown ahead of a looming Friday deadline. Lawmakers in the House are expected to vote on — and approve — the measure today.

The short-term spending package, which passed the Senate 72-25, will fund the federal government at its current levels through Dec. 16 (The Hill).

“This legislation avoids a very bad thing — shutting down the government — and does a lot of good things: money for the people of Ukraine, funding for communities reeling from natural disasters, aid to families with their heating bills, just to name a few,” Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) confirmed Thursday, just ahead of the vote. “Millions and millions of people can breathe easy knowing that we have done this in a timely way and the money to continue the government will be there.”

Congress rarely passes spending measures on time, relying on temporary substitutes that buy time for negotiations for the new fiscal year.

Thursday’s bill encompasses more than $12 billion in emergency military and economic funding to aid Ukraine. It also includes, among other items, $1 billion in energy utility assistance for low-income families, $20 million for the water crisis in Jackson, Miss., and billions in disaster aid (Politico).

Last minute additions to the package include Sen. Dan Sullivan’s (R-Alaska) request for disaster relief assistance for coastal Alaskan communities slammed by flooding and landslides caused by Typhoon Merbok, arguing that the state should receive the same kind of disaster relief that was granted to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Fiona (The Hill).

Passage of the bill was all-but guaranteed after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) agreed to remove his permitting reform proposal — which would overhaul federal rules for approving large energy projects — from the spending package. Manchin’s language in recent days had come under heavy criticism from both sides of the aisle, threatening to stall or upend the whole bill (The Hill).

▪ CNN: “This is not the best job in the world”: Manchin says he hasn’t made any decisions on running for reelection.

▪ The Washington Post: Senate passes bill to avert shutdown, fund government until Dec. 16.

▪ Roll Call: Stopgap funding bill passes Senate; House vote on deck Friday.

The legislation now heads to the House, where members are expected to vote today, sending the bill to Biden ahead of the midnight deadline.

“So much depends on when they’re going to get this over to us. That’s what we’re waiting for,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) told Politico. “We could do this tomorrow, it’s gonna get done.”

Both chambers now head into recess until after the midterm elections. Schumer confirmed Thursday that the Senate’s next roll call vote will be on Nov. 14, though senators will return Oct. 11 for a non-voting day to discuss this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes a path to securing abortion access for service members (Defense One).

Schumer warned of an “extremely busy” lame-duck session after the midterms when Congress will have to pass a full budget — or another continuing resolution — and allocate federal resources to Florida to aid the state’s recovery from Hurricane Ian, among other bills.

▪ Business Insider: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) chides staffers as they race to prep her for a stopgap government funding vote: “I don’t even know what that is.”

▪ Roll Call: Bill would allow “Dreamers” to join the military, become citizens.

While stopgap spending bills have become commonplace in government funding, they often frustrate agencies like the Department of Defense, writes The Hill’s Jordan Williams. While the Pentagon has learned to manage its budget despite delays from continuing resolutions, they’re not inconsequential. Short-term spending packages often cause delays in the department’s ability to start certain projects, and in a year marked by record inflation, experts warn that a continuing resolution essentially amounts to a funding cut for the Pentagon. 

▪ Defense Daily: Senate won’t vote on fiscal year 2023 NDAA until after midterm elections.

▪ The Hill: Senators: Pentagon request for critical munitions acquisition fund should be in NDAA.

The Senate on Thursday also voted to confirm U.S. ambassadors to four countries — Belize, Kyrgyzstan, Nicaragua and Panama. Retired figure skater Michelle Kwan, who worked on Biden’s campaign in 2020, will serve as ambassador to Belize (The Hill).

IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES

➤ POLITICS & INVESTIGATIONS

The House panel investigating events before, during and after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attacks questioned Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, on Thursday about her false claims that the 2020 election was rigged against former President Trump, seeking to learn more about her contacts at the time with White House officials and others.

Thomas, a well-connected conservative activist, stood by her assertions without offering evidence or explanation during a voluntary appearance before the panel, portraying herself as among many Americans who believe that the 2020 election was stolen, according to news accounts (The Hill).

Members of the committee wanted to learn more from Thomas about her efforts to help Trump try to overturn election results, including text messages with former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and lawmakers in Arizona and Wisconsin soon after Trump’s defeat. Those exchanges are part of material gathered by the committee, which anticipates holding a ninth public hearing before the midterm elections, said Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) (CNN).

“As she has said from the outset, Mrs. Thomas had significant concerns about fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election,” Mark Paoletta, her attorney, said in a Thursday statement. “And, as she told the Committee, her minimal and mainstream activity focused on ensuring that reports of fraud and irregularities were investigated.”

▪ The Hill: U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Thursday sided with Trump’s legal team saying they can hold off on affirming the accuracy of the FBI’s Mar-a-Lago documents inventory. The special master’s document review deadline is now Dec. 16.

