CINCINNATI (ENQUIRER) – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders called Kroger’s latest move an “absolute disaster” after the Cincinnati-based grocery retailer announced its plan to take over Albertsons in a $24.6 billion deal on Friday, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The combined sales of the two grocery store chains are nearly $210 billion, putting Kroger about $10 billion shy of U.S. food sales at Walmart, the world’s largest grocer.
>> Kroger seeks to create grocery giant in $20B Albertsons bid <<
In a tweet Friday, Sanders called on the White House to reject the merger.
“At a time when food prices are soaring as a result of corporate greed, it would be an absolute disaster to allow Kroger, the 2nd largest grocery store in America, to merge with Albertsons, the 4th largest grocery store in America,” the Vermont progressive wrote. “The Biden Administration must reject this deal.”
At a time when food prices are soaring as a result of corporate greed, it would be an absolute disaster to allow Kroger, the 2nd largest grocery store in America, to merge with Albertsons, the 4th largest grocery store in America. The Biden Administration must reject this deal.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) October 14, 2022
Sen. Elizabeth Warren reacted to the then-rumored merger in an interview with MSNBC on Thursday. The Massachusetts Democrat said the U.S. has failed to utilize antitrust laws for decades, the Enquirer reports.
“For example, with grocery stores, remember how many grocery stores there used to be? And now what you have is a handful of giant chains,” Warren said.
The senator said Kroger earned almost $900 million in the third quarter of 2021, more than three times the amount it made in the same time period in 2019.
“That’s because they have a lot of market dominance,” she said. “If we move in on antitrust law, break up these giant corporations, then we get real competition and then we get markets that are truly competitive.”
Kroger and Albertsons are expected to divest 100 to 375 stores to pacify antitrust concerns, leaving Kroger to operate more than 4,500 stores nationwide, according to the Enquirer. Albertsons’ investors will own a separate company that includes the divested stores.
Both stores currently employ a combined 710,000 associates and operate 4,996 stores, 66 distribution centers, 52 manufacturing plants, 3,972 pharmacies and 2,015 fuel centers in 48 states and Washington D.C.
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Senate Democrats are killing off amendments to their climate, tax and health bill as part of a marathon, around-the-clock series of votes known as a vote-a-rama that started after 11 p.m. Saturday night and will stretch toward midday Sunday.
The Senate has not taken a break overnight, with senators from both parties mingling on the floor as they consider one amendment after another.
Most of the GOP amendments are intended to put Democrats on the spot on tough issues. If any were approved, it could also make the sweeping package more difficult to pass in the House at the end of the week.
The process was initially expected to last as long as 12 to 14 hours, with some optimistic observers wondering if it could wrap up more earlier if lawmakers exhausted one another with the overnight work.
Senators appeared relatively chipping after dawn broke Sunday morning, despite the grueling work. The vast majority of the did not appear to be getting fatigued.
At 6:30 a.m., the Senate was dispensing with an amendment from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on crime. Several more hours of votes were expected.
The vote-a-rama is a feature of the Senate budget process, which Democrats are using to pass a major climate, tax and health bill with 51 votes, bypassing a Republican filibuster.
The budget reconciliation process allows the party in control of the Senate to pass major legislation with a simple-majority vote but the trade-off is Democrats must allow Republicans vote on an unlimited number of back-to-back amendments.
Each side has only one minute to make an argument for or against an amendment before a vote is called.
Votes on amendments that violate the Byrd Rule, which requires that legislation passed through the budget reconciliation process have a non-tangential impact on spending, revenues or the debt limit, are subject to procedural objections, which require 60 votes to be waived.
Not all the votes have been on GOP amendments.
The first amendment of the vote-a-rama is one sponsored by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), which would require Medicare not to pay more than what the Department of Veterans Affairs does for prescription drugs.
It was defeated 1-99.
The last vote-a-rama the Senate held in August of 2021 to pass the budget resolution lasted 14 hours and included consideration of more than 40 amendments.
Democratic senators say they expect this weekend’s vote-a-rama to last until 11 am or noon Sunday, judging by past experiences.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A bill to boost semiconductor production in the United States has managed to do nearly the unthinkable — unite the democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders and the fiscally conservative right.
The bill making its way through the Senate is a top priority of the Biden administration. It would add about $79 billion to the deficit over 10 years, mostly as a result of new grants and tax breaks that would subsidize the cost that computer chip manufacturers incur when building or expanding chip plants in the United States.
Supporters say that countries all over the world are spending billons of dollars to lure chipmakers. The U.S. must do the same or risk losing a secure supply of the semiconductors that power the nation’s automobiles, computers, appliances and some of the military’s most advanced weapons systems.
Sanders, I-Vt., and a wide range of conservative lawmakers, think tanks and media outlets have a different take. To them, it’s “corporate welfare.” It’s just the latest example of how spending taxpayer dollars to help the private sector can scramble the usual partisan lines, creating allies on the left and right who agree on little else. They are positioning themselves as defenders of the little guy against powerful interest groups lining up at the public trough.
