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Senate Pivots Away from Border Security Deal

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The Senate will meet today to hold a procedural vote on the recently introduced supplemental appropriations package, but this vote is almost certain to fail amid opposition from the GOP conference. As such, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) intends to call up an amended version of the supplemental that only includes funding for Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific. If enough senators vote in favor of advancing the package, Senate leadership could push to reach a “time agreement” that would queue up expedited passage of the funding bill before senators leave for their scheduled two-week state work period. However, it is too early to tell whether all 100 senators will cooperate on this proposed maneuver, especially given the staunch opposition to Ukraine funding from Freedom Caucus conservatives.

House lawmakers will gavel in for consideration of an Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee bill that seeks to prohibit the use of certain cost-effectiveness metrics in federal health care programs. Specifically, the Protecting Health Care for All Patients Act would prohibit the use of the quality-adjusted life years (QALY) metric and similar measures in coverage and payment determinations under Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Medicare prescription drug plans, and health programs at the Departments of Defense (DoD) and Veterans’ Affairs (VA).

Senate GOP Sours on Bipartisan Supplemental

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There is growing pessimism on the prospects of passing the recently-introduced supplemental appropriations package amid mounting opposition from Senate Republicans. As of now, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is still planning to move forward with the first procedural vote tomorrow, which will almost certainly fail given the lack of support in the upper chamber. House Republican leadership, along with former President Donald Trump, have also panned the deal as a nonstarter, further weakening the prospects of border security funds and policy reforms, as well as foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, passing early this year. Intraparty discussions on the supplemental are expected to continue at today’s weekly Senate policy luncheon.
  • Today in Congress…House lawmakers are set to vote on a GOP-sponsored resolution that would impeach Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The vote is anticipated to fall on party-lines, but Republicans are going to need near-unanimous support to trigger a Senate impeachment trial given their narrow majority in the House. Additionally, the House will consider a standalone supplemental funding bill that would provide aid to Israel absent the offsetting cuts to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that had been initially proposed by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). That bill will be considered under suspension of the rules, but it remains to be seen whether it will earn the requisite two-thirds majority needed for passage as House Democratic leadership is currently whipping against the measure.

Senators Unveil Bipartisan Border, Foreign Aid Supplemental

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Bill text for the long-anticipated supplemental funding bill for foreign aid and border security was released over the weekend ahead of floor action in the Senate this week. In addition to funds for Ukraine, Israel, and the U.S.-Mexico Border, the roughly $119 billion package includes a series of border security and immigration policy reforms, the Senate Banking Committee’s Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act, as well as $400 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. While the measure does have support from Senate Leaders Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY), it remains to be seen whether it can earn the 60 votes needed to pass the Senate.

 

  • Next Steps & Context. As of the current schedule, Leader Schumer is expected to tee up the first procedural vote on the package for Wednesday. However, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and former President Donald Trump — the frontrunner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination — voicing strong opposition to the bipartisan deal, it remains to be seen whether there is an appetite within the Senate Republican conference to try and move a measure that is essentially “dead-on-arrival” in the House. Notably, Speaker Johnson unveiled a new supplemental funding measure to provide aid to Israel in a move designed to further jam the bipartisan Senate agreement.

 

— THIS WEEK IN CONGRESS. Both chambers will gavel back into session today. While the Senate focuses on clearing pending nominations before moving onto consideration of the supplemental, House lawmakers are slated to take up a bill out of the Energy and Commerce Committee that seeks to ban the use of the quality-adjusted-life-years (QALY) metric in coverage and payment determinations under federal health care programs. Additionally, a vote is expected on a GOP-sponsored resolution that would impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. For today, lawmakers will consider several bills out of the Natural Resources Committee under suspension of the rules, including one that would reauthorize the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act through 2028 (H.R. 4385).

