Star politics: Can Congress do the extraordinary: find common ground?
Congress has been out for the past two weeks for Easter recess, which has meant a pretty quiet Capitol.
Beyond the Architect of the Capitol making repairs to the building and a limited number of tourists roaming around the rotunda (I’ve overheard plenty expressing disappointment that they couldn’t get a tour recently), there hasn’t been much action.
That’ll change next week when the members come back and attempt to get through additional aid to Ukraine, another COVID package and more.
One of the things that’s on the agenda, though not likely to start until May, is a conference committee between the House and Senate on legislation that funds scientific research and domestic manufacturing in an effort to keep America competitive globally and challenge China.
It has become less common to see a conference committee in Congress — often the differences between the two chambers are resolved between party leaders and they move bills from one chamber to another without many changes — so I wanted to dive into the process a little.
Last June, the Senate passed the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, spending around $250 billion in an effort to counter China’s growing economic power.
Democrats in the House of Representatives didn’t really like it, so in February, they passed their own version called the America COMPETES Act. It spent around $300 billion on things like scientific research and funding domestic manufacturing.
Over the next two months, the House and Senate continued to try to find agreement on the bill. They couldn’t.
Instead, last month the Senate stripped the language from the House bill, put in the language from the bill they passed in June, and passed it out of their chamber.
That sends the bill to a conference committee — 107 lawmakers, give or take, named by their party leadership who will have to find a compromise.
Among the members are Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran and Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids.
The big difference between the two bills is how, exactly, to fund scientific research and how to use the legislation to punish China. House Democrats put forward a bill that didn’t have many restrictions on scientific funding and supported research on climate change and helping coral reefs. The Senate focused a more narrow lens on the type of research the bill would fund, like artificial intelligence and quantum science.
If this bill has any chance of passing, they’ll need the support of 10 Republican members. Time is not on their side. Striking a bipartisan deal becomes more difficult as November’s midterm elections approach.
“Last year, the Senate passed bipartisan legislation to help America better compete on issues from critical supply chains to counterespionage to intellectual property. From Green New Deal follies to Big Labor handouts to marijuana banking, the House Democrats’ competing bill drags these efforts leftward and backward,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. “The Senate must now restore a product that reflects what passed this chamber with bipartisan support.”
Davids is pushing her amendment that would require the government consider small and mid-sized manufacturers when upgrading the country’s medical supply chain.
She faces a tough reelection bid and is already trying to make the most of her opportunity. This week while back in the district, she launched a tour of Kansas manufacturing facilities to emphasize how increased federal funding could help with the supply chain issues that are contributing to inflation as Republicans have harped on the high prices Americans are seeing.
More from Missouri
The Missouri House of Representatives passed a bill this week that would establish a “parents bill of rights.” The bill, which is similar to measures passed by conservative-controlled legislatures in other states, establishes a list of rights granted to parents, including visiting during school hours and reviewing the curriculum. Parents can sue the school if they feel it has violated their rights. The bill will go to the Senate, where minor changes are expected.
Here are headlines from across the state:
Missouri House passes parents bill of rights, Kacen Bayless
MO Senate committee cuts attorney general’s budget over COVID lawsuits, Rudi Keller, Missouri Independent
Democrat censured by Missouri House after ethics investigation threatens lawsuit, Jason Hancock, Missouri Independent
Greitens leads MO GOP Senate field in campaign legal expenses, Jonathan Shorman and Daniel Desrochers
Can Vicky Hartzler’s ‘conservative biblical values’ win a Senate seat?, Daniel Desrochers
And across Kansas
Kansas tax revenue is expected to grow by more than $400 million next year, increasing the budget surplus to $3.1 billion. That’s setting up a battle over whether to cut the 6.5% sales tax on groceries in Kansas, which is one of the highest in the nation. Both Republicans and Democrats want to lower the tax, but it’s gotten tangled up in the legislative process.