▪ Politico: GOP offers strained Trump defenses in Mar-a-Lago probe — for now.

▪ The Washington Post: Nearly 700 days later, most Republicans still believe Trump’s big lie.

Trump on Saturday will headline a rally in Macomb County, Mich., the latest in a series of campaign events in battleground states ahead of the November elections, reports The Hill’s Niall Stanage. The former president wants to help GOP gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon, who has struggled in the general election contest. Two recent polls showed Dixon lagging incumbent Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) by double digits. 

The Bridge: Trump to stump for Dixon, Matthew DePerno, the GOP candidate running for Michigan attorney general, and Kristina Karamo, GOP candidate for Michigan secretary of state.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), one of three border-state governors who booked buses and other chartered transportation to move migrants to blue states, will debate challenger Beto O’Rourke (D) tonight. The Hill’s Julia Manchester unpacks what’s at stake for Abbott, who holds a comfortable lead in his bid for reelection and amid chatter that he, too, is considering a White House bid. 

In Wisconsin, Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin is leading the charge against Sen. Ron Johnson, the Senate’s most vulnerable Republican incumbent, accusing him of being out of step with the rest of the state, particularly on the issue of abortion rights, reports The Hill’s Alexander Bolton. Baldwin has not been shy about taking political aim at her colleague as Democrats’ Senate majority hangs in the balance.

Congressional Republicans will find themselves in a sticky situation next year if they capture the House, the Senate or both, The Hill’s Emily Brooks and Mychael Schnell report. If they get to call the shots, Republicans are expected to face pressure from Trump to thwart the Justice Department’s probes into his presidency.  Some Republicans have floated defunding parts of the FBI in response to what they say is a “political” raid on Mar-a-Lago.

Politico: GOP readies political heartburn for an FBI it won’t defund.

Biden’s recent decision to forgive some student loan debt for eligible borrowers has become a flashpoint in some quarters amid the midterm campaigns. On Thursday, the Education Department estimated the projected costs to taxpayers at $305 billion over 10 years and $379 billion over the projected total life of the program, close to an estimate of $400 billion released by the Congressional Budget Office and disputed by the White House (The Hill). Biden’s team in August said the costs of the loan forgiveness policy, now the subject of litigation, would be approximately $240 billion.  

OPINION

■ Biden, DeSantis and the politics of hurricanes, by Tevi Troy, guest essayist, The Wall Street Journal. https://on.wsj.com/3BNKJu8 

■ Italy and Sweden show why Biden must fix the immigration system, by Fareed Zakaria, columnist, The Washington Post. https://wapo.st/3UMFrrs

WHERE AND WHEN

The House meets at 9 a.m. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is scheduled to talk to reporters at 10:45 a.m. 

The Senate convenes at 8:55 a.m. for a pro forma session. Senators are scheduled to return to Washington on Nov. 14.  

The president will receive the President’s Daily Briefing at 9 a.m. Biden and first lady Jill Biden will attend a Supreme Court investiture ceremony at 10 a.m. for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson ahead of the court’s new term on Monday (USA Today). Vice President Harris, just returned from Asia, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, will also attend. The president will speak at 11:30 a.m. about federal hurricane response. Biden and the first lady will host a noon reception to celebrate the Jewish New Year. The vice president and Emhoff (who will speak) will participate. Biden and the first lady will host a reception for Hispanic Heritage Month at 4 p.m.

The first lady also has on her schedule remarks at 12:50 p.m. to the Democratic National Committee’s Women’s Leadership Forum conference at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington. 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly at the Department of State at 10:30 a.m. The secretary will hold a joint press conference with Joly at 11:30 a.m.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is in Sacramento, Calif., where he will visit the University of California Davis Health COVID-19 vaccination pop-up clinic at an elementary school with a Latino student enrollment. The secretary will tie his visit and an announcement at 2:25 p.m. PT to National Hispanic Heritage Month. 

Economic indicator: The Bureau of Economic Analysis at 8:30 a.m. will report on U.S. consumer spending in August. The Wall Street Journal explains what the report may show about inflation.

The White House daily press briefing is scheduled at 2:45 p.m.

🖥 Hill.TV’s “Rising” program features news and interviews at http://thehill.com/hilltv, on YouTube and on Facebook at 10:30 a.m. ET. Also, check out the “Rising” podcast here.

ELSEWHERE

➤ INTERNATIONAL

Misery loves company, and the U.S. economy is no exception, writes The Hill’s Sylvan Lane. As the country fights stubbornly high inflation rates and braces for climbing unemployment figures, Americans also face headwinds from across the pond in the United Kingdom and continental Europe. A looming recession in Europe could sap even more energy from the U.S. economy, leading to a dismal stock market, falling exports, and a decline in tourism.  

▪ CNN: The U.K. is gripped by an economic crisis of its own making.

