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The House on Wednesday approved a long-term spending bill and an emergency aid package for Ukraine but faced unexpected drama as Democrats stripped out proposed COVID-19 relief funding that stirred a budgetary uprising in key states.
Early on Wednesday, top negotiators announced after months of discussions a deal on a $1.5 trillion spending agreement that will keep the government’s lights on through the end of September. The deal, coupled with nearly $14 billion in humanitarian and military aid for Ukraine, was set to pass early on Wednesday, allowing House Democrats to travel to Philadelphia for their annual retreat (The Associated Press).
However, the vote was delayed over a snag as House Democrats railed against how the funding proposal would pay for the $15 billion in COVID-19 relief funds sought by the White House. As The Hill’s Mike Lillis and Aris Folley detail, the pandemic relief money would have been offset by clawing back unspent money sent to certain states as part of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill signed by President Biden exactly one year ago. Lawmakers from those states threatened to hold up the bill’s passage, forcing Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to yank it from the bill entirely (Politico).
“Because of Republican insistence — and the resistance by a number of our Members to making those offsets — we will go back to the Rules Committee to remove COVID funding and accommodate the revised bill,” Pelosi wrote in a note to her colleagues. “We must proceed with the omnibus today, which includes emergency funding for Ukraine and urgent funding to meet the needs of America’s families.”
The final bills passed the House late on Wednesday. The House first voted 361-69 to back funding for the Pentagon, Department of Homeland Security and other national security items, and then 260-171, with one Democrat voting “present,” to advance the provisions largely related to domestic programs (The Hill).
Lawmakers also passed a stopgap spending measure until Tuesday in case problems arise before Friday with the final package and a government shutdown cannot be averted.
The Hill: House overwhelmingly passes bill banning Russian oil imports, authorizing sanctions.
The New York Times: Uncertainty for Biden’s COVID-19 plan after aid is dropped from spending bill.
The Hill: Russian invasion scrambles Democrats’ agenda.
Politico: House Democrats park in Philadelphia bruised by potholes.
The 2,700-page omnibus spending package is expected to be passed by the Senate ahead of Friday’s deadline to avert a government shutdown.
However, the legislation also represents the end of an era in the upper chamber. As The Hill’s Alexander Bolton notes, it’s likely the last omnibus spending bill that will be cobbled together by Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) and committee ranking member Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), two retiring senators who have mastered the art of directing funds to their home states.
Politico: Democratic-led Congress keeps ban on Washington, D.C., weed.
The U.S. taxpayer assistance for Ukraine was seen as good news on Wednesday, even as the horrors of war mounted and Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared determined to target civilians in an effort to control Ukraine.
There are mass graves in the outskirts of port city Mariupol (pictured below) into which corpses of civilians, bagged in black plastic or wrapped in cloth, have been piled and covered in dirt. Ukraine accused Russian forces of bombing a maternity hospital in Mariupol on Wednesday, allegedly killing three people and injuring 17 amid heavy structural damage (The Associated Press). Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said today, “We will definitely ask our military because, of course, we don’t have clear information on what happened there,” the Interfax news agency reported.
Ukraine continued to try to establish cease-fires with Russian troops to help escaping civilians, with little success. The Associated Press reported that Russian aircraft bombed Zhytomyr, a city of 260,000 to the west of Kyiv, on Wednesday evening, while artillery fire continued pounding the suburbs of Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. When darkness fell, Russian artillery again began shelling some Kyiv suburbs. Among mounting Ukrainian casualties: children.
The challenges in Ukraine include the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which Russian forces disconnected from the plant’s power supply on Wednesday, according to an operator. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called for a cease-fire to allow safety repairs at the plant (The Hill).
An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during an interview with Bloomberg News on Wednesday, said the country was open to discussing armed neutrality but would cede no territory to Russia. Analysts again pondered whether Ukraine, to appease Russia, might try to resolve the conflict by becoming “neutral” as a nation, akin to Switzerland (The Washington Post). Representatives of EU member states are meeting today at Versailles outside Paris and are expected to discuss Ukraine’s appeal to join the bloc.
