Supercreator Weekly: Government shutdown looms as McCarthy searches for a legislative lifeline
Plus: , Biden to join UAW picket line, writers and Hollywood reach a deal, the fallout from the Menendez indictment, and more.
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Congress stumbles towards a government shutdown
The government runs out of money on Sunday at midnight unless lawmakers pass legislation to keep it open beyond the end of the month.
The House and Senate return to Washington after a long weekend to figure out how to avoid a shutdown, which would (1) close national parks and institutions and government agencies due to a federal worker shortage, (2) result in lost revenue from furloughed employees not working and the loss of fees that would have been paid during the shutdown, and (3) reduce economic growth depending on the length of the shutdown. (The 35-day shutdown of 2018-2019 during the DONALD TRUMP administration, the longest in US history, cost the American economy at least $11 billion, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.)
View from the House: After Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY lost two procedural votes last week that prevented House Republicans from opening debate on a bill to fund the Pentagon, GOP leadership returned to the drawing board to find a workable path ahead. Now it will attempt this week to pass a package of four bills to fund the Homeland Security, State, and Agriculture Departments among others as opening bids in negotiations with the Senate and the White House for the final versions of the bills.
Members are scheduled to vote to begin consideration of these bills on Wednesday but it’s unclear if leadership has the votes to do so.
McCarthy held a conference call on Saturday with House Republicans to make the case for a short-term bill known as a continuing resolution to keep the government open through mid-November while they pass the remaining appropriations bills to fund the key federal agencies through next fiscal year.
But some members of McCarthy’s conference oppose a stopgap measure or will require funding cuts and anti-immigration provisions in exchange for their support. House Democrats have a simple demand: A continuing resolution that funds the government at the current levels with funding for Ukraine, disaster relief, and border security. The speaker will have to decide whether he’ll compromise with Democrats or triple-down on his conference’s unworkable plan.
View from the Senate: Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER (D-N.Y.) hoped the House would pass a CR that the Senate would then strip of far-right policies before returning it to the House for final passage. But Schumer told CNN that he is now working with Senate Minority Leader MITCH McCONNEELL (R-Ky.) on a deal on a Senate-initiated CR that could pass by the end of the week with cooperation from all senators. This comes as the Senate failed to pass a three-bill package of funding bills of its own due to opposition from conservative senators.
View from the WH: The White House has zeroed in on the fact that we’re in this mess in large part because Speaker McCarthy reneged on the deal he made with President JOE BIDEN to set funding levels for the upcoming fiscal year. The Senate marked up their bills at those agreed-upon levels but the House wrote their bills $100 billion below the deal—and have proposed even deeper cuts since.
“Now a small group of extreme Republicans don’t want to live up to the deal so now everyone in America could be forced to pay the price,” Biden said at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Phoenix Awards dinner on Saturday night. “Funding the government is one of the most basic responsibilities of Congress. It’s time for Republicans to start doing the job America elected them to do. Let’s get this done.”
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A word about this newsletter
You may notice a different format for this edition. Allow me to explain: The newsletter is switching from daily to weekly through the end of the year.
From now on, you’ll get a free early Monday morning preview of the storylines I’ll be tracking and you should be watching to make sense of what’s happening in Congress and national politics—and how it impacts your health, wealth, and well-being.
This decision has been months and the making and feels like the right move for me and the business. If you and I like the switch, I’ll stick with it in 2024. If not, I’ll bring back the weekday cadence.
I’m so excited to invest more time into reporting fresh angles on the big stories of the moment and bring you exclusives on the issues that matter to the creative community. There are so many interesting opportunities to extend the breadth of my reporting beyond the constraints of a newsletter that I’ve declined due to daily deadlines. I’m thrice to pursue and share some of them with you now that my schedule will allow room for them.
But even though the newsletter will be published once a week, I still plan to post several times a week, including scoops on the politicians, power brokers, and policies shaping the American creator experience. I’ll also file in-depth explainers to untangle the complexities of the legislative process. I’m also looking forward to writing up more analysis on the headlines of the day and interviews with newsmakers to separate the signal from the noise. And my notebook is bursting with coverage from this past week’s CBC conference, so expect plenty of good stuff on that front in the days ahead.
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Menendez indictment aftermath gives Senate Dems heartburn
Sen. BOB MENENDEZ (D-N.J.) was indicted last Friday on federal corruption charges that he aided and provided sensitive information to the government of Egypt.
Menendez, who denied any wrongdoing, stepped down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but refused to resign from the Senate despite calls from the majority of the New Jersey congressional delegation and fellow Sen. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-Pa.). CORY BOOKER, New Jersey’s other senator, has not publicly commented on the matter. (Menendez’s son, a freshman member of Congress, expressed full support for his dad in a statement last Friday.)
Andy Kim, a three-term congressman representing southern and central New Jersey, announced a surprise primary challenge to Menendez after the senator rejected calls for his resignation.