Sanders said he doesn’t hear from people about the need to help the semiconductor industry. Voters talk to him about climate change, gun safety, preserving a woman’s right to an abortion and boosting Social Security benefits, to name just a few.
“Not too many people that I can recall — I have been all over this country — say: ‘Bernie, you go back there and you get the job done, and you give enormously profitable corporations, which pay outrageous compensation packages to their CEOs, billions and billions of dollars in corporate welfare,’” Sanders said.
Sanders voted against the original semiconductor and research bill that passed the Senate last year. He was the only senator who caucuses with the Democrats to oppose the measure, joining with 31 Republicans.
While Sanders would like the see the spending directed elsewhere, several GOP senators just want the spending stopped, period. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said the spending would help fuel inflation that is hurting the poor and middle class.
“The poorer you are, the more you suffer. Even people well-entrenched in the middle class get gouged considerably. Why we would want to take money away from them and give it to the wealthy is beyond my ability to fathom,” Lee said.
Conservative mainstays such as The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board, the Heritage Foundation and the tea party aligned group FreedomWorks have also come out against the bill. “Giving taxpayer money away to rich corporations is not competing with China,” said Walter Lohman, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center.
The opposition from the far left and the far right means that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will need help from Republicans to get a bill over the finish line. Support from at least 11 Republican senators will be needed to overcome a filibuster. A final vote on the bill is expected in the coming week.
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, is among the likely Republican supporters. Asked about the Sanders’ argument against the bill, Romney said that when other countries subsidize the manufacturing of high technology chips, the U.S. must join the club.
“If you don’t play like they play, then you are not going to be manufacturing high technology chips, and they are essential for our national defense as well as our economy,” Romney said.
The most common reason that lawmakers give for subsidizing the semiconductor industry is the risk to national security from relying on foreign suppliers, particularly after the supply chain problems of the pandemic. Nearly four-fifths of global fabrication capacity is in Asia, according to the Congressional Research Service, broken down by South Korea at 28%, Taiwan at 22%, Japan, 16%, and China, 12%.
“I wish you didn’t have to do this, to be very honest, but France, Germany, Singapore, Japan, all of these other countries are providing incentives for CHIP companies to build there,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
“We cannot afford to be in this vulnerable position. We need to be able to protect ourselves,” she said.
The window for passing the bill through the House is narrow if some progressives join with Sanders and if most Republicans line up in opposition based on fiscal concerns. The White House says the bill needs to pass by the end of the month because companies are making decisions now about where to build.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told members of the United Auto Workers in Michigan on Friday that she feels “very confident” the bill will pass the House.
“Before I walked in here, coming from the airport, I was told that we have some important Republican support on the House side,” Pelosi said. “We value the bipartisanship of this bill.”
Two key congressional groups, the Problem Solvers caucus and the New Democrat Coalition, have endorsed the measure in recent days,
The Problem Solvers caucus is made up members from both parties. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, the group’s Republican co-chair, said Intel Corp. wants to build its chip capacity in the United States, but much of that capacity will go to Europe if Congress doesn’t pass the bill.
“If a semiconductor-related bill is brought to the floor, it will pass,” Fitzpatrick said.
Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., said he believes the legislation checks a lot of boxes for his constituents, including on the front-burner issue of the day, inflation.
“This is about reducing inflation. If you look at inflation, one-third of the inflation in the last quarter was automobiles, and it’s because there’s a shortage of chips,” Kilmer said. “So this is about, one, making sure that we’re making things in the United States, and two, about reducing costs.”
A demonstrator during the vote count to unionize Amazon workers outside the National Labor Relations Board offices in New York, U.S., on Friday, April 1, 2022.
Jeenah Moon | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Amazon workers on New York’s Staten Island just made history, becoming the first group to vote in favor of unionizing at a U.S. facility operated by the country’s largest e-commerce company.
After a hard-fought battle, the result is a major defeat for Amazon, which has used all of its might to keep organized labor off its premises. As of Friday, the tally at the Staten Island warehouse, known as JFK8, was 2,654votes in favor of joining the union and 2,131 opposed, with 67 ballots being challenged.
The fulfillment center doesn’t flip to becoming a union shop overnight, and there’s potentially a long road ahead. But the wheels are in motion for change.
Here’s what happens next:
Delays, challenges and negotiations
The Amazon Labor Union didn’t even exist until last year. Now, the grassroots organization that relied on a crowdfunding campaign to fund its organizing is responsible for negotiating a collective bargaining agreement on behalf of roughly 6,000 employees at Amazon’s largest fulfillment center in New York.
The ALU is led by Christian Smalls, a former JFK8 manager, who was fired by Amazon in 2020 after the company claimed he violated social distancing rules.
Rather than getting to dictate pay, benefits and working conditions as it does across its massive network of offices, data centers and warehouses, Amazon will now have to negotiate those key details with union leadership when it comes to JFK8.
Contract talks between the ALU and Amazon could start soon. But don’t bet on it.
“Amazon will delay,” said David Rosenfeld, a labor lawyer at Weinberg, Roger and Rosenfeld, and a lecturer at the University California at Berkeley School of Law. “They’re not going to walk in and do the right thing because that will encourage organizing everywhere else. They’ll do everything they can to avoid a contract, and it will be a big, long, nasty fight.”
