Senate dealmakers run for a border compromise

Sep 28, 2023

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Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) is seen in an elevator at the U.S. Capitol Sept. 7, 2023. (Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images)

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) is working with Republicans on a plan to add more border funding. | Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images

BRACE FOR IMPACT — As Washington veers into a government shutdown this weekend, Republican senators and Sen. KYRSTEN SINEMA (I-Ariz.) have been meeting to try to come up with a border funding amendment that could attach to the continuing resolution expected to pass the Senate soon, Burgess Everett, Meredith Lee Hill and Caitlin Emma report.

The goal is to ease that CR through the House by making changes that will win over Republicans — with the number currently hovering around $6 billion in additional funding for the border. It’s unclear if they would include border policy changes, however, which could be a tougher pill for Senate Dems to swallow. It’s also unclear if any of this would be palatable to House Republicans.

The Senate just voted, 76-22, to keep moving toward final passage of its bipartisan CR, which would keep the government open another six weeks and add Ukraine and disaster aid. But time is running short, and the federal government looks all but assured to shutter for a handful of days at minimum.

To some extent, the White House has power to control how much a shutdown hurts in how it interprets the rules, WSJ’s Andrew Restuccia and Andrew Duehren note — allowing the Biden administration to strike a balance between limiting the impact and making sure it’s felt so that the shutdown ends sooner.

A reminder that government spending isn’t the only matter facing a precipitous deadline: The FAA’s authorization also expires on Oct. 1, and despite broad support for an extension, there’s no real plan to act amid the broader spending standoff. Anthony Adragna, Alex Daugherty and Oriana Pawlyk catalog the impacts for the country’s aviation system: Safety improvement and passenger protection regulations could grind to a halt. The air traffic control system will be strained. Roughly $54 million in revenue each day will evaporate.

Over in the House, Republicans remain mired in internal squabbles that are several steps removed from anything approaching a solution. Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY is reversing course and removing Ukraine aid from the Defense spending bill to try to get it passed, Connor O’Brien reports, while the Agriculture-FDA spending bill is off the table for now, per Meredith Lee Hill. Defense and two other bills — which, remember, would go nowhere in the Senate in their current form — could come up for votes late tonight, though their level of support is unclear.

McCarthy plans to try to pass a GOP-only version of a CR tomorrow — for which leadership does not yet have the votes. Behind closed doors today, Rep. MATT GAETZ (R-Fla.) clashed with McCarthy, asking the speaker whether he was paying influencers to criticize Gaetz online, CNN’s Lauren Fox, Clare Foran and Haley Talbot report. McCarthy shot back “that he wouldn’t waste his time or money on Gaetz,” as other members said “scumbag” and “fuck off” to Gaetz. More from Olivia Beavers

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The medical data company Sync.MD yesterday terminated Williams and Co. lobbyist LIZ WILLIAMS, who was put into the news Saturday when the N.Y. Post reported that the wife of Rep. JEFF DUNCAN (R-S.C.) said in a divorce filing that Williams has been in an ongoing affair with the congressman, Daniel Lippman reports.

Williams started working for the client in the second quarter of 2022, less than nine months after Duncan’s office issued a press release in June 2021 welcoming the company’s headquarters to his district. Sync.MD executives have given Duncan more than $4,000 in the last several years — one of only a few members of Congress to whom company employees have given. The company paid Williams $50,000 in 2022 and another $40,000 this year. Her registration list during her time as a lobbyist does not show any other medical data companies that she has worked for previously in her career. Other companies she’s worked for this year include Altria Group, Delta Airlines, General Atomics and several other smaller clients.

“We engaged Ms. Liz Williams in 2022 having originally been introduced in 2018 by a former Member of Congress,” a Sync.MD spokesperson said in a statement. “Representative Duncan did not connect Sync.MD with Ms. Williams and we made the decision to hire her based on her expertise with small businesses and experience with the Department of Defense. We appreciate her assistance and wish her well. Our top priority and foremost objective is the continued growth and expansion of Sync.MD.” The spokesperson declined to name the former member.

