As expected, the Senate Judiciary Committee cleared yesterday the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court.
With the committee Democrats boycotting the Judiciary Committee activities, her nomination was approved 12 – 0 by the Republicans. The full Senate could take up her nomination as soon as next Monday. Read more about the developments here and here.
With the committee Democrats boycotting, the Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans are scheduled this morning to vote on the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett. Democrats have argued that the committee Republicans are violating the rules of the committee by voting without the presence of at least two members of the minority party. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has scheduled a vote on Judge Barrett’s nomination before the full Senate for next Monday.
The Senate today voted on a GOP-introduced $500 billion stimulus package, however the bill failed on a 51-44 vote.
Negotiations continue between House Democrats and the Administration. The two sides are potentially very close to reaching a deal on an almost $2 trillion package. Senate Majority leadership reportedly does not support such a large price tag. An agreement would need to be reached between the House, Senate, and Administration in the next few days in order to pass both chambers and be signed into law before the November 3rd elections.
Updates here.
Keep up with what’s happening in DC. Below is a selection of articles the Federal Relations team read this week.
SCOTUS Hearings: Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett was questioned for 3 days in what many label as a relatively tame hearing. The vote on her nomination is scheduled for October 22, just 12 days before the election. Live updates.
Trump Recovery: The President’s medical team has stated that the President is negative for COVID-19 as he continues to participate in large events. Messaging from the White House has now turned to reopening. Full story.
Harris Limits Travel: VP nominee Senator Kamala Harris is limiting her travel after two staffers test positive for COVID-19. More.
Biden Article Blocked: Both Facebook and Twitter have taken controversial steps to limit distribution of an article claiming to reveal details of the Biden family’s relationship with Ukraine. The facts of the article are unverified. Twitter initially claimed the information was from hacked sources, however later backtracked and changed their policy. They now claim because the article contains personal contact information, it cannot be distributed. More.
Stimulus Strategy: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will again bring to the floor a $500 billion “targeted” COVID relief bill which includes supplement to the Paycheck Protection Program. Both the Administration and House Democrats oppose such a small bill, however Speaker Pelosi is facing internal pressure to accept a compromise. Read more.
Town Halls: On Thursday evening, President Trump and candidate Joe Biden held competing town halls. Recap here.
California Ballot Boxes: The California GOP has stated it will not comply with a cease-and-desist order from the State after setting up ballot collection boxes marked “official”. The GOP claims the boxes are legal, however the State contests that they are not. Full story.
Census Ends: The US Census will end counting on Thursday, after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Administration. Link here.
Detention Center Lawsuit: Former detainees are filing a class action lawsuit after alleging they were punished with solitary confinement for not cleaning the facility without pay. The lawsuit against CEO Group, Inc., a private ICE detention center operator, claims the punishment contradicts US Government standards and that company executives lied to Congress. Full story.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to wrap later today its third and last day of questioning of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. During the hearing earlier this morning, the committee agreed to officially vote on her nomination next Thursday, October 22, at 1 PM ET.