According to an analysis published in June by Bloomberg Law, it takes on average 409 days for CBAs to be signed between employers and their newly unionized workers.
Jason Anthony, a member of Amazon Labor Union, speaks to members of the media during the vote count to unionize Amazon workers outside the National Labor Relations Board offices in New York, U.S., on Friday, April 1, 2022.
Jeenah Moon | Bloomberg | Getty Images
If the goal is delay, Amazon has unlimited resources to hire the top lawyers and consultants. The company has already expressed its disappointment with the outcome and said it’s considering its options, including “filing objections based on the inappropriate and undue influence” of the National Labor Relations Board. Amazon didn’t specify instances of improper meddling, but said the National Retail Federation and Chamber of Commerce witnessed the same behavior.
Either Amazon or the union can raise objections over conduct during the election. Both parties have left that door open. Any objection must be filed to the NLRB regional office by April 8. The agency will investigate the claims and, if there’s sufficient evidence, will schedule a hearing where each side can present its case.
Challenges don’t have to end there. If they’re unhappy with the regional director’s ruling, either side can escalate its complaint to the NLRB board in Washington.
Why wait?
Precedent is Amazon’s principal concern. JFK8 is one of 100-plus Amazon fulfillment centers in the U.S., and there are many truckers and delivery drivers who aren’t part of those facilities. Workers in Bessemer, Alabama, just wrapped up a second vote on whether to unionize, and while the effort appears to have failed again, the count was significantly closer than the first contest last year.
Amazon has no interest in seeing the movement gain further momentum. And the company says there’s no need for that to happen. Pay at fulfillment center starts at $18 an hour, well above minimum wage in every U.S. state. Amazon also offers health insurance, paid parental leave and educational opportunities.
That sort of package has proved enticing to many workers, particularly in parts of the country where older industries have died out and well-paying blue-collar jobs are scarce. But Amazon’s warehouse model isn’t built on retention. As The New York Times reported last year, the company has adjusted to a pattern that involves extremely high employee churn.
As it stands, Amazon gets to control everything. If employees are unhappy, they can walk out the door. Adding a union to the mix changes that dynamic completely, because employees get bargaining power and a seat at the table.
Amazon has the opportunity to embrace that reality, said Anastasia Christman, a senior policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project in New York.
“They have this choice they can make,” Christman said. “They can either decide to continue to fight this in a very negative way or say that workers have identified problems in the workforce and let’s hear them out.”
While the enforcement mechanisms facing Amazon may be limited, public pressure is growing and the labor movement is gaining support.
Starbucks baristas in several locations have voted to unionize, and in late March Google Fiber contractors in Kansas City, Missouri, supported a union effort, becoming the first workers with bargaining rights under the Alphabet Workers Union.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted his congratulations on Friday after the Amazon vote and said “it’s going to be a shot in the arm for this country’s labor movement.”
Amazon has thrived for almost three decades without the presence of unions in its U.S. operations. But in the last few years, the company has drawn the ire of politicians and regulators for alleged anti-competitive behavior, paying little in taxes and mistreating workers.
This may be a time for the company to play nice and avoid a protracted battle, said Tom Kochan, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management.
“I would expect now that there is this first victory on the part of a union that Amazon is going to have to reassess its labor relations strategy and begin to negotiate in good faith to reach an agreement,” said Kochan, an expert on work and employment policies. “They will add fuel to the flames if they continue to stonewall in negotiations as they have so vigorously resisted in the organizing phase.”
WATCH: Workers vote for union at Amazon NYC warehouse
Later today, Joe Biden will hold the 10th press conference of his presidency, far fewer than any of his recent predecessors during their first year in office.
In a sharp shift from Donald Trump, Biden has said journalists are “indispensable to the functioning of democracy”, which the president has repeatedly warned is under threat at home and abroad. Yet press access to the president has been limited.
Biden has held just nine formal news conferences during his first year, according to research compiled by Martha Joynt Kumar, director of the White House Transition Project. Trump had held 22 and Barack Obama 27 at the same point in their presidencies.
Only Ronald Reagan, whose public appearances were scaled back following an assassination attempt in March 1981, held fewer press conferences during his first year. But Reagan did 59 interviews that year, compared with Biden, who has only done 22.
Trump, who labeled the media the “enemy of the American people” and once praised a congressman who assaulted a reporter, did 92 interviews during his first year.
Biden does field questions more frequently than his predecessors, but takes fewer of them, according to Kumar’s tally. These impromptu exchanges with reporters often follow scheduled remarks or public appearances.
“For the president, it is a question of how do you use your time?” Kumar said. “And for Biden, he has wanted to use his time negotiating privately on his policies.”
Read the Guardian’s full report:
16:30
Biden to hold press conference amid struggles to pass voting rights bill
Joe Biden will hold a press conference this afternoon, as the president marks one year since he took the oath of office.
The president is expected to field tough questions about Democrats’ failure to pass their voting rights bill and the Build Back Better Act, as well as his unimpressive approval rating.
