ASA Washington Weekly – November 2, 2023

This Week:

The House and Senate are in Session. 

Federal:

Speaker Mike Johnson: After a 23-day hiatus, the House of Representatives now has Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) who takes the reigns at a deeply challenging time, even for the most experienced members of Congress. 

Speaker Johnson has wasted no time getting to work, prioritizing the conclusion of several appropriations bills out of committee to help advance the budgets, is facing down a Nov. 17 deadline before a government shutdown (in response, he has floated a continuing resolution that would go until at least January and as late as April 2024), along with emergency funding for Israel and Ukraine. 

Last week, he indicated the House would separate emergency funding legislation after the White House requested $105 billion to cover Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, the southern border and supplemental DOD funding. A $14.5 billion standalone funding bill for Israel should hit the floor this week that seeks to shift funding (out of the $80 billion in additional funding from last year’s Inflation Reduction Act) from the IRS to pay for the measure. This will likely force a showdown with the Senate and the White House and could delay assistance as a result.

The Pelican State: Louisiana now has considerable sway at the federal level with the election of Speaker Johnson. Not only does it hold the Speakership, but the No. 2 position is also held by Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA).  In the Senate, Sen. Bill Cassidy holds key positions on the Energy and Natural Resources, Finance and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, the latter where he’s the Ranking Member. Sen. John Kennedy has a national profile and sits on key Senate committees including the Appropriations, Banking, Budget and Judiciary committees. 

The Santos Saga: A resolution to expel Rep. George Santos (R-NY) introduced by Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY) and co-sponsored by fellow NY GOP Reps. Nick LaLota, Mike Lawler, Marc Molinaro, Nick Langworthy and Brandon Williams should come up as well, although the Speaker does not support this effort.

ASA Action:

Overtime Rule: ASA joined its coalition allies in sending a letter to all 535 members of Congress urging them to ask the Department of Labor to extend the comment period on its proposed overtime rule. 

Rhode Island: ASA joined its water quality allies in sending a letter to the state of Rhode Island regarding water quality rules, encouraging them to adopt accepted industry standards and point of use filtration systems. This reiterates a position in a letter ASA sent in 2022 on the same issue. 

Politics: 

Retirement Announcement: After almost 30 years in the House, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) announced that he will retire at the end of his current term. Well known for his founding of the Congressional Bike Caucus, Blumenauer succeeded current Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) when the latter ran for Senate in 1996. This is a solid Democratic seat, so there will be no risk of losing it to Republicans in 2024. One interesting potential candidate is Susheela Jayapal, sister of current Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). 

President Biden Job Approval (RCP Average): 41% Approve – 56% Disapprove.

Generic Congressional Ballot (RCP Average): Tie. The House currently has a composition of 221 Republicans to 212 Democrats (2 Vacancies). The Senate is comprised of 51 Democrats and 49 Republicans. Special Elections: Democratic: (RI-1 - General: 11/7/2023).  Republican: UT-2 - General: 11/21/2023.