Vice President Harris today has begun her meetings in Poland to show solidarity with the Ukrainian people, including millions of refugees there (The Hill and The Associated Press). The Biden administration is opposed to a proposed fighter jet deal with Poland to help Ukraine (The Hill); U.S. resistance expressed on Tuesday was repeated on Wednesday with a firm Pentagon “no.” During Harris’s meeting today with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, he praised the United States for its “brave decision of being independent of Russian oil.” Morawiecki described Russian energy profits as “money for their war machine, so to say.”
The European Union said Wednesday it planned to ratchet up sanctions on Russian individuals and banks in Belarus that serve Russia (Reuters). The United Kingdom froze the assets of Chelsea soccer club owner Roman Abramovich and six other Russian oligarchs. To ensure Chelsea soccer operations can continue, the government said it issued the club a license permitting play, including in a Premier League match tonight (The New York Times).
U.S. officials continued to discuss America’s boycott of Russian petroleum, natural gas and coal announced on Tuesday. The average price of gas nationally for U.S. consumers hit a new high of about $4.25 per gallon on Wednesday.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he welcomed support for increased oil production by the United Arab Emirates to fill gaps in supply (The Hill). U.S. officials have demanded Venezuela supply at least a portion of oil exports to the United States as part of any agreement to ease oil trading sanctions, Reuters reported.
Financial markets gyrated on Wednesday, offering glimmers of better news for consumers and some investors, at least for a few hours. Higher oil prices fell in afternoon trading, giving stocks an extra boost. West Texas Intermediate crude prices fell more than 12 percent at nearly $109 per barrel. Prices for Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, plummeted 13 percent for the largest one-day drop since April 2020 (CNBC).
The Wall Street Journal: Trading remains volatile. Oil prices jump and stock futures fall.
“Ferocious rebound” was a phrase U.S. analysts used Wednesday to describe a global stocks recovery, the largest surge since 2020 (Yahoo News). The changes erased some losses since the outset of Russia’s attacks.
Niall Stanage, The Memo: Rising gasoline prices in the United States have revived bipartisan debate about energy sources.
The Hill and The New York Times: Major companies are exiting Russia. It’s being called a “retail exodus.”
The State Department’s Office of Global Partnerships said on Wednesday that those who want to donate to help Ukrainians during the war can visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/ukraine-humanitarian-fund for ideas. On social media, donors are encouraged to include the campaign’s website and the hashtag #UnitedWithUkraine, the State Department adds. For updates: https://www.state.gov/united-with-ukraine/ or follow @GPatState on Twitter.
HEARTBEAT OF POLITICS
Introducing NotedDC: The Hill’s curated commentary on the beat of the Beltway by journalists Elizabeth Crisp and Kelsey Carolan. Click here to subscribe to our latest newsletter.
LEADING THE DAY
CORONAVIRUS: Total U.S. coronavirus deaths reported each morning this week: Monday, 958,621; Tuesday, 960,311; Wednesday, 961,935; Thursday, 963,819.
> Clinical trials of the antiviral drug Paxlovid developed by Pfizer are advancing in stages studying the effectiveness among children ages 6 to 17 infected with COVID-19 but not hospitalized (CNN and Politico). Paxlovid was previously granted emergency approval by the Food and Drug Administration for use in children ages 12 and older.
> United Airlines decided it will let workers who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 return from noncustomer-facing roles and from unpaid leave (The Wall Street Journal).
> Some international public health and biodiversity experts recommend a global treaty that would ban wildlife markets, a crackdown intended to help head off a future viral pandemic. Civet cats and scaly pangolins (pictured below) in animal markets have been found to harbor the coronavirus, highlighting the risks of “zoonotic” diseases, which develop in animals and jump to humans. But moving to international bans of wet markets and markets where wild animals are sold as edible delicacies or as medically beneficial is complicated (The Hill).
> During the pandemic to date, at least 152 House and Senate lawmakers publicly disclosed they tested positive for COVID-19. The Hill analyzed those known cases of infection and determined that 69 were House Republicans and 58 were House Democrats. In the Senate, the known cases of infection occurred in 15 Republicans, 10 Democrats and one independent.