Duncan, a Duncan representative and Williams did not respond to requests for comment, although yesterday afternoon Duncan posted on X: “My family is dealing with a difficult and private moment and I’m not going to comment on a deeply personal matter.”

Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop us a line at eokun@politico.com and birvine@politico.com.

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DISPATCH FROM THE ATLANTIC FESTIVAL — Playbook was on the ground this morning at the Atlantic Festival’s opening event at Arena Stage, which included a conversation with Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN on the state of America’s foreign policy and a discussion with Rep. NANCY PELOSI (D-Calif.) on the future of democracy, moderated by The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg. Notable moments:

Blinken on whether President JOE BIDEN’s relationship with Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN is beyond repair: “Never say never. Because ultimately, what everyone wants, starting with the Ukrainians, is a just and durable peace. So let’s see if we ever get to a point where that’s possible.”

His assessment of the war in Ukraine: “It’s been tough going … Exactly where this settles and exactly where lines have been drawn, that’s going to be up to the Ukrainians. They have to make important decisions, and it’s a democracy.”

On Ukraine support on the Hill and among Americans: “In Congress, yes, there are some loud voices that are taking a different tack. But if you look at the majority in both parties, the support is there. … Sure, it’s a little bit more challenging to keep people focused on something, and in so doing to really sustain the support, but at least where we are now, I have not seen that erosion. But it’s something we have to work on all the time.”

Pelosi, when asked whether Gaetz or McCarthy is the speaker: “Well, I didn’t just come here to talk about Matt Gaetz. But right now we are in a place, which would be the fourth shutdown of government, God forbid, that should happen.”

On what happens should DONALD TRUMP win in 2024: “I can’t even contemplate that. … When we talk about foreign policy, we talk about security, to protect and defend, that’s our oath of office … And all of that is threatened by that horrible prospect.”

CONGRESS

IMPEACHMENT LATEST — Today’s House Oversight impeachment inquiry hearing might not have gone exactly as the GOP planned. Republicans began to lay out their case for opening an inquiry into Biden, a probe that their witnesses backed. But two of the GOP witnesses said outright that as of now, there is not evidence to impeach the president, given that Republicans have yet to substantiate their allegations of corruption. “I do not believe that the current evidence would support articles of impeachment,” said legal scholar JONATHAN TURLEY.

“Picking witnesses that refute House Republicans’ arguments for impeachment is mind-blowing,” one senior GOP aide told CNN’s Mel Zanona. “This is an unmitigated disaster.”

QUITE A HEADLINE — “The Ongoing National Security Threats Posed by Senator Bob Menendez,” by Asha Rangappa and Marc Polymeropoulos in Just Security

ALL POLITICS

CASH DASH — The House GOP-linked Congressional Leadership Fund and American Action Network announced that they together raised $48 million in the third quarter. Their overall 2023 haul is now $20 million higher than what they pulled in at this point last cycle.

2024 WATCH

SNAP POLL — A J.L. Partners/Daily Mail survey found that Republican voters narrowly named Trump — yes, the guy who wasn’t there — the winner of last night’s debate, Rob Crilly reports. VIVEK RAMASWAMY was 1 point behind, and Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS got good marks.

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POLICY CORNER

THE LONG ARM OF LYNDON B. JOHNSON — The Biden administration today is setting forth new guidance to make clear that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 includes protections against religious discrimination like antisemitism or Islamophobia, Bloomberg’s Jordan Fabian reports.

CLIMATE FILES — The administration is rolling out a new national standard for what constitutes a “zero-emission” building, WaPo’s Maxine Joselow scoops. Such buildings would be energy efficient, entirely reliant on renewable energy and producing no emissions. “The definition, while not legally binding, could help real estate developers navigate a patchwork of state and local rules aimed at curbing how buildings from skyscrapers to schools warm the planet.” Relatedly, the White House today is announcing a new national climate resilience strategy to make the country’s infrastructure better able to weather natural disasters.

