Abortion, LGBTQ and race: McCarthy confronts far-right demands on Pentagon policy bill

Speaker Kevin McCarthy's attempts to muscle must-pass Pentagon policy legislation through the House has reached a familiar, tough test: a band of conservatives on the House Rules Committee.

Republican leaders are trying to clear the $886 billion bill through the House this week, no small feat as they navigate a five-seat majority and a group of GOP hardliners who have already threatened McCarthy's speakership. Conservatives want a slew of amendments in the legislation on hot-button policy issues ranging from abortion and LGBTQ troops to artificial intelligence and racial identity.

If any of those changes is included, it risks turning off Democrats who GOP leaders will almost certainly need to pass the National Defense Authorization Act.

The House Rules Committee, with its three conservative wildcard Republicans, is determining in a marathon meeting Tuesday which of those controversial amendments will be debated on the floor. The panel is considering a record number of more than 1,500 amendments, guaranteeing an hourslong hearing that saw warning signs from the very beginning.

"Extreme measures that push domestic culture wars" could threaten the bill's passage, said Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern, the top Democrat on the committee. "There could also be serious issues here depending on which amendments are made in order in the final bill.”

The legislation already made it through the House Armed Services Committee in a blowout 58-1 vote. But the panel sidestepped some of the most contentious issues, including Republican efforts to overturn a Pentagon policy that reimburses troops who travel to seek abortions. That panel also dodged proposals such as limiting medical care for transgender troops, rolling back climate change policies and gutting Pentagon diversity and inclusion programs.

Even if the number of potential amendments is limited, McCarthy's problems aren't over. If conservatives are dissatisfied with how many of their amendments GOP leaders allow on the floor, they could mutiny and tank a procedural vote before debate even begins on the bill — blocking it from consideration. But if conservatives are successful at adding their amendments to the bill, many Democrats will be less likely to support the final product.

The Rules Committee hearing is providing the first glimpse into the fight. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), one of the three conservatives McCarthy appointed to the Rules panel as a concession to the right during his fight for the gavel, is primed to oppose the annual defense policy bill — as he has many times before.

“Year after year, Republicans pass an NDAA that propagates the cultural rot at DOD while massive contractors get rich,” he said Monday night ahead of the markup. He said there are “glaring issues at DOD” that the bill would need to address to get his support.

Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) also have a history of voting against the NDAA. If the three conservatives vote against advancing the bill in committee, they could doom the legislation. However, the trio has more than two dozen amendments between them that they want to see debated on the floor. The fate of those amendments is likely to determine their support.

House Rules Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said he’s aiming for a “collaborative process."

"I hope and expect that a large number of amendments reflecting ideas from members on both sides of the aisle will receive full and fair consideration on the floor,” Cole said.

House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) made his pitch during the panel hearing to the GOP conference’s right flank where a cohort of lawmakers is skeptical of the NDAA. He touted oversight of Biden-appointed leaders at the Pentagon, measures aimed at addressing cost overruns, evaluation of “national security failures” and elimination of “left wing, divisive” programs.

Rogers underscored that previous bills were bogged down by unrelated issues and urged the Rules panel to grant votes only on proposals that deal with national security.

"The bill before you today includes only provisions squarely within the jurisdiction of the Armed Services Committee," Rogers said. "Whether that policy continues as this bill moves forward is up to y'all."

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Doug Burgum is about to drop hundreds of thousands of dollars on gift cards to qualify for the debate

Want free money? You’re in luck. GOP presidential candidate Doug Burgum has a gift card for you.

The North Dakota governor’s presidential campaign is offering $20 cards to donors who give his campaign as little as $1. It’s a bold and expensive fundraising tactic designed squarely to allow him to hit the donor threshold to qualify for the debate stage — while also raising a new set of legal questions.

The effort — billed in a fundraising text as an attempt to “help ease the burden of Bidenflation” — is a sign of just how unafraid Burgum is to dip into his personal wealth as he seeks the Republican Party’s nomination. It also reflects the difficulties of lesser-known candidates in reaching the Republican National Committee’s donor threshold to qualify for upcoming debates.

The Burgum campaign’s WinRed page indicated gift cards would be available for up to 50,000 donors — enough to make the August debate stage at a cost of $950,000 to the campaign if all donors only gave $1. A donor can only receive one gift card. His campaign said on Twitter that 50,000 people who donated would receive Visa or Mastercard gift cards at their mailing addresses.

The total amount this may cost Burgum in his bid to reach 40,000 donors under the RNC's rules to make the debate stage, along with hitting certain polling requirements and taking a loyalty pledge to support the party’s nominee. But that might not matter to him, since he has an estimated net worth of more than $1 billion and can also self-finance his campaign.

Burgum's team, which hasn't yet disclosed how many donors he has, framed it as a bit of altruism rather than political opportunism.

“Doug knows people are hurting because of Bidenflation and giving Biden Economic Relief Gift Cards is a way to help 50,000 people until Doug is elected President to fix this crazy economy for everyone,” spokesperson Lance Trover said. “It also allows us to secure a spot on the debate stage while avoiding paying more advertising fees to social media platforms who have owners that are hostile to conservatives.”

The scheme also raises some legal questions, and several campaign finance lawyers who spoke with POLITICO had different perspectives on its legality. Paul S. Ryan, a longtime campaign finance and ethics lawyer, said the plan raised concerns that Burgum was effectively acting as a straw donor — a person who makes the contribution in the name of another, which is illegal.

“It sounds like this candidate is using these individuals as straw donors to make it look like he has a bunch of campaign donors when in fact, he’s coaxing these contributions by reimbursing donors out there money that really, at the end of the day, is the candidate’s money,” Ryan said.

Even though Burgum’s campaign finance report would be expected to include the gift cards as expenses, it would not be clear which donors were “legitimate” and which were reimbursed via a gift card, Ryan noted.

But Saurav Ghosh, director of federal campaign finance reform at the Campaign Legal Center, said that the reimbursed offered to donors differed from the typical straw donor context, where the donor is used to conceal the original source of funds.

“Campaigns generally have a tremendous amount of flexibility as far as how they spend their money,” Ghosh said.

Campaigns have long offered non-cash incentives, such as yard signs, books and other merchandise, in exchange for donations. The RNC's donor threshold has pushed lesser-known candidates to get creative with their fundraising pitches in order to land in front of a national audience alongside GOP frontrunners.

Michigan businessperson Perry Johnson, another longshot candidate whose campaign said he surpassed 10,000 donors last week, has been giving away T-shirts supportive of former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson.

For many, hitting the 40,000 threshold could be a steep climb: Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said last week that his campaign had 5,000 contributors so far.

Burgum’s campaign is not the only one pushing for fundraising innovation this cycle. Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who said he has already met the RNC’s threshold for the first debate, announced a new fundraising program this week that would give supporters a share of the total donations they raise.

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Ukraine NATO bid still unresolved as alliance leaders gather

Alliance leaders start this two-day summit Tuesday and they still haven't figured out how they'll respond to Ukraine's NATO membership bid.

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Rutgers University to raise costs for tuition fees meals and housing

Rutgers University on Monday approved increasing student tuition and fees by 6 percent each.

The university’s Board of Governors also approved raising meal plans by 7 percent and student housing by 5 percent. That means the typical in-state arts and sciences undergraduate will pay an average of $387 more per semester for tuition, from $6,450 to $6,837. Mandatory fees will increase about $100 per semester for those students, according to the university.

The increases are part of a $5.4 billion budget unanimously approved by the board for the upcoming 2023-24 school year.

The rising costs to students and families follows a large infusion of state aid approved by state lawmakers and Gov. Phil Murphy to help pay for new four-year faculty contracts and other costs. The contracts will cost $184 million over that period, which includes retroactive payments for the 2023 fiscal year that just ended.

Still, the university has been running at a deficit and faces its own rising costs — inflation, salaries and wages, utilities and, it said, “unprecedented increases” for employee benefits such as health insurance premiums and pension contributions. The newest budget lowers the university’s deficit from $125 million to about $77 million, officials said.

“We are committed to providing access to an excellent academic experience and this budget advances that pledge while meeting our financial responsibilities during a very challenging time,” William E. Best, chair of the Rutgers Board of Governors, said in a statement. “We remain equally committed to strengthening financial aid programs that reduce net costs for a majority of our students.”

Rutgers faculty and staff joined a national wave earlier this year when about 9,000 members of three unions walked out for the first time in the university’s 257-year history.

The five-day strike ended after Murphy forced the two sides to more intense negotiations. But ending the impasse also came with the understanding that the state would be asked to shoulder much of the cost.

Murphy and state officials have kept quiet on the exact cost to the state. As part of the budget Murphy signed last Friday, the state will spend an additional $92 million for higher education — aid that goes not only to Rutgers but other colleges and universities, according to Dory Devlin, a Rutgers spokesperson.