▪ Fortune: There was one person who predicted exactly what was going to happen to the U.K. under Prime Minister Liz Truss’s “fairy tale” economics — and he was ridiculed for it.

▪ Reuters: Energy crisis sires new European order: a strong Italy and ailing Germany.

▪ CNN: Germany will borrow nearly $200 billion to cap consumers’ energy bills.

A missile attack on a convoy of cars in southern Ukraine has killed over 20 civilians today, hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to move forward with the annexation of four Ukrainian territories, signaling the latest escalation of its war in Ukraine and sparking outcry from the U.S. and its partners (Reuters and The Hill).

“It certainly is Putin’s intention to have us believe that he’s raising the stakes. This is the biggest land grab since the second World War,” Marshall Billingslea, a former special presidential envoy for arms control at the State Department, told The Hill. “He’s effectively putting down a marker, and we should expect the Russians to immediately signal that this is now Russian territory, and therefore their threat to escalate applies to any effort to retake these territories by Ukraine or anyone else.”

▪ Reuters: Putin to host Kremlin ceremony annexing parts of Ukraine.

▪ The Wall Street Journal: Escalation of Ukraine war effort raises risks to Russia’s Putin at home and abroad.

▪ The New York Times: “Putin is a fool”: Intercepted calls reveal Russian army in disarray.

▪ The Hill: U.S. imposes oil sanctions against Chinese companies accused of aiding Iran.

➤ TECH

Efforts to regulate how tech companies collect and use kids’ and teens’ data gained momentum across the country this past year, and supporters say the push is credited to a former Facebook product manager, The Hill’s Rebecca Klar reports. In the year since Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen came forward — releasing hundreds of internal documents that offered a peek inside how the social media behemoth operates — Congress, state legislatures and federal agencies are cracking down on how tech firms serve kids and teens. 

The House on Thursday passed a package of antitrust bills aimed at boosting enforcers’ ability to take on powerful tech firms. The bill marks the first major antitrust reform package to pass on the House floor as part of a three-year process that started with a House Judiciary Committee investigation into the market power of tech giants such as Apple, Amazon, Google and Meta (The Hill). 

▪ Bloomberg News: New antitrust bill will bolster U.S. fight against tech giants with small reforms.

▪ CNBC: House passes antitrust bill that hikes M&A fees as larger efforts targeting tech have stalled.

▪ The Hill: Meta to freeze hirings, cut staff.

▪ The Hill: Billionaire Elon Musk said Russian media had “a lot of bulls—, but some good points too” after the Ukraine invasion.

▪ Bloomberg News: Airbnb guests are at the mercy of hosts for hurricane refunds.

➤ POX, PANDEMIC & HEALTH 

As monkeypox cases rise in the U.S. and the COVID-19 pandemic continues on a global scale, researchers are warning that these kinds of viruses — which spread between humans and animals and are known as zoonotic diseases — will become increasingly commonplace. 

Human expansion into previously uninhabited areas coupled with the destruction of animal habitats mean there’s more human-animal interaction and more opportunity for disease to spread (NPR).

“Right now, much of the climate change focus has been focused on, ‘Well, this is bad for the environment, and we’re going to see floods, and we’re going to see heat waves, and this may affect economic survival,’” Carl Fichtenbaum, the vice chairperson for clinical research for internal medicine at the University of Cincinnati, told NPR. “But people aren’t always looking at it in terms of health and human disease, which is very costly.”

▪ The New York Times: New infectious threats are coming. The U.S. probably won’t contain them.

▪ The Hill: LGBTQ+ groups call on Congress, White House to direct more resources toward monkeypox.

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved a controversial drug designed to slow the progression of ALS, a neurodegenerative condition also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease (NBC News).

Total U.S. coronavirus deaths reported as of this morning, according to Johns Hopkins University (trackers all vary slightly): 1,059,288. Current average U.S. COVID-19 daily deaths are 343, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

THE CLOSER

And finally … 👏👏👏 Congratulations to this week’s Morning Report Quiz winners! From a distant asteroid to the moon, readers successfully puzzled their way through outer space. 🪐💥🌑🚀

Here’s who reached for a galaxy of trivia and splash landed in the winner’s circle: Patrick Kavanagh, Daniel Bachhuber, Ki Harvey, Stephen Delano, David Letostak, Harry Strulovici, Pam Manges, Amanda Fisher, Joe Atchue, Jaina Mehta, Len Jones, Dick Baznik, Jerry LaCamera, Barbara Golian, Joan Domingues, John van Santen, “Bradley,” Cliff Grulke, Luther Berg, Richard Baznik, Randall Patrick, Peter Spofera, Stan Wasser, Eric Truax, Steve James and John O’Donnell. 

They knew that NASA’s final manned Apollo lunar landing took place in 1972. 

