October 20th

This week in MORE POWER:

Once, Twice, 18 Times a Speaker
Middle East Crisis Deepens
Ukraine Funding
Tommy Tuberville Blockade Continues
New Biden Nominees

Once, Twice, 18 Times a Speaker

On Friday, House Republicans nominated House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, (R-OH) for Speaker. He is their third nominee for Speaker this year. Jordan’s nomination advanced him to a vote by the whole House.

On Tuesday, the House voted down Jordan for Speaker. The vote count was 212 for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, (D-NY), 200 for Jordan, and 20 for other candidates. Jordan then lost two more votes in which he earned less support than he had previously received. While Jordan has been working to convince the necessary 20+ additional members to support him, in a House Republican caucus awash in violent threats and pettiness, it remains to be seen whether he will eventually reach the magic number, 217, to win the role.

The House has held 18 separate votes for a Speaker so far this year, and the chair still sits empty at this point. Have a view on this you would like to share?

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Middle East Crisis Deepens

Congress continues to discuss military aid to Israel, but won’t hold a vote until the House elects a new Speaker. A cohort of House Democrats led by Rep. Cori Bush, (D-MO) introduced a resolution to push the Biden administration to call for an immediate ceasefire and to send aid to civilians in Gaza.

The Biden administration has asked Congress for billions in military aid for Israel, standing firm in its support. Biden also announced a deal to allow humanitarian aid to reach Palestinian civilians, and he has committed $100M in aid to Gaza and the West Bank. As part of the deal, Biden negotiated with the Israelis to re-open the Rafah border crossing from Egypt into Gaza, where aid has been piling up. But at this point, none of the 200 trucks carrying 3,000 tons of aid have made it in. They are held up by protracted negotiations on inspecting aid shipments for weapons and for the road repairs required after Israeli airstrikes.

Public opinion likely influenced these policy moves. Social media users have been posting and consuming massive amounts of content on the conflict. The platform X (formerly Twitter) announced 50 million posts in the first three days, and the volume hasn’t slowed since. You can use 1000 MORE to reach your reps on social media, email, and phone. Have a view on this you would like to share?

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Ukraine Funding

Congress has been discussing additional military aid for Ukraine all year. Members have expressed differences of opinion on whether to pass a standalone bill or roll the funding into a bigger bill.

Now, the Biden administration is working on a request for $100B in funding for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and the U.S. border with Mexico. The administration will submit the bill to Congress as soon as they work out details. Ukraine will receive $60B in military aid, and the remaining $40B will be distributed between the other three.

Members expect a bill like this to pass the Senate. The House will vote on it when it has a Speaker. Have a view on this that you would like to share?

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Tommy Tuberville Blockade Continues

Amidst all of the chaos of the past two weeks, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, (R-AL) continues to refuse to hold confirmation votes for Biden’s military appointees. Tuberville is holding up hundreds of appointments over the military’s policy of reimbursing service members who have to travel for abortion procedures.

Critics say the delay is not only harming strategic decisions in the U.S. national security interest and readiness for conflict, like what is happening in Israel and Palestine, but it is also hurting military families, as nominees are losing out on salary increases, benefits, and the relocation of their families to their assignments. Have a view on this that you would like to share?

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New Biden Nominees

This week, President Biden announced more political appointees.

Judicial nominees include Sara E. Hill for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, former Cherokee Nation Attorney General, and John D. Russell for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma.
Federal Prosecutor nominees include Judge Johnny C. Gogo for U.S. Attorney for the Districts of Guam and Northern Mariana Islands and Joshua S. Levy for U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.
U.S. Marshal nominees include Clinton J. Fuchs for U.S. Marshal for the District of Maryland and David L. Lemmon II for U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of West Virginia.
U.S. Sentencing Commission nominees include Judge Claria Horn Boom for Commissioner of the U.S. Sentencing Commission and Judge John Gleeson for Commissioner of the U.S. Sentencing Commission.