Grief and revenge: Washington reacts to 3 killed in Iran-backed attack

Messages of mourning and calls for retaliation began pouring out moments after U.S. Central Command revealed Sunday that three U.S. service members were killed Saturday night at an American base in Jordan in a drone attack launched by Iranian-backed militias.

In a statement on Sunday, President Joe Biden said the U.S. knew the Saturday attack "was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq," and pledged to "hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing."

Some Republicans blasted Biden, tying his handling of the Middle East to the attacks — and demanding revenge be sought against the attackers.

“Biden’s failure to isolate the regime in [Iran], defeat Hamas, & support our strategic partners has emboldened the enemies of freedom,” Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) posted on X Sunday. “The President’s MidEast policy is a total disaster. And now our men & women are paying the price — with their lives.”

“3 patriots died while 25 more were injured,” Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) wrote. “Joe Biden has emboldened Iran and shown weakness on the global stage. We have to have a stronger Commander-in-Chief.”

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said Biden had “emboldened Iran for years by tolerating attacks on our troops, bribing the ayatollahs with billions of dollars, and appeasing them to no end,” leaving troops as essentially “sitting ducks” in the region.

Several members of Congress also called on the president to take immediate retaliatory action, both to punish Iran and ward off future attacks.

“The Biden Administration can take out all the Iranian proxies they like, but it will not deter Iranian aggression. I am calling on the Biden Administration to strike targets of significance inside Iran, not only as reprisal for the killing of our forces, but as deterrence against future aggression,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) wrote.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) initially didn’t mince words: “Target Tehran,” he posted, before later clarifying that it was not a call to bomb Iranian civilians.

Saturday’s attacks, which also left 25 injured, marked the first time American troops have been killed in months of attacks on U.S. forces across the Middle East. Since October, there have been over 158 attacks on U.S. and allied forces in Iraq and Syria, though so far they have caused only minor injuries and damage to infrastructure.

Last week, the U.S. carried out attacks on Iran-backed targets in Iraq, targeting three facilities used by the Kataib Hezbollah militia group, in response to an earlier attack by the group that injured U.S. and Iraqi forces.

Vice President Kamala Harris said Sunday that she and her husband Doug Emhoff were mourning the lives lost in the attack, and she similarly promised to “hold those responsible to account.”

Our prayers are with their loved ones and those injured. … Our entire nation will forever honor these warriors, their service, and their ultimate sacrifice,” she posted on X. “As @POTUS has made clear, we will continue to fight terrorism, and we will hold all those responsible to account.”

Others also offered their condolences to the families of those who were killed.

“I’m horrified by the deaths of 3 brave American servicemembers who were killed by a drone attack in Jordan. I’m also praying for the safety of the dozens who were injured,” Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) wrote. “My heart is with the families of those killed and injured.”

“My heart is shattered after news that three U.S. servicemembers were killed and dozens wounded from an attack launched by proxies of Iran’s regime,” Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-N.V.) posted. “We will never forget their bravery, valor, and service to our nation. Iran must be held accountable.”

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Haley targeted in December swatting incident

GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley was targeted in a swatting incident last month, according to media reports Saturday.

Authorities responded to a false emergency call on Dec. 30 after a man claimed to have shot a woman and threatened to harm himself at Haley’s home in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, records obtained by Reuters showed.

Haley and her son were not in town at the time of the incident, according to the reports. Her husband is currently deployed overseas.

Swatting incidents have accompanied a recent rise in threats against political candidates, state officials, and members of the judiciary and legislature.

Haley’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Cheney accuses Stefanik of deleting 2021 statement condemning Jan. 6 protesters

Former GOP House chair Liz Cheney on Saturday accused her successor Elise Stefanik of deleting a press release from 2021 condemning protesters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.

On Tuesday, Cheney tweeted at Stefanik, an ally of former President Donald Trump, saying: “This is what ⁦⁦@EliseStefanik said, in a rare moment of honesty, about the January 6 attack on our Capitol. One day she will have to explain how and why she morphed into a total crackpot. History, and our children, deserve to know."

In Stefanik’s 2021 press release, she condemned the “violence and destruction” of Jan. 6 and called for the perpetrators to be prosecuted.

Stefanik has since downplayed the significance of the attack on the Capitol and cast doubt on the legitimacy of legal action against the attack’s participants. She is reportedly under consideration to be Trump's VP pick should he win his bid for the presidency.

Cheney formerly was vice chair of the House Select Committee on the Jan. 6 attack — which Stefanik has described as ”illegitimate and unconstitutional.” Cheney became the focus of Trump's ire and lost in the primary for her Montana House seat in 2022.

On Saturday, Cheney posted again to point out that the statement in question was no longer available on Stefanik’s official House website.

