Buying Himself Time
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) went on Fox News on Sunday to speak to an audience of one.
During his brief remarks he waxed eloquently about his new, sophisticated plan to try to pass elements of the SAVE America Act before the midterms by stuffing portions of it into another reconciliation bill that House Republicans are somehow going to pass before the end of the term.
As my colleague Emine Yücel points out, this plan is neither novel nor sophisticated — and almost certainly will not work. The idea of stuffing portions of the SAVE America Act, the sweeping voter suppression bill that Trump is obsessed with, into a reconciliation package has been floated before; just a few months ago, in fact. The plan did not go anywhere then because it was shut down by the Senate Parliamentarian for not meeting the requirements needed for it to be included in the budget package. Far-right members of his conference have also already made it clear that passing just a few provisions of the bill set to disenfranchise millions would not satisfy them, or Trump.
But the idea that we’ve been here before or that Johnson’s grand plan is actually lackluster when it comes to satiating demands from those he needs to pass the measure matters a lot less than the time it buys Johnson, who is scrambling to make it seem like he is doing something for Trump.
He walked a similar line on Sunday when discussing what Congress can do to address the supposed damage wrought by the Supreme Court’s recent decision on birthright citizenship — another hit to Trump’s ego that Johnson is desperate to show he is smoothing over.
“If there’s some legislative fix, we’ll advance that immediately,” Johnson said during the same Sunday interview on Fox News, while simultaneously warning that beginning the process of enacting a constitutional amendment would take “a little more time.”
“We’ve got to address this. It really is a serious, serious issue.”
Johnson knows as well as the rest of us that Congress, especially not in its current form, does not have the desire or the votes necessary to begin the process of ratifying a change to the Constitution — and that’s without even approaching what such a change would require at the state level.
And while Politico is out with new reporting today on Johnson’s thought process on a potential “legislative fix” — Johnson “is exploring whether to put legislation on the House floor that would end the ability of pregnant women to enter the United States legally to gain citizenship for their children” — he also is well aware that this might also be a messaging maneuver, at best. Details, per Politico:
The possible vote, described by four people granted anonymity to share details of private conversations, would be a way for Johnson to appease hard-liners who are demanding a vote to end birthright citizenship after the Supreme Court ruled against Trump administration efforts to undermine it.
House passage of a measure to crack down the practice would be largely symbolic, as it stands no chance of overcoming the Senate filibuster. But Johnson’s most conservative members are also continuing to agitate for the chance to vote on legislation to crack down on legal immigration in the U.S., and Johnson needs a way to respond to those demands quickly.
For a Second, It Seemed Like Trump Was Doing a Socialism
The details are sparse but it appears President Trump has announced the opening (or rebranding?) of “Freedom Fuel” gas stations across the Philadelphia area, which are selling gasoline at an apparent below-market rate of $3.47 a gallon. (USA Today points out in its coverage that the national average for gasoline was $3.79 on Tuesday, citing AAA data. The cost of diesel, which affects shipping costs, was $4.77 per gallon on Wednesday.)
“The FIRST Freedom Fuel Network gas station has LANDED in Philadelphia, lowering the price at the pump to $3.47 for our 47th President,” the White House announced on Twitter Wednesday.
There are apparently 25 of these “Freedom Fuel” gas stations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania now.
Upon first reading the news, I was struck by the irony. What a move for his administration to open (what at first appear to be) government subsidized gas stations as Trump and his allies rage against the godless “communists” taking over the Democratic Party — doing spooky things like recommending a/c temperature settings to avoid a blackout during a heat wave, proposing city-run grocery stores in New York City, and using taxpayer dollars to fund popular programs like universal childcare. But it seems as though this might actually be one of Trump’s buddies or fans doing him a solid. Per CBS News:
A White House spokesperson told CBS News on Wednesday that the company behind the Freedom Fuel Network is private and owns 25 filling stations across New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The spokesperson said the Trump administration is not involved with the company and is not subsidizing the gas stations, adding that the stations can offer lower prices by reducing their profit margins.
So perhaps this is all a stunt aimed at alleviating a problem Trump created when he dragged the U.S. to war with Iran, causing energy prices to spike ahead of the midterms. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more.
DOJ’s Sly Broadview Six Move
What You Should Read From TPM Today
Emine Yücel covers Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s (D) call for Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to give the public an update on his health, amid wild online speculation that’s emerged in the wake of little transparency from his office: Kentucky Gov. Requests McConnell Update the Public on His Health Amid Weeks Long Hospitalization
In case you missed it last night … Josh Kovensky exclusively obtained Detroit election officials’ response to the Justice Department’s recent announcement that it intends to send election monitors to three blue cities in Michigan: READ: Detroit Responds to DOJ Sending Election Monitors to Three Blue Michigan Cities
John Light has the latest on Graham Platner, who has still not dropped out of the Maine Senate race despite mounting calls for him to do so: The Brief: State Party Wants Platner to Have ‘No Role’ in Picking Replacement
Yesterday’s Most Read Story
ICE Takes on New Role in Suppressing Online Dissent
What I’m Reading
How Local Cops Are Running With Trump’s NSPM-7 Attacks on Antifa
The Low-Key Lawyer at the Center of the Search for a Platner Replacement
First?..whatever
Kinda like in a variant of Goodfellas:
“I don’t care what it costs – shut them up!”
I don’t want to speak for everyone in Southeastern PA, but those are some janky ass gas stations. Most of the people I know would drive right past them to get to the next Wawa. They’re the kind of places where you assume the gas will have a little extra water in it just to ruin your day.
Sounds like something out of “My Cousin Vinnie”.
“The six moots over there…”