Scoop: CPC pauses push for WH action that could damage Su’s tenuous nomination
Scoop: CPC pauses push for WH action that could damage Su’s tenuous nomination
Executive action to lift the overtime threshold would give millions of workers a raise, but it could also be weaponized against Julie Su. House progressives are sensitive to these politics.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
The Congressional Progressive Caucus recently paused its push for a White House executive order to raise the overtime threshold while Julie Su’s nomination to be the next Labor Secretary is pending, Supercreator has learned from two people familiar with the matter.
The holdup reveals a delicate balancing act for House progressives between advancing a key policy priority and causing a potential controversy that could completely derail what’s already been a grueling confirmation process — as Senate Democratic leaders and administration officials work behind the scenes to line up the 50 votes to push Su over the top.
The current level of the federal guarantee for overtime pay covers about 15 percent of full-time salaried workers, forcing millions of Americans to work any hours above 40 per week for free. First introduced in its 2022 executive agenda and again in its 2023 agenda released in March, the CPC-proposed White House action would raise the salary threshold to $82,000 per year, which would cover 55 percent of workers at one-and-a-half times their regular pay.
But while raising the overtime threshold would give millions of workers more money in their pockets — unless House Republicans come for it first — executive action on an issue as divisive as federal wages could be weaponized against Su. Senate Republicans, who are unanimously opposed to her nomination, have already branded her as a California progressive too far left to lead the Labor Department. (Su previously served as the state’s Labor Secretary before being confirmed as US Deputy Labor Secretary in 2021.)
It’s clear House progressives are sensitive to these politics — in private, at least.
“This is not at all true. The CPC has not stopped pushing for raising the overtime threshold since we introduced it in our 2022 agenda,” a CPC spokesperson said in a statement to Supercreator. “And we’ll continue to do so until the millions of workers who aren’t compensated for overtime are paid for all their hours on the job.”
It was unclear at press time when the CPC and administration last spoke about the executive agenda broadly and the overtime threshold in specific. As of early May though, the White House had taken at least seven actions from the 2023 agenda since it was rolled this spring, including environmental justice action, investments in the care economy, rulemaking to reduce emissions from cars and trucks, expanding health insurance eligibility for DACA recipients, and pushing federal banking agencies to enhance their oversight of mid-sized banks.
A White House spokesperson declined to comment.
It’s unlikely Su, who’s currently serving as Acting Labor Secretary, will receive a confirmation vote before Congress skips town this weekend for its July 4th recess. The Senate this week will vote on two judicial nominees and a tax treaty with Chile.
As of now, three moderate senators who supported Su’s confirmation — Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) are undecided on green-lighting her promotion to the top spot. It’s worth noting each is up for reelection next year, although Tester is the only one to announce he’s running again.
Senate Democratic leaders and White House officials are expected to continue lobbying for Su’s confirmation during the recess.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden got some good news late last week on the labor front unrelated to the Su nomination: AFL-CIO, the largest federation of unions in the US, on Friday endorsed him and Vice President Kamala Harris for 2024 — the earliest presidential endorsement in the federation’s history. 17 other labor groups endorsed the ticket as well.
Biden traveled to Philadelphia the next day to rally with union workers and reinforce his pro-worker bona fides.
“There are a lot of politicians in this country who can’t say the word union. But you know I’m not one of them. I’m proud to say the word,” Biden said to the raucous crowd. “I’m proud to be the most pro-union president in American history. What I’m really proud about is being re-elected the most pro-union president in history.”
👋🏾 Hi, hey, hello! It’s Tuesday, June 20, 2023. You’re reading Supercreator Daily, your morning guide to the politicians, power brokers, and policies shaping the American creator experience.
TODAY IN POLITICS
All times Eastern
12 p.m. The House is in with first and last votes expected at 6:30
p.m. on three suspension bills.
1 p.m. President Biden will receive his daily intelligence briefing.
3 p.m. The Senate is in and will vote to confirm Julie Rikelman to be US Circuit Judge for the First Circuit at 5:30 p.m.
3:45 p.m. First Lady Dr. Jill Biden will host a conversation with White House Gender Policy Director Jen Klein about the impact the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization has had and will continue to have on women’s health and lives.
4 p.m. The president will meet with AI experts and researchers in San Francisco.
4:15 p.m. Vice President Harris will film a roundtable conversation on reproductive rights for MSNBC’s The Reidout.
5:30 p.m. The president will travel from San Francisco to Larkspur, California where he will arrive at 6;10 p.m.
7:15 p.m. President Biden will participate in a campaign fundraiser before leaving Larkspur at 8:35 p.m. to return to San Francisco at 8:50 p.m.
