Debate Opens on NDAA

Posted on December 11, 2024

This week, the House officially voted to open debate on the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The NDAA, passed annually by Congress for the past 60 years, provides authorization of appropriations for the Department of Defense, the nuclear weapons program under the Department of Energy, and other defense-related activities. While the NDAA does not actually appropriate any money, it provides Congressional authority and guidance for the various agencies including policy initiatives and how funding should be used, thus playing a crucial role in setting defense priorities and making organizational changes to military agencies.

The bill authorizes $896 billion in spending, including a 14.5 percent pay raise for junior enlisted troops.

While typically one of the more bipartisan bills, this year’s NDAA includes a controversial provision that led to Democratic opposition in the vote to open debate. The compromise version of the bill, which was introduced on Sunday, includes a measure that would prohibit Tricare from covering gender dysphoria treatments “that could result in sterilization” for children under 18. The provision is based on an amendment added by Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) to the Senate version of the bill.

Many Democrats, including the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), have voiced their concerns about the inclusion of this amendment, casting doubt on its ability to pass with a razor-thin Republican majority in the House. Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) said on the House floor that “military families deserve healthcare that they need, and this included gender-affirming care options for their children.”

Democrats have asserted that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) included the measure in order to appease his right flank ahead of January’s Speaker election. In a statement, Johnson defended the move, asserting that the legislation “included House-passed provisions to restore our focus on military lethality and to end the radical woke ideology being imposed on our military by permanently banning transgender medical treatment for minors and countering antisemitism.”

A number of other controversial proposals were not included in the final bill, including Section 220 the “Prohibition on Award of Research or Development Contracts or Grants to Educational Institutions that Have Violated Certain Civil Rights.” Section 220 was opposed by most higher education institutions as well as by the Department of Defense.

With the bill now coming to a vote this week, many Democrats will be faced with a difficult decision. While gender-affirming care is a red-line for many Democrats, others will find it difficult to oppose a massive defense bill that includes many bipartisan provisions.

If the NDAA passes in the House, it will head to the Senate to be voted on next week.

Congress Debates Another CR

Posted on November 20, 2024

The Continuing Resolution (CR) that Congress passed in late September will fund the government through December 20^th. With that deadline now looming, lawmakers will have to decide whether to pursue another stop-gap measure, and push back the final approval of FY 2025, or attempt to pass an omnibus spending bill to fund the government through the rest of the fiscal year.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has indicated that he would prefer to pass another CR, likely funding the government through March of 2025. This would allow Republicans to exert greater control over the funding process, as they will hold majorities in both chambers in the 119^th Congress. This move would have the added benefit of preventing the Speaker from having to strike a large budget deal with a Democratically -controlled Senate and the Biden Administration—a move likely to be unpopular with his conservative base—before the Speaker election in January. Johnson is expected to run again for Speaker in the 119^th Congress.

Other lawmakers, however, have appeared reluctant to pass yet another CR. Top appropriators in the House and the Senate have voiced support for working to pass full FY 2025 spending bills before the end of the lame-duck session. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), who will chair the Senate Appropriations Committee come January, has said that it is “very much in the interest of the new administration” to resolve the budget now, thus avoiding a budget fight in the first 100 days of the new Trump Administration.

Defense hawks and Pentagon officials have also vocally opposed a CR, arguing that maintaining the current funding levels interferes with their ability to run programs effectively. Senator Rodger Wicker (R-MS), who will chair the Senate Armed Services Committee next year, has said that Congress needs to stop passing short-term measures “at all costs.”

Republican leadership have indicated that the preference of President-elect Trump will factor heavily into their decision, though they have not spoken publicly about their conversations with him. Time is running out to begin discussions of omnibus bills, making a CR more likely. If Congress indeed passes another CR, it moves all FY 2025 decisions into the third quarter of the fiscal year at the earliest, which will put pressure on agencies to execute decisions and spend final funding.

Trump Taps Linda McMahon to lead Education Department

Posted on November 20, 2024

On Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump tapped Linda McMahon, a longtime ally and co-chair of his transition team, to lead the Department of Education. McMahon served as head of the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term.

McMahon’s relationship with the President-elect spans decades, beginning when she and her husband founded World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE. After stepping down from her role as chief executive of WWE, McMahon was appointed to the Connecticut State Board of Education, a position she held for one year before launching two unsuccessful campaigns to represent Connecticut in the Senate.

Following her Senate bids, McMahon became a prominent Republican donor and vocal supporter of then-candidate Trump. After his victory in the 2016 election, McMahon was chosen to lead the Small Business Administration. The choice was praised by Senators Blumenthal and Murphy, the two Democrats who defeated her in her Senate campaigns. Blumenthal praised her as “a person of serious accomplishment and ability,” with Murphy calling McMahon a “talented and experienced businessperson.” McMahon resigned from her post without controversy in 2019 and was praised by Trump as “one of our all-time favorites” and a “superstar.”

