new - Dem group Majority Forward launching new $600K ad dinging Sen. Collins on Iran during her to “stop supporting Trump’s war, Mainers can’t afford it.”
She said yesterday after the 60-day mark that "it is very likely that I would vote not to authorize further hostilities"
Dems have BIG leverage on FISA and Iran War supplemental
- One Senate D predicted FISA will get 60 next week. Shaheen will vote for it, Coons said he needs a briefing. Wyden will "fight like hell"
- Coons talking to admin about Iran. Schatz a "hard no," said most Dems oppose
Ahead of votes on weapon sales, Sen. Mark Kelly says he "cannot and will not abandon Israel" and will "always" support Israel's right to exist
But he says he will vote yes "on these resolutions to stop these transfers"
Defense $ leaders McConnell and Coons met with Sec Hegseth and other admin officials about defense spending and Iran supplemental yesterday
Coons called it “relatively constructive, respectful, normal.”
Coons told them to work with his staff if they want a positive response vs stonewalling him
Big day of foreign policy votes in Senate: vote on Iran War Powers at 2 and expected votes later on disapproving of arm sales to Israel
Ossoff raised a respectable $14 million and has $31 million in the bank (!)
Wow: Talarico campaign says it raised $27 million in Q1, including $10 million since the primary
Schumer says "Operation Epic Failure is a much more appropriate name for Trump's war of choice"
Pa. GOP Sen. McCormick on President Trump's attack on the pope as "weak" on nukes
"I mean, I didn't love it. I wish he hadn't done it. And the reason is, I just think it's distracting from this moment we're in," he told me this morning at Semafor's World Economy"
Md. Gov. Moore to @daveweigel.bsky.social : "It’s sad for me, because the Sun used to be the paper of record, and it has become the paper of the right wing"
www.semafor.com/article/04/1...
Republicans fight among themselves over their long pre-election to-do list
www.semafor.com/article/04/0...
Democratic Sen. Andy Kim tells reporters in the Capitol that President Trump should be removed from office via either the 25th Amendment or impeachment
News: 2015 law that required Congress to vote on Obama's Iran nuclear deal will likely apply to Trump's agreement w/ Iran
“Any agreement relating to Iran’s nuclear program must be submitted to Congress," said a Democratic aide. Also makes it hard to "lift or waive sanctions while Congress reviews"
Schumer on the Iran war arc: "This is one of the very worst military and foreign policy actions that the United States has ever taken"
Says the Senate will vote next week on another one of Democrats' War Powers resolutions
Dem Committee leaders Coons, Shaheen, Schumer, Reed, Schatz "condemn President Trump's threat to extinguish an entire civilization ... It’s unconscionable to threaten the lives of so many people – grandparents, children, families – simply because they were born in Iran"
Maine Gov. Janet Mills running on instituting term limits and to "reform the filibuster by requiring senators to remain on the Senate floor and actually speak, rather than simply threatening a filibuster to delay action"
janetmills.com/wp-content/u...
Former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown announces he raised $12.5 million between his campaign ($10m) and affiliated committees and has $16.5 million onhand.
He'll need it: Senate Leadership Fund announced yesterday a $79 million investment in Ohio to support GOP Sen. Jon Husted
Money bomb alert: Thune-aligned Senate Leadership Fund invests $342 million to defend GOP majority
R held states
$15M in Alaska
$44M in Georgia
$29M in Iowa
$42M in Maine
$71M in NC
$79M in Ohio
D held states
$45M in Michigan
$17M in NH
Nothing in Minnesota yet
A VERY strange (and ugly) GOP primary shaping up in NH between two former senators, Scott Brown and John Sununu. Trump + GOP groups endorsed Sununu, hoping Brown would take hint (or get job with admin)
“They want me to drop out," Brown told me. "I’m not going anywhere."
Staff drafting agreement to reopen almost all of DHS but likely leaving out a significant portion of ICE (ERO + HSI) and CBP funding. No reforms for immigration enforcement
This will largely end the DHS shutdown after 41ish days because the Trump administration is still sitting on money for ICE/CBO
Michigan Dem Senate (McMorrow internal)
McMorrow 30
El-Sayed 25
Stevens 23
Undecided 21
globalstrategygroup.app.box.com/s/8eyptrb9ej...
Big health care news: There's a bipartisan deal on capping monthly insulin costs at $35 from Sens. Shaheen, Collins, Warnock and Kennedy
Caps costs for people with health insurance + creates pilot program in 10 states for uninsured
Shaheen: "I think we’re going to get there"
New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen positive on DHS funding discussions: "Could I support funding everything else in DHS, except ICE enforcement? Yes. Do I think it should come with reforms? Yes. Because just dealing with the funding doesn't address the excesses that we've seen"
News: Schumer has indicated to colleagues that he sees potential for a deal to reopen the Department of Homeland Security this week. BUT pushing for more: Removing [Enforcement and Removal Operations] funding without any other reforms is not enough,” said a spokesperson for Schumer.
All fluid, but a potential DHS deal looks like it would fund most of the department with Democratic votes -- likely leaving out some enforcement money but keeping funding for investigations on human/drug trafficking
More enforcement money, SAVE Act priorities could go in a GOP-only reconciliation
Sen. Chris Murphy's War Powers Iran resolution is expected to get a vote tomorrow afternoon/evening, according to a person familiar. That'll be the third one this month forced by Dems
! After meeting with Trump and other senators about DHS standoff, Sen. Britt says “we do” have a solution
Sen. Daines and Sen. Britt among the Republicans heading to the White House as DHS shutdown continues. Lots of urgency to end the shutdown ahead of the recess and with massive TSA lines
Thune: it's "not realistic" to link the SAVE America Act w/ DHS funding
"It’s something that I think there is almost unanimous agreement among Republicans on the policy, but the idea that we have to guarantee its passage in order to fund the government, I think you all know that’s not realistic"
The White House turned down Democrats' ask to meet this morning on DHS negotiations, according to a person familiar with the matter
Republicans blamed Democrats for cancelling a Saturday meeting. Yesterday, Sen. Murray said she offered to meet with Tom Homan today