⚡ Lame-duck frenzy

Plus: GOP's impeachment zeal | Thursday, September 29, 2022

Open in app View in browser   Presented By The American Petroleum Institute   Axios Sneak Peek By Alayna Treene, Hans Nichols and Zachary Basu · Sep 29, 2022 Welcome back to Sneak. Smart Brevity™ count: 958 words ... 3.5 minutes. 🌀 Situational awareness: Ian regained hurricane status this evening on its way to a damaging encounter with the Carolinas. The storm has knocked out power to about 2.6 million customers across Florida. The latest.     1 big thing: Lame-duck frenzy Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios   With the midterms fast approaching and lawmakers set to skip town for all of October, Congress is setting aside a lengthy list of major legislative fights for after Nov. 8, Axios' Andrew Solender reports. "Members should be prepared for an extremely — underline extremely — busy agenda in the last two months of this Congress," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said today. Why it matters: The prospect of Republicans winning one or both chambers of Congress threatens to leave Democrats with a short runway to pass bills codifying marriage equality, banning lawmakers from trading stocks and preventing a Jan. 6 redux. Some of this legislation is bipartisan, but a Republican majority would have its hands full in the first few months with its own legislative priorities — as well as a battery of planned probes into the Biden administration. The budget: The most pressing matter members will have to deal with is hammering out an annual budget — or passing another stopgap bill — to avert a shutdown and ensure the government stays funded through the holidays. The Senate today approved a continuing resolution to keep the government funded through Dec. 16, which the House is expected to pass on Friday. Marriage equality: A House-passed bill to codify the right to same-sex and interracial marriage was expected to go to a Senate vote this month, but Schumer punted it until after the election. Senators whipping support for the bill asked Schumer for more time to gather at least 10 Republicans, and aides in both parties tell Axios that waiting until the election is over will let out political steam and pave the way for more GOP votes. Jan. 6: The Senate is set to take up a bill to reform the Electoral Count Act of 1887 to make it harder to decertify presidential electors, clarify the vice president's role in the certification process as ceremonial, and minimize opportunities to send Congress competing electoral slates. The Jan. 6 committee is also expected to release its final report in this window, including legislative recommendations. Congressional stock trading: House Democrats' bill to curtail stock trading by members of Congress will be kicked until after the election amid uncertainty about whether the Democratic votes are there. Judges: President Biden has 44 nominees for the federal judiciary awaiting Senate confirmation, a task that could take on heightened urgency if Republicans win the Senate. There are 83 vacancies to fill in total. Between the lines: Democrats in both chambers have far more vulnerable incumbents than Republicans do, incentivizing them to stay out of session in the crucial weeks before the election to give members maximum time on the campaign trail. Share this story.     2. 🏛️ GOP's impeachment zeal Data: Congress.gov. Chart: Axios Visuals House Republicans have introduced more than a dozen impeachment resolutions against President Biden and his officials, far outpacing Democrats' formal impeachment efforts at this point in former President Trump's term, Andrew writes. Why it matters: The failed impeachment efforts provide a roadmap for the investigations that Republicans — eager to make the rest of Biden's term a living nightmare — will likely pursue if they retake the majority after the midterms. Between the lines: These toothless back-bench resolutions also serve another valuable function: fundraising. Just one day after her filing her fifth article of impeachment, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) blasted out a fundraising email urging donors to "sign on as a citizen co-sponsor of my articles of impeachment." Greene, a darling of the GOP's grassroots, has raised more than $10 million this cycle, making her the top fundraiser among freshman House members. Explore the interactive graphic.     3. 🔮 Governor map's Rust Belt surprise Reproduced from Cook Political Report. Cook Political Report today shifted three of its governor race projections in Democrats' direction and one in Republicans': Pennsylvania: Lean Democratic ➡️ Likely Democratic Michigan: Lean Democratic ➡️ Likely Democratic Oklahoma: Solid Republican ➡️ Likely Republican Ohio: Likely Republican ➡️ Solid Republican Between the lines: Both Pennsylvania and Michigan were expected to be in the Toss-Up column all the way until Election Day, but have instead seen the most dramatic shifts out of any state "due to weak [GOP] candidates who are barely running even semi-functional campaigns," Cook's Jessica Taylor writes. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt isn't in imminent danger, but he's being heavily targeted and outspent by outside groups boosting Democratic nominee — and former Republican — Joy Hofmeister. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is popular among independents and has maintained a steady double-digit lead, even as the U.S. Senate race remains tight.     A message from The American Petroleum Institute Collaborative research project drives methane solutions     As director of CSU's Methane Emissions Tech Evaluation Center, Dan Zimmerle oversees a facility simulating the real-world workings of the natural gas industry. We spoke with him about why reducing methane emissions matters, how to make methane testing more efficient and the future of energy.     4. 👀 Ginni Thomas still says election was stolen Photo: Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images   Ginni Thomas, a conservative activist and the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, maintained in her closed-door testimony to the Jan. 6 committee that she believes the 2020 election was stolen, according to the panel's chairman. Why it matters: Thomas was in touch with key Trump advisers about schemes to overturn President Biden's victory, Andrew writes. She was one of the committee's last outstanding threads in its more than yearlong investigation, and video of her testimony could be incorporated into the panel's upcoming public hearing. Thomas' attorney Mark Paoletta said she "answered all of the Committee's questions," and that her "minimal and mainstream activity focused on ensuring that reports of fraud and irregularities were investigated." Keep reading.     5. 🌎 Pic du jour Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images President Biden rolled out the red carpet on the North Portico of the White House as he hosted the first-ever U.S.-Pacific Island Country Summit, a key forum for the administration's strategy of countering Chinese influence in the region.     A message from The American Petroleum Institute New technology is cutting greenhouse gas emissions     Carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. are among the lowest levels in a generation, thanks to technological innovations and partnerships across the country. Learn how the men and women of the natural gas and oil industry are building toward a better future.   📬 Thanks for reading this week. This newsletter was edited by Zachary Basu and copy edited by Kathie Bozanich. Are you a fan of this email format? It's called Smart Brevity®. 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