As of Saturday morning, the website showed no press releases prior to 2023.

On Jan. 7 of this year, Stefanik referred to those imprisoned for offenses related to Jan. 6 as “hostages” in an appearance on “Meet The Press.”

“I have concerns about the treatment of the January 6 hostages,“ she added.

Cheney called her out for it later that morning on “Face the Nation.”

In a statement to POLITICO Saturday, a spokesperson for Stefanik accused Cheney of "lashing out" over personal animus, noting that Stefanik's previous statements could still be found on several social media channels.

David Cohen contributed to this report.

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Biden campaign holds Michigan meetings amid voter anger over Middle East

President Joe Biden's campaign manager traveled to Michigan on Friday to help shore up support among minority groups within the state seething over the administration’s Middle East policy, according to three people familiar with the situation.

Julie Chávez Rodríguez was scheduled to meet with a range of local elected officials and leaders from Michigan’s Arab and Palestinian-American, Hispanic, and Black communities in the Detroit area, including Dearborn, which has a substantial Arab American population.

The sessions reflect the continuation of a monthslong effort to meet with local Democratic officials across the nation to hear concerns and build enthusiasm for the reelection campaign.

But the trip to Michigan comes against the backdrop of deepening anger over Biden's approach to Israel's war against Hamas, which has driven a wedge between the White House and many of the Arab-American voters the president is counting on to deliver the battleground state in November.

In a sign of the deep fissures on the ground, several Arab-American and Muslim leaders declined invitations to meet with Chávez Rodríguez, said Michigan state Rep. Alabas Farhat, a Democrat who represents Dearborn.

Those leaders were invited to a Friday afternoon meeting but, after surveying their constituents, determined there would be little to gain from the session.

"I represent a community that’s actively hurting," said Farhat, who was among those to decline the invitation. "When speaking to the community about this, it was a resounding no. Now is not the time for political conversations, now is the time for a ceasefire, and then we can talk."

The Biden campaign declined to comment.

Chávez Rodríguez still planned to meet with other local leaders Friday in numerous meetings, which were first reported by the Detroit News. The gatherings were meant to address a range of issues facing various minority communities — not just to discuss anger over Biden's Middle East policy, said one of the people familiar the matter, who was granted anonymity to discuss the private meetings.

Michigan’s Democratic primary is scheduled for Feb. 27. Recent polling has shown Biden losing ground to former President Donald Trump in Michigan, a must-win state for the president’s reelection. Liberal voters, including the state’s large Arab American population, have been outraged by the administration’s support of Israel amid its war in Gaza.

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, who is not part of the planned meetings, told POLITICO in a recent interview that his concerns about the Biden administration’s handling of the war have fallen on deaf ears.

“This idea of maybe the White House is unaware — I think all that is bullshit,” he said.

Katie Doyal, a spokesperson for the mayor, said Hammoud turned down a meeting Friday with the Biden campaign.

Farhat, the state lawmaker, also expressed concerns that the Biden campaign has not yet grasped the gravity of the situation.

"I don't think they're taking it seriously enough," he said. "As a Democrat, I welcome conversations with our party in telling them how we can do better to secure the Arab vote. … But not during a time when over 30,000 people have died, and more are dying every day."

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New House maps in New York stall as deadline for June primaries nears

ALBANY, New York — New York is rapidly nearing the date when the lack of new congressional lines could start interfering with the ability to hold primaries in June as planned.

And so far, there are few signs that the redistricting process will be wrapped up soon.

“I’m hopeful that we get the maps and we move forward," said John Mannion, a Democratic state senator and congressional candidate in a key race in the Syracuse area. "But we are in a narrow timeframe here, so it’s not too, too far down the road that those decisions will have to be made.”

A Democratic victory in a redistricting suit led to a December order from the state Court of Appeals for the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission to produce new draft congressional plans by Feb. 28.

Candidates are due to start collecting petitions to run for the still-to-be-drawn districts by Feb. 27.

To make the deadlines logistically possible, local boards of elections have said the entire redistricting process should be wrapped up well before the court’s deadline — ideally by sometime around Feb. 1.

And since the Legislature will need to vote on any lines produced by the commission and possibly draw their own, guaranteeing that Feb. 1 goal is met would mean the commission’s drafts would be produced a couple of weeks ahead of then.

That looks like an impossibility. In the waning days of January, commissioners have not scheduled a public meeting since a planning one was held a few days after Christmas. In 2022, the court ordered new lines, and the primaries were pushed from June to August.

So whatever is happening with on the lines at this point is not happening publicly, much to the consternation of some redistricting reform advocates.

“Conducting business behind closed doors is unacceptable,” Common Cause New York executive director Susan Lerner said. “Open your doors to the people. The people who live in congressional districts deserve a say in who will represent them.”