6:30 p.m. The vice president and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will speak at a fundraiser in Dallas.
8:00 p.m. Vice President Harris and the second gentleman will leave Dallas to return to Washington, DC where they will arrive at 10:30 p.m.
10 p.m. The president will participate in a campaign fundraiser in San Francisco.
Biden’s week ahead:
Wednesday: The president will return to the White House from California. President Biden and Dr. Biden will welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India to the White House and host him for dinner.
Thursday: President Biden and Dr. Biden will host Prime Minister Modi for an official state visit.
Saturday: The president will travel to Camp David.
ICYMI: President Biden on Monday spoke about his administration’s action to combat the climate crisis in Palo Alto, California before participating in separate fundraisers in Los Gatos and Atherton, California.
Harris’s week ahead:
Wednesday: The vice president will be in DC and has no public events scheduled.
Thursday: Harris and Emhoff will join the president and first lady to host Prime Minister Modi for an official state visit. The vice president will also preside over Modi’s address to a joint meeting of Congress.
Friday: Vice President Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken will host a luncheon in honor of Prime Minister Modi at the State Department. The second gentleman will also attend.
Saturday: The vice president will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina to speak one year after the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
ICYMI: The vice president on Monday spoke at CNN’s Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. The second gentleman joined her.
THEY DID THAT
The Justice Department released a report documenting a pattern of systemic abuses and discrimination by the Minneapolis Police Department that made the 2020 murder of George Floyd possible. “These findings are shocking, but sadly, not surprising,” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), whose district includes Minneapolis, said in a statement. What’s worse, the report finds that many of the violations — such as the widespread failure to report race and gender in stops — increased after George Floyd’s murder in 2020. As a Black woman living in Minneapolis, I have experienced some of these violations firsthand.” Read more »
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) introduced legislation that would increase federal funding for state and tribal governments to purchase fentanyl test strips. In addition to the Test Strip Access Act, Crockett introduced the STRIP Act in May with Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Texas) to exempt the possession, sale, or purchase of fentanyl testing equipment, including test strips, from the federal drug paraphernalia law. Read more »
Reps. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) and Norma Torres (D-Ca.) relaunched the Congressional New Americans Caucus, which comprises first-generation members of Congress who use their experiences to promote and educate Congress on issues relevant to new Americans. The caucus includes members from Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, India, Somalia, Taiwan, Ukraine, Mexico, South Korea, and Cuba. June is Immigrant Heritage Month. Read more »
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with President Xi Jinping of China in Beijing. The meeting came as the US’s top diplomat sought to ease tensions between the two countries after a surveillance balloon was discovered and shot down in American airspace earlier this year. Read more »
The US announced an additional $205 million in humanitarian assistance for the people of Ukraine. The funding will provide food, safe drinking water, protection services, education, livelihoods, legal assistance, accessible shelter, and health care, and help victims of the conflict maintain contact with family members who have been separated and promote family reunification when possible. The US has provided more than $2.1 billion in humanitarian aid since the start of the war in February 2022. Read more »
President Biden nominated Dr. Mandy Cohen as the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director. Cohen’s nomination comes as the CDC looks to turn the page after facing scrutiny for its inconsistent recommendations during the height of the pandemic. If confirmed, Cohen, — North Carolina’s former top health official and chief of staff at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services during the Obama administration — would replace Rachelle Walensky, whose last day is June 30. Read more »
President Biden directed the Defense Department to provide technology to Canada to help it identify and suppress wildfires faster as part of its response to the historic wildfires burning across our northern border. Specifically, the technology can provide early warning of emerging wildfires in remote wilderness areas so that the fires can be stopped before they spread and burn out of control. Read more »
Mark Cuban plugged his pharmaceutical company Cost Plus Drugs in a takedown of podcaster Joe Rogan and Twitter owner Elon Musk for promoting anti-vax misinformation. “You busted your asses to be great at what you do and earned all you have accomplished,” he wrote to Rogan while tagging Musk. “But don't lie to yourselves and all of us and tell us you are different [from the mainstream media]. You aren’t.” Read more »
READ ALL ABOUT IT
“The new Republican voters” by Aymann Ismail
“Why do so many Americans think Biden is doing a bad job?” by Ed Kilgore
“What the hell happened to Biden’s human rights agenda” by Matthew Duss
“Kamala Harris on what she learned from Tina Turner” by Vice President Harris
“Car-rental companies are ruining EVs” by Saahil Desai
“The rage my father gave me” by Molly Rosen
“The fake poor bride” by Xochitl Gonzalez
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