The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Biden, McConnell trade barbs on debt ceiling

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Total U.S. coronavirus deaths each morning this week: Monday, 701,170; Tuesday, 703,285. 

President Biden said Monday he cannot guarantee the United States will avert default on its national debt, an admission that comes amid an escalating fight with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) over raising the cap on borrowing within weeks.

 

Biden directed his ire at McConnell over the GOP’s continued resistance to voting to raise the nation’s statutory authority to borrow to meet its obligations, saying that if the debt ceiling isn’t raised, Republicans will be responsible for the financial ramifications. 

 

“I cannot believe that will be the end result, because the consequences are so dire. But can I guarantee it? If I could, I would. But I can’t,” Biden admitted to reporters when asked if he could assure Americans that default will not occur for the first time in U.S. history (The Hill).

 

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has told lawmakers that they have until Oct. 18 to greenlight an increase, but that has not changed McConnell’s tune. For nearly three months, McConnell has called on Democrats to act alone to raise a cap now nearly exhausted by the Treasury Department, a warning the Kentucky Republican reissued in a letter to Biden on Monday.

 

“Your lieutenants in Congress must understand that you do not want your unified Democratic government to sleepwalk toward an avoidable catastrophe when they have had nearly three months’ notice to do their job,” McConnell wrote. 

 

“Republicans’ position is simple. We have no list of demands. For two and a half months, we have simply warned that since your party wishes to govern alone, it must handle the debt limit alone as well” (The Hill).

 

The New York Times: As the U.S. hurtles toward a debt crisis, what does McConnell want?

 

However, Biden all but shut the door on raising the debt ceiling through the reconciliation process by relying only Democratic support, saying time was too short. 

 

“It’s an incredibly complicated, cumbersome process, and there’s a very simple process sitting at the desk in the United States Senate,” Biden said, referring to a House-passed bill.

 

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on Monday that the upper chamber needs to act by the end of the week. Senators are scheduled to be out of town next week for a Columbus Day break (The Hill). The New York Democrat set a Wednesday vote to raise the cap on borrowing; Republicans are expected to filibuster it (The Hill). 

 

“Before the end of this week, the Senate must — must — get a bill to the president’s desk to address the acute crisis of the debt limit,” Schumer said. 

 

“Even a near-miss can have dramatic consequences — every single day we delay taking action, we increase the chances of doing irreversible damage to our global financial system, our economic recovery, and trust in our country’s ability to pay its debts,” he added.

 

As The Hill’s Alexander Bolton writes, unity within Republican ranks has only intensified behind McConnell’s move, especially after Democrats recently pulled a debt ceiling increase provision from a bill to fund the government through early December.

 

Some Democratic senators acknowledge their party controls the executive and legislative branches and is viewed as responsible for averting a crisis. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) encouraged Democratic leadership to put debt-limit language in the budget resolution the Senate passed in August, which would have enabled Senate Democrats to move more quickly with a reconciliation bill to raise the debt limit without any GOP support. 

 

“I thought that would have been the smart thing to do,” he said. “Ultimately, I feel there’s no way that Democrats are going to allow a default. … There’s no chance, zero, that Democrats will allow a default.”

 

The bottom line: Congress isn’t going to raise the debt ceiling this week and there will be more intense finger-pointing between now and later this month — when Biden will sign a debt hike into law.

 

 

 

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LEADING THE DAY

CONGRESS & MORE WHITE HOUSE: While Biden turned his bully pulpit into a soap box on Monday to rail about politics and the nation’s expiring borrowing authority, he will travel today to Howell, Mich., to update his efforts to woo the public with his description of his struggling legislative agenda. Two big measures he unveiled in the spring are now likely to shed about $1 trillion in proposed spending over a decade as Biden tries to find sufficient Democratic votes for enactment.

 

The Hill: Biden to hit the road in economic agenda pitch.

 

The Associated Press: Biden is eager to get out of Washington to push the benefits of his spending plan. He’ll appear in the district of Rep. Elise Slotkin (D-Mich.) in a county captured by his predecessor in the 2020 election.

 

Niall Stanage, The Memo: Biden stuck in middle of tricky Democratic fight.

 

The deadline in Congress set by Democratic leaders now stretches to Oct. 31 for passage of a measure to fix roads, bridges, airports and to bolster rural broadband, and a separate social policy package that would avoid the Senate’s 60-vote threshold using a tool known as reconciliation. Federal surface transportation programs expire on Nov. 1, putting infrastructure investments in the spotlight. 

 

 

 

 

The larger policy bill with Democrats’ wish list for expanded benefits for children, community college students, seniors, health care and the battle to curb climate change will be reworked.

 

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told her caucus on Monday that the current price tag of $3.5 trillion embraced by the House will have to shrink. House liberals balk at cutting the whole package to $1.5 trillion over 10 years, which some moderate Democrats favor.