A MESSAGE FROM EMERGENT
We Go to protect those who protect us. For more than two decades, Emergent has developed, manufactured, and delivered protections against critical health threats.
The vaccines and treatments we manufacture have protected millions, including US service members. Learn more about how our life-enhancing products help create a better, more secure world: www.emergentbiosolutions.com
IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES
POLITICS: Former President Trump’s ex-White House adviser Stephen Miller filed a lawsuit on Wednesday to block the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack from subpoenaing for his phone records, arguing the panel’s request was overly broad because Miller’s account is linked to a family phone plan shared with his parents.
Miller’s court filing lists Carron Drive Apartments, a California real estate company, as a co-plaintiff, saying that the firm is the subscriber of a T-Mobile “family plan” account that is used by Miller’s parents and their children.
“Because Mr. Miller’s phone number is included with other numbers assigned by T-Mobile to the Family Plan Account, in the absence of explicit instructions from the Committee, it is possible that T-Mobile may respond to the Subpoena by producing data for other numbers assigned to the Family Plan Account,” reads the 15-page complaint filed in federal court in Washington, D.C.
As The Hill’s John Kruzel notes, the push for phone records by the committee is separate from a subpoena issued to him in November focusing on false statements he made to advance Trump’s false claims of widespread voter fraud. Ahead of the Jan. 6 rally on the Ellipse, Miller (pictured below) told Trump’s supporters to “fight like hell.”
The Washington Post: Inside the Jan. 6 committee’s effort to trace every dollar raised and spent based on Trump’s false election claims.
The Wall Street Journal: Republican National Committee files suit against House Jan. 6 committee.
> Putin politics: Former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory accused Trump-backed Rep. Ted Budd (N.C.) of supporting Putin in a campaign ad as the two politicians lock horns in a battle for the GOP nomination in the state’s Senate contest.
In the ad, McCrory’s campaign spliced together soundbites of Budd saying in a recent interview that Putin is “a very intelligent actor,” with the lawmaker adding that, “There are strategic reasons why he would want to protect his southern and western flank. We understand that.”
In that February interview, however, Budd also called Putin “evil” and an “international thug.”
“But, he is intelligent. And so, we have to treat him as such,” Budd added in the interview (The HIll).
Politico: MAGA-world fails to flock to Truth Social.
Max Greenwood, The Hill: Former Vice President Mike Pence ramps up political activity as he eyes 2024 run.
The Morning Report is created by journalists Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver. We want to hear from you! Email: asimendinger@digital-stage.thehill.com and aweaver@digital-stage.thehill.com. We invite you to share The Hill’s reporting and newsletters, and encourage others to SUBSCRIBE!
OPINION
Once again, Congress comes together on the main thing it can agree on — sticking it to future generations, by Henry Olsen, columnist, The Washington Post. https://wapo.st/3635KVq
Masking policy is incredibly irrational right now, by Emily Oster, opinion contributor, The Atlantic. https://bit.ly/367Isxx
WHERE AND WHEN
The House meets at 10 a.m. on Friday. House Democrats hold a retreat in Philadelphia (The Hill). Punchbowl News published the schedule for the event.
The Senate convenes at 10 a.m.
The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief at 9:30 a.m. Biden will speak by phone about Ukraine’s situation with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey at 10 a.m. The president will hold a bilateral meeting at 1:40 p.m. with Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez at the White House. Biden at 7:15 p.m. will speak at a Washington hotel to members of the Democratic National Committee (The Hill).
The vice president is in Warsaw, Poland, and is holding bilateral meetings with Polish President Andrzej Duda as well as Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Harris in the evening plans a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is in Warsaw as well. Harris will also meet some Ukrainians who have fled the war in their country, plus U.S. Embassy staff in Warsaw and those U.S. Embassy personnel who departed Kyiv to temporarily base their work in Poland. On Friday, Harris will travel to Romania.
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff is in Florida to deliver remarks at Democratic National Committee fundraising events in Miami at 9 a.m. and at 1 p.m.
Economic indicator: The Bureau of Labor Statistics at 8:30 a.m. reports on February’s consumer price index.
