Biden, McCarthy set to meet on debt ceiling on Wednesday
President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthyare due to meet on Wednesday for a much-anticipated one-on-one discussion on the debt ceiling and spending cuts demanded by Republicans as the deadline looms on Washington’s horizon.
Here’s what else is happening in politics on Wednesday:
- Kamala Harris to attend Tire Nichols’ funeral. The vice president will serve with four other White House officials.
- The Democrat faces the House vote on the seat of the Foreign Affairs Committee. The House GOP is setting the stage for a vote on Rep. Ilhan Omar, as one of his own has withdrawn from panel seats for now.
- Republican-led House Judiciary Committee is set to hold the first of several hearings to examine Biden’s border policies.
House GOP prepares vote to remove Omar from Foreign Affairs Committee
House Republicans are preparing to hold a vote Wednesday on whether to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., from the House Foreign Affairs Committee — a policy move that was expected months before the GOP narrowly won a majority.
On Tuesday evening, the House Rules Committee passed a resolution to dismiss her, using an expedited emergency procedure.
The latest preparations for Omar come hours after embattled Republican Rep. George Santos resigned his seats on the committee, saying he didn’t want to be a distraction from Omar’s possible vote. Republicans have come under fire for placing Santos, who has admitted lying to voters about his personal and professional resume, on panels while trying to oust Omar from committees over comments she made in 2019 that were considered as anti-Semites.
– Woodall Candy
Swalwell on the missions of the committee:President McCarthy engaged in ‘weaponizing’ ‘political abuses’
House Transportation & Infrastructure set to examine effects of supply chain issues
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing Wednesday on the state of the nation’s rail, highway and port systems following supply chain issues, which have helped push inflation to its highest level in 40 years.
The committee is scheduled to hear from various witnesses, including Ian Jefferies, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads.
-Sarah Elbeshbishi
GOP-led House Judiciary Committee set to review Biden’s border policy
The House Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on Wednesday and examines Biden’s border policies, as well as the flow of fentanyl into the United States, under a microscope.
The hearing, titled ‘Biden’s Border Crisis – Part One,’ is the start of planned border hearings and investigations, as House Republicans prepare to ferry Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to at Capitol Hill.
Biden has long faced criticism from Republicans and Democrats for his handling of immigration and border security.
– Rebecca Morin
Following:Grandmothers and grandchildren separated at border, despite US decision to reunite migrant families
House Oversight and Accountability Committee to Hold Hearing on COVID-19 Expenses
The Oversight and Accountability Committee is holding a hearing Wednesday morning titled “Federal Pandemic Spending: A Prescription for Waste, Fraud and Abuse.”
The House hearing will focus on fraud and abuse of COVID-19 relief programs and examine policies to ensure federal funds reach intended recipients.
Witnesses include: Michael Horowitz, Chair of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee; Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General of the US Government Accountability Office and David Smith, Deputy Director of the US Secret Service Office of Investigations.
–Rachel Looker
Biden, McCarthy to meet amid standoff over high-stakes debt ceiling
President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy are due to meet Wednesday afternoon at the White House amid a high-stakes standoff over the debt ceiling and spending cuts demanded by Republicans.
Biden is expected to ask McCarthy if he can commit that the United States will never default, which would happen if the debt ceiling is not raised. He will also pressure the president for an answer on when Republicans release a budget proposal, according to the White House.
Republicans want to use the debt ceiling action to eliminate “wasteless spending in Washington,” but they haven’t specified which programs they want to cut. The White House, which argues the debt ceiling should be raised unconditionally, called on McCarthy and Republicans to detail their plan.
The Treasury Department took “extraordinary measures” in January to guarantee the government’s borrowing capacity until at least early June after the United States hit its $31.8 trillion debt limit. Economists fear that failure to raise the debt ceiling could spell economic disaster and plunge the United States into a deep recession.
–Joey Garrison
Amid the debt ceiling stalemate:Why Joe Biden refuses to negotiate with Republicans
Vice President Kamala Harris to attend Tire Nichols’ funeral
Vice President Kamala Harris will attend Tire Nichols’ funeral on Wednesday, the White House announced.
In early January, Nichols was brutally beaten by five Memphis police officers who have been charged with murder.
In addition to Harris, four other White House officials are present. They are: Keisha Lance Bottoms, director of the White House Office of Public Engagement; Tara Murray, deputy director of the White House Office of Public Engagement; Senior Advisor Mitch Landrieu; and Erica Loewe, director of African-American media at the White House.
– Maureen Groppe
Related:Tire Nichols case reignites conversations among lawmakers on federal policing legislation
USA Today