 

The Hill: Democrats face tough choices on trimming spending package.

  

The New York Times: Lobbying kicks into high gear with Biden’s agenda in the balance.

 

Gerald F. Seib, The Wall Street Journal: How America’s polarized politics produced Democrats’ internal fight.

 

More headlines in Washington: The Department of Health and Human Services on Monday lifted a ban on abortion referrals by family planning clinics, which had been a Trump-era restriction. The department restored the Obama administration’s federal family planning program, which allowed clinics to refer women seeking abortion services to providers (The Associated Press). … Former Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.), 74, died of cancer on Monday. He is best remembered for a 2012 campaign comment about  “legitimate rape” before his loss in a race for a Senate seat (The Hill). 

 

*****

 

FACEBOOK: Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp were unavailable to users for more than five hours on Monday, disrupting the lives of billions of people, numerous businesses and rendering communications on the platforms inaccessible. 

 

Shortly before noon, error messages started popping up on Facebook and its related applications, with those sites not going back online for hours, and the company saying that it could take even more time for those platforms to be humming as they were previously. 

 

“To the huge community of people and businesses around the world who depend on us: we’re sorry. We’ve been working hard to restore access to our apps and services and are happy to report they are coming back online now. Thank you for bearing with us.” Facebook tweeted more than six hours after its applications went down (The Hill). 

 

As The New York Times noted, regular users were not the only ones affected as Facebook employees were unable to use company email, use internal communication methods or conduct business as usual. The tech giant has yet to reveal what caused the hours-long blackout.

 

“Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger are coming back online now,” Facebook CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg posted late Monday. “Sorry for the disruption today — I know how much you rely on our services to stay connected with the people you care about.”

 

Adding insult to injury for the company, Zuckerberg saw his personal worth drop by more than $6 billion following the outages after a Wall Street selloff dropped Facebook’s stock by 4.9 percent (Bloomberg News).

 

Bloomberg News: Facebook shares suffer worst drop this year as tech losses mount.

 

Joanna Stern, The Wall Street Journal: Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp outage: What to do when your online life vanishes.

 

Separately, a Facebook whistleblower who appeared on CBS’s “60 Minutes” on Sunday will testify today before a Senate subcommittee. Frances Haugen is likely to face a wide array of questions about the company’s content moderation, privacy and market power (The Hill).

 

The Washington Post: Zuckerberg’s apologies have been a staple of Facebook scandals. Now, the company offers defiance.

 

 

 

IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES

MORE ADMINISTRATION: The State Department warned China about its recent military provocations aimed at Taiwan, turning its attention to Beijing and what Biden has identified as America’s greatest 21st century challenge. At the same time on Monday, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in a speech that the United States plans to begin direct talks with China on trade, focusing on its failure to comply with the Trump-era “phase one” trade pact, which will expire this year (The Hill).

 

The Hill: The White House puts China on notice.

 

> The Transportation Security Administration, which marks its 20th anniversary next month, is preoccupied with a surge in unruly airline passengers. David Pekoske, the head of the agency, told The Hill’s Alex Gangitano that as more Americans resume air travel and the U.S. plans for more international visitors, the agency is determined to curb traveler disturbances in the air and in airports.

 

The Federal Aviation Administration has levied steep fines against unruly passengers, airlines have bounced such passengers from flights and law enforcement officers have met flights at airport gates to remove passengers who defied aviation rules and instructions. 

 

*******

 

CORONAVIRUS: Johnson & Johnson, maker of a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine administered to millions of Americans, plans this week to ask federal regulators to authorize a booster shot (The New York Times). 

 

The Food and Drug Administration scheduled meetings Oct. 15 and 16 of its expert advisory committee to discuss booster doses of the Moderna and the Johnson & Johnson vaccines — both of which are authorized for use in adults. During the second meeting, the committee also will discuss data from the National Institutes of Health and the safety and effectiveness of administering initial doses of one manufacturer’s vaccine and, later, a booster dose of a version created by another company (Politico). 

 

Pfizer previously was granted government approval for booster shots for people 65 and older and those with compromised immune systems or occupational risks of infection.

 

Medscape: Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine antibodies may disappear in seven months, study says.

 

The Washington Post: National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins will step down by year’s end.

 

> Mandates: Southwest Airlines announced on Monday that all employees are required to be vaccinated against by COVID-19 by Dec. 8 in accordance with a new directive for all federal contractors to get the vaccine. Employees of Southwest, along with other major airlines, are considered federal contractors because they transport government employees, goods and other services.

 

“Southwest Airlines is a federal contractor and we have no viable choice but to comply with the U.S. government mandate for Employees to be vaccinated, and — like other airlines — we’re taking steps to comply,” Gary Kelly, the airline’s CEO told staff on Monday (CNBC). 