Speaking at her daily briefing yesterday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki instead stressed the accomplishments of Biden’s first year in office, including boosting coronavirus vaccination rates and getting the bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law.
Jen Psaki (@PressSec)
This progress on vaccinations is so important, especially in light of Omicron, because we know the unvaccinated are 17x more likely to be hospitalized and 20x more likely to die than those who’ve been vaccinated.
There’s still more work to do, but this progress is undeniable. https://t.co/3Zd7WKTc2x
January 18, 2022
“We need to build on that. The work is not done. The job is not done. And we are certainly not conveying it is,” Psaki said.
“So, our objective — and I think what you’ll hear the president talk about tomorrow — is how to build on the foundation we laid in the first year.”
The press conference is scheduled to begin at 4pm ET, and the blog will have updates and analysis once it starts. Stay tuned.
Updated
16:04
Worth noting: most Senate Democrats are actually sitting in the chamber to listen to the debate over their voting rights bill, per CNN.
Lauren Fox (@FoxReports)
In a rare move, most Senate Democrats are at their desks in the chamber as the debate over voting rights unfolds. I spotted both Sinema and Manchin as well who are opposed to rules change Schumer will push tonight.
On GOP side, McConnell, Blunt, Portman and Tillis spotted.
January 19, 2022
The Senate is expected to hold a procedural vote on the bill later today, and it will almost certainly fail. Because of a Republican filibuster, the bill will need 60 votes to advance, which will not happen in the 50-50 Senate.
15:52
In his own Senate floor speech today, majority leader Chuck Schumer reiterated his argument that members have a duty to pass voting rights legislation and strengthen America’s election systems.
Schumer sharply criticized Republicans for downplaying the impact of the voting restrictions enacted by 19 states in the past year.
ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics)
Sen. Schumer knocks Republicans on voting rights during filibuster showdown: “Just as Donald Trump has his ‘big lie,’ Leader McConnell now has his: ‘States are not engaging in trying to suppress voters whatsoever.’” https://t.co/6AqGNTnvGd pic.twitter.com/2OVa4ggi8f
January 19, 2022
“Our Republican colleagues don’t even acknowledge that we have a crisis,” Schumer said, noting that minority leader Mitch McConnell claimed states were not engaged in voter suppression.
Schumer outlined some of the restrictions that states have enacted, including limiting early voting and hours at polling places and making it harder to register to vote.
“Just as Donald Trump has his ‘big lie,’ Leader McConnell now has his: ‘States are not engaging in trying to suppress voters whatsoever,’” Schumer said.
Updated
15:25
Manchin to deliver floor speech on voting rights and filibuster reform
Senator Joe Manchin will deliver a floor speech this afternoon outlining his position on changing chamber rules to allow voting rights legislation to move forward.
“It is such an important issue that all of us have grave concerns about, and it’s worthy of the time we spend,” Manchin told CNN.
“I would like to see us stay on the bill. There’s no use to try to bring this to finality by having a vote that’s going to fail tonight. Let’s just stay on it.”
Manu Raju (@mkraju)
Manchin told me he’s planning on speaking on the floor this afternoon about his views on rules changes. “I would like to see us stay on the bill,” he said of voting rights bill. He doesn’t want see Schumer move to try to cut off debate.
January 19, 2022
As of now, the Senate is expected to hold a procedural vote on whether to advance Democrats’ voting rights bill, which passed the House last week.
That vote, which will need the support of 60 members because of the filibuster, is expected to fail. And as long as Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema continue to oppose rule changes, the bill has no path to passage in the Senate.
15:09
Kelly backs rule changes to get voting rights bill passed
Mark Kelly, one of the last Senate Democrats who had not yet clarified his position on filibuster reform, has now said he supports rule changes to allow voting rights legislation to advance.
The Arizona Republic reports that Kelly, who is up for reelection this year, supports a “talking filibuster” rule only for Democrats voting rights bill.
“If campaign finance and voting rights reforms are blocked again this week, I will support the proposed changes to pass them with a majority vote,” Kelly said in a statement.
“Protecting the vote-by-mail system used by a majority of Arizonans and getting dark money out of our elections is too important to let fall victim to Washington dysfunction.”
Senator Mark Kelly (@SenMarkKelly)
If NASA functioned like the United States Senate, they would never get the rocket off the launchpad.
Read my full statement about why I support passing campaign finance and voting rights reforms with a majority vote: https://t.co/0w2zTIxOTX pic.twitter.com/nUUZ0BdWtF
January 19, 2022
A talking filibuster would still require 60 Senate votes to cut off debate on a proposal, but that debate would eventually come to an end anyway as the filibusters gave up the floor. Once they did so, the debated bill could be passed by a simple majority of 51 votes.
Democrats have been discussing a talking filibuster rule as a potential compromise for those who do not support eliminating the filibuster all together.
However, as of now, the talking filibuster proposal does not have the necessary support for approval because Joe Manchin has said he wants all rule changes to attract bipartisan support, and Republicans remain staunchly opposed to weakening the filibuster.
Updated
14:46
Republican redistricting weakens influence of minority voters, report finds
Republicans are severely distorting district lines to their advantage and weakening the influence of minority voters as they draw new district lines across the country, according to a new report by the Brennan Center for Justice.
The report, which examines the state of play of the ongoing decennial redistricting cycle, notes that Republicans are shielding their efforts to dismantle minority districts by arguing that the new lines are based on partisanship.
While racial discrimination in redistricting is illegal, the US supreme court said in 2019 that discrimination based on partisanship was acceptable.
Brennan Center (@BrennanCenter)
Many of the voter maps coming out of the 2021-22 redistricting cycle entrench racial discrimination and partisan gerrymanders. The Freedom to Vote: John Lewis Act offers critical protections that would make a difference in time for the midterms. https://t.co/ZWL0STc5JP
January 19, 2022
“This cycle is seeing unprecedented efforts to undermine the political power of Black, Latino, Asian, and Native communities through redistricting, especially in southern states that, for the first time in more than half a century, are no longer covered by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act,” the report says.
“Some of the most aggressive attacks on minority power are coming in the suburbs of southern states like Texas and Georgia. There, Republicans have surgically dismantled rapidly diversifying districts where communities of color have enjoyed increasing electoral success in recent years,” it adds.
The report also notes that Republicans, who have complete control over the drawing of 187 of the US House’s 435 districts, are making districts much less competitive.
Donald Trump won 54 districts by 15 or more points in states where the GOP controls redistricting under old maps. Under the new plan, that number increases to 70.
The redistricting cycle is still ongoing. New York, Tennessee, and Missouri are still among the states where lawmakers are drawing new maps.
14:34
Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema are also experiencing some external pressure as they resist efforts to change the filibuster to pass voting rights legislation.
EMILY’s List, the progressive group that backs women candidates who support abortion rights, said it would withhold its endorsement from Sinema because of her stance on filibuster reform.
“Our mission can only be realized when everyone has the freedom to have their voice heard safely and freely at the ballot box,” EMILY’s List president Laphonza Butler said in a statement released yesterday.
EMILY’s List (@emilyslist)
An update from our President @LaphonzaB on voting rights pic.twitter.com/flmU4y8qNw
January 18, 2022
Butler noted that her group has not contributed to or endorsed Sinema’s campaign since she first won her Senate seat in Arizona’s 2018 elections.
“Electing Democratic pro-choice women is not possible without free and fair elections. Protecting the right to choose is not possible without access to the ballot box,” Butler said.
“So, we want to make it clear: if Sen. Sinema can not support a path forward for the passage of this legislation, we believe she undermines the foundations of our democracy, her own path to victory and also the mission of EMILY’s List, and we will be unable to endorse her moving forward.”
14:30
Sanders suggests he may back primary challenges to Sinema and Manchin
Greetings, live blog readers.
Progressive senator Bernie Sanders has said he may consider supporting primary challengers to Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, the two holdouts in Democrats’ debate over whether to amend the filibuster to pass voting rights legislation.
Sanders told reporters yesterday that he believes “there is a very good chance” the two senators will face primary challenges because of their stance on the filibuster.
When asked if he would consider backing such primary challengers, Sanders replied, “Well, yeah.”
Bernie Sanders makes comments to reporters about Joe Manchin. Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Manchin brushed off the warning, saying, “I’ve been primaried my entire life. That would not be anything new for me.”
But Sanders’ comments underscore the growing rift in the Democratic party over the filibuster and, more broadly, the best response to Republican obstructionism.
While progressives support using every tool at their disposal to circumvent Republican tactics, centrists like Manchin and Sinema still underscore the importance of bipartisanship, which has become increasingly rare in Washington.
Joe Biden will hold a press conference later today, and he will almost certainly be asked what that divide says about his party and whether he can get anything else done in Congress with members of his own party at odds.
Senate Democrats are signaling they plan to take more of a hardball approach to pressuring Sen. Joe ManchinJoe ManchinOn The Money — Dems lay blame for Build Back Better blowup McConnell: Manchin’s opposition to Biden plan ‘great shot in the arm for the country’ Harris says ‘stakes are too high’ for Build Back Better to be about Manchin MORE (D-W.Va.) to support their climate and social spending agenda after months of kid-glove treatment failed to deliver his vote.
Democrats are threatening to drive a wedge between Manchin and his many lower-income constituents who stand to reap billions of dollars in federal benefits if Build Back Better passes, including an enhanced child tax credit, lower Medicare-negotiated prescription drug prices and subsidies to cover the cost of childcare.
Senate Majority Leader Charles SchumerChuck SchumerManchin says he will not vote for Build Back Better: ‘This is a no’ Senate confirms 40 judges during Biden’s first year in office, the most since Reagan Cruz to get Nord Stream 2 vote as part of deal on Biden nominees MORE (D-N.Y.) on Monday said Manchin will have to repeatedly defend his opposition to these popular programs by voting on the floor and took a subtle shot at his colleague for trying to dictate national policy through an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” over the weekend.
Democratic aides say that Manchin can expect more tough treatment from Schumer and other Democratic lawmakers who are now under new pressure from the party’s base for failing to deliver on the “big, bold” agenda they promised earlier this year.
“He has had absolutely no pressure,” said one Democratic aide, citing Manchin’s friendly meetings with the at the White House and at Biden’s home in Delaware this fall that failed to produce results.
“Biden’s got to grab him by the lapels and say, ‘Listen, this ends now,’” the aide added, warning there’s little prospect of passing another piece of major legislation before the 2022 midterms if Build Back Better fails to pass.
Democratic senators have said for months they were reluctant to apply too much pressure on Manchin for fear that it might backfire and only goad him to dig in his heels more firmly against progressive priorities such as major new investments for renewable energy and expanded Medicare benefits.
There was also the looming threat that Manchin might leave the caucus and declare himself an independent. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellMcConnell: Manchin’s opposition to Biden plan ‘great shot in the arm for the country’ Ocasio-Cortez: Democrats need to to ‘crack down’ on ‘old boys club’ in Senate The day democracy almost died MORE (R-Ky.) told reporters before the break that he would love to have Manchin join his caucus, though he acknowledged it wasn’t a likely possibility.
But now Biden, Schumer and other Democrats risk looking ineffective after Manchin flatly spurned their many entreaties with his bluntly stated opposition to Build Back Better on Fox News.
“He’s going to blow up the president’s agenda so I think you have to play hardball but there are different ways to play hardball,” said Steve Jarding, a Democratic strategist who formerly advised the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
“He’s making them looking ineffective,” he added.
On Sunday, White House press secretary Jen PsakiJen PsakiStaffer who had contact with Biden tests positive for COVID-19 McConnell: Manchin’s opposition to Biden plan ‘great shot in the arm for the country’ Harris says ‘stakes are too high’ for Build Back Better to be about Manchin MORE released a blistering statement that took Manchin to task for backing out of a deal Biden thought he had agreed to in October.
She said Manchin would have to explain his opposition to the bill to “families paying $1,000 a month for insulin,” to “two million women who would get the affordable day care they need to return to work” and to the “millions of children who have been lifted out of poverty, in part due to the Child Tax credit,” which expired last week.
A day later, the White House was taking a much softer approach, with Psaki emphasizing Biden’s desire to work with Biden at the daily briefing.
Biden met with Manchin at the White House in late September and late October as well as at the president’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, but without having any major results to show for those meetings.
The White House said that Manchin signed off on a $1.75 trillion framework at the meeting in Delaware, which Schumer also attended, but Manchin this week disputed he had agreed to anything.
In a “Dear Colleague” letter circulated Monday, Schumer took at not-so-subtle jab at Manchin.
“Senators should be aware that the Senate will, in fact, consider the Build Back Better Act, very early in the new year so that every Member of this body has the opportunity to make their position known on the Senate floor, not just on television,” Schumer vowed.
The Democratic leader warned that he would force Manchin to vote multiple times against Biden’s top priorities to hammer home the message that the West Virginia centrist is standing in the way of reforms that are designed to help low-income people in his home state.
“We are going to vote on a revised version of the House-passed Build Back Better Act – and we will keep voting on it until we get something done,” Schumer wrote.
A second Democratic aide said Schumer’s threat was remarkable because only days ago he pushed back on members of his caucus such as Senate Majority Whip Dick DurbinDick DurbinBiden’s relationship with ‘Joe-Joe’ Manchin hits the rocks Democrats mull hardball tactics to leapfrog parliamentarian on immigration Democrats end year reopening old wounds MORE (D-Ill.) who were pushing to force Manchin to take a vote on Build Back Better before Christmas.
The aide said Schumer knows many progressives in his party are angry over the failure to deliver Manchin’s vote and doesn’t leave a potential challenger any openings ahead of his re-election campaign in New York next year.
“It’s performative,” said the aide. “It’s hard not to view this through the lens of his coming primary.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-CortezAlexandria Ocasio-CortezOn The Money — Dems lay blame for Build Back Better blowup Hillicon Valley — Dems press Amazon on warehouse collapse Democrats press Amazon about fatal warehouse collapse MORE (D-N.Y.), a leading House progressive who has often criticized Manchin, in August did not rule out a primary challenge against Schumer.
Ocasio-Cortez on Monday said Manchin committed “an egregious breach of the trust of the president” and said “it’s an outcome that we had warned about well over a month ago.”
“Of course we have every right to be furious with Joe Manchin but it’s really up to leadership in the Democratic Party who made the decision to get us to this juncture and how we’re going to move forward and I think right now that the Democratic leadership as a very large number of tools at their disposal,” she said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
“And it’s really about time that we take the kid gloves off,” she added.
Senate progressives have also vented their frustration since Manchin told Fox host Bret Baier that he is a “no” on Build Back Better.
“I suspect that the people of West Virginia are like people in every other state. They want to lower prescription drug costs. They want Medicare to cover vision, hearing and dental. They want to continue $300 per child monthly payments. They want the wealthy to pay their fair share,” Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie SandersBernie SandersEquilibrium/Sustainability — Underground abortion network links to Mexico The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Manchin explains BBB opposition, slams Dems Republicans, ideology, and demise of the state and local tax deduction MORE (I-Vt.) tweeted Monday.