Momentum Builds for House Tax Vote This Week

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House Republican leadership is expected to press forward with a vote on a bipartisan package of business and family tax reforms this week. According to Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-MO), the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act — which contains provisions around the Child Tax Credit (CTC), research and development (R&D) expensing, disaster relief, and more — will come up for consideration under suspension of the rules prior to the end of the week, possibly as soon as tomorrow. The measure overwhelmingly passed the Ways and Means Committee at a markup earlier this month, and leadership expects a similar outcome when the bill hits the floor. However, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has still yet to make a formal announcement regarding when the bipartisan tax package will be called up as the GOP conference navigates disagreements over the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap. Notably, Members of the New York and New Jersey delegations have vowed to oppose the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act absent changes to the $10,000 cap.
— SENATE RETURNS AS SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING TALKS CONTINUE. The Senate will be back in session for pending presidential nominations while the chamber awaits word on a possible bipartisan supplemental funding package. Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT), James Lankford (R-OK), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), are hoping to produce legislative text for a supplemental appropriations package that includes foreign aid and border security at some point this week. However, it remains to be seen whether this forthcoming agreement can earn the 60 votes needed for passage in the Senate. A bipartisan supplemental funding bill also appears to be “dead-on-arrival” in the Republican-controlled House.

The Latest on FY 2024 Government Funding

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House and Senate Appropriations Committee leaders made important progress toward a March 2024 government funding deal late last week, but much work remains ahead. Notably, Chairs Kay Granger (R-TX) and Patty Murray (D-WA) struck an agreement on funding allocations — otherwise known as 302(b)s — for all 12 spending bills in fiscal year (FY) 2024. The allocations, which have yet to be posted publicly as of this writing, will allow appropriators to write, finalize, and pass funding bills during the February work period. Depending on the overall level of bipartisan cooperation during this process, a March 2024 funding deal could be used to carry other pending legislative efforts around health care, tax, and more. The funding deadline for Agriculture-FDA, Military Construction-VA, Energy-Water, and Transportation-HUD will run through March 1, with everything else — including Labor-HHS-Education — funded through March 8.

Both chambers will be in session this week, starting with the House today and the Senate tomorrow. On the House side, lawmakers are waiting to see whether a bipartisan package of business and family tax reforms will be called up by leadership for a vote at some point this week. Text for the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act — which passed the Ways and Means Committee with near-unanimous support at the markup earlier this month — was posted to the schedule under items that “may be under consideration,” suggesting that House GOP leadership has yet to make a decision as to whether the bill will come up.
  • Meanwhile… A bipartisan group of senators, including Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT), James Lankford (R-OK), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), are hoping to produce legislative text for a supplemental appropriations package that includes foreign aid and border security, but it remains to be seen whether this forthcoming agreement can earn the 60 votes needed for passage. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has also characterized the contours of the deal as “dead-on-arrival” in the Republican-controlled House.

Senate GOP Huddles on Supplemental Funding Package

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Senate Republicans met yesterday to discuss a path forward on supplemental funding for foreign aid and border security as negotiations on a bipartisan deal continue behind the scenes. According to reports out of Capitol Hill, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) cast doubt on whether an agreement would come to fruition, especially given the opposition from both House Republicans and former President Donald Trump — the frontrunner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. As Senate Republicans continue their internal deliberations on how to proceed, the lead negotiators for the package — Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT), James Lankford (R-OK), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) — are continuing their efforts to finalize bill text for consideration as soon as next week. Lingering disagreements over asylum and parole policies, as well as figuring out how much money to allocate toward broader border policy changes, are among some of the last remaining holdups.

TRP Ranks Among Top Lobbying Firms in POLITICO’s 2023 Rankings

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Thorn Run Partners is proud to officially rank among the nation’s top 10 federal lobbying firms for 2023 according to POLITICO Influence — a leading government affairs beat in Washington, D.C. Since its founding in 2010, TRP has consistently ranked among Washington’s “fastest-growing” and “top performing” lobbying firms according to analyses from POLITICO, Bloomberg Government, The Washington Post, The Hill, and others.

