Today’s notice: A shutdown could be getting closer. The White House Correspondents’ Association is in hot water. And NOTUS has some exciting new partnerships!
Sleepwalking Into a Shutdown
It’s 16 days until a government shutdown, and Congress doesn’t really have a plan.
Even if appropriators reach a top-line agreement to fund the government, it’s widely accepted on Capitol Hill that there isn’t time to pass more than a stop-gap fix before the March 14 deadline.
Even House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole acknowledges that a stop-gap solution is likely. He said he’d prefer a short-term fix versus a full-year continuing resolution, although other House Republicans are predicting a full-year option.
But Democrats want codified assurances that Donald Trump will use the congressionally approved funding for its intended purpose. That’s a nonstarter for Republicans. Without these assurances, it’s unclear whether Democrats would deliver the votes to pass even a continuing resolution.
With Congress distracted with budget resolutions, appropriators are bellyaching over the clock — or in active denial.
“Hopefully we’ll get to the point that we don’t have to come down to just two or three weeks away,” Republican appropriator Rep. Chuck Edwards told NOTUS 18 days before the funding deadline.
In the meantime, the shutdown blame game is already afoot — an inauspicious sign for lawmakers looking for compromise.
“It’s up to the Democrats,” Republican appropriator Sen. John Kennedy said. “If they want to shut it down, they can.”
“They’re in charge!” Democratic appropriator Sen. Chris Murphy responded. “You asked to govern government: Govern.”
Jodey Arrington’s ‘Celebration Feast’
They kept Capitol Hill guessing, but House Republicans adopted a budget resolution Tuesday evening.
Even Jodey Arrington, chair of the Budget Committee, didn’t seem to know which way things were going, telling Punchbowl News he would either enjoy a post-vote “celebration feast” or be “crying in my wonton soup.”
For now, Arrington and the rest of leadership can feast. But there is plenty of time for things to go sideways.
To adopt the resolution with only one GOP defection, leadership somehow assuaged concerns of both moderates worried spending cuts would be too deep (read NOTUS’ Katherine Swartz for more on that), and conservatives worried they wouldn’t cut enough. But as Republicans assemble their final reconciliation bill, it’s possible those assurances crumble.
Arrington might want to keep Chinese on speed dial.
Front Page
- The White House Finally Said Who’s Leading DOGE: After previously declining to say who was in the role, the White House said Amy Gleason is the acting director.
- House Democrats Resort to Letter Writing to Demand Info on DOGE’s Access: The efforts to suss out possible privacy breaches have gone unanswered so far.
- The White House Doubles Down on Musk’s Five-Point Demand: But it said cabinet officials have the final say.
Meet the NOTUS Washington Bureau Initiative
NOTUS is working on something tried, true and dearly missed: local accountability reporting in Washington. Under our new Washington Bureau Initiative, our reporting on state delegations will be made available to local newsrooms.
The initial partners are Oklahoma Watch, San José Spotlight, Verite News from Deep South Today, The Assembly in North Carolina and three California outlets in the Newswell portfolio: Times of San Diego, Santa Barbara News-Press and Stocktonia. (With more to come!)
We’re already at it: On California, NOTUS’ Samuel Larreal reports today that Democrats are divided on a bill meant to prevent wildfires like the ones plaguing the state.
NOTUS’ Em Luetkemeyer reported on Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s superintendent of public instruction, who has been trying to boost his national profile in Trump’s image. Read more on NOTUS and Oklahoma Watch.
And NOTUS’ Helen Huiskes reported that Louisiana lawmakers aren’t thrilled with the idea of cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Read it on NOTUS and Verite News.
So Does the WHCA Just Transition to… Event Planning?
In an instant, the White House Correspondents’ Association was stripped of a long-standing role when press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the administration would now select pool reporters.
How does the press respond to this hostility? Julie Mason, White House beat veteran and former WHCA board member, dismissed early calls for a boycott. “They don’t work because what people don’t understand is that we’re assigned to cover the White House to cover the White House, not engage in collective action,” she said.
A real boycott would mean every major outlet deciding not to cover the White House on Leavitt’s terms. It’s much easier to imagine one or more outlets toeing the line for a competitive advantage. Mason said if she were still on the beat, she would decline to participate in pool rotation to say, “I’m not going to sanction this.” But, she said with experience, that’s not a decision everyone will make. NOTUS’ Emily Kennard reports on a press corps coming up with few options for how to respond.
—Evan McMorris-Santoro | Read Emily’s story.
First in NOTUS: New Dems’ New Approach
House Democrats’ largest caucus, the New Democrat Coalition, is releasing a strategic blueprint to tackle policy issues this Congress. NOTUS’ Daniella Diaz got a first look.
The new memo details three pillars: economic growth and opportunity, healthy and safe communities and strong national security and defense.
“We are very focused on addressing the issues that our constituents are talking to us about, and those are pocketbook issues. Bringing down the cost of living, helping them get ahead, growing our economy,” Rep. Brad Schneider, the New Dems’ chair, told NOTUS.
Number You Should Know
71
That’s how many minutes the House held open what was supposed to be a noncontroversial 15-minute vote while GOP leadership scrambled to whip members for their budget resolution.
The vote sat at 427-3 for over 36 minutes while leadership pleaded with holdouts to get on board. Democrats, ready to go home, began chanting “regular order.” Ultimately the move worked for Republicans. Leadership successfully flipped everyone but Rep. Thomas Massie, but not without maximum drama.
—Emily Kennard
Not Us
We know NOTUS reporters can’t cover it all. Here’s some other great hits by… not us.
- Federal technology staffers resign rather than help Musk and DOGE by Brian Slodysko and Byron Tau (formerly of NOTUS) at the Associated Press
- Is Bird Flu the Only Reason Egg Prices Are Soaring? By Danielle Kaye and Julie Creswell at The New York Times
- Nearly 40% of contracts canceled by Musk’s DOGE are expected to produce no savings by Ryan J. Foley at the Associated Press
Be Social…
…with us!
NOTUS is hosting a conversation in our newsroom on the role of journalism in 2025. The event is on March 5. Our very own Jasmine Wright is hosting, with special guests Bret Baier of Fox News, Dasha Burns of Politico, Josh Dawsey of The Wall Street Journal, Major Garrett of CBS News, Jonathan Karl of ABC News and Ali Vitali of MSNBC. Doors are at 8:30 a.m.
Interested in joining us? RSVP here.
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