The Federal Tap: Trump signs border funding deal, declares national emergency
From Ballotpedia
February 16, 2019Issue No. 148
THE WEEK IN REVIEW
Sunday, February 10
Klobuchar becomes fifth sitting senator and 11th Democrat to enter presidential race
- Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced that she was running for president during a rally in Minneapolis, becoming the fifth sitting senator to enter the race. Her campaign said she raised $1 million in the first 48 hours after announcing her candidacy.
- The other four senators are Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, and Elizabeth Warren. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and former Rep. John Delaney are also running.
- South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former U.S. secretary of housing and urban development Julián Castro, author Marianne Williamson, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang have also entered the race.
- For a curated account of the day's most important news in the 2020 presidential election, subscribed to Ballotpedia’s Daily Presidential News Briefing.
Tuesday, February 12
Democratic nominee chosen in PA-12 special election
- The Democratic Party officially nominated Marc Friedenberg as its candidate in the special election for Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District. Friedenberg’s nomination was a formality—he was the only Democratic candidate who filed to run in the race. Republicans will select their nominee at a convention on March 2 from a field of four candidates. The election will be held on May 21.
- The seat is vacant following the January 23 resignation of former Rep. Tom Marino (R), who took a job in the private sector. Marino won his seat with 66 percent of the vote in November 2018.
- The special election will be the first held during the 116th Congress. There were a total of 17 special elections held to fill vacancies during the 115th Congress (2017-2018). Those elections resulted in four seats changing hands from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party. Three of those four seats were in Pennsylvania, where the 7th, 15th, and 18th districts saw Democratic candidates replace Republican incumbents.
Former astronaut Mark Kelly will run in U.S. Senate special election in Arizona
- Former astronaut Mark Kelly (D) announced that he is running in the 2020 special election for U.S. Senate in Arizona to complete the term of the late John McCain (R). The seat is currently held by Sen. Martha McSally (R), who was appointed in December 2018.
- Kelly became politically active after his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D), survived an assassination attempt in 2011.
- Thirty-three other Senate races will take place in 2020, including at least two for open seats in Tennessee and Kansas where Sen. Lamar Alexander (R) and Pat Roberts (R) announced they were not seeking re-election. Republicans will be defending 22 seats up for election, compared to Democrats’ 12 seats.
Thursday, February 14
William Barr sworn in as U.S. attorney general
- William Pelham Barr was sworn in as the 85th United States attorney general, marking his second time in the position. Barr was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 54-45 and sworn in later the same day.
- Fifty-one Republicans and three Democrats—Sens. Doug Jones (Ala.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.), and Krysten Sinema (Ariz.)—voted for Barr. Forty-four members of the Democratic caucus and Republican Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) voted against Barr’s nomination.
- President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Barr to the position on December 7, 2018, and he was formally nominated on January 3, 2019. There were 42 days from nomination to confirmation for Barr. The average number of days from nomination to confirmation for Trump administration Cabinet members and Cabinet-rank officials is 36 days.
- Barr previously served as the 77th United States attorney general under former President George H.W. Bush from November 1991 to January 1993. He was unanimously confirmed by the Senate.
- The only other person to serve as attorney general twice was John J. Crittenden. He served as the 15th and 22nd attorney general from March 1841 to September 1841 and July 1850 to March 1853.
Friday, February 15
Trump signs bill to fund parts of the government and border barrier; declares state of emergency
- President Donald Trump signed a $328 billion spending bill that includes $1.375 billion in funding for barriers on the southern border. He had requested $5.7 billion in wall funding. Because he did not get the amount requested, he declared a state of emergency on the southern border and directed $8.1 billion to build a border wall.
- In a Rose Garden announcement, Trump explained his emergency declaration, saying, “It’s a great thing to do because we have an invasion of drugs, invasion of gangs, invasion of people.”
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) criticized the declaration, saying in a joint statement, “The president’s unlawful declaration over a crisis that does not exist does great violence to our Constitution and makes America less safe. The president is not above the law. The Congress cannot let the president shred the Constitution.”
- The day before the announcement, the Senate passed the $328 billion spending bill by a vote of 83-16, and the House passed it by a vote of 300-128.
- In the Senate, 42 members of the Democratic caucus and 41 Republicans voted for the bill. Eleven Republicans and five Democrats voted against the bill. 2020 presidential candidates Cory Booker (N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Kamala Harris (Calif.), and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) all voted against it. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) also voted against it. The 11 Republicans who voted against the bill were Sens. Mike Braun (Ind.), Tom Cotton (Ark.), Ted Cruz (Texas), Josh Hawley (Mo.), James Inhofe (Okla.), Mike Lee (Utah), Rand Paul (Ky.), Marco Rubio (Fla.), Ben Sasse (Neb.), Tim Scott (S.C.), and Pat Toomey (Pa.).
- In the House, 213 Democrats and 87 Republicans voted for the bill. One hundred and nine Republicans and 19 Democrats voted against the bill.
- The package of seven spending bills included funding for unfunded departments and agencies through September 30, 2019. It also included “$1.375 billion for construction of 55 new miles of physical barrier along Border Patrol’s highest priority locations along the southwest border,” according to a Senate Appropriations Committee summary. This was the same amount of money that was in the 2018 spending bill, according to Politico.
- The bill was the result of negotiations that began on January 25, 2019, when members of Congress and Trump reached an agreement to temporarily fund the government while they worked out a larger plan to address immigration and border security.
Congress is not in session
The House and Senate are not scheduled to be in session. Both chambers will return to Capitol Hill on February 25, 2019. Click here to see the full calendar for the first session of the 116th Congress.
SCOTUS is in session
The Supreme Court will hear arguments this week on February 19 and 20. The court will hear two cases. To learn more about this term, read our review.
WHAT'S ON TAP NEXT WEEK
Monday, February 18
Public hearing in NC-09 investigation
- The North Carolina State Board of Elections will hold a public hearing on alleged election fraud in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District. After the hearing, which could last up to three days, the board will vote on whether to certify the returns that have Mark Harris (R) leading Dan McCready (D) by 905 votes or call for a new election. At least one board member must cross party lines to move forward on the race.
- Harris and McCready both filed briefings with the election board. Harris argued a new election should not be called because any alleged technical irregularity found during the investigation, like ballot harvesting, would not have altered the outcome of the election. McCready argued a new election should be called because ballots were allegedly illegally harvested, tampered with, and discarded, tainting the entire election.
Tuesday, February 19
SCOTUS returns for February sitting
- The U.S. Supreme Court returns for its February sitting. The justices will hear two cases this week and six this month.
- The first case—Return Mail v. U.S. Postal Service—is a patent law case that will be heard on Tuesday. The second case—Mission Product Holdings v. Tempnology LLC—is a trademark licensing case that will be heard on Wednesday.
- SCOTUS has 71 cases on its argument schedule this term. Forty-two cases have been heard, and 27 cases are scheduled for argument. The justices have issued eight decisions, seven of which were unanimous.
Where was the president last week?
- On Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on artificial intelligence. In the evening, he held a rally in Texas.
- On Tuesday, Trump held a Cabinet meeting. He also met with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
- On Wednesday, Trump met with Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez. He also spoke at the Major County Sheriffs and Major Cities Chiefs Association conference.
- On Thursday, Trump held a conference call with a group of people who oppose abortion. He then met with Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
- On Friday, Trump spoke about national security and the southern border. He then received his intelligence briefing and departed for Mar-a-Lago.
Federal Judiciary
- 149 federal judicial vacancies
- 60 pending nominations
- 21 future federal judicial vacancies
About
The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.
