House Republicans are facing a showdown over a proposal to expunge former President Trump‘s two impeachments — putting House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in a tricky position. 

Moderate Republicans, especially those in districts that President Biden won in the 2020 race against Trump, are already signaling they won’t vote for expungement if it’s brought to the floor. Such opposition is virtually guaranteed to sink the plan. 

But conservative Republicans, especially Trump’s top allies, are pressing for a chamber vote anyway. 

That means McCarthy, who has tried to stay in the former president’s good graces, has a decision to make: Bring a losing battle to the floor, or avoid another sign of splintering within his caucus. 

The Hill’s Mike Lillis and Mychael Schnell report: “If he doesn’t stage the vote, he risks the ire of Trump and his allies. If he does, the measures would be shot down, validating Trump’s impeachments just as his legal troubles are piling up.”  

Trump was twice impeached while in office by a then-Democratic House majority.

But an impeachment expungement has never happened, and it could be for good reason: Critics argue it’s essentially meaningless because the impeachments can’t be reversed, and the then-GOP controlled Senate never convicted Trump, anyway. 

Key quote: “There’s no procedure for expunging an impeachment,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a former constitutional law professor who led Trump’s second impeachment. “It’s completely meaningless.”  

More from The Hill here. 

It’s Monday, July 24. I’m Elizabeth Crisp with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. 

Lawmakers are racing to wrap up as much work as they can on a spending plan for the coming year before they leave D.C. for the long August recess. 

But the House and Senate aren’t even remotely on the same page regarding funding — even as the threat of a September shutdown looms. 

The Hill’s Emily Brooks and Aris Folley report: “The funding gulf between the House and Senate is only getting wider.” 

How it got here: It was never going to be smooth sailing for the GOP-controlled House and Democratic-controlled Senate to hash out an agreement on money, but the process has been further complicated by the far-right flank in the House that Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) made concessions to in his quest for the gavel earlier this year. Those conservatives are pushing for deeper cuts than have been proposed in an already-slashed budget.  

The top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee reached a deal on adding $13.7 billion in additional emergency funding on top of the appropriations, with more than half of that going toward defense funding.

What’s at stake: If they can’t get it together by Sept. 30, we’re heading for a government shutdown or another stop-gap spending bill. 

More from The Hill here. 

A House Oversight Committee panel will hold a hearing on unidentified flying objects (UFOs), with a special guest: Whistleblower David Grusch, who has publicly claimed that the federal government has a secretive UFO recovery program. 

The much-anticipated hearing, set for Wednesday morning, comes as lawmakers have increasingly sought more information about UFOs, also called unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), particularly in light of Grusch’s (TYPO) claims.

“The Pentagon and Washington bureaucrats have kept this information hidden for decades, and we’re finally going to shed some light on it. We’re bringing in credible witnesses who can provide public testimony because the American people deserve the truth. We’re done with the cover-ups,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said in a statement announcing the hearing. 

You’ll be able to tune in here at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. 

Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign says he has checked off all the requirements to make it onto the GOP debate stage next month — a chance for his candidacy to get a much-needed boost. 

The current frontrunner in the race, former President Trump, has hinted he may skip the debate, leaving other candidates jockeying for a rare opportunity to set themselves apart without Trump’s often blistering style. 

It’s no small feat for Ramaswamy, who trails in name recognition in a crowded field that includes former Vice President Mike Pence, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.), former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. All except Hutchinson have already met the polling criteria. 

The Republican National Committee (RNC) is requiring candidates to score at least 1 percent in three national polls, or 1 percent in two national polls and 1 percent in two polls conducted in two early presidential primary states. 

Ramaswamy has polled at 8 percent or higher in polls conducted this month — 8 percent in two Morning Consult polls, 12 percent in a Kaplan Strategies poll and 10 percent in a Harvard/Harris poll. 

That’s not the only factor, though: Under the RNC’s rules, candidates also have to have at least 40,000 unique donors, including at least 200 donors from 20 or more states to make it onto the debate stage. Ramaswamy’s team says he has more than 65,000 unique voters at this point. 

The RNC is also requiring candidates sign a pledge that they will support the eventual GOP nominee, which Ramaswamy says he’ll do.  

“The RNC’s debate stage criteria are stringent but fair,” Ramaswamy said in a statement.  

The GOP debate takes place Aug. 23 in Milwaukee. (The Hill) 

• Five questions around Trump’s looming indictment: (The Hill) 
• Biden campaign beefs up data team: (The Hill) 

Elon Musk is hoping he’s found the X factor for his struggling social media site now formerly known as Twitter. 

If you haven’t noticed: Today the site is carrying a new “X” logo, and the blue birds have been nixed.

FYI: If you go to x.com, the site redirects you to twitter.com.

Musk called for users to submit logo suggestions on July 22, before he settled on the black and white theme.

Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino defended the move to drop the iconic Twitter brand after 17 years: “It’s an exceptionally rare thing – in life or in business – that you get a second chance to make another big impression. Twitter made one massive impression and changed the way we communicate. Now, X will go further, transforming the global town square. For years, fans and critics alike have pushed Twitter to dream bigger, to innovate faster, and to fulfill our great potential. X will do that and more. We’ve already started to see X take shape over the past 8 months through our rapid feature launches, but we’re just getting started.”

Yaccarino and Musk both posted photos of the company headquarters with a giant X illuminated across the building.

The myth of the slacking remote employee may be busted, as working from home actually increases worker productivity.  

Chalk it up to the lack of commute or the motivation to keep the perk, but The Hill’s Daniel de Visé dove into several studies and reports that suggest “remote and hybrid employees actually work slightly longer hours than their office-bound colleagues, findings echoed by an avalanche of anecdotal evidence gathered from millions of teleworkers in the past three years.”  

COVID-19 factor: During the height of the coronavirus pandemic, more employees obviously shifted to remote work when possible. 

Like working remotely? You’re not alone: The number of Americans who say they prefer to work from home at least part of the time leapt from 40 percent in 2019 to 94 percent in 2022, according to Gallup polling. 

More from de Visé here. 

Rep. Susan Wild (D-Penn.) took part in a Puerto Rican Day Parade in Lehigh Valley, Penn., this week and tweeted a photo of the festivities. 

“The Puerto Rican community has shaped the history & culture of our home here in the Lehigh Valley,” she tweeted. 

The House and Senate are out today. President Biden is in D.C. with no public appearances scheduled. Vice President Harris is heading to Chicago.  

• 10 a.m.: President Biden received the Presidential Daily Briefing.   
• 2:20 p.m.: Vice President Harris will speak at the UnidosUS 2023 Annual Conference luncheon. 
• 3:30 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will brief reporters. 
• 4:45 p.m.: Harris will speak at a campaign reception before heading back to D.C. this evening. 

All times Eastern.

• 3:30 p.m.: Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will brief reporters. (Watch here) 

Wednesday, July 26, 2023, 8-10 a.m. ET | Sign up here

National Press Club and streaming online nationally

The ubiquitous fixture that we’ve all relied on at some point — whether on a road trip or a rushed schedule — has become somewhat problematic in recent years, largely driven by environmental and health concerns. 

But they helped propel the fast-food industry as we know it today. 

Obviously, drive-thrus aren’t limited to fast food. Banks, pharmacies and others have embraced the convenient option for customers.  

Observe the holiday as you see fit! 

And because you made it this far, check out this happy pair of otters… 

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