MEANWHILE, IN THE HOUSE: Olivia Beavers and Heather Caygle report on how Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY is trying to contain the damage caused from his own chamber’s GOP member-on-member combat: “I would ask Marco Rubio to sleep on this overnight,” an exasperated Schumer pleaded on the Senate floor. Schumer excoriated Rubio’s tactic as “sad, tragic and almost absurd.” The Democratic leader argued that the Rubio amendment, which has already passed the Senate separately, has a so-called blue slip problem, which means it would kill the NDAA in the House by violating the constitutional requirement that “All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House.” He blocked a deal Wednesday night to move forward on the defense bill this morning after his amendment to ban Chinese imports connected to forced labor in Xinjiang province was excluded from a package of two dozen other amendments to be considered. The current CR runs out at midnight Friday.Ģ) National Defense Authorization Act: The latest holdup is courtesy of Sen. MIKE LEE (R-Utah) and the shutdown caucus to drop the issue and clear the way for a new continuing resolution. Meanwhile, Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL and the majority of Senate Republicans who believe it’s absurd to threaten a shutdown over the mandate issue were trying to convince Sen. Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER sounded uninterested in entertaining the idea: “Any few handful of members who believe strongly in something can say, ‘I’m going to shut down the government unless I get what I want.’ If people do that, it’s chaos.” TIME MISMANAGEMENT - When we pushed send this morning, the Senate remained at a standstill on its two big priorities this week:ġ) Government funding: GOP hard-liners threatening to force a shutdown over funding for federal vaccine mandates were trying to secure a separate vote on the issue (which would likely fail) in return for backing down. Both are expected to take new jobs in or close to the administration.” and Tyler Pager note two more pending departures: “ PETER VELZ, director of press operations, and VINCE EVANS, deputy director of the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs in the vice president’s office, have also told others in the vice president’s office that they are leaving, according to two administration officials.
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The official added that the White House will throw a party for Sanders in the coming weeks to celebrate her service. I am immensely grateful and will miss working for her and with all of you.”Īn official in the VP’s office confirmed the departure and said the president and VP have “known for a while.” Sanders transitioned to Harris’ VP team after serving as a key Biden campaign senior adviser during the 2020 election. Every day, I arrived to the White House complex knowing our work made a tangible difference for Americans. I’m grateful for TINA and her leadership and her confidence as well. In a note to staff Wednesday night, Sanders wrote: “I'm so grateful to the VP for her vote of confidence from the very beginning and the opportunity to see what can be unburdened by what has been. Sanders was often the aide who pushed back on those storylines, defending the VP and advocating for her both publicly and in one-on-one dealings with reporters. Sanders, a 31-year-old African-American strategist and one of the admin’s most recognizable advisers, leaves amid a flurry of stories about internal frictions and disorder in the VP’s office. ASHLEY ETIENNE, Harris’ communications director, is also set to depart in the coming weeks.” Sanders is the highest profile exit and the second high-profile one from the Harris team in the last month.
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“It was not immediately clear where Sanders is heading next or when she will be leaving the vice president’s office. SANDERS OUT - SYMONE SANDERS, a senior adviser and chief spokesperson for VP KAMALA HARRIS, “is expected to leave the White House at the end of the year,” Eugene, Chris Cadelago and Daniel Lippman reported Wednesday night. Symone Sanders, a senior adviser and chief spokesperson for VP Kamala Harris, is expected to leave the White House at the end of the year.