Legislators are hopeful the process will kick into higher gear soon, but acknowledge the possibility that there might need to be some changes to the election calendar or petitioning rules if it doesn’t.

“We have not had any discussions on that, but I suspect we will be having them in short order,” said state Senate Elections Chair Zellnor Myrie (D-Brooklyn).

One thing seems unlikely to happen: There’s very little chance at this point that there will be more public hearings to solicit feedback on the lines.

“The hearings were two years ago,” Lerner said. “Things have definitely changed, and relying on comments that were directed to the old maps doesn’t really give you much insight to what’s needed in the current situation.”

But the court’s December decision included a footnote saying the commission is not required to “conduct any solicitation of public commentary beyond what it has done previously.”

Commissioners are not planning to go beyond this.

In a statement shortly after the court ruling, the Democratic members — who had solicited written input in the months before the case was decided — noted they have already heard from 630 speakers and gathered 2,100 written submissions when the process started in 2021.

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Why Hochul’s budget is a headache for Suozzi

ALBANY, New York — Schools are facing spending cuts, and taxpayers could be paying more to provide services for the surge of migrants.

Republicans want voters to blame Democrat Tom Suozzi.

House Republicans and their campaign arm are seizing on Gov. Kathy Hochul’s $233 billion budget proposal that would boost migrant-related aid by $500 million and lead to spending cuts for hundreds of school districts — many located in crucial House seats.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has sought to tie Hochul’s budget to Suozzi, a moderate who is running for the Queens and Long Island district he once held and left vacant by the expulsion of Republican George Santos.

“Tom Suozzi needs to answer whether he agrees with Hochul’s budget cuts to schools in order to clean up their border crisis,” NRCC spokesperson Savannah Viar said in a statement. “Extreme Democrats like Suozzi are the reason we’re in this mess to begin with.”

State-level policies have been successfully wielded in recent election cycles by Republicans in key races. The tactic has been a frustrating one for Democrats, especially those running in House races where the office being sought has little to no impact on the decisions of state government.

But the attacks have worked: GOP House candidates in 2022 successfully blasted criminal justice policies approved in Albany, including a controversial law that ended cash bail requirements for many criminal charges.

Republicans are defending four seats flipped that year on Long Island as well as in the Hudson Valley — two areas of the state that concerns over migrants and school funding could be especially persuasive for suburban voters.

Cutting school aid — which could happen if Hochul gets her way to recraft the distribution formula — is one of the third rails of local politics. The school funding fight was an unexpected wrench in Democrats’ hopes of a relatively quiet year in Albany in a critical election year.

“It’s an effective attack because the suburbs always believe New York City is screwing them,” Democratic consultant Hank Sheinkopf said. “New York City is getting everything and they’re getting nothing. It’s a clear example for a lot of people, and the Republicans will be able to use it.”

And the Feb. 13 special election between Suozzi and Republican candidate Mazi Pilip will be an early show of strength for either party in the bellwether suburbs.

Suozzi, in a brief interview, called the attack “political talk.”

“People are sick and tired of the politics,” he said. “People are sick and tired of fighting. Stop with the BS.”

In a statement, Suozzi’s campaign called for a compromise between Republicans and Democrats to strengthen border security. He blamed the federal government for having “dropped the ball on immigration — putting our state and local governments in an awful position.”

New York Democratic Chair Jay Jacobs, an ally to both Suozzi and Hochul, doubted the Republican criticism would work — or that the message would land with voters.

“It’s what you would expect, and I think the Republicans ought to work a little harder and come up with things that are more relevant with what you do as a member of Congress,” Jacobs said in an interview. “I think voters are too sophisticated. They know nonsense when they see it.”

Suozzi has sought to lay out a plan to address the influx of migrants, including support for border security measures and funding immigration enforcement agencies like ICE. His campaign this week released a TV ad highlighting his support for stronger immigration enforcement.

Suozzi’s campaign, in response, also pointed to discrepancies in Pilip’s federal and county financial disclosure forms. Senior advisor Kim Devlin said it “raised serious questions about a lack of vetting” by Republicans. Pilip campaign spokesperson Brian Devane called the attacks a mischaracterization.

And Democrats are also quick to point out the nuance of Hochul’s budget — a wide-ranging and complicated fiscal plan.

Her budget would raise education spending overall by more than $800 million, but also changes how the state sends direct aid to school districts by taking enrollment reductions into account. The move would lead to $167 million in spending cuts to more than half of the state’s 673 school districts.

The additional $500 million in spending for the migrant crisis, which part of a $2.4 billion plan that includes money for emergency shelters and legal services, is coming from a surplus pot of money unrelated to school aid.

Hochul has defended the proposal as necessary, given the outdated way in which schools are funded by the state. Many of the schools impacted have millions of dollars in surplus accounts.