The White House daily briefing is scheduled at 12:45 p.m.
Hill.TV’s “Rising” program features news and interviews at http://digital-stage.thehill.com/hilltv and on Facebook at 10:30 a.m. ET. Also, check out the “Rising” podcast here.
DC spotted: Steve Kornacki of NBC News on Wednesday night ran into a ballroom at the Marriott Marquis hotel just as he was being introduced to the crowd at the 31st annual First Amendment Awards dinner. Kornacki, sporting a tux (no trademark khakis!) received the 2022 First Amendment Clarity Award. In remarks, Kornacki fondly remembered the late Tim Russert’s famous 2000 low-tech white board and his astute call on election night that it all was coming down to “Florida! Florida! Florida!”
ELSEWHERE
➜ INTERNATIONAL: Negotiators from the United States, Europe, Russia, China and Iran had appeared close in Vienna to a breakthrough in nuclear talks. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine two weeks ago upended discussions, report The Hill’s Laura Kelly and Reuters. … On Wednesday, South Korean voters narrowly elected Yoon Suk-yeol, an anti-graft prosecutor turned opposition leader, as president to succeed Moon Jae-in. Candidate Lee Jae-myung of the governing Democratic Party conceded the contest early Thursday (The New York Times). The United States described its relationship with South Korea “ironclad” and congratulated the president-elect. Biden spoke with Yoon by phone (Reuters and The Hill).
➜ MEDICINE: Two months after experimental transplant surgery, a 57-year-old man who received a genetically modified pig heart as a last-ditch medical intervention died Tuesday at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Doctors were unclear whether the organ implanted in David Bennett Sr. was rejected by his system. “There was no obvious cause identified at the time of his death,” a hospital spokeswoman said. Bennett’s contributions to transplant science and results after additional study will be described in a future medical journal report (The New York Times).
➜ JUSTICE, POLICING & LAW: A Cook County judge today will sentence Jussie Smollett, a former “Empire” actor who was convicted of staging a fake hate crime. Smollett was found guilty in December of five counts of felony disorderly conduct over false assertions that he had been the target of a racist and homophobic attack in 2019 (The Associated Press and CNN). … In an exclusive investigation, The Washington Post reports that more than $1.5 billion has been spent to settle claims of police misconduct involving thousands of officers repeatedly accused of wrongdoing. Taxpayers are often in the dark about the costly patterns of misconduct.
➜ LOCKED OUT: The death of a 162-game baseball season was made official on Wednesday as Major League Baseball canceled all games through April 13 as the league and the MLB Players Association were unable to strike a deal on a collective bargaining agreement to end the lockout. The most recent issue to come up between the two sides was a draft for international prospects, with no resolution being agreed to on the subject (ESPN).
A MESSAGE FROM EMERGENT
We Go to protect those who protect us. For more than two decades, Emergent has developed, manufactured, and delivered protections against critical health threats.
The vaccines and treatments we manufacture have protected millions, including US service members. Learn more about how our life-enhancing products help create a better, more secure world: www.emergentbiosolutions.com
THE CLOSER
And finally … It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for this week’s Morning Report Quiz! Inspired by Wednesday’s 11-year anniversary of the Space Shuttle Discovery’s retirement, we’re eager for some smart guesses about U.S. space travel and the now-defunct shuttle program.
Email your responses to asimendinger@digital-stage.thehill.com and/or aweaver@digital-stage.thehill.com, and please add “Quiz” to subject lines. Winners who submit correct answers will enjoy some richly deserved newsletter fame on Friday.
Over the 42-year duration of the U.S. space shuttle program, how many shuttles took part in the 130 non-test missions?
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
How many successful, accident-free shuttle missions took place between the Challenger and Columbia disasters in 1986 and 2003, respectively?
- 75
- 82
- 88
- 100
Which of the shuttle orbiters accounted for the least amount of time in space (excluding Challenger)?
- Discovery
- Columbia
- Atlantis
- Endeavor
The late Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio) went into outer space for the second time in 1998 (becoming the oldest individual to do so) as part of the STS-95 crew aboard which shuttle?
- Discovery
- Enterprise
- Atlantis
- Endeavor
