DCCC Chair Cheri Bustos:"Texas still remains ground zero" for the fall."

Abby Livingston
@TexasTribAbby
DCCC Chair Cheri Bustos in a news conference: “Texas still remains ground zero” for the fall.
7:32 AM · Jul 31, 2020·Twitter Web App

GOP Hopes for TX-23 Dim as Tony Gonzales Screams 'I Won' into the Void

On the eve of the one-year anniversary of Congressman Will Hurd’s shock retirement and ahead of tonight’s Allen West-led Texas GOP canvass of TX-23 ballots, there is still no end in sight for the disastrous Republican primary in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District.

While NRCC-favored Tony Gonzales has attempted to claim victory not one, not two, but three times, his runoff foe Raul Reyes has yet to concede and is vowing to request a recount, saying the race is “not anywhere near over yet.” Meanwhile, Gina Ortiz Jones is running laps around both men as she builds grassroots support, increases her $3 million war chest, and continues to run for Congress virtually unopposed.

“At this point, it’s unclear which number will be bigger: the amount of times Tony Gonzales insists he’s won this election or the final margin of victory in this disastrous nominating contest,” DCCC spokesman Avery Jaffe said. “The only clear thing that has emerged from this election is Tony Gonzales and Raul Reyes’ shared commitