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News and updates

What We’re Reading this Week (October 12th-16th, 2020)

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Keep up with what’s happening in DC. Below is a selection of articles the Federal Relations team read this week.

SCOTUS Hearings: Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett was questioned for 3 days in what many label as a relatively tame hearing. The vote on her nomination is scheduled for October 22, just 12 days before the election. Live updates.

Trump Recovery: The President’s medical team has stated that the President is negative for COVID-19 as he continues to participate in large events. Messaging from the White House has now turned to reopening. Full story.

Harris Limits Travel: VP nominee Senator Kamala Harris is limiting her travel after two staffers test positive for COVID-19. More.

Biden Article Blocked: Both Facebook and Twitter have taken controversial steps to limit distribution of an article claiming to reveal details of the Biden family’s relationship with Ukraine. The facts of the article are unverified. Twitter initially claimed the information was from hacked sources, however later backtracked and changed their policy. They now claim because the article contains personal contact information, it cannot be distributed. More.

Stimulus Strategy: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will again bring to the floor a $500 billion “targeted” COVID relief bill which includes supplement to the Paycheck Protection Program. Both the Administration and House Democrats oppose such a small bill, however Speaker Pelosi is facing internal pressure to accept a compromise. Read more.

Town Halls: On Thursday evening, President Trump and candidate Joe Biden held competing town halls. Recap here.

California Ballot Boxes: The California GOP has stated it will not comply with a cease-and-desist order from the State after setting up ballot collection boxes marked “official”. The GOP claims the boxes are legal, however the State contests that they are not. Full story.

Census Ends: The US Census will end counting on Thursday, after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Administration. Link here.

Detention Center Lawsuit: Former detainees are filing a class action lawsuit after alleging they were punished with solitary confinement for not cleaning the facility without pay. The lawsuit against CEO Group, Inc., a private ICE detention center operator, claims the punishment contradicts US Government standards and that company executives lied to Congress. Full story.

SCOTUS Committee Vote Scheduled for Oct. 22

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The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to wrap later today its third and last day of questioning of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett.  During the hearing earlier this morning, the committee agreed to officially vote on her nomination next Thursday, October 22, at 1 PM ET.

Read more about the confirmation process here and here.

So It Begins

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After much back and forth between the two parties and between Senate Democrats and the White House for the past several weeks, the confirmation process for the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court kicks off today with the first day of her confirmation hearing, which is scheduled to last four days.  The rest of Congress is currently in recess.  Two of the Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, which is holding the hearing, have tested for COVID-19.  Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for Vice President, is also a member of the committee.

Read more about the confirmation hearing and the process here and here.

What We’re Reading this Week (October 5th-9th, 2020)

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Keep up with what’s happening in DC. Below is a selection of articles the Federal Relations team read this week.

Trump out of Hospital: Following a controversial public appearance in a vehicle, the President was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and returned to the White House. Full story.

VP Debate: Vice President Pence and Vice President Candidate Kamala Harris debated on Wednesday night. Analysis and highlights here.

CDC COVID Updates: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially acknowledged that COVID-19 is airborne, and may infect people who are more than 6 foot apart in closed, indoor locations. However, the guidance does state that infection is most likely when people have close contact for at least 15 minutes. Read more.

FBI Announces Arrests in Michigan Plot: The FBI announced members of a militia targeting Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer were arrested for plotting to kidnap her and other state government officials, and to overthrow the Government. Full story.

Aid for Airlines: Speaker Pelosi rejected a separate aid bill for airlines to avoid furloughing tens of thousands of employees. She said she would be willing to consider a separate bill, but only if there was a guarantee of a broader relief bill as well. Airline aid is one of the few areas of bipartisan agreement. Full story.

Legislation on Airport Lactation Rooms: The House passed, and President Trump is expected to sign, legislation originally introduced by Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) which will allow small airports to use improvement funds to build lactation rooms. She previously successfully introduced legislation for large and medium sized airports. Read more here.

Jimmy Carter: Former President Jimmy Carter turned 96 years old on Thursday. More.

Iran Sanctions: The White House announced the US will impose additional sanctions on Iranian banks not already subject to secondary sanctions. European partners have expressed concerns that these new sanctions may have humanitarian consequences. Read more.

Twitter Changes: On Friday Twitter announced it will roll out changes designed to prevent voter interference and the spread of misinformation ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Read more here.