THE LONG GAME: Trump seeks to sink border deal; House GOP seeks to impeach DHS chief
A bipartisan deal that would pair new border policies with aid to Ukraine remains up in the air, and hopes for its approval are quickly dissipating. Negotiators appeared to be near agreement on the legislation last week. That is, until former president Donald Trump entered the fray. Preferring to see immigration remain a campaign issue to use against President Biden rather than see the problem get solved, Trump began urging Republican lawmakers to oppose the package. Trump called the deal a political “gift” to Democrats. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) later said that the legislation would be “dead on arrival” in the House. Not all GOP members are falling in line with Trump. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said, “It’s all about politics and not having the courage to respectfully disagree with President Trump.” President Biden, for his part, said over the weekend that if the bill were law he would “shut down the border right now and fix it quickly.”
Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee are expected to vote Tuesday to approve articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas, accusing him of a “breach of the public trust” stemming from the influx of migrants at the southern border. GOP members unveiled the articles on Sunday. In response, administration officials dismissed the investigation as unconstitutional and "evidence-free.” Even if the GOP-led House acts to impeach Mayorkas, he would be all but certain to survive a trial in the Senate. Former DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff, who served under then-president George W. Bush, wrote in the Wall Street Journal that Republicans had failed to meet the “high crimes and misdemeanors” standard required for impeachment.
Washington Watch is published weekly when Congress is in session. Published monthly during extended recess or adjournment.
Spotlight Puerto Rico
Lawmakers seek adjustments in Medicare Advantage plans
Thirteen members of the U.S. House of Representatives are urging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to review and refine the formula used to determine payments for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans in Puerto Rico. Organized by Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), the lawmakers requested a “review of the adequacy, and potential refining, of the formula to set Puerto Rico’s MA benchmarks” in a letter sent to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra on Thursday. The lawmakers pointed out that payments to Puerto Rican beneficiaries are 39 percent below the national average. Island officials have sought the same geographic adjustment offered to Medicare Advantage plans in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Such a move would generate an estimated $1 billion in additional payments to health care providers on the Island.
New housing construction at Fort Buchanan
Twenty-six housing units currently under construction at Fort Buchanan are expected to be completed by November. The project, which generates 50 direct jobs and an estimated $1.4 million in tax revenue, is intended to enhance the quality of life for officers and their families based at the U.S. Army installation, which is located between Bayamon and Guaynabo. The project represents an investment of approximately $32 million. In addition to the housing units, a microgrid will be developed at the base at a cost of $52 million. The new units will replace housing that was constructed in the 1940s.
Members of Puerto Rican diaspora urged to visit Island
Plans are taking shape to encourage Puerto Ricans living on the mainland to visit the Island between May 1 and August 31. Organizers of the initiative, called Junte Boricua 2024, have set a goal of 50,000 visitors, which would generate an estimated $75 million for small- and medium-sized businesses. “This will have a significant economic impact, but the real impact of this initiative is connecting with the diaspora, which is immeasurable,” said Mike Soto, president of the Center for a New Economy. Approximately 470 volunteers from major U.S. cities have been recruited to promote the initiative, which is being organized by GFR Media.
View From The White House
After three U.S. service personnel were killed in a drone attack carried out in Jordan by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, President Biden pledged that “we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing.”
The Biden administration announced Monday that the Office of Personnel Management will issue a new rule prohibiting federal agencies from considering an applicant’s salary history when determining pay for federal employment, a step intended to limit pay discrimination.
Criticizing “MAGA Republicans (who) willfully deny the urgency of the climate crisis,” President Biden announced on Friday that the administration would delay the consideration of new natural gas export terminals in the United States.
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