The Hill’s Morning Report — Sponsored by PhRMA — Immigration drama grips Washington

by Jonathan Easley and Alexis Simendinger - 06/22/18 7:01 AM ET

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In memoriam … Conservative columnist and Fox News commentator Charles Krauthammer, 68, died on Thursday. In his clear-eyed fashion, he previewed the news himself earlier this month. His fans were everywhere.

One of baseball’s greatest fans — Charles Krauthammer — passed away today after a long battle with cancer.

He was loved and admired by many and will be truly missed here at Nationals Park. pic.twitter.com/3ppcLpWXc8

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) June 21, 2018

Dramatic votes. House floor maneuvers. Protests. Trips to the border.

Immigration issues gripped Washington on Thursday. Nothing was resolved. Today, President Trump will return to a familiar narrative about criminal immigrants and gang members in a speech at the White House.

Here’s the tick-tock and fallout from a frantic 24 hours:

The House

The House rejected a hard-line immigration bill — introduced by Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and backed by President Trump — that would have funded a border wall while cracking down on legal immigration and “sanctuary cities.”

The vote on the Goodlatte bill effectively killed a “discharge petition,” which was the vehicle GOP moderates used to revolt against leadership by trying to force a series of votes on bills to protect “Dreamers.” Some Republicans are already saying they won’t sign a second discharge petition, so that effort looks dead.

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) delayed until next week a vote on a so-called compromise bill, originally scheduled for Thursday. The White House-backed measure would provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, partially fund the border wall and prevent families from being separated at the border. Leadership is furiously whipping it, but it’s not expected to pass the House.

Trump fumed over these outcomes.

What is the purpose of the House doing good immigration bills when you need 9 votes by Democrats in the Senate, and the Dems are only looking to Obstruct (which they feel is good for them in the Mid-Terms). Republicans must get rid of the stupid Filibuster Rule-it is killing you!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2018

The Senate

Senate Republicans say they still need legislation to address the separation of families at the border, despite the executive order the president signed on Wednesday to halt the practice.

A bipartisan Gang of Four will meet next week to begin negotiations. The group includes Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).

The White House

The executive order Trump signed to stop his administration’s policy of separating children from their families has done nothing to quell the outrage over the plights of the more than 2,000 children who have already been separated.

The administration has asked the Pentagon to make room for thousands of children on military bases to alleviate overcrowding (The Washington Post).
The Justice Department has asked a federal court to relax a restriction that says the government can only keep a family detained for 20 days in an effort to keep children with their parents (NBC News).
First lady Melania Trump, who influenced the president to sign the executive order reversing the administration’s policy, visited two detention facilities in Texas to get a first-hand look at the crisis (The Hill). But even the diversion of her impromptu trip held a diversion of its own: her green jacket, emblazoned on the back with the fashion equivalent of a sandwich board, and worn twice in hot weather by the first lady while in transit. The Hill’s Judy Kurtz dissects the hubbub sparked by the clothing’s decorative message: “I really don’t care. Do U?”

In Texas and other border communities, and in Washington, the administration is reckoning with the real-world logistics of unwinding the family separation policy, along with ferocious political blowback.

The Associated Press: Confusion swirls on border after Trump reversal on families.

Reuters: Trump policy beset by confusion.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen went to Capitol Hill to brief lawmakers. She was confronted by reporters about how the agency is going about reconnecting the children with their parents. “We issued our executive order yesterday — we are implementing it,” she said.

Democratic leaders in the House and Senate demanded the White House turn over a detailed plan on reuniting children with their parents (The Hill). Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, is threatening a funding fight over it.

Secretary Nielsen privately told lawmakers the Administration may go back to separating children from their parents. Congress must ensure that NEVER happens. I’m urging the House Appropriations Committee to prevent funds from ever being used to separate families entering the US: pic.twitter.com/JzZu58AUOf

— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) June 21, 2018

Hundreds of children still held at immigration facilities could soon be reunited with relatives. But many more have already been turned over to Health and Human Services. Some have traveled hundreds of miles and will stay in foster care or other federally funded social service agencies. Some will be placed with relatives in the U.S. It could be some time before they are reunited with their parents. The New York Times: No relief in sight for parents of children still in custody.

The Associated Press reports on allegations of child abuse at a facility in Virginia. The allegations span both the Obama and Trump administrations, although that is secondary to the sickening details. Democrats are demanding answers (The Associated Press).

The lawsuits are flowing: Washington state’s attorney general is leading a multistate challenge to the administration’s policy of separating families; the American Civil Liberties Union is seeking a court order to immediately reunite immigrant families (The Hill).

