Hello from Capitol Hill.
This week kicked off with some high-profile headlines out of the White House and international news wires on the heels of some drama from the weekend. On Friday, May 9th, a group of elected New Jersey Representatives allegedly tried to gain entry to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility used to house violent criminals, resulting in an altercation with authorities. Video shows at least one of the group, Rep. LaMonica McIver, physically pushing law enforcement officers. Other participants in the altercation include the 80-year-old Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rep. Rob Menendez, son of convicted felon and former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez. Another of the group, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, was arrested for trespassing (according to interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba). The next day in Massachusetts, police arrested State Assemblywoman Etel Haxhiaj for allegedly assaulting police and inciting a riot over the arrest of an illegal immigrant by ICE. The Department of Homeland Security has characterized these incidents as “political stunts…” and has asserted that “members of Congress are not above the law…”
On the hill, House leadership hopes to help weave together the budget reconciliation bill this week, with three committees of jurisdiction marking up and releasing their pieces of the puzzle this week. A large number of priorities have been floated from all corners of Congress for this bill on top of President Trump’s necessities for governing. Two major points of contention have complicated the development of President Trump’s budget bill: funding changes to Medicaid and increases to State and Local Tax (SALT) Deductions. These two policy debates are very difficult for swing state Republicans to line up with the rest of the conference on. Many members in both chambers have sworn off reductions in spending for the Medicaid program (severely limiting necessary cost offsets), thereby angering budget hawks. Similarly, a group of Representatives are demanding substantial increases to the SALT deduction cap, driving the cost of the bill up. The SALT group in particular is demanding large increases to the current limit ($10,000) – Rep. Nick LaLota declared the bill “dead” unless the SALT Caucus’ demands are met. Speaker Johnson can only afford to lose three votes on this bill.
Beyond our country’s shores, several events promise to shape the contours of this week. President Trump departed for a tour of the Gulf states on Monday, with planned visits in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, primarily to secure economic investments in the United States. Additionally, the President is set to receive a new Boeing 747 jet in Qatar as a gift from that country to replace the current Air Force One. At the same time Trump is in the Middle East, President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky will be having an official in-person meeting in Turkey to directly discuss peace between their countries. Trump even suggested to reporters that he may join the talks on Thursday. Elsewhere, China agreed to a reciprocal reduction in tariffs between itself and the United States after prolonged negotiations in Geneva- this is the second big deal reached by the White House after the deal with the United Kingdom.
The Latest From Around the Conservative Movement
- Sen. Eric Schmitt: Forgotten Americans No More
- The Daily Signal: Rejecting Calls for Medicaid Cuts, Hawley Castigates GOP’s ‘Wall Street Wing’
- RedState: Democrat New Jersey Congresswoman Digs Deeper Hole in Describing Actions at ICE Detention Facility
- The Blaze: Biden aides reportedly considered putting him in wheelchair due to ‘physical deterioration’ — but had one condition
- Townhall: How Libs Reacted to the Arrival of 59 White South African Refugees Was Beyond Predictable
One Last Thing
- The Daily Caller: Pope Leo’s Oldest Brother Is A Facebook MAGA Uncle