He reposted an interview he did with CNN’s “State of the Union” in which he called out Manchin for failing to meet his constituents needs.
“Mr. Manchin says he’s representing the people of West Virginia,” Sanders said. “I told Manchin, by the way, I’ll pay for the damn poll in West Virginia on those issues. See how the people of West Virginia feel.”
Sen. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenThe politics of an independent Fed Hillicon Valley — Dems press Amazon on warehouse collapse Politicians and celebrities who have tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the holidays MORE (D-Mass.), another leading Senate progressive, applauded Schumer’s promise to force Manchin to vote on Build Back Better, potentially multiple times, even though he told Fox: “I tried everything possible. I can’t get there.”
“The American people expect the Senate to deliver on the Build Back Better plan AND protect the right to vote. Inaction is not an option: our democracy is under assault and our economy is not working for working people. Enough talk. It’s time to vote,” she tweeted.
A study released Monday concluded that a self-administered test detected signs of potential dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, at least six months ahead of the standard testing method, suggesting the exam may help doctors diagnose patients sooner.
The self-administered gerocognitive examination (SAGE) test picked up on signs of cognitive impairment months earlier among patients than the often used mini-mental state examination (MMSE), according to the research published in the journal “Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy.”
The study involved more than 600 participants who visited the Ohio State University’s Center for Cognitive and Memory Disorders over eight years, who had at least two visits six months apart and who took both the SAGE and MMSE tests.
Among those who developed dementia during the study period, researchers determined that the first “significant decline” in SAGE scores occurred in an average 14.4 months after first taking the tests.
MMSE scores, on the other hand, for those eventually diagnosed with Alzheimer’s saw the first “significant decline” at an average of 20.4 months since the initial tests. Among those later diagnosed with another form of dementia, the standard test detected the decline at an average of 32.9 months after the first tests.
Those who had Alzheimer’s when they took the first tests saw their first major decline about 8.3 months from the initial SAGE test, compared to 14.4 months for MMSE results.
Lead author Douglas Scharre, the director of the division of cognitive neurology at Ohio State University, told The Hill that he helped develop the SAGE test due to his “frustration” when patients came in with a condition that had worsened in recent years.
“They were just coming in too late, and I figured we needed something better, something that was accurate but more practical,” Scharre said. “And so the way to do that is self-administered.”
“By the time it’s obvious to everyone they’ve usually progressed further than we want,” he added. “And so now that we have potential disease modifying treatments that are actually available, the need to identify people earlier is really critical.”
The SAGE test intends to track the patients’ thinking processes and to spot cognitive impairment symptoms beyond normal aging.
But the exam itself is not diagnostic and cannot determine whether a patient has Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, and scientists recommend patients take the test into their doctors’ office for analysis.
Patients who develop mild cognitive impairment do not automatically develop Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia.
The SAGE test would signal “significant” cognitive decline if a patient’s score falls two or three points within about 12 to 18 months, Scharre said.
As a self-administered test, the SAGE test can be taken in any location, including at home or in waiting rooms, and therefore, does not take up physicians’ time.
The paper version of the SAGE test is free. The digital version is available through BrainTest.
Research on the SAGE test comes after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the first Alzheimer’s drug in almost 20 years in a controversial decision. Biogen’s drug Aduhelm is designed for those with mild cognitive impairment.
But the FDA’s decision has come under scrutiny with two House committees investigating the authorization that came after an advisory panel unanimously opposed the drug.
Aduhelm, priced at $56,000 per year, is also linked in part to an expected increase in Medicare premiums for 2022. In response, Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersWTO faces renewed scrutiny amid omicron threat Overnight Health Care — Presented by March of Dimes — Abortion access for 65M women at stake Hospitals in underserved communities face huge cuts in reckless ‘Build Back Better’ plan MORE (I-Vt.) called on President BidenJoe BidenChina eyes military base on Africa’s Atlantic coast: report Biden orders flags be flown at half-staff through Dec. 9 to honor Dole Biden heading to Kansas City to promote infrastructure package MORE last week to delay Medicare’s approval for use for Aduhelm.
Three senators on Thursday made a bipartisan push aimed at blocking a proposed $650 million weapons sale to Saudi Arabia.
Sens. Rand PaulRandal (Rand) Howard PaulYouTube temporarily suspends Ron Johnson’s channel over COVID-19 misinformation Fauci blasts Paul for saying he is responsible for COVID pandemic Republicans to challenge Biden vaccine mandate MORE (R-Ky.), Mike LeeMichael (Mike) Shumway LeeOn The Money — Biden caps off infrastructure week Senate Republicans call on colleagues to reject government spending bills without border wall funding US added 531,000 jobs in October as delta eased MORE (R-Utah) and Bernie SandersBernie SandersOvernight Defense & National Security — Presented by Boeing — Pentagon vows more airstrike transparency Despite Democrats’ pledges, an expanded IRS will harass the middle class Sanders vows to oppose defense bill: ‘We need to get our priorities right’ MORE (I-Vt.) introduced a joint resolution disapproving of the proposed arms sale to the Middle Eastern country, pointing to its role in Yemen’s civil war.