— “U.S. Races to Fortify Power Grid Against Extreme Weather,” by WSJ’s Scott Patterson: “The Energy Department on Thursday is set to announce a new round of grants.”

THE IRA IN ACTION — “Want to Spur Green Energy in Wyoming? Aim for the Billionaires,” by NYT’s Jeanna Smialek: “One man’s quest to lure climate investment from the wealthy enclave of Jackson underscores how the climate law works: It runs on rich people.”

SPLIT DECISION — “Privacy watchdog fractures over 702 opinion,” by John Sakellariadis and Jordain Carney: “Democrats and Republicans on the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board disagreed sharply about how to rein in privacy risks associated with a powerful government eavesdropping program.”

MEDIAWATCH

ABOUT LAST NIGHT — At the News and Documentary Emmys in NYC, CNN and Vice both won big, THR’s Tyler Coates reports. WOLF BLITZER received a lifetime achievement award.

JUDICIARY SQUARE

HOW ADF PULLED IT OFF — Alliance Defending Freedom had a big success in getting the Supreme Court to allow Christian wedding vendors to deny same-sex couples their services, WaPo’s Jon Swaine and Beth Reinhard report. The conservative legal advocacy group’s SCOTUS victory this year was the culmination of several years of similar lawsuits filed around the country. But several vendors ADF represented stopped doing weddings after they sued. “Such developments led an opposing lawyer and a judge in two of the cases to separately question whether ADF’s plaintiffs truly intended to exercise the rights they sued for — or if their claims were instead manufactured to be test cases in a national litigation campaign.”

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PLAYBOOKERS

OUT AND ABOUT — Americans for Prosperity and the “Ruthless” podcast hosted a debate watch party and live show last night at Walters Sports Bar. SPOTTED: Emily Seidel, Katie Pavlich, Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, John Ashbrook, Michael Duncan, Tracey Schmitt, Brent Gardner, Akash Chougule, Katelyn Bledsoe, Luke Strange, Gretchen Reiter, James Davis and Daniel Bassali.

— The whole Georgia Democratic delegation gathered to raise money for the state party on the rooftop of McGuireWoods, hosted by Clayton Cox and others. SPOTTED: Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, Reps. Sanford Bishop, Lucy McBath, Nikema Williams, Hank Johnson and David Scott, Sam Cornale, G.K. Butterfield, Ron Allen, Kwabena Nsiah, Lawrence Bell, Kate DiLello, Scott Hogan, Tharon Johnson, Ramsey Reid, Samantha Slosberg, Max Tyler, Jonae Wartel, Kaylie Hanson, Seth Clark, Blaire Goodrick and Joey Paolino.

— Harry Rhoads and Julie Chase hosted a dinner Tuesday night in Café Milano’s Domingo Room to celebrate the NHL’s “Hockey Fights Cancer” partnership with the V Foundation for Cancer Research. SPOTTED: Paul Begala, Cynthia Steele Vance, Geoff Morrell, Kurt Newman, Angie Gates, Jack Evans, Bill Nelson, Ash Rajput and Rebecca Sanders.

— SPOTTED last night at Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions’ “Clean Energy Champions” reception: Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Reps. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) and Greg Steube (R-Fla.), Cole Simons, Noah Yantis, Karalee Geis, Jeanne Kuehl, Ryan Giachetti, Ashley Nichols, Rebecca Konolige, Ben Goldey, Taylor Playforth, Allie Esau, Katherine Sears, Shawn Affolter, Evan Dixon, Liz Daniels, Blake Deeley, Pasha Majdi, George David Banks, Charles Hernick and Christopher Barnard.

