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Category: 115th Congress

Electoral College Votes Today

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The 538 members of the electoral college will gather at state capitols across the country this afternoon to cast their ballots for President. The usually symbolic ceremonies, full of pomp and circumstance, have drawn intense attention this year.  There has been much effort made to dissuade the electors from voting for Trump.  

To be effective, 37 of 306 Republican electors would need to vote for someone, anyone else. Only one Republican has announced that he will be faithless and more have suggested it, but not nearly in the numbers needed to not elect Trump.

Regardless, if Trump does not get 270 electoral votes today, the decision then goes to the House of Representatives to choose the president. The House will choose Trump.

Two Budgets Next Year

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Congress will do two budget resolutions next year. The first will be aimed at the ACA early in the Congress and the second effort at reconciliation will be aimed at tax reform, which should be in the Spring.

The first budget that House and Senate Republicans will unveil early next year will include reconciliation instructions to fast track repeal of the 2010 health law, but is otherwise expected to be relatively bare-bones. the budget resolution is likely to abide by the $1.070 trillion discretionary spending cap that Republican conservatives opposed earlier this year. However, Republican leadership is touting the figure as a placeholder and not to be taken seriously — the real policy choices will be made in the FY2018 budget resolution to be drafted in the spring.

Both House and Senate GOP leaders have signaled that reconciliation, which can not be filibustered in the Senate, is the best path for tax reform. Speaker Paul Ryan is proceeding as if reconciliation would be necessary. This choice means that any tax reform plan would have to be deficit-neutral and would come with an expiration date.

Democrats have said they would be willing to talk about a narrower tax-and-infrastructure deal. But it also seems like it would be difficult for the more comprehensive tax reform approach that McConnell and Ryan talked up to get 60 votes in the Senate.

Zinke to Interior

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President-elect Donald Trump has offered Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-T) the position of Interior Secretary. The previous front-runner for the post was Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA). 

Zinke, who won his seat in 2014, is a former U.S. Navy SEAL commander who has taken strong stances on conservation and public lands issues. He voted against the 2016 GOP budget because it sold federal lands and even resigned his position as a delegate to the Republican National Convention this summer because the platform called for the sale of public lands. He has also opposed efforts to transfer federal land to states and partnered with Democrats on conservation issues.

It was not clear whether Zinke had accepted the offer.

CR Passes, Happy Holidays!

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In a late Friday night vote, the Senate passed the Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government through April 28, 2017 by a vote of 62-34. The House passed the measure earlier in the week, and with the Senate’s passage, a government shutdown has been averted.

There was much uncertainty thrown into the CR at the last minute with Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) trying to halt the measure due to the lack of a full year’s extension of retired coal miners’ health benefits. Manchin was threatening to filibuster or convince 40 Senate Democrats to vote against cloture on the measure. That effort failed and the Senate passed cloture on Thursday. That vote added a new wrinkle in that cloture guarantees 30 hours of debate on legislation, and if the Senate Democrats were to exhaust the full 30 hours, then the Senate vote would not occur until 1 am on Saturday, December 10th, a full hour after the CR had expired.

Rather than risk that scenario, the Senate  ended debate earlier, proceeded with, and passed the measure at 11 pm on Friday. It should be noted that the House recessed Thursday, and most House Members were back in the district, with little intention of returning, on Friday.

President Barack Obama is expected to sign the CR. 

The stopgap measure, which took immediate effect, extends current funding levels for most federal agencies and abides by an annual cap on discretionary spending of $1.07 trillion for FY2017. It also provides extra money for military operations, flood relief, medical research and the effort to repair the lead-contaminated water system of Flint, MI.

With that, the House and Senate are expected to recess Sine Die in the coming week. They will convene in the 115th Congress.

Trump’s First Cabinet Picks Announced

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The Trump transition team has announced it’s first picks for the cabinet. 

National Security Advisor: Michael Flynn, Retired General – Flynn served as one of the Trump’s top confidants during the campaign, joining him during some of his early intelligence briefings. Flynn gained a reputation as a skilled but combative intelligence officer during his 33-year career. However, he was forced out as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014. He’s expected to bring an aggressive posture to foreign policy matters, and is known for his hardline views on Islam.

Attorney General: Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) – Senator Sessions was one of Trump’s earliest supporters and served as an advisor on the campaign trail. He was first elected to the Senate in 1996, prior to which he was a U.S. Attorney in Mobile, Alabama, and Alabama Attorney General. He is known for his hardline views on immigration and his appointment has been criticized by some because his nomination to become a federal judge was rejected by the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee some thirty years ago due to racially charged comments and actions.

CIA Director: Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) – Pompeo serves on the House Intelligence and Benghazi committees. Prior to his election to Congress in 2010, he was an executive in the aerospace and oil industries. He served in the Army for five years and has degrees from Harvard Law and West Point. 

Trump is headed out to his golf course in Bedminster, NJ, for the weekend. He is expected to meet with Mitt Romney, education reform leaders Michelle Rhee and Betsy DeVos, and a number of other individuals. Next week, we expect the transition team to announce picks for Treasury, Commerce, US Trade Representative, Small Business Administration, Federal Communications Commission, and Social Security Administration.