WASHINGTON — A rush of Covid-19 infections and dangerous climate are threatening to delay key components of Democrats’ agenda throughout an already-hectic remaining dash to a month-long August recess.
Congress is looking for to move a drug pricing and well being care funding invoice, a pc chips package deal, a invoice defending same-sex and interracial marriage and a bunch of different election-year priorities throughout a essential two-week stretch.
But it’s off to a foul begin. East Coast storms brought on the Senate to delay a vote Monday to advance the far-reaching chips invoice, though it’s nonetheless doubtless to move.
“We sure do have a lot of flights that are delayed,” Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., instructed NBC News.
And a contemporary Covid outbreak on Capitol Hill looms over Democrats’ hopes of passing the invoice to empower Medicare to negotiate drug costs, as they want all 50 of their members current and voting within the Senate chamber to overcome unanimous Republican opposition.
Computer chips
It hasn’t garnered the identical consideration as different points like weapons, abortion or Ukraine warfare funding, however Congress is on observe to notch an enormous, bipartisan victory on boosting home manufacturing of pc chips amid a world scarcity.
Democrats and Republican leaders, together with members of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet, have argued that making these microchips at dwelling — quite than counting on producers in China and elsewhere — is essential to nationwide safety, particularly when it comes to chips used for U.S. weapons and army tools.
By mid-week, the Senate is poised to move what’s often called “CHIPS-plus,” with the House anticipated to rapidly observe. Biden has vowed to signal it into regulation.
Recently recognized with Covid himself, Biden held a digital assembly Monday with CEOs and labor leaders to spotlight the significance of the invoice. It’s essential, Biden mentioned, that “any part we are putting in a weapon system or a helicopter, anything we have, that we are assured that no one’s been able to tamper with that, that it is made in America, built in America, stockpiled in America.”
It’s a slimmed-down package deal in contrast to the sweeping China competitiveness invoice that House and Senate negotiators had been making an attempt to attain a deal on for months. But CHIPS-plus is not any small feat: It consists of $52 billion in subsidies for the semiconductor trade, and it authorizes tens of billions more for science applications and regional expertise hubs aimed toward retaining America aggressive with its rivals.
Sixty-four senators — together with 16 Republicans — voted to advance the CHIPS package deal final week even before finalizing what was in it, an enormous roll name that signaled to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to develop the laws quite than shrink it. Now that senators know what’s within the remaining package deal, it’ll face a sequence of take a look at votes beginning Tuesday the place it’ll want the backing of 60 senators to transfer ahead to remaining passage.
Prescription medication and Obamacare
Schumer’s high precedence before the August recess is to move a filibuster-proof invoice that features a sequence of insurance policies to decrease prescription drug prices and a two-year funding extension below the Affordable Care Act to avert insurance coverage premium hikes this fall.
Democrats struck a deal on drug pricing final month and made tweaks to it after assembly with the Senate parliamentarian to guarantee it complies with arcane Senate guidelines. A Democratic aide mentioned the adjustments had been minor and for functions of readability.
But in a 50-50 Senate, only one Democratic absence might doom the invoice, which requires a easy majority of senators current and voting. Two Democrats are at present sidelined with Covid-19: Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Tom Carper, D-Del.; Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn, who examined optimistic final week, returned to work on Monday, in accordance to her workplace. Potential GOP absences might give Democrats some room: Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, mentioned Monday she had additionally examined optimistic for Covid and would quarantine at dwelling.
Democrats had hoped to move a a lot bigger invoice together with provisions to fight local weather change and elevate taxes on the rich and firms, however these are all however sure to be excluded due to opposition from Manchin, a key swing vote.
Passing the invoice will even require a prolonged “vote-a-rama” course of the place Republicans are doubtless to strive to supply poison capsule amendments aimed toward scuttling the invoice or damaging Democrats politically.
Same-sex marriage
Schumer has mentioned he desires to discover sufficient Republican votes to move laws to codify federal protections for marriage between same-sex and interracial {couples}.
But it’s not clear he’ll get there. For now, there are solely 4 confirmed GOP votes: Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Rob Portman of Ohio, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. In addition, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska mentioned she helps same-sex marriage, however she hasn’t taken an official place on the laws.
It is unclear the place the opposite 5 Republican votes come from. Portman mentioned Monday he doesn’t know if the GOP can produce 10 Senate votes to break a filibuster. He mentioned it’s “possible.”
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has mentioned he’d vote no. Also on Monday, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, declined to say which method she’s leaning on the invoice, telling NBC News she’s nonetheless “getting comments” from “both sides” of the difficulty of same-sex marriage.
“Just going to hear from Iowans now,” she mentioned. “They come first.”
Wicker mentioned he doubts he’ll vote for the marriage invoice.
Everything else
There is lots more on Congress’s lengthy laundry checklist.
Senators additionally need to ratify a treaty permitting each Sweden and Finland to be part of NATO given Russia’s continued aggression in Ukraine and different elements of Eastern Europe.
They additionally need to vote once more on a revised model of the PACT Act, which would offer medical protection to veterans who had been uncovered to poisonous chemical substances from burn pits throughout their army service. Schumer mentioned Monday the PACT Act ought to move by the tip of the week.
Across the Capitol, the House plans to take up a package deal of payments to assist Western states cope with wildfires and drought made worse by local weather change, in accordance to Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.
The decrease chamber additionally seems poised to move a “Tiger King” invoice, which might ban the non-public possession of huge cats, like lions and tigers, and finish the cub petting trade.
And on Wednesday, the House Rules Committee will take into account laws banning assault weapons, a vital step before Hoyer can carry the invoice to the ground.
Democratic leaders are nonetheless making an attempt to corral sufficient votes to move it, however they need to present more aggressive motion on weapons within the wake of a spate of mass shootings at a New York grocery retailer, a Texas elementary college and an Illinois Fourth of July parade. But Senate Republicans have proven little interest in revisiting weapons after passing a bipartisan invoice aimed toward background checks for juvenile purchasers and crimson flags earlier this summer time.
And, after ending a sequence of eight public hearings, the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault will flip to the following section of its year-long probe: writing its report.
A preliminary report will are available September, Chairman Bennie Thompson mentioned, that doubtless will likely be accompanied by more public hearings. A remaining report will come later within the 12 months.
“Our job as a committee, our assignment from the House is to find the truth, and to lay it out completely, the day and the events leading up to the day and then make recommendations for potential legislative changes that could make us safer,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., a Jan. 6 panel member, said Monday on “MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports.”