Washington Weekly - February 8

2023 ASA Washington Legislative Fly-In: REGISTER NOW! Don’t miss out and register here for the ASA Legislative Fly-In to take place March 28-29, 2023, in Washington, DC.

This Week: The House and Senate are in session.  

Congress:

ASA on the Hill: Last week, ASA Government Affairs was on Capitol Hill for a multitude of productive meetings ranging from water quality to regulatory matters.  Also, ASA was present at the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing (pictured) on supply chain efficiency.  While last year’s infrastructure bill provided additional funding for improving the supply chain, hurdles remain on how to implement better policies to broaden capacity.

State of the Union:  On Tuesday night, President Biden delivered his State of the Union (SOTU) address to a joint session of Congress.  While the SOTU is usually a tame affair, Tuesday’s event was one of the most raucous in recent memory, with several Republican House members voicing their displeasure at some of the President’s proposals, with Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) directing some of his colleagues to settle down.  President Biden’s tone was more bipartisan in tone than his previous addresses, calling those on the other side of the aisle his ‘Republican friends.’ However, many of the proposals laid out will not have much resonance with the GOP. 

The Budget: The President is anticipated to send his budget to Congress by March 9^th.  This will be promptly rejected by the Republican-controlled House, where all spending bills have to originate, per the Constitution. While tensions have remained high in the House regarding the budget and the debt limit, the meeting last week between President Biden and Speaker McCarthy was a good first step, and on the surface, has shown that both parties are at least talking about the issue.  All of this simply underlines that for any legislation to move forward in this Congress, bipartisan support is critical. The Biden Administration will now pivot to instituting more of the President’s policy priorities through rule making, rather than legislation.

Politics:

2024 Election Updates: Arizona: Nationally, Republicans are getting excited about their chances at winning back an Arizona Senate seat.  With now-Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema leaving the Democratic Party and Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallegos announcing his candidacy, the GOP has a chance to be very competitive in this deeply purple state.  California:  The political intrigue continues for the first real contest for this California Senate seat in 30 years. Former Speaker and current Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D) endorsed Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff  for the seat currently held by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D).  With little to no chance of a Republican winning the seat, Rep. Pelosi’s endorsement of Adam Schiff is critical as he fends off challengers.  This news comes as Speaker McCarthy removed Rep. Schiff from the House Select Committee on Intelligence last week.  Indiana:  Republicans breathed a collective sigh of relief last week when former Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels announced that he would not seek the Senate seat of retiring Sen. Mike Braun (R).  GOP Rep. Jim Banks has already announced his candidacy.  Daniels’ decision heads off what would have been an expensive and divisive Republican Senate primary.  West Virginia: Many have been eager to hear what Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (D) do about his re-election campaign in 2024.  As the last remaining statewide Democrat, Republicans are looking at the West Virginia seat as a key pickup opportunity.  So far, Republican Rep. Alex Mooney has announced his candidacy, with strong speculation that sitting Republican Gov. Jim Justice is likely to enter the race.    

President Biden Job Approval (RCP Average): 44% Approve – 52% Disapprove

Special Elections:  Democratic-held: Virginia’s 4^th District (02/21/2023).

The House currently has a composition of 222 Republicans to 212 Democrats (with 1 vacancy).  The Senate is comprised of 51 Democrats and 49 Republicans.