The first woman to fly in space was Valentina Tereshkova.

Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, was Monday’s NASA experiment to crash into asteroid Dimorphos in case Earth one day needs to redirect a big rock.

The hottest planet in our solar system is Venus, which, by the way, has an average surface temperature that could melt lead.

Stay Engaged

We want to hear from you! Email: Alexis Simendinger and Kristina Karisch. Follow us on Twitter (@asimendinger and @kristinakarisch) and suggest this newsletter to friends!

Source: TEST FEED1

Why the Pentagon hates continuing resolutions — especially now

The Pentagon has never been a fan of using continuing resolutions (CR) to keep the government funded.

But the stopgap measure passed by the Senate on Thursday is causing particular concern about the U.S. military’s ability to stay competitive, due to record inflation gripping the country. 

The Senate is considering a stopgap measure to fund the government through Dec. 16, buying Capitol Hill more time to negotiate appropriations bills.

The Pentagon is facing the usual frustration of being forced to hold off on starting certain projects, but also the additional headache of potentially losing buying power with each passing day.

“The thing that’s unique about this year is that inflation is occurring and is somewhat unpredictable, and a CR locks you into a previous year’s level of funding when prices are increasing,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told Senate appropriators in a May 17 hearing.

“So, you need to get to a point where you can make some adjustments because of that,” he added.

Inflation was one of the first criticisms of President Biden’s proposed defense budget and caused the Pentagon to admit early on that its cost estimates were inaccurate. 

The National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) has estimated that the Department of Defense lost more than $110 billion in buying power from fiscal 2021 to 2023 due to inflation, coming on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic and supply changes.

Seamus Daniels, an associate fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said a continuing resolution for fiscal 2023 would be “significantly detrimental” to the department because of inflation.

“Congress passed appropriations for [fiscal] 2022 at a base funding level of about $742 billion — that means that’s the level that the department is going to start at for 2023. But given the impact of inflation, that means [there’s] going to be a significant loss in buying power to start up the fiscal year. And we’re seeing this particularly play out as Congress is deciding how to mitigate the effects of inflation on the department for 2023,” he said.

But inflation is just one of the many challenges the Pentagon is facing in a stopgap scenario, as the continuing resolution unveiled earlier this week explicitly prevents the Pentagon from using funds for new or accelerated production of certain projects, and prohibits the department from initiating certain multiyear projects.

Elaine McCusker, a former acting Pentagon comptroller who’s now a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said the department essentially loses time that it can’t buy back.

“There’s also just that whole level of uncertainty and the incremental approach you have to take for contracts, which is not cost effective, you can’t get the best prices — so, you’re kind of losing money here, left and right. And also, you get kind of delays in the system too and just getting money out the door. And this impacts everybody from people who do groundskeeping on our bases to your high-end research and development,” she said.

David Norquist, a former deputy secretary of Defense and comptroller who is now the president and CEO at NDIA, said continuing resolutions build delays into a system where speed is an advantage over adversaries.

“What a CR says is, let’s wait — let’s give China a three-month head start, may be a six-month head start before we actually start on this project that everybody decides is essential,” Norquist said.

“Going quickly is not normally a federal government strength in the first place, and this says stop, go slower, take longer. And if you think you are in a competition to deter another country through innovation, that’s poison,” he added.

In a Sept. 15 letter, four military associations urged congressional appropriators to pass all of the fiscal 2023 appropriations bills at the levels at least set by the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act. They wrote that continuing resolutions prevent new military family housing projects from being started, adds uncertainty to the procurement process and negatively impacts veterans’ care.

“Our nation’s veterans deserve the best possible care. CRs hinder new investments to enhance care for veterans, hire additional health professionals, safeguard our veterans from the pandemic, and improve facilities,” reads the letter.

The federal government has operated under continuing resolutions in all but three of the past 46 years. 

There’s also the added complication of the unique defense appropriations process, which includes a policy bill and a separate appropriations bill, and the wide gap between the latest proposals from the House and Senate on 2023 defense spending. 

The House Appropriations Committee has proposed a $761.6 billion top line for defense spending for fiscal 2023, while the Senate Appropriations Committee has proposed an $850 billion top line.

Meanwhile, the upper chamber is expected to begin considering the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act in October.

The House has already advanced its version of the bill, authorizing nearly $840 billion in spending for defense. The Senate Armed Services Committee’s version allocates $857 billion toward national defense spending.

But the defense authorization act is a policy bill and doesn’t appropriate funding for the department — making the need for an appropriations bill more urgent.

“Part of what can delay the authorization bill is the delay in the appropriations bill,” Norquist said.

“If the appropriations bill was moving on time, you would probably be seeing the authorization bill moving on time as well,” he added. “But since the department has to comply with both, each one has to have a good idea of where the other is going to end up in order to come to closure.”

Source: TEST FEED1