Laddered spending plan looks wobbly, and censures loom on the Hill

Nov 07, 2023

Ladder to where? There could be a steep climb for the laddered spending plan.

House lawmakers are banking on the Senate not being satisfied with their plan to have a two-tiered path for stopgap spending, with some having a Dec. 7 expiration date and others Jan. 15.

“Well, that’s because the Senate likes jamming us right before Christmas with an omnibus,“ Mario Diaz Balart (R-Fla.), a top appropriator, told POLITICO on the Senate not liking the January CR and preferring a December one.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) says the move would disrupt the regular patterns of Washington, which he’s usually trying to shake up.

“Let’s force us to fight to get those done and force the Senate to table. That’s the concept. Everything in this town is built around moving towards getting an omnibus bill all right for Christmas. Part of breaking this town is trying to force the issue,” he said Monday night.

Censure madness: The questions of privilege are flying in the House. Usually a rarity, there are now at least three censure resolutions pending in the House this week, after a slate failed last week. Here is the roster this week:

Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) introduced a new resolution to punish Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) for her outspoken criticism of the Israeli government. This is a second attempt, stripping language about “insurrection,” in hopes of winning more votes.
Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) introduced a resolution to reprimand Tlaib, with backing from some Republicans who voted against last week’s efforts. It wouldn’t require her to stand in the well of the House to accept her punishment.
Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) introduced a resolution Monday to censure Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) for his comparison of Palestinian civilians to Nazis.

These are all privileged resolutions, which give the House two days to take them up. Each will likely be subject to a motion to table. Wednesday could be rich with censure votes.
Eyes on Rhode Island: The special election to fill former Rep. David Cicilline’s (D-R.I.) seat is Tuesday, and Democrat Gabe Amo is heavily favored to win. Amo is the son of Ghanaian and Liberian immigrants and would be the state’s first Black representative in Congress if he defeats Republican Gerry Leonard.

But this Election Day won’t clear up all the vacancies. Rep. Chris Stewart’s (R-Utah) seat will remain vacant for another two weeks until that special election.

Daniella Diaz and Sarah Ferris contributed to this report.

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