DEM AGENDA ARRIVES ON ... NOV 6 CHICAGO — Congressional Democrats are basking in the new aura of enthusiasm of their base: Lines of selfies, hugs with strangers, Nancy Pelosi "Godmother" pins. And in the midst of all the lighter celebrating, both Senate and House Democratic leaders are talking seriously about dual majorities come November. The “Kamala effect” has spawned real conversations in recent weeks about what Democrats should do if they manage to get the Washington “trifecta” — both chambers of Congress and the White House — and can muscle through another big policy bill next year without GOP votes. First, inside that talk at the convention: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was downright giddy at a Tuesday reporter meetup, repeatedly expressing confidence that Democrats would keep the majority in his chamber. (He also burst into song on three different occasions and did a Trump impression.) And his House counterparts are feeling more optimistic than ever that they can win back the lower chamber, a path they believe could even include seats in Iowa, Wisconsin and Alabama. So what will they do with it? Schumer ran through the core of Democrats’ new 2025 agenda Tuesday morning — housing, climate and tax. The party would almost certainly have to pass their priorities through another so-called reconciliation bill, which they can clear with only simple majorities in both chambers but comes with critical limitations on policy changes. More specific conversations about that possibility have started happening “at the senior level” but remain “very preliminary,” according to a source familiar with the discussions. Already, Democrats on the House Ways and Means and the Senate Finance panels were planning what they’d want out of the big 2025 tax cliff. Given the newfound excitement, the party is floating bigger ideas, though they’re still nebulous. “Everything's on the table,” said Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), who is part of those conversations. “Obviously, we have preferences.” He specifically pointed to expanding the child tax credit and reforms to Social Security. There are still very few details. Harris has unveiled a handful of policy specifics this week (a 28 percent corporate tax rate, a first-time homebuyer credit and newborn tax credit). But Democrats are mostly leaving the agenda specifics for later. “We’re focused on winning,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.). “So we’re not thinking about anything other than getting this thing done.” As for policy? That comes “on November 6th,” he said. It's a far cry from House Republicans, who have been holding working group meetings for months on their own reconciliation plans, mainly focused on tax cuts. Leaders have been eager to zero in on tax policy with a nominee decidedly uninterested in sticking to a script. Committee chairs were tasked earlier this year with coming up with a reconciliation wish list and some of the conference’s major ideological factions, including members of the Freedom Caucus and the Republican Study Committee, are working on their own proposals. Plus, Speaker Mike Johnson met with Senate Republicans in June to outline the House GOP’s broad vision. House Republicans have also been meeting with former Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), who was at the center of the 2017 Trump tax law. One reason to wait on tactics: Democrats know the scope of their agenda will depend on exactly how many seats they win in each chamber. Holding onto the Senate is one thing, seeing a blue wave that runs through unexpected places and wins them new seats — like in Florida or Texas, as Schumer has floated — is another. And anything they do will be tougher than the Inflation Reduction Act (their most recent shot at a reconciliation bill, which still took them months to muscle through) because the party went after easier policy priorities in that legislation already. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), who’d helped shepherd that previous package, noted that the party had passed that agenda through the House with a four-vote majority and a 50-50 Senate. But he added: “It’s a little early to decide tactics right now.” — Sarah Ferris and Nicholas Wu, with an assist from Jordain Carney GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Tuesday, August 19, where we found out today that Cups is closed until Sept. 3. We don’t like it. THE SENATE INTERIMS SOCIETY Tuesday is officially Sen. Bob Menendez’s (D-N.J.) last day in office. Soon, Democrat George Helmy will take over the Senate seat after being appointed by Gov. Phil Murphy (D-N.J.). It’s a rare occurrence for an interim senator to take over for so little time. There are only three weeks of session left before the November elections. And per Murphy, Helmy will resign shortly after the elections, and the victor in New Jersey’s Senate race will be appointed. The winner would otherwise have to wait until January to be sworn in. So we checked in with former interim Sen. Mo Cowan (D-Mass.) — who jokes that he is the self-appointed president of the Society of Interims (not a real thing) — on his playbook for the temporary job. Cowan, who served for just more than six months in 2013 after John Kerry was appointed as secretary of State, gave this advice:
- Get to know the procedural gurus. Senate rules are complicated — and though Cowan noted that Helmy is a former Senate staffer and could have a leg up, he said professional staff was key to getting the hang of things: “The folks in the clerk's team and the parliamentarian’s team. … Those folks were very wonderful to work with and very generous.”
- Focus on constituent services: “The people who really don't have a say much in this transition are the people you're there to represent. And they've all got pending stuff going on, and you just want to make sure you and the team that you inherit — to the extent you inherit a team — continue to take care of that work.”
- Have a little fun, but not too much. Cowan said getting to know other senators was one of the highlights of the job — and even joked that those conversations could be as simple as talking about cinema. In 2013, there “were a decent number of Will Ferrell fans in the body.”
- Cowan added: “Just enjoy the experience. … I suspect he’s not going to be there enough time to make enemies. So focus on making friends, right?”
— Ursula Perano FETTERMAN OFFICE ISRAEL SPLIT There’s been heavy Hill chatter this week after a story from The Free Press quoted Sen. John Fetterman’s (D-Pa.) communications director — Carrie Adams — saying she disagrees with her boss’ stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict. What's now unclear is where Adams stands within the office, which has fallen silent on the matter. Backing up a second: A communications director disagreeing with their boss on the record is kind of a big deal, even more so here considering Fetterman’s unabashedly pro-Israel persona. “I have a sense that his international views are a lot less nuanced than my generation, because when he was growing up, it was might makes right, and for my generation and younger who, of course, are the ones protesting this, they have a much more nuanced view of the region,” Adams told The Free Press. Inside Congress has sent multiple requests for comment to Adams and another Fetterman staffer inquiring whether Adams is still with the senator’s office or if her role has changed. Neither responded. We also asked whether Adams somehow misunderstood that she was on the record, which received no response either. Adams took over as Fetterman’s communications director after a period of turnover earlier this year, when three top Fetterman spokespeople all left within a matter of months. She is both a Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer alum. — Ursula Perano
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