Takeaway: The plight of all of these separated children will dog the administration until the last case is resolved. The issues complicate the already emotional debates about newly arriving migrants, asylum seekers, border security, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, and 11 million illegal immigrants already in the country who face deportation.

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LEADING THE DAY

CONGRESS: Republican lawmakers appear no closer to a consensus than they were early this week, or early this year, despite Speaker Ryan’s assurances that leaders presented “pretty darn good immigration measures” for House consideration. If there’s a Plan D, it’s a mystery, other than to come back at it next week. Here’s some of the latest coverage at TheHill.com.

House GOP – immigration: House Republicans postponed until next week a planned vote on a leadership-backed immigration bill (The Hill).

> A separate conservative GOP immigration bill failed in the House on Thursday by a vote of 193-231, and its rejection was expected (The Hill). Not one Democrat backed the bill and 41 Republicans — many in tough reelection races — voted “no.” Noteworthy: Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.), the No. 4-ranked House Republican who is a Democratic target this fall, rejected the measure.

> A House panel rejected an amendment that would have barred separation of migrant children from parents and relatives when apprehended at the border (The Hill).

> Senate – immigration: The Hill: Four leading senators plan to meet next week on immigration issues. Senate Republicans say some kind of measure to address the border crisis involving migrant families is needed, but obstacles have piled up.

Senate – clean water: The Hill: The Senate turned aside a conservative’s bid to block a landmark Obama-era water pollution rule.

House – farm bill: The Hill: The House approved a five-year farm bill, following months of legislative drafting complicated by unrelated snags before a final vote tied to immigration. The measure imposes controversial new work requirements on food stamp beneficiaries.

House – budget: The Hill: The House Budget Committee approved, with a party-line vote, a budget resolution for the 2019 fiscal year, advancing the measure two months after its legal deadline and well into the appropriations process it’s meant to precede.

Trade issues: Turkey imposed tariffs on $1.8 billion of U.S. goods on Thursday in retaliation for the Trump administration’s tariffs on aluminum and steel (Bloomberg) … Trump jabbed first and now the world hits back in trade fight (The Associated Press) …

Stocks set for worst week in three months on trade war worries (Reuters).

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CAMPAIGNS & POLITICS: Trump is in full campaign mode following his rally this week in Minnesota, a state he’d love to turn red in 2020.

The president’s next stop is another swing state he lost narrowly in 2016. He’ll stump for Sen. Dean Heller (R) in Nevada on Saturday. Heller is among the most vulnerable Republican senators up for reelection in 2018.

And the president used his influential twitter account to endorse Republican Henry McMaster for governor in South Carolina. Trump heads to Columbia to campaign for McMaster on Monday.

Henry McMaster has done a great job as Governor of South Carolina. The state is BOOMING, with jobs and new industry setting records. He is tough on Crime and Strong on Borders, Healthcare, the Military and our great Vets. Henry has my full and complete Endrosement! #MAGA

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2018

> Republicans would love to be focusing on their tax-cuts bill and the economy this election season, but that’s been swamped by immigration. Six months in, The Hill’s Naomi Jagoda takes a look at whether the law will be an asset or an anchor for Republicans in the fall (The Hill).

> And The New York Times sits down with Faith and Freedom Coalition president Ralph Reed to explain why Christians are unlikely to ever abandon Trump. The entire interview is worth a read, but here is one critical quote:

“Mr. Trump won 81 percent of the evangelical vote in 2016, which was the highest share won by any presidential candidate in the history of modern polling. I think it is entirely possible that in 2020 his support could be even higher because of his record on judges, protecting life and religious freedom and defending Israel. There is one way for that support to drop precipitously, and that is if he were to betray his commitments on these critical issues. I don’t expect that to happen.” – Reed.

More from the campaign trail … Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani has infuriated Republicans by backing an obscure challenger to Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) … Giuliani’s girlfriend works for the challenger (Politico) … Did former GOP strategist Steve Schmidt resign from the party and become a Democrat so he could advise Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz’s potential presidential campaign? … connecting the dots (CALmatters) … Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) has airplane issues again (The Hill).

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IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES

➔ ADMINISTRATION & WHITE HOUSE: Trump wants to remake the entire federal government, according to a detailed plan released Thursday by the Office of Management and Budget. Congress would have to agree to consolidate the Education and Labor departments, move food and nutrition services from the Agriculture Department to the Department of Health and Human Services, and reshape the U.S. Census Bureau, among other ideas (Education Week).

