McConnell’s post-leadership possibilities

An evening recap of the action on Capitol Hill and preview of the day ahead

Aug 16, 2024 View in browser   By Caitlin Emma With assists from POLITICO’s Congress team McConnell’s staff is already extremely involved in the annual government funding process. | (Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images) SPENDING TIME ON SPENDING Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell isn't sharing his plans for his post-leadership future. But senior GOP appropriators expect him to get more involved in spending fights next year, including over more Ukraine aid and government funding. Those senators caution that the Kentucky Republican has not directly spoken with them about any of his plans for life as a regular — albeit very powerful and senior — senator. But they expect the longtime appropriator will have a lot more time to devote to spending. McConnell’s staff is already extremely involved in the annual government funding process. The current minority leader has also made defense and national security spending, especially on Ukraine, one of his top priorities (and a frequent topic of his Senate floor speeches). McConnell currently sits on six out of 12 subcommittees that oversee government funding bills, including the panels on Defense, Military Construction-VA, State-Foreign Operations, Agriculture-FDA, Energy-Water and Interior. “He’s a force,” said Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas, the top Republican who oversees veterans’ funding. “People listen to him and they respect his advice, maybe even more so once he steps away from leadership.” Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), the ranking member on the agriculture spending panel, said he thinks McConnell will participate “more directly.” “I think he has had his staff involved,” he said. “But I think you’ll see that he’ll be more involved himself. Obviously, he doesn’t come to the approps committee meetings now. He’ll do that. I think he’ll be more active on subcommittees.” The unlikely Collins drama: McConnell, 82, would have an opportunity next year to seize the top GOP spot on the entire committee, either chair or the ranking slot, if he wants it. But his fellow Republicans, once again warning they’re not clued into his plans, don’t expect McConnell to take that long-awaited opportunity from Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. Collins, the current ranking member, and Appropriations Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) took the helm of the committee for the first time in January 2023. “I mean, obviously, Susan has worked so hard and so long and so diligently,” Hoeven said. “She’s doing, you know, just yeoman’s work.” If Republicans win back the Senate majority this fall, Collins will have her shot at chair for the first time next year, the North Dakota Republican said. “I think it would be hard for him to step in and take the gavel at that point,” Hoeven added. “Just because she has worked so hard. Of course, she’s been the ranking member. But to lose out on an opportunity to be the chair — if I had to guess, I think she probably will be. I don’t think he’d take the gavel.” When asked about McConnell’s appropriations plans, Collins suggested asking the Kentucky Republican directly. “Senator Collins fully anticipates that in the next Congress, she will either be the chair or vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee,” said Annie Clark, communications director for Collins. “Of course, it is Senator McConnell’s prerogative to make his own decisions given his seniority.” In a statement, a McConnell spokesperson said, “Leader McConnell is focused on finishing the 118th Congress strong and helping Senate Republicans regain the majority.” Parallels with the House: It’s possible that a reshuffling of the Senate Appropriations Committee next year could land McConnell a top subcommittee spot, as it did when Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) stepped down from House Democratic leadership. After announcing plans to retire his spot as House majority leader in 2022, some speculated that Hoyer might leverage his seniority to become the top Democratic appropriator in the House. But Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) maintained that coveted position, with Hoyer becoming the top Democrat on the Financial Services spending subpanel. “I’m sure he’ll have more time for appropriations,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a Republican appropriator, said of McConnell. “I think his passion is international security, the Ukrainian issue. … Maybe he’ll be more active on the defense subcommittee.”  — Caitlin Emma  GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Friday, August 16, where we’re locked in on the Little League World Series, because we have to fill the international competition void the Olympics left behind. (Though we could use more breakdancing in Williamsport.)   WELCOME TO THE CNN-POLITICO GRILL AT THE DNC! If you are in Chi-Town next week, join us at the CNN-POLITICO Grill just steps from the United Center for daily events and live programs. Featuring an all-star lineup of the most influential Democrats including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, DSCC Chair Gary Peters, DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene, the Honorable Pete Buttigieg, Gov. Josh Shapiro and many more surprise guests. Don’t miss out on the buzziest conversations and newsworthy events hosted by POLITICO’s top reporters and editors. RSVP HERE.     ‘ANOMALIES' INCOMING The White House is expected to send Congress its list of special exceptions later this month, or shortly thereafter, as lawmakers prepare to clear a stopgap funding patch before the Sept. 30 government shutdown cliff. That “anomalies” request is likely to include several of the same deviations the Biden administration sought last year to boost funding for certain accounts while the rest of the federal government runs on current spending levels. A few things to watch: Social Security — It sounds like the Social Security Administration is going to be seeking another substantial plus-up in the forthcoming stopgap, after the White House requested almost $15 billion extra in the patch Congress cleared last September. A spokesperson for the agency told us they’re “serving more people than ever with the lowest staffing level in decades” and that “we need Congress to ensure that Social Security has the necessary funding and staffing to provide the type of service Americans deserve and have paid for.” Disaster aid — Congress hasn’t acted on that $4 billion emergency funding request the White House sent over in late June to make up for a shortfall in disaster aid and help rebuild Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said before August recess that he’s been talking to senators and the White House about tacking that supplemental aid onto the stopgap everyone expects this fall. Veterans shortfall — The Department of Veterans Affairs still needs extra cash by Sept. 20, in order to pay out roughly $3 billion in disability compensation, pension and education benefits a couple weeks later, amid its sudden warning this summer of a nearly $15 billion shortfall through the upcoming fiscal year. Especially in the House, there is likely to be desire to pass a standalone patch to fill the VA hole, rather than commingle that aid with a stopgap funding patch. Linking that cash could irk fiscal conservatives who want to vote “nay” on a continuing resolution without going on record opposing money for veterans benefits. Nutrition assistance — A spokesperson for USDA said the agency has not made any anomaly requests for extra cash to run nutrition assistance programs, assuming Congress is about to clear a stopgap that lasts less than six months. Last year the White House sought about $500 million extra for the Commodity Assistance Program that sends boxes of food to low-income older Americans, along with $1.4 billion more for the WIC nutrition program for low-income mothers and babies.  — Jennifer Scholtes    DON’T MISS OUR AI & TECH SUMMIT: Join POLITICO’s AI & Tech Summit for exclusive interviews and conversations with senior tech leaders, lawmakers, officials and stakeholders about where the rising energy around global competition — and the sense of potential around AI and restoring American tech knowhow — is driving tech policy and investment. REGISTER HERE.     THE STAFF TASK The freshly established task force on the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump is hiring more staff as its work to investigate the incident ramps up. While additional names are expected in the coming days, we have a list of additional senior-level GOP hires first shared with Inside Congress.  Alexandra Lightfoot will serve as senior counsel for the task force, after previously serving on the House Homeland Security Committee. David Ehmen will also be a senior counsel after previously serving on the House Oversight Committee. Jon Collins is leaving the House Judiciary Committee to be a senior professional staff member of the task force. And two staffers for Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), chair of the task force, are also jumping over as well: Matt Knoedler, who will be communications director, after previously doing comms for Kelly; and Quinn Ritchie, legislative director for Kelly as well as a shared staff member with the task force. The task force is also looking to plan an additional site visit where the attack took place sometime in September. HUDDLE HOTDISH Angie Craig bought the URL of her opponent’s name, JoeTeirab.com. J.D. Vance’s dog, Atlas, hits the campaign trail. We’re suddenly missing this Rep. Steny Hoyer birthday tradition. No regrets. QUICK LINKS  Dem lawmakers want to wait until after Harris wins to set policy agenda, from Nicholas Wu and Daniella Diaz First-name basis: Harris is leaning into ‘Kamala,’ by Myah Ward. The 8 races and 3 long shots that could determine Senate control, from Hannah Recht and Liz Goodwin of The Washington Post. Harris and Chicago’s mayor face migrant crisis and potential protests at DNC, by John McCormick at The Wall Street Journal. Sen. Bob Menendez ends independent run days before he's set to resign, by Matt Friedman Challenge to Gaetz among races to watch in Florida primaries, from Roll Call’s Niels Lesniewski. Congressman’s report: Radios were offered to Secret Service at Butler County Trump rally, from Eddie Trizzino at The Butler Eagle TRANSITIONS  Send them over to insidecongress@politico.com! MONDAY IN CONGRESS The House and Senate are out. MONDAY AROUND THE HILL Zzz. TRIVIA THURSDAY’S ANSWER: Joe Bookman was the first to correctly guess that George Washington, James Madison, Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk and James Buchanan are the five presidents who never who never fathered a biological child. TODAY’S QUESTION, from Joe: Who is the oldest living child of a former U.S. vice president? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@politico.com. GET INSIDE CONGRESS emailed to your phone each evening.   Follow us

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