Here is how much the annual cost is for the new contracts, according to Devlin:

— $52.89 million in fiscal 23

— $43.69 million in fiscal 24

— $40.48 million in fiscal 25

— $46.92 million in fiscal 26

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Top Marine general steps down with no Senate-confirmed successor in place

For the first time in more than 100 years, the Marine Corps has no Senate-confirmed leader.

And despite the retirement of Commandant Gen. David Berger, there’s no inkling that the situation will change any time soon.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s seven-month hold on all senior military promotions ran head-on into the long military history of smooth leadership handovers during a pomp-filled ceremony Monday at the Marine Corps Barracks in Washington.

Berger, whose four-year tour as the Marines’ top officer came to an end, was supposed to hand the reins over to Gen. Eric Smith, who has been nominated for the job. Instead, Smith will run the Corps on a temporary basis while he waits for Senate confirmation, thanks to the hold. Because he's not confirmed, Smith will have to hold off on making any making strategic decisions for the service. He will also simultaneously serve in his current position as the Marine Corps' No. 2.

“I know that everyone here is looking forward to the rapid confirmation of a distinguished successor to General Berger,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in brief remarks before jetting off to a NATO summit in Lithuania.

“You know, it's been more than a century since the U.S. Marine Corps has operated without a Senate-confirmed commandant,” he continued. “Smooth and timely transitions of confirmed leadership are central to the defense of the United States.”

As Berger and Smith looked on, Austin sidestepped mentioning Tuberville by name. “I am also confident that the United States Senate will meet its responsibilities, and I look forward to welcoming an outstanding new commandant for our Marine Corps and to adding many other distinguished senior leaders across the joint force.”

Tuberville, an Alabama Republican and Senate Armed Services Committee member, placed the hold in protest of the Pentagon’s new policy that pays travel expenses for troops if they cannot obtain abortions in their state. He has also voiced frustration that President Joe Biden has yet to reach out to discuss the matter.

The senator’s procedural holds mean that senior officers across the military are unable to move their families to their new assignments, and in many cases are losing out on the pay raises that promotions entail.

“Our military families give up so much to support those who they serve, so they shouldn't be weighed down with any extra uncertainty,” Austin said.

In his own remarks, Berger also swiped at the issue, saying that with Smith performing the duties of commandant until his full Senate confirmation, “the Marine Corps is in fantastic hands. And I'm with you, Mr. Secretary. We need the Senate to do their job so that we can have a sitting commandant appointed and confirmed. We need that house to be occupied. We ask the Senate to do that.”

Berger is the first of four members of the eight-member Joint Chiefs of Staff who will begin retiring this year. With the hold in place, half the chiefs, the leaders of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, along with the chair, will have no confirmed successor in the seat to replace them.

After Berger, current Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville will retire around Aug. 9, giving way to his second in command Gen. Randy George, who Biden has nominated to succeed McConville.

Current Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday will also step down around Aug. 14, to be replaced on a temporary basis by Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the vice chief of naval operations. The White House has yet to nominate a replacement for Gilday, but Austin has recommended Pacific Fleet chief Adm. Samuel Paparo to become the Navy’s next top admiral.

By far the most significant change comes this fall on Oct. 1, when Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley is required to retire. If his nominated replacement isn’t confirmed by then, he will hand over responsibilities to his vice chief, Adm. Christopher Grady, until a replacement is confirmed.

The officer tapped to replace Milley, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown, will appear for his nomination hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

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New York City hotline to advise police on involuntary hospitalizations has gotten zero calls

NEW YORK — No one has called a 24/7 city hotline to help NYPD officers determine whether to force someone to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, a resource launched by Mayor Eric Adams’ administration as he sought to involuntarily hospitalize people unable to meet their basic needs.

NYC Health + Hospitals, which operates the hotline, disclosed the information to POLITICO Friday in response to a public records request for data on calls since it went live on Jan. 31.

Adams announced the hotline last November alongside the rollout of his controversial involuntary removals directive, touting it as a tool to guide police officers who encounter someone in crisis and are unsure whether it is appropriate to force the person to a hospital.

It is staffed by 30 trained psychiatrists, social workers and other medical professionals employed by Health + Hospitals, a health system representative said.

The revelation about the hotline raises questions about how police officers are using their judgment to implement Adams’ directive and further illustrates the unilateral discretion the NYPD has to forcibly send someone to a hospital — a decision that many civil rights advocates argue should be left solely to health care professionals.