“For us to be wed to the same formulas based on population from 2008 — without adjusting for either need or population increase or decrease — simply doesn’t make sense,” she told reporters last week.

On Thursday, Hochul again blasted Republicans.

“The truth is on our side. Tom Suozzi is speaking the truth about what’s going on,” she told reporters. “Again, it’s politics. It’s a shame they’re distorting the truth, but that’s par for the course with Republicans.”

Democratic state lawmakers have rebuked the school funding plan and have urged her to reverse it. A final budget is not due until April 1.

Still, the approach has frustrated Democrats in Washington and Albany given the high stakes of the election year. Some Democrats hoped Hochul’s agenda this year would, at worst, have no impact on the key House races for the party.

All the more awkward is the past animosity between Hochul and Suozzi, who left his House seat in 2022 to run against the governor unsuccessfully in a Democratic primary. Both Democrats publicly set aside their differences late last year before Suozzi launched his bid for his old seat.

But Suozzi’s campaign is not the only one to face questions over Hochul’s budget.

Republican Reps. Anthony D’Esposito, Nick LaLota, Mike Lawler and Marc Molinaro have all blasted the proposals and pounded their opponents.

Alison Esposito, the Republican challenging Democrat Pat Ryan in the Hudson Valley, accused Hochul of putting the needs of New Yorkers second to migrants.

“If she truly wanted to fix the migrant crisis, she would have ended New York’s sanctuary status, instead our students are paying the price of her failures,” her campaign said in a statement.

Ryan, a first-term lawmaker whose seat is a target to flip this year, pointed to a range of immigration and border security proposals he’s backed with GOP lawmakers, but have been bottled up by House Republican leadership.

“It’s cynical, disappointing, and everything that’s wrong with American politics,” he said. “It’s time to come together as patriots, put country ahead of party and deliver for the Hudson Valley.”

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White House gas export review to freeze new projects for more than a year

The Biden administration's review of new natural gas export terminals is expected to last up to 15 months, according to two people familiar with the planning, a move that could tamp the brakes on the fast-growing business and clash with some of the president's foreign policy priorities.

The administration's review of the Energy Department's process for assessing whether new liquefied natural gas meet the public interest, first reported by POLITICO last week, will look into how the fast growing industry impacts climate change, as well as the environmental effects on the communities where the plants that chill the gas into liquid and are loaded onto tankers.

The White House is expected to make the announcement Friday, though that could slip to early next week depending on last-minute planning, according the two people, who were granted anonymity to discuss policies that have not yet been publicly released.

The review freezes the development of CP2, a mammoth export project that Venture Global LNG has been planning for coastal Louisiana. Environmental groups have called on the Biden administration to quash the project, which the say will lock in shipments of the fossil fuel for years and worsen climate change.

The United States is the world's largest producer of natural gas, and its exports of the fuel have skyrocketed since the new wave of export terminals started coming online eight years ago. Now as the leading supplier of LNG, U.S. shipments helped Europe reduce its dependence on Russian supplies in the wake of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The administration is of the mind that “we have to take a breath,” said one of the people. “We’re already the world’s largest exporter and we’re going to double that. Let’s clear the decks a little bit.”

The decision to push approvals for any new LNG export permits past the November election may assuage environmental groups that have made U.S. exports of natural gas a new litmus test for Biden going into his reelection campaign. And despite the oil and gas industry's heavy lobbying against any review, White House officials were confident that the moratorium on new export permits would not choke off U.S. natural gas shipments into the global market that is currently well supplied, and given that there are several U.S. projects already holding permits that are already under construction, the two people said.

The review would not interrupt the eight LNG export plants currently operating, the people said. Those plants ship 12 billion cubic feet of gas a day, about 10 percent of the country’s total gas production, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Nor would the review impede the 10 projects that already hold DOE export permits and currently are currently under construction. Those new projects, once built, would double the amount of U.S. LNG going to market by 2028, EIA data shows.

Instead, the review would put a hold any new permits for an additional 10 projects that have applied for DOE permits but have not received them and whose backers have not made final investment decisions whether even to build the projects.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, White House clean energy advisor John Podesta, climate advisor Ali Zaidi and White House energy security advisor Amos Hochstein have helped craft the review's language, the sources said. The review will look to update how DOE weighs climate change, environmental justice and domestic economic impacts when considering new applications to export LNG to countries with which the United States does not have a free trade agreement.

A spokesperson for Venture Global blasted the idea that the administration might put a moratorium on new permits.

“Such an action would shock the global energy market, having the impact of an economic sanction, and send a devastating signal to our allies that they can no longer rely on the United States,” VG spokesperson Shaylyn Hynes said in a statement.

A White House spokesperson declined to comment.

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