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The Federal Tap: Two Trump appointees testify before Senate
From Ballotpedia
January 18, 2019Issue No. 144
THE WEEK IN REVIEW
Saturday, January 12
Castro and Gabbard join growing 2020 Democratic primary field
- Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro (D), who formed an exploratory committee in December, formally announced his candidacy for president. Friday night, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) also said she planned to run for president in 2020.
- More than 460 candidates have filed with the FEC for the 2020 presidential race, including 142 Democratic candidates and 64 Republican candidates.
- Other notable candidates who have either filed with the FEC or announced exploratory committees include U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D), West Virginia Sen. Richard Ojeda (D), former U.S. Rep. John Delaney (D), and President Donald Trump (R).
Tuesday, January 15
Trump’s pick for attorney general appears before Senate Judiciary Committee committee
- The Senate Judiciary Committee held a confirmation hearing for William Barr’s nomination to be United States Attorney General. In his opening statement, Barr said that, if confirmed, he would "enforce the law evenhandedly and with integrity," as he said during his confirmation hearing for attorney general in the George H.W. Bush administration. He added, "We live in time when the country is deeply divided. In the current environment, the American people have to know that there are places in the government where the rule of law – not politics – holds sway, and where they will be treated fairly based solely on the facts and an even-handed application of the law. The Department of Justice must be such a place."
- Barr also told senators that he that he would allow special counsel Robert Mueller to finish his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and let the public and Congress learn about the conclusions. He did not promise to release the full contents of the final report.
- As attorney general, Barr said that his priorities would be combating violent crime and predatory violence, enforcing and improving immigration laws, and protecting the integrity of elections.
- President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Barr to the position on December 7, 2018, and formally sent his nomination to the Senate on January 3, 2019. Barr will have to be confirmed by the Senate with a simple majority vote before taking office. Republicans currently hold the majority with 53 seats.
- Barr served as the 77th United States Attorney General under former President George H.W. Bush (R) from 1991 to 1993. He was confirmed by a unanimous voice vote in November 1991. The previous attorney general under Trump, Jeff Sessions, was confirmed 52-47 in November 2017.
SCOTUS issues two opinions
- The U.S. Supreme Court issued two opinions this week–New Prime Inc. v. Oliveira and Stokeling v. United States.
- In New Prime Inc. v. Oliveira, the court considered a case regarding the Federal Arbitration Act.
- In a unanimous opinion authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch, the court affirmed the ruling of the United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit.
- In Stokeling v. United States, the court considered a case regarding the Armed Career Criminal Act. In a 5-4 opinion, authored by Justice Clarence Thomas, the court affirmed the ruling of the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. Justice Sonia Sotomayor filed a dissenting opinion, in which Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan joined.
- The justices have granted cert in 73 cases and have issued decisions in nine of them.
Wednesday, January 16
Trump’s pick for EPA administrator testifies before Senate committee
- Andrew Wheeler, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator, appeared before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
- After the committee votes on Wheeler’s nomination, the full Senate will have to vote to confirm him. He needs a simple majority for confirmation. Republicans currently hold the majority with 53 seats.
- Wheeler currently serves as the acting administrator of the EPA. Trump announced his intent to nominate Wheeler as EPA administrator on November 16, 2018. Trump formally nominated Wheeler on January 9, 2019.
- If confirmed, Wheeler will replace former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who resigned on July 6, 2018. The Senate confirmed Pruitt by a vote of 52-46 on February 17, 2017. Sens. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) were the only Democrats to vote for Pruitt’s confirmation. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) was the only Republican to vote against his confirmation.
Trump signs bill guaranteeing back-pay to federal employees on day 26 of the partial shutdown
- President Donald Trump signed a bill that guarantees back-pay to federal workers who have been furloughed during the partial government shutdown that began on December 22, 2018. Trump said that he would not sign legislation to reopen the federal government if it does not include funding for a border wall or barrier. Democrats have refused to vote for funding for a border wall.
Congress is out of session
The House and Senate will not be in session. Both chambers will return to Capitol Hill on January 28. Click here to see the full calendar for the first session of the 116th Congress.
SCOTUS is out of session
The Supreme Court will not hear arguments this week. The court will be back on February 19. To learn more about this term, read our review.
WHAT'S ON TAP NEXT WEEK
Wednesday, January 23
Marino to resign from U.S. House on January 23, special election to be called in PA-12
- Rep. Tom Marino (R-Pa.), who has served in the U.S. House since 2011, announced that he will resign from Congress on January 23, 2019, to pursue a job in the private sector.
- Marino served as the state co-chair for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016 and was briefly a nominee to head the Office of National Drug Control Policy in 2017.
- Gov. Tom Wolf (D) will schedule a special election to fill Marino’s vacancy. This will be the second congressional special election called for this session. The other will be held in November 2020 to fill the remainder of John McCain’s (R) term in the U.S. Senate representing Arizona.
- Marino’s district, Pennsylvania’s 12th, was created in 2018 after the state Supreme Court ruled the original map was an illegal partisan gerrymander. The district backed Marino by a margin of 32 percentage points in 2018.
Where was the president last week?
- * On Monday, President Donald Trump spoke at the American Farm Bureau Federation convention in New Orleans. Trump also hosted a reception for the Clemson Tigers, the 2018 college football champions, at the White House.
- On Tuesday, Trump had lunch with members of Congress. He also participated in a call on border security with state and local leaders.
- On Wednesday, Trump met with the Problem Solvers Caucus. He then had lunch with the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
- On Thursday, Trump spoke about the Missile Defense Review at the Pentagon.
- On Friday, Trump met with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
Federal Judiciary
- 145 federal judicial vacancies
- 6 pending nominations
- 19 future federal judicial vacancies
About
The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.