“Not something I expected to do, but [New Jersey] deserves better,” Kim said in an announcement posted to X, the social app formerly known as Twitter. “We cannot jeopardize the Senate or compromise our integrity.”
Menendez will hold a press conference this morning where he is expected to deny the bribery allegations against him and continue his re-election campaign. He planned to hold the event at an elementary school in Union City, where he served as mayor, but the New Jersey Globe reports the school denied the request to avoid the unwanted attention. A new location remains unclear.
Menendez was previously indicted in 2015 on federal corruption charges but the charges were dropped ahead of his 2018 reelection after a jury was unable to reach a verdict. The Senate Ethics Committee admonished Menendez for accepting and failing to disclose gifts from a donor and using his position to advance the donor’s interests. The Ethics Committee declined to comment on the most recent indictment and reaffirmed its policy to hold off on probing active and ongoing criminal investigations.
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Biden to join UAW picket line
We’re entering the second full week of the United Auto Workers strike against three major automakers and the union will receive a historic show of solidarity on Tuesday: President Biden will join the picket line at the invitation of UAW President SHAWN FAIN. The pro-union display is being touted as one of the most significant by a sitting president during an active contract dispute.
“It’s time for a win-win agreement that keeps American auto manufacturing thriving with well-paid UAW jobs,” Biden wrote in an X post on Friday.
Transportation Secretary PETE BUTTIGIEG said on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday that the decision reinforces Biden’s status as “the most unapologetically pro-worker, pro-union president we’ve ever had.”
The visit comes as UAW has widened its strike against General Motors and Jeep-maker Stellantis, two of the three companies along with Ford, it is negotiating with for higher wages, more robust retirement benefits, and more.
UAW has yet to endorse Biden’s re-election.
Biden’s week ahead:
Monday: President Biden will host Pacific Islands Forum leaders at the White House for the US-PIF Forum Summit before hosting a meeting with his board of advisors on HBCUs with Vice President KAMALA HARRIS.
Tuesday: After the president joins the UAW picket line, he will travel to San Francisco to speak at a campaign fundraiser.
Wednesday: President Biden will meet with his council of advisors on science and technology and then speak at two campaign fundraisers before traveling to Phoenix.
Thursday: President Biden will give a major speech on democracy in honor of the legacy of the late Sen. JOHN McCAIN (R-Ariz.). He’ll also speak at a campaign fundraiser before returning to the White House.
Friday: The president will attend a farewell tribute for General MARK MILLEY, the outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a welcome ceremony for the incoming Chairman of the Joint Chiefs CHARLES BROWN, JR. Vice President Harris will attend.
Harris’s week ahead:
Tuesday: The vice president will travel to Morehouse College in Atlanta for a moderated conversation as part of the “Fight for Our Freedoms” college tour.
Thursday: Harris will travel to Florida International University in Miami for a moderated conversation as part of the college tour before speaking at a campaign fundraiser.
First Lady Dr. JILL BIDEN will host a welcome reception for and speak at the White House Historical Association 2023 Presidential Sites Summit.
Second Gentleman DOUG EMHOFF this afternoon will speak at a fireside chat to mark Yom Kippur and the conclusion of the High Holidays.
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GOP presidential hopefuls to face off in second debate
The second Republican primary debate is this Wednesday in Simi Valley, California at the RONALD REAGAN Presidential Library. The event will be hosted by Fox Business, video platform Rumble, and Univision. STUART VARNEY, DANA PERINO, and ILIA CALDERÓN will moderate the debate.
Seven candidates for the Republican presidential nomination—including former President Trump, the current frontrunner who’s expected to be a no-show—have qualified for the debate: (1) entrepreneur and conspiracy theorist VIVEK RAMASWAMY, (2) Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS, (3) former Vice President MIKE PENCE, (4) former Ambassador to the United Nations NIKKI HALEY, (5) former New Jersey Gov. CHRIS CHRISTIE, (6) Sen. TIM SCOTT of South Carolina, (8) North Dakota Gov. DOUG BURGUM
During the first debate last month, the candidates faced off against each other on issues including the economy, abortion, Ukraine funding, climate change, and education.
ICYMI: “5 takeaways from the spicy first GOP primary debate”
The third debate will be held in Miami on November 8, 2023.
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Writers and Hollywood studios reach a tentative deal to end strike
The Writers Guild of America and the representatives of the major TV and film production companies reached a tentative three-year agreement to end a strike that brought Hollywood to a halt for 146 days.
“We can say, with great pride, that the deal is exceptional—with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership,” the WGA wrote its members Sunday evening.
The agreement is subject to drafting the final contract language. Details of the agreement will be withheld until then. A vote to send the contract for ratification by the union’s 11,000 members is expected on Tuesday. Then production will restart for TV and films after a five-month pause.
“As you have been patient with us before, we ask you to be patient again—one last time,” the message to members said.
SAG-AFTRA, the labor union representing approximately 160,000 professional actors and media professionals, has been on strike since July 14.
THAT’S ALL UNTIL NEXT MONDAY! I hope this week is everything for you. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up for free.