The White House on Monday attacked House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) for focusing on an impeachment inquiry into President Biden instead of on averting a government shutdown.
The House Oversight Committee will hold its first hearing
on the impeachment inquiry into Biden on Thursday and Comer said while it is not expected to cover new ground, it will be a refresher course “to help educate the Washington, D.C., press corps.”
Meanwhile, Congress faces a Saturday deadline to pass legislation to fund the government and prevent a shutdown. So far, House Republicans have not agreed to a deal among themselves, let alone with the Senate and White House.
“Instead of working to avoid the pain they and their extreme House Republican colleagues could inflict on Kentuckians and Ohioans with their shutdown plan, Comer and Jordan are posing for the cameras to attack President Biden with debunked smears — it’s D.C. politics at its worst,” said Ian Sams, White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations.
The White House said Comer and Jordan’s focus on impeachment is a distraction “to take attention away from extreme House Republicans’ disastrous shutdown plan.” It also called out that about 300,000 Kentucky and Ohio women, children and infants are at risk of losing good assistance if the government shuts down.
“While Comer and Jordan are focused on baseless political stunts to get themselves attention on Fox News, 300,000 of people at risk in Kentucky and Ohio — including vulnerable infants — could lose access to the food assistance they need because of extreme House Republicans’ shutdown plan. If they get their way, women and children who count on this food assistance could soon start being turned away at grocery store counters,” Sams said.
While Comer has said he believes President Biden accepted a bribe as part of his dealings in Ukraine as vice president, the GOP has yet to find a smoking gun to back those claims. The White House had previously bashed Republicans for “staging a political student” days before a government shutdown.
Biden on Monday criticized House Republicans for heading toward a government shutdown
, saying that they shouldn’t be elected if they can’t do their job to fund the government. He noted that he made a deal with Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in May that led to an increase in the debt ceiling.
Under that deal, lawmakers voted for legislation that set ceilings on spending for the next year. Now conservatives in the House are seeking to make deeper cuts than that deal.
The Biden-Harris campaign hammered Donald Trump for calling for a government shutdown that will harm millions of Americans.
Kevin Munoz, spokesperson for Biden-Harris 2024 campaign said in a statement, “Let’s be
Presented by Altria — It’s Monday. It’s a pretty quiet day in Washington, D.C.
{beacon}
12:30 REPORT
It’s Monday. It’s a pretty quiet day in Washington, D.C., for Yom Kippur. But TaylorSwift has kept the internet entertained with her weekend plans. Here’s what’s coming up:
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) this morning refused calls from fellow Democrats for him to resign following his indictment on federal bribery charges.
The U.S. government is giving away free COVID-19 tests again (keep reading for the link to order).
There hasn’t been much movement on the government funding front, so Washington is getting nervous.
I’m CateMartel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.
🚨Breaking
I’m not going anywhere:
Sen.
Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), who was indicted
last week on federal bribery charges, spoke publicly this morning
for the first time since his federal indictment on Friday.
Menendez’s message: “The allegations leveled against me are just that — allegations,” Menendez told reporters.
“I recognize this will be the biggest fight yet,” he said of the next steps in the legal process.
Congress is inching closer to the Sept. 30 government funding deadline with no solid plan to avert a shutdown.
How it usually goes down: Typically, the House passes spending bills and then moves them to the Senate.
What’s happening in the House?: House Republicans are trying to advance four spending bills this week. These bills will almost certainly not become law, but leaders are hoping it will appease some House Republicans to back a short-term funding bill to buy more time.
What’s happening in the Senate?: Even though the bills usually move from the House to the Senate, the Senate jumped in to consider its own bill to prevent a shutdown.
‘Lawmakers are trying these 3 plans to fund the government’: The Hill’s Aris Folley breaks down the three paths to keeping the government open past Sept. 30.
➤ TIDBIT — HOW MANY GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS HAVE HAPPENED?:
The federal government has shut down 21 times in the last five decades. The most recent shutdown happened in 2019. (The Hill
)
➤ HOW A SHUTDOWN COULD AFFECT YOU:
Time has a helpful piece on how a government shutdown would affect government programs, national parks, airports, disaster relief, etc. (Time
)
Who is sweating this deadline the most:
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is under intense pressure from all sides.