 

In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced on Monday that 95 percent of staff at New York City schools are vaccinated against COVID-19 as an employee mandate takes effect. The mayor revealed that 96 percent of teachers and 99 percent of principals have gotten the jab (The Hill).

 

Northwell Health, the largest New York health care provider, terminated 1,400 employees for failure to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the state and company’s respective deadlines (The Hill). 

 

The Associated Press: Australia, cautious during the pandemic, won’t welcome international tourists until 2022.

The Morning Report is created by journalists Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver. We want to hear from you! Email: asimendinger@digital-release.thehill.com and aweaver@digital-release.thehill.com. We invite you to share The Hill’s reporting and newsletters, and encourage others to SUBSCRIBE! 

OPINION

Facebook can decide to be honest on its own — or Congress can force it to be, by The Washington Post editorial board. https://wapo.st/3l8aWw9

 

Huntington Beach shore is covered with oil. This is why the U.S. needs to end coastal drilling, by The Los Angeles Times editorial board. https://lat.ms/2YpLfPh

WHERE AND WHEN

The House meets at 9 a.m. for a pro forma session. The full House is out until Oct. 19.

 

The Senate convenes at 10 a.m. and resumes consideration of the nomination of Paloma Adams-Allen to be deputy administrator of the United States Agency for International Development. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Data Security during a 10 a.m. hearing will question former Facebook employee Haugen about the company’s policies affecting children. 

 

The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief at 9 a.m. Biden will meet virtually with House lawmakers at 10:15 a.m. to talk about pending legislation. He travels to Howell, Mich., to visit the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 324 training facility at 3 p.m. and will speak about his agenda at 3:30 p.m. Biden will return to the White House this evening.

 

Vice President Harris will participate in a virtual finance event for the Democratic National Committee at 6 p.m.

 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken today chairs the ministerial meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris. He delivers an afternoon keynote address and holds bilateral meetings with counterparts. His schedule is HERE. The Associated Press describes his diplomatic challenges in France. 

 

INVITATIONS: The Hill’s Virtually Live event TODAY is “The New Role of Telehealth” at 1 p.m. (information HERE), and on WEDNESDAY is “Changing the Odds: The Hill’s Cancer Summit” at 1 p.m. (information HERE).

 

Hill.TV’s “Rising” program features news and interviews at http://digital-release.thehill.com/hilltv or on YouTube at 10:30 a.m. ET at Rising on YouTube.

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ELSEWHERE

➔ COURTS: A New York State judge said Monday that former President Trump will be deposed before Christmas in a defamation lawsuit filed by Summer Zervos, a former “Apprentice” contestant who alleges that Trump sexually assaulted her at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2007 and defamed her during his presidential campaign when he said she lied about it. He denies her claims (ABC News). … The Supreme Court on Monday turned away an appeal by Washington, D.C., residents over their lack of voting rights in Congress, affirming a lower court ruling that held that District residents are not entitled to voting representation in the U.S. House. The nation’s highest court indicated in an unsigned brief its ruling was based on a Supreme Court decision from more than two decades ago that found that Washingtonians do not have a constitutional right to a vote in Congress (The Hill). … Justices also declined to hear a “qualified immunity” suit over the fatal police shooting of a schizophrenic man in a case that raised questions about legal barriers to suing government workers for alleged wrongdoing (The Hill).

 

 

 

 

➔ ORGANIZED LABOR: Liz Shuler‘s ascension in August to president of the AFL-CIO after the death of former president Richard Trumka comes at a critical time for the federation, which is grappling with declining union membership and a Democratic Congress that is struggling to pass its favored pro-worker priorities, reports The Hill’s Karl Evers-Hillstrom.

 

➔ URBAN LIFE: Climate change, coupled with escalating population growth, is making big city life increasingly risky, experts agree (The Hill).

 

➔ ENTERTAINMENT: England’s Glastonbury Festival announced on Monday that Billie Eilish, 19, will become the youngest solo-headliner of the famed music event when she takes the stage in June. The event will be Glastonbury’s first full-scale, in-person event since 2019. The 2020 event was canceled due to COVID-19, while this year’s confab was held over livestream (The Associated Press).

THE CLOSER

And finally … “There’s no such thing as the unknown, only things temporarily hidden, temporarily not understood.” — Captain James T. Kirk, “Star Trek” (YouTube).

 

Actor William Shatner, 90, says he wouldn’t miss a chance to visit the edge of outer space in a real-life performance he’s been rehearsing for decades. He’ll be one of four passengers aboard the next Blue Origin space flight blasting off from West Texas on Oct. 12 for an 11-minute ride. 

 

“I’ve heard about space for a long time now,” the star of TV and films said in a statement. “I’m taking the opportunity to see it for myself. What a miracle” (CNN).

 

Reuters: Russian actors today blasted off to attempt a world first: a movie in space.