The joint resolution seeks to block the sale of items and services including 280 air-to-air missiles, 596 LAU-128 Missile Rail Launchers, containers, support equipment, spare and repair parts and logistical support services.
“A message needs to be sent to Saudi Arabia that we don’t approve of their war with Yemen,” Paul said in a statement. “By participating in this sale, we would not only be rewarding reprehensible behavior, but also exacerbating a humanitarian crisis in Yemen. I urge Congress and the Biden Administration to consider the possible consequences of this sale that could accelerate an arms race in the Middle East and jeopardize the security of our military technologies.”
“As the Saudi government continues to wage its devastating war in Yemen and repress its own people, we should not be rewarding them with more arms sales,” Sanders said in a statement.
Last week, Rep. Ilhan OmarIlhan OmarThe Memo: Gosar censured, but toxic culture grows House votes to censure Gosar and boot him from committees Evidence for a GOP takeover mounts — Democrats must act fast MORE (D-Minn.) introduced her own joint resolution aimed at blocking the sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia, citing the same reasoning.
“It is simply unconscionable to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia while they continue to slaughter innocent people and starve millions in Yemen, kill and torture dissidents, and support modern-day slavery,” Omar said in a statement.
The State Department approved this $650 million weapons sale, the first major arms deal made with Saudi Arabia during Biden’s presidency, earlier this month.
While President BidenJoe BidenFlorida Republicans vote to limit vaccine mandates Bill honoring 13 service members killed in Afghanistan heads to Biden’s desk Overnight Defense & National Security — Presented by Boeing — Pentagon vows more airstrike transparency MORE cut off U.S. support for Saudi-led operations in Yemen’s civil war, he has been criticized by Democrats and activists for not doing more to punish civil rights abuses in the kingdom, including the 2018 killing of U.S.-based Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The Hill has reached out to the White House and the U.S. Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C., for comment.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), the chairman of the Senate GOP campaign arm, said on Sunday that he will help Sen. Lisa MurkowskiLisa Ann Murkowski’An earthquake’: GOP rides high after Democrats’ Tuesday shellacking Schumer hints at filibuster reform after GOP blocks voting rights bill Senate GOP blocks John Lewis voting rights bill MORE’s (R-Alaska) reelection efforts, even though former President TrumpDonald TrumpIsraeli officials say US should open consulate for Palestinians in West Bank Virginia loss lays bare Democrats’ struggle with rural voters Sunday shows preview: House passes bipartisan infrastructure bill; Democrats suffer election loss in Virginia MORE has already endorsed a challenger against her.
“You had said you’re going to support all incumbents. And I’m just curious, does that include Lisa Murkowski, where the former president has endorsed a primary challenger. And when you say you support, does that mean you will financially support Lisa Murkowski and actually help run a campaign against a primary opponent?” “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck ToddCharles (Chuck) David ToddOfficials, lawmakers express optimism on infrastructure, spending vote Raffensperger says he would ‘gladly participate’ in probe over Trump election pressuring Granholm on initiatives cut from spending package: ‘The fight is not over’ MORE asked Scott on NBC.
“Absolutely, … we support all of our incumbents,” Scott answered. “And fortunately for us, we’ve got great candidates running in our primaries. And fortunately for us, we’ve got Bernie SandersBernie SandersMcAuliffe’s loss exposes deepening Democratic rift Showdown: Pelosi dares liberals to sink infrastructure bill Former senior Sanders adviser says full repeal of SALT tax cap is ‘completely ridiculous’ MORE candidates on the other side in many primaries, and so we’re going to be in a great position in ‘22.”
WATCH: NRSC Chairman @SenRickScott says he “absolutely” supports Lisa Murkowski in her race and will help her campaign against her challenger, whom Trump endorsed. #MTP pic.twitter.com/G11SgSQPzK
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) November 7, 2021
Murkowksi was one of seven Republican senators to vote to impeach former President Trump earlier this year.
In June, Trump announced that he would be endorsing a challenger to the Republican incumbent, saying he supported former Alaska Commissioner of Administration Kelly Tshibaka.
“Murkowski has got to go!” Trump said in a statement issued through Save America PAC.
Murkowksi, for her part, appeared to remain undeterred by the challenge.
“I know that former President Trump is skeptical about me and the job that I do for Alaska, but I really think that that’s for Alaskans to judge,” Murkowski said during an interview with Alaska Landmine Radio in July.
Most House progressives signaled during a virtual meeting Sunday they are likely to back the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the social safety net bill when they both come up for a vote, which is likely to happen after Tuesday.
Several sources on the call told CNN that President Joe Biden has committed to progressives that all 50 Democrats in the Senate would support the legislative text as voted on by the House and that the Congressional Progressive Caucus is taking the President at his word. Moderate Democratic Sens. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of Virginia, who are key votes, have not yet publicly endorsed the framework. …
Meanwhile, shortly after, a House Democratic leadership aide told CNN that while there has been ‘extensive progress’ on drug price reform, a key initiative for Senate Budget Chairman Bernie Sanders, the Rules committee will not be meeting Monday — meaning a full vote will likely not take place on Tuesday.