— The March on Washington Film Festival held its annual awards gala last night at Dock 5 at Union Market, honoring Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) with the John Robert Lewis Lifetime Legacy Award and Rev. Al Sharpton with the inaugural March on Lifetime Achievement Award. SPOTTED: moderator Jonathan Capehart, Robert Raben, Larry Duncan, Nicole Venable, Anthony Coley, Nichole Francis Reynolds, Suhail Khan, Ashley Sharpton, Erwin (JT) Trollinger, Michael Collins, Jodie McLean, Kendra Brown, Angie Gates, Tiffeny Sanchez, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Brandon Webb, Melissa Maxfield, Sanders Adu, Blair Watters, Tara Hogan Charles, Michelle Persaud, Rick Chessen, Barry Macon, Phillip Wallace, Yebbie Watkins, Joyce Brayboy, Lyndon Boozer, Vickee Jordan Adams, Samara and Anthony Foxx.

— Laurene Powell Jobs and David Bradley hosted a welcome dinner celebration for The Atlantic Festival at the Bradleys’ home last night. SPOTTED: Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Dawn Moore, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Abby Cox, Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Mitch and Cheryl Landrieu, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Karlie Kloss, José Andrés, Wayne Frederick, John DeGioia, UAE Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba, Israeli Ambassador Michael Herzog, British Ambassador Karen Pierce, Agnes Binagwaho, Simone Campbell, Sharon Rockefeller, Russell Moore, Mary Louise Kelly, Judy Woodruff, Laura Barrón-López, R.J. Cutler, Osi Imeokparia, Jeffrey Goldberg, Nicholas Thompson, Peter Lattman, Adrienne LaFrance, Anne Applebaum, Jemele Hill, Clint Smith, Caitlin Dickerson, Vann Newkirk, McKay Coppins, Mark Leibovich, Franklin Foer, Tim Alberta, Elaina Plott Calabro, Helen Lewis and Shirley Li.

— Lyor Cohen and YouTube hosted an after-party for the launch of the State Department’s Global Music Diplomacy Initiative last night at the American Pharmacists Association building. SPOTTED: Rep. Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.), Cabinet Secretary Evan Ryan, Dave Grohl, Herbie Hancock, Gayle, Ladama, Armani White, Christopher Jackson, Rakim, Myles Frost, Toni Blackman, Denyce Graves, Jamie Barton, David Rubenstein, Terry McAuliffe, Alexandra Veitch, Adrienne Elrod, Peter Neal and Naomi Biden, Harvey Mason Jr., Sharon Yang and Ryan Williams.

WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE — The Council on Environmental Quality is promoting Alyssa Roberts to deputy chief of staff and senior adviser and adding several new hires: Justin Weiss as director of comms, Emily McAuliffe as deputy director for public engagement, Bianca Majumder as policy adviser for clean energy and infrastructure and Mon Ortiz as special assistant for public engagement.

TRANSITIONS — Mara Sloan Boroughs is now senior adviser for public affairs and oversight at the VA. She previously worked in the press office for two U.S. ambassadors to Argentina. … Caleb Crosswhite is now chief counsel for the Senate Agriculture GOP. He most recently was senior counsel with the House Agriculture GOP, and is a Trump USDA alum. …

… Ana Rosa Quintana is now senior policy director at the Vandenberg Coalition. She previously was staff director for Western Hemisphere for House Foreign Affairs Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas). … Amy DeArmond is now director of government affairs at Cassidy Levy Kent. She previously was director of government affairs at Leggett & Platt.

WEEKEND WEDDING — Hayden Jewett, director at the Vogel Group, and Kelly Decerbo, a senior director at the Washington Nationals, got married Saturday at the Chesapeake Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md. They met at a rooftop pool in Navy Yard in 2019. Pic … SPOTTED: James Gillespie, Christopher and Kelley Buki, Saat Alety, Charles Castagna, Eric Mee, James Farrell, Rachel Dumke, Ryan Eaton, Tim Cummings, Zac Rutherford and Bobby Cunningham.

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