‘Dead on Arrival’

Good afternoon. Here’s what you need to know.

THE LATEST

A deal to fund DHS is slipping out of view. The deal the Senate passed early this morning to fund all of the department except ICE and parts of CBP didn’t get a warm welcome in the lower chamber. Mike Johnson rejected the bill and announced an alternative bill that would fully fund the department for 60 days. Chuck Schumer called that idea “dead on arrival.”

• “We’ve been consistent all along in the House that we want to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security,” Steve Scalise said of the Senate’s bill. “It’s why we passed a bill yesterday to do that. The Senate passed a different bill yesterday.”
  
• Put more bluntly: “What the Senate sent over was a terrible deal, made all the more insulting by the fact that they immediately skipped town to start their vacations early,” Rep. Brandon Gill told NOTUS.

What’s next? Senators have a two-week recess. House leadership has advised representatives to stay for votes through the weekend. But right now, it’s unclear whether the House can even pass an alternative bill.

Long lines at TSA put pressure on lawmakers to pass a bill that would get agents paid. But Friday afternoon, Donald Trump directed DHS and OMB to do just that with other funds.

• “America’s air travel system has reached its breaking point. This is an unprecedented emergency situation,” the memo reads.

THE HILL

A House Ethics panel found Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick guilty of multiple rule violations in a rare public hearing. She was charged by a congressional investigative committee with 27 ethics violations related to allegations that she funneled millions in federal funds into a campaign; the panel found her guilty of 25 of them. The full House Ethics Committee is slated to hold a hearing in April to determine which sanctions to recommend.

• The DOJ indicted Cherfilus-McCormick in November for funneling COVID-19 relief funds into her campaign. She could face up to 53 years in prison if convicted.

Another powerful House Republican announced his retirement ahead of the midterms. Sam Graves, the chair of the House Transportation Committee, will withdraw his plans to seek reelection for his seat in Missouri’s 6th Congressional District, The Wall Street Journal reported. Graves is one of dozens of members who have announced plans to retire or seek a different office, setting up Congress for record turnover.

THE ADMINISTRATION

An Iran-linked group hacked Kash Patel’s personal email. The FBI confirmed and is investigating potential risks of the attack, which was first reported by Reuters. But at least so far, the contents released appear mundane, and include selfies of Patel sniffing cigars and holding a bottle of rum.

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