The New York Times: Trump’s plan for government overhaul targets the safety net.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: The Hill: A federal district judge ruled Thursday that the structure of the CFPB violates the Constitution, countering a January ruling from a federal appeals court. Judge Loretta Preska of the Southern District of New York ruled that the CFPB’s creation as an independent agency with a director that could only be dismissed for wrongdoing was unconstitutional. Meanwhile acting CFPB chief Mick Mulvaney has emerged as a key proponent for Kathy Kraninger, nominated this week to be the bureau’s full-time director. Mulvaney, who also serves as Office of Management and Budget director, hopes to quiet the concerns in the Senate and among stakeholders about Kraninger’s credentials.

White House and Ethics: Ethics watchdogs had assailed Donald Trump and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, for retaining stakes in their family businesses while the companies were financially entangled in New Jersey. The New York Times reports that Kushner Cos. and the Trump Organization recently dropped plans for the Trumps to manage an oceanfront hotel that the Kushners are building at the Jersey shore. The companies also terminated an arrangement that would have seen the Trumps managing a hotel outside New York City in Kushner’s childhood hometown, Livingston, N.J.

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OPINION

Six months in, the GOP tax bill is an utter flop, by Damon Silvers, policy director for the AFL-CIO and opinion contributor with The Hill. https://bit.ly/2lrk7IJ

The cyber security sector is booming, but so are our enemies, by Morgan Wright, opinion contributor with The Hill. https://bit.ly/2lstzLS

WHERE AND WHEN

The House convenes at 9 a.m. today.

The Senate will reconvene at 3 p.m. on Monday.

The president confirms newly appointed ambassadors at a ceremony at 12:15 p.m. Trump will give a speech about the impacts of illegal immigration at the White House in the afternoon. In the evening, the president and first lady will attend the U.S. Marine Corps Evening Parade at the Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C.

Vice President Pence will have lunch with Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, and in the afternoon, he’ll speak by phone with the president-elect of Colombia, Ivan Duque.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks this morning about the administration’s promotion of “global economic prosperity” as part of the Commerce Department’s SelectUSA Initiative, which is a three-day event to attract foreign business investment. Pompeo’s remarks will be streamed live on www.state.gov from the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, National Harbor, Md. Later, he hosts a working lunch for King Abdullah II of Jordan at the State Department.

ELSEWHERE

> Supreme Court: Internet retailers can be required to collect sales taxes in states where they have no physical presence, The New York Times. In a 5-4 ruling, the court overturned a 1992 court precedent (The Hill).

> How Michael Jackson changed dance history (Biography.com). A 1988 video “introduced a dance trick in which Jackson … leans forward at about 45 degrees. The move was aided by patented shoes with bolts that lodged the heel into the floor.”

> Koko, the talented lowland gorilla who forged bonds with humans and kittens, died in her sleep earlier this week at age 46, the Gorilla Foundation announced. Born at the San Francisco Zoo in 1971, Koko was for decades a media sensation, contributing to the study of primate language, empathy and understanding among species. “Her impact has been profound, and what she has taught us about the emotional capacity of gorillas and their cognitive abilities will continue to shape the world,” the foundation said in a statement (The Washington Post).

Photo by Ronald Cohn // Koko takes a self-portrait with a camera, an image that ran in @natgeo magazine in 1978. Koko the gorilla, an ambassador for her species famous for learning sign language, has died at the age of 46. pic.twitter.com/JU00bXr3NS

— Nat Geo WILD (@natgeowild) June 21, 2018

THE CLOSER

And finally … Smart news consumers who’ve been listening to this week’s emotional immigration debate responded to the Morning Report Quiz and matched five speakers with their statements referencing “heart.” (A missing bit of copy in the quiz yesterday prompted The Hill to email a “corrected” version of the newsletter; we apologize for any confusion.)

The answers:

“I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart.” — Former first lady Laura Bush

“We need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with a heart.” — First lady Melania Trump

“There’s no doubt the images that we’ve seen of children and children being separated from their parents are heartbreaking. They were heartbreaking when Obama was president.” — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas

“Mr. President, have a heart for a change. Take that goddamn pen of yours and do away with this horrendous, inhumane policy of yours that rips children from the arms of their parents.” — Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)

“You have people that want absolute security and safety, and you have people that do look at the children, and then you have people like me, and I think most of the people in this room, that want both. We want the heart, but we also want strong borders, and we want no crime. We don’t want crime in this country. We don’t want people coming in.” — President Trump

✅ This week, who-said-what was clear to these readers, and hat tips to all: Craig S. Corker, Liz Mair, Alla Yun, Dallas “Rob” Sweezy, Nancy Stenberg, Dara Umberger, Rachel Roberts, Jess Gravitt, Barbara Werling, Ashley Cummins, Cheryl Gibson, Gary Breakfield, Ricardo Duran, Mary Brule, John Dziennik Jr., Tami Allen, Greg Stetson and Denise Scovel.