It’s a balmy 70-something degrees in the nation’s capital…in November, but that hasn’t stopped the news cycle! Here’s a selection of articles Federal Relations is reading this week.
#Fail – Despite pouring millions of his vast personal fortune into politics, mega-donor Charles Koch said he and his brother David are “so far … largely failures at” buying up influence and changing the level of political rhetoric in the United States. He also compared himself to Martin Luther. See the interview at MSNBC here. Read about the interview at Politico here.
Puff Puff Pass – Ohio was set to consider legalizing marijuana on Tuesday (which failed), but what’s truly making waves is how the ballot initiative is written. It would essentially allow only a handful of individuals (ten) to grow and sell pot in the state, effectively creating a monopoly. Read more at The Washington Post. Here are also the next states where marijuana will become an election issue. Read more at The Washington Post.
Couch Caucus – About a third of Members of the House sleep in their congressional offices, the group has been informally dubbed “the Couch Caucus”, and one of those caucus members is new Speaker Paul Ryan, who has no intention of changing the arrangement. Read more at Roll Call.
Va-cay – The House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has released the 2016 schedule and the House be enjoying a very long vacation for half of July, all of August, and half of September. Looks like lots of campaigning will be happening. Read more at Politico.
Early Release – Six thousand prisoners could get out early due to retroactive changes in US mandatory sentencing for drug crimes. It’s the largest release in history, and it’s only the beginning. Ultimately, the federal government is planning on releasing only 40,000 individuals. Read more at Vox.
Next In Line – First true fight new Speaker Paul Ryan will have to negotiate is who replaces him as chair on the House Ways and Means committee. Read more at Politico.
Comeback Kid? – Jeb Bush is sinking in the polls after a series of disastrous or not strong debates. Can he make a comeback? Read more at The Washington Post.