Author: Thornrun

The polls are open in 14 states today as the pivotal “Super Tuesday” Democratic primary elections get underway. With Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and former South Bend, IN Mayor Pete Buttigieg officially out of the race, former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) are projected to battle head-to-head for the lion’s share of more than 1,300 delegates at stake from today’s contests. Sen. Sanders currently enjoys a narrow six delegate lead (60) over Vice President Biden (54), with 1,991 needed to clinch the Democratic nomination.

Both chambers of Congress will resume legislative business later this afternoon. As Congressional appropriators continue work on an emergency spending package to bolster coronavirus response efforts, consideration of the supplemental funding bill could occur as early as Wednesday in the House amid rising concerns about a domestic outbreak of the virus. The final figure for the measure is expected to fall within the $6-8 billion range after lawmakers expressed bipartisan concerns that President Donald Trump’s $2.5 billion request would be inadequate. 

House lawmakers will close out their work week with final passage of a comprehensive tobacco-related measure later this morning. The bill — which seeks to curb the use of e-cigarettes among youths and promulgate further regulations on flavored tobacco products — is expected to pass narrowly after some Democrats expressed concerns that the legislation would lead to discrimination. The Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act also faces a difficult path forward after the Trump administration issued a veto threat yesterday, arguing that it contains provisions that are not supported by available evidence regarding tobacco harm reduction and use habits.

House lawmakers will begin consideration of a comprehensive tobacco-related measure that seeks to curb the use of e-cigarettes among youths. Specifically, the Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to: (1) prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products; (2) promulgate Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations on synthetic nicotine and graphic health warnings for cigarette packing; and (3) ban the marketing, advertising, or promotion of any e-cigarette products to individuals under the age of 21. Full consideration and final passage of the bill will occur tomorrow after the lower chamber clears the rule later today. 

House lawmakers will convene today eyeing action on suspension bills out of the Natural Resources Committee. Notable measures up for consideration would: (1) reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network (H.R. 2427); (2) amend the Nutra Eradication and Control Program to include California (H.R. 3399); and (3) update and modify the maximum acreage for the Yucca House National Monument (H.R. 1492). In addition, the lower chamber will also take up a suspension bill out of the Judiciary Committee that would designate lynching as a federal hate crime. 

Senators will convene today for consideration of a pair of abortion-related measures. Designed as a messaging exercise for the 2020 election, the bills would establish requirements for the degree of care a health care practitioner must exercise in the event a child is born alive following an abortion or attempted abortion (S. 311); and seek to boost protections for pain-capable unborn children (S. 3275). The upper chamber will also resume consideration of presidential nominations, including a final confirmation vote on Katharine MacGregor’s nomination to be Deputy Secretary of the Interior.

Congress will return from the Presidents’ Day district work period to resume legislative business, with the Senate returning later this afternoon and the House picking back up tomorrow. On the Senate floor this week, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has queued up a pair of abortion-related measures that are designed as a messaging exercise for the 2020 election. The measures up for consideration would: (1) establish requirements for the degree of care a health care practitioner must exercise in the event a child is born alive following an abortion or attempted abortion (S. 311); and (2) seek to boost protections for pain-capable unborn children (S. 3275). Senators will also consider four presidential nominations, including Katharine MacGregor’s nomination to be Deputy Secretary of the Interior.  

The tightly-contested race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination will shift west this weekend as Nevadans prepare for the Saturday caucus. Recent polling from the Silver State suggests that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), former South Bend, IN Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and former Vice President Joe Biden will be in contention for a share of Nevada’s 36 delegates. With 1,991 delegates needed to clinch the Democratic nomination, Mayor Buttigieg (23), Sen. Sanders (21), and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) (8) are currently atop the leaderboard, with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) (7) and Vice President Biden (6) rounding out the top five.