Kansas expects large revenue growth, setting stage for renewed push to cut food tax, Jonathan Shorman
Kelly signs Kansas budget that had bipartisan support, Jonathan Shorman
Kansas man who represented ‘the American Dream’ sentenced for role in Capitol riot, Judy L. Thomas
Cyberattack on Wyandotte County under investigation by FBI, DHS, Bill Lukitsch
Kassebaum looks in mirror, sees GOP moderates like herself no longer viable, Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector
The latest from Kansas City
In Kansas City …
Controversial decision allows Kansas City police to now live outside city, Glenn E. Rice and Anna Spoerre
Kansas City’s new houseless camp removal policy requires outreach, 48 hours notice, Anna Spoerre
New WyCo administrator still doing work for Kansas City, Aarón Torres and Kevin Hardy
Have a news tip? Send it along to ddesrochers@mcclatchydc.com.
Odds and ends
Hartzler fundraising off the Star
U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler sent out a fundraising email on Monday criticizing The Star for my article looking at how her faith plays into her politics and governing style.
“My faith is my foundation — it’s who I am,” she says in the email. “Unfortunately, there are those who seek to demonize the faith of Christians across America and anyone who fights for the integrity of women’s sports.”
Hartzler’s faith has played a key role in her politics — she wrote a book in 2007 called “Running God’s Way,” where she advised candidates to use the methods of Absalom but have the heart of David. She’s also used her faith to argue against LGBTQ rights, the latest example being her campaign’s focus on transgender athletes.
Here’s the article in question.
Hawley’s reputation
In March, around the time Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley was making headlines for accusing incoming U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson of being too lenient on child pornography offenders, his campaign re-upped an $11,000 subscription to the site Reputation Defender.
The company is an online reputation organization and says it helps clients get more positive results on search engines and protect their privacy. Hawley’s campaign insisted that it does not use the service for better search results — he’s written about so often that it would be difficult to bury results — and that instead it’s using it for privacy purposes.
Hawley’s Virginia home has been picketed by protesters (they attempted to bring charges against one of the protest’s organizers), as has his sister. This was his campaign’s second time purchasing a subscription, according to campaign finance disclosures. They first purchased a subscription in May 2021.
He’s also not the only future presidential contender to use the site. Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton has also used the site, though he spent $1,000 less than Hawley.
Trump endorsement stakes
On a radio show Tuesday, Donald Trump Jr. weighed in on the Missouri U.S. Senate race, saying he was drawn to former Gov. Eric Greitens.
While Trump Jr. did not say which candidate his father supports — a topic that has spawned speculation from the bystanders watching the players make pilgrimages to Mar A Lago — he said it’s been a topic of conversation in the family.
What’s guiding Junior’s opinion? The press. He said he likes to support whomever the press has been most critical of and cited the court cases surrounding the botched investigation into Greitens in 2018.
“They tend to only go after the guys that will actually pose a threat,” Trump said of the press. “So we’ll see what my father does in it, but I certainly have my own opinions.”
He also posted a video of a relative of U.S. Rep. Billy Long saying he’d support Greitens. Long called him a “shirttail relative” and said the guy’s father maxed out to his campaign.
Toxic burn victims
Comedian Jon Stewart appeared at a rally in Kansas City this week to talk about getting more federal support for toxic burn victims.
The rally pushed for Congress to act on a bill that passed the House of Representatives called the Honoring our PACT bill. It would spend about $300 billion over the next 10 years to provide a variety of services to veterans who have been exposed to toxic burn pits while serving overseas.
That bill has hit a roadblock in the Senate, so Moran has been working with Montana Sen. Jon Tester to come up with a solution they think could make it through Congress’ upper chamber. They put forward a pared down version of the House bill in February, and it passed through committee unanimously They’re currently working on amendments in attempts to get some version of help to veterans by Memorial Day.
Happy Friday
Here’s an article about the New York Times’ Caity Weaver trying to live in a van, and a bonus link to George Will’s Opening Day quiz (I did not do well). It’s finally warming up here in D.C., so I’ll be eyeing an Americano. This is very embarrassing to admit, but I was listening to Jack Kerouac poetry layered over jazz music while writing this newsletter. Here’s what that sounds like.
Enjoy your weekend.
Looking for more?
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This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 5:29 PM.