On the right: Hardline conservatives are pushing for spending cuts and policy changes. They seem willing to allow the government to shut down.
On the left: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is putting pressure on McCarthy to rally his party to support a bipartisan plan to keep the government open.
“Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said Sunday she is a “hard no” on two spending bills after Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Ukraine aid would be included in the legislation despite opposition from the Georgia Republican.”
What changed?: On Saturday McCarthy reversed his stance and said he will include $300 billion of Ukraine aid in the funding bill. (The Hill
)
Why this matters: It shows just how delicate the negotiations are, especially with the GOP’s slim House majority and the lack of unity among Republicans.
Trump is egging on everyone:
Former President Trump is calling on Republicans to dig in when it comes to shutdown talks, arguing that President Biden and Democrats will be blamed if funding elapses. (The Hill)
Trump posted on Truth Social: “The Republicans lost big on Debt Ceiling, got NOTHING, and now are worried that they will be blamed for the Budget Shutdown. Wrong!!! Whoever is President will be blamed, in this case, Crooked (as Hell!) Joe Biden! ur Country is being systematically destroyed by the Radical Left Marxists, Fascists and Thugs – THE DEMOCRATS.”
🎞️ Hollywood strikes
Ohhhh, we’re halfway there:
The Writers Guild of America reached
a tentative deal with entertainment studios, ending the 146-day strike.
What’s included in the deal: “[The demands include] increases in compensation for streaming content, concessions from studios on minimum staffing for television shows, and guarantees that artificial intelligence technology will not encroach on writers’ credits and compensation.” (The New York Times
)
Why I said we’re only halfway there: The actors strike is still happening, so this deal won’t reopen Hollywood.
🥜 Jimmy Carter at the peanut festival: Former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter made a rare public appearance at the Plains Peanut Festival over the weekend. He has been in hospice care for several months, and she has been diagnosed with dementia. (Axios
)
🦠 COVID-19 tests are free again: Beginning today, the U.S. government is offering free COVID-19 tests again. Go to COVIDtests.gov to request them. (The Hill
)
🏈 Swifties are Chiefs fans now: Taylor Swift attended the Kansas City Chiefs game Sunday to support Travis Kelce amid speculation that the two are dating. She sat in the box next to
his mom. (ESPN
)
📲 Yes, this!: The Washington Post’s Heather Kelly explains the new etiquette in calling someone: “Text first and never leave a voice mail.” (The Washington Post
)
🥊2024
Brawl número dos:
The second GOP presidential debate is happening Wednesday.
Who has the most at stake: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who has had a stale campaign so far. He’s falling behind in some polling, but a strong debate performance could shift the narrative. (The Hill
)
Details: The second Republican presidential debate is happening Sept. 27 at 9 p.m. in Simi Valley, Calif. (The Hill
)
➤ ‘FOX MODERATORS EXPECTING GLOVES TO COME OFF FOR SECOND GOP PRIMARY DEBATE’:
🗳️ ‘Trump says automatic voter registration in Pennsylvania will harm him’: (The Hill
)
📅 ‘These November elections will set the stage for a turbulent 2024’: (The Hill
)
💸 ‘Big GOP donors hoped for an alternative to Trump. Now some are giving up.’: (Politico
)
📝 ‘Don’t bet on the Constitution disqualifying Trump’: Op-ed from columnist Ruth Marcus (The Washington Post
)
🫣 ‘Trump Floats the Idea of Executing Joint Chiefs Chairman Milley’: “The former president is inciting violence against the nation’s top general. America’s response is distracted and numb.” (The Atlantic
)
🗓 On The Agenda
The House and Senate are out. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C.(all times Eastern)
1:30 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre briefs reporters. 📺 Livestream
3 p.m.: Biden hosts a meeting with advisers to discuss historically black colleges and universities. Harris attends.
4 p.m.: First lady Jill Biden hosts the White House Historical Association’s 2023 Presidential Sites Summit. 📺 Livestream