 

“Earning a spot in POLITICO’s Top Ten is a point of pride for everyone at our firm, and we are tremendously grateful to our wonderful clients for their continued confidence and trust,” said TRP co-founders Chris Lamond and Andy Rosenberg. “We look forward to another year of continued growth and success.”

House May Vote on Bipartisan Tax Bill Next Week

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House leadership took a step toward consideration of a bipartisan tax package on the floor next week. Notably, text for the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act — which passed the Ways and Means Committee with near-unanimous support at the markup last Friday — was posted to the schedule late yesterday under items that “may be under consideration” next week as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) continues his discussions with the GOP conference on how to proceed. If the speaker decides to move forward with a vote, the package is expected to come up under suspension of the rules, which requires a two-thirds majority voting in favor of expedited passage.
  • What to watch for. According to the latest intel from Capitol Hill, the speaker could be short on votes from members of the New York and New Jersey delegations who are pushing for changes to the $10k state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap. Meanwhile, the proposed tax changes are also running into resistance from some Senate Republicans, including Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), who have raised concerns about the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Employee Retention Credit (ERC) policy changes. Nevertheless, Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-MO) will continue his efforts with Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR) to navigate existing concerns within both parties and get the bill passed in both chambers, possibly as a rider to a sweeping March 2024 funding package.

New CR Buys More Time on Sweeping 2024 Funding Deal

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Congress has successfully provided appropriators with additional time to finalize and pass all 12 spending bills for fiscal year (FY) 2024 after passing another two-tiered continuing resolution (CR) last week. Depending on the overall level of bipartisan cooperation between the two sides, key policymakers will also be pushing for the inclusion of several pending legislative efforts, including the Tax Relief for American Workers and Families Act, which passed the Ways and Means Committee on Friday with strong bipartisan support. Lawmakers are also pushing for a sweeping health care package that would re-up pandemic preparedness and opioid support programs, as well as address bipartisan priorities on Medicare physician pay, price transparency, telehealth, and more.
— THIS WEEK IN CONGRESS. The Senate will return for legislative business today to hold a procedural vote on the nomination of Christopher Koos to serve on the Amtrak Board of Directors. While the chamber continues to churn through nominations, a bipartisan group of senators will resume their efforts to produce a supplemental funding package that includes foreign aid funds along with border security policy changes. If a deal comes together, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) could file votes as soon as this week. Meanwhile, the House will be out this week and is slated to return on Monday, January 29.

Congress Punts Government Funding to March

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Congress has successfully managed to avoid another government shutdown after passing another two-tiered continuing resolution (CR) during yesterday’s session. Upon President Joe Biden’s signature later today, the funding deadline for Agriculture-FDA, Military Construction-VA, Energy-Water, and Transportation-HUD will run through March 1, with everything else funded through March 8. The extra runway provides appropriators with additional time to finalize and pass all 12 spending bills for fiscal year (FY) 2024. Depending on the overall level of bipartisan cooperation between the two sides, key policymakers will also be pushing for the inclusion of several pending legislative efforts, including the Tax Relief for American Workers and Families Act, which is currently being marked up by the Ways and Means Committee. Lawmakers are also pushing for a sweeping health care package that would re-up pandemic preparedness and opioid support programs, as well as address bipartisan priorities on Medicare physician pay, price transparency, telehealth, and more.
  • Next week in Congress… The Senate will return for legislative business on Monday to hold a procedural vote on the nomination of Christopher Koos to serve on the Amtrak Board of Directors. While the chamber continues to churn through nominations, a bipartisan group of senators will resume their efforts to produce a supplemental funding package that includes foreign aid funds along with border security policy changes. If a deal comes together over the weekend or early next week, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is expected to file votes during next week’s session. Meanwhile, the House will be out next week and is slated to return on Monday, January 29.