“State law already authorizes a police officer to make a judgment call to have a person involuntarily removed to a hospital. But many officers feel uneasy using this authority when they have any doubt that the person in crisis meets the criteria,” Adams said in a Nov. 29 address announcing the directive. “The hotline will allow an officer to describe what they are seeing to a clinical professional, or even use video calling, to get an expert opinion on what options may be available.”

A City Hall spokesperson noted that use of the hotline is optional for NYPD officers.

“This administration is doing everything it can to help those with serious mental illness who may be a danger to themselves and our efforts are showing positive results,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

“Over 90 percent of patrol, housing, and transit officers have received training to best support this population and the support line is just one additional tool for officers who may want to use it in the field. We are committed to help New Yorkers in need, and we will every resource available to do so,” the spokesperson added.

A Health + Hospitals representative said the health system has collaborated with the police department on several efforts to promote the support line, including through a flier for NYPD precincts and an internal memo distributed to all officers.

At the press conference announcing the directive, Adams even said he was “blown away at their lack of clarity” when he spoke to NYPD officers about involuntary removals of people with a mental illness.

The hotline was meant to provide that clarity to officers, particularly in situations that are “in the grey,” according to a Health + Hospitals presentation about the resource, which was previously obtained by POLITICO.

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Senate GOP lands a top recruit in Nevada

Sam Brown, a decorated Army veteran who lost the GOP primary for a Nevada Senate seat last year, is launching another run for Senate — this time with the support of Republican leadership.

Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), the chair of the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, endorsed Brown as he announced a bid on Monday to oust Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen. It’s the latest example of Daines’ willingness to wade into primaries after a disappointing midterm cycle where his party failed to reclaim the majority.

“Sam Brown’s life of service and sacrifice is an inspiration to all Americans,” Daines said in a statement to POLITICO. “I am very pleased that Sam is stepping up to run for the U.S. Senate.”

Brown lost last year’s GOP primary by 22 points to former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Laxalt went on to narrowly fall in the general election to incumbent Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto. This time, Brown will again face a primary battle; Jim Marchant, a former Nevada state lawmaker who lost a 2022 bid for Nevada secretary of state, entered the Senate race earlier this year.

An Army veteran with a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star, Brown was struck by a roadside bomb while deployed in Afghanistan, leaving him with burns on 30 percent of his body and visible scarring. He moved to Reno, Nevada in 2018 and started a business with his wife providing medication to veterans.

In a statement announcing his run, Brown suggested he would run as a pragmatist while stressing military experience.

“In the military, no one asks you what party you are in,” he said. “They just want to know they can count on you to get the job done. That’s the attitude we need to tackle the problems of today.”

Daines’ endorsement is a sign to top Senate donors that they should direct their resources to Brown ahead of what could be a messy primary. Marchant is among a prominent group of Trump supporters who baselessly denied the validity of the 2020 election. He received an endorsement from Trump in his run for secretary of state and has already endorsed Trump’s third run for president.

Besides Marchant, Jeffrey Gunter, a former ambassador to Iceland, is mulling a primary bid. His tenure in Reykjavik was marred by high turnover and a report from the Office of the Inspector General that found that he fostered a “threatening and intimidating environment.”

This marks the fourth time Daines has picked favorites in a Senate primary. In Montana, he endorsed Navy veteran Tim Sheehy in a race Republican Rep. Matt Rosendale is expected to enter. In West Virginia, he tapped Gov. Jim Justice over Republican Rep. Alex Mooney. Both states are crucial to the GOP’s path back to the Senate majority.

Landing top recruits in states like Nevada will give Republicans more room for error next fall. They need to flip only one seat to win the Senate if a Republican also wins the White House.

Daines’ predecessor at the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), declined to intervene in primaries and saw some recruits lose key races. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell blamed their struggles on “candidate quality” issues. Daines reversed Scott’s hands-off policy when he took over at the committee.

But competitive primaries are still brewing. In Nevada, part of Brown’s allure to Republican leaders is his fundraising ability. He brought in $4.3 million during his campaign against Laxalt.

But in 2022, Brown fielded attacks over a 2014 run he made for the Texas Legislature — something Marchant could also use to cast Brown as an out-of-stater.

Rosen announced her reelection bid in April with a video underscoring the significance of her state, which now-President Joe Biden carried by just over 2 points in 2020.

“Nevada is always a battleground and this Senate race will be one of the toughest in the country,” Rosen said in the video. “What happens in Nevada in 2024 could once again decide control of the Senate.”

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