McMahon stayed close to Trump following her departure from the administration, chairing America First Action, a super PAC that backed Trump’s 2020 presidential run. Following his loss in the 2020 election, she helped to start the America First Policy Institute, a conservative policy group advocating for Trump’s agenda and preparing for a second term. McMahon has been serving as the co-chair of Trump’s transition team with Howard Lutnick, a Wall Street executive who was recently tapped to lead the Commerce Department.

President-elect Trump has repeatedly called for the dissolution of the Department of Education, and McMahon will now lead the agency. In a statement, Trump said that as Secretary of Education, “Linda will fight tirelessly to expand ‘Choice’ to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families.”

The America First Policy Institute has advocated for the elimination of degree requirements for public sector careers, the abolishment of DEI initiatives at state universities, and the reversal of President Biden’s student debt relief plan.

While serving on the Connecticut State Board of Education, McMahon told lawmakers that she had initially planned to become a teacher and had a lifelong interest in education. Additionally, she spent many years as a trustee for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut

Trump Administration Higher Ed Plans

Posted on November 14, 2024

As of late Wednesday night, Republicans have officially maintained a majority in the House. Republicans will maintain control over House and gain the White House and Senate.

On the campaign trail higher education had considerable focus. President-elect Trump has suggested plans to eliminate the Department of Education. In his previous term, Trump proposed merging the Departments of Education and Labor, but Congress ultimately did not enact the idea.

Echoing the House Republican’s efforts over the last year, Trump’s plans to curb woke ideology in higher education will likely remain a top priority for the Administration. While Trump is limited in his ability to immediately cut off funds to universities, there are a number of other avenues the President may use to push back against DEI initiatives and other programs that he has deemed Marxist and leftist.

Trump has suggested using the military to crackdown on student protests on campuses and using civil-rights laws to challenge the teaching of critical race theory. Another tool that the Trump Administration has said they will consider using is the accreditation system. Many are predicting he may shift some of the responsibilities of accreditors to the Department of Education, where he could exert more influence.

Other plans floated by the incoming Trump Administration include increasing the tax on university endowments, ending President Biden’s student-debt forgiveness program, and using Title IX to ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports.

Senate Republicans Elect New Leadership

Posted on November 13, 2024

In a closed-door vote held on Wednesday, Senate Republicans elected John Thune of South Dakota to replace Senator Mitch McConnel of Kentucky as the leader of the GOP in the upper chamber. McConnel had announced his retirement from the position at the end of the 118^th Congress.

Thune will serve as Majority Leader in the 119^th Congress, with Republicans set to hold a majority (53-47). Thune was elected to the Senate in 2004 after three terms in the House and has held a number of leadership positions in the Senate, including Senate Republican Whip, Senate Republican Conference Chair, and Chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee. He will replace McConnel, who has held the position of Senate Republican Leader since 2007, making him the longest serving Senate party leader in history.

Thune defeated Senator John Cornyn of Texas and Senator Rick Scott of Florida in the election, which is held in private. Though President Trump largely stayed out of the race to succeed McConnel, many of his allies, including Elon Musk and Sean Hannity, backed Scott’s bid for leadership.

All three candidates agreed to consider allowing recess appointments, per President-elect Trump’s requests. This move would allow Trump to push through controversial nominees who may not have the support of all Republican Senators.

Additionally, all three candidates also vowed to make changes to the way McConnel ran the chamber, promising a more open amendment process and to solicit more feedback from individual Senators. Ultimately, Thune prevailed over Cornyn by a 29-24 vote, with Scott having been eliminated in the first round.

Thune is viewed as an institutionalist and a skilled legislator who is well-liked by many of his colleagues within the Senate. He has previously drawn Trump’s wrath for refusing to cast doubt on the results of the 2020 election.

The election is seen by many as a sign that the Senate will retain some degree of independence from the incoming Trump Administration, as Senators chose to elevate long-serving insiders Thune and Cornyn over the Scott, a hardliner with close ties to President Trump. Republicans who supported Thune’s election cited his experience and the trust he has built among colleagues as the most important factors in their vote.

At 63, Thune is considered relatively young for leadership, and with his home state of South Dakota being solidly Republican, Thune is well-positioned to hold the position for years to come. Thune will be tasked with leading the narrow Republican majority as they consider wide-ranging legislation to tackle tax cuts, immigration, Ukraine funding, education policy, and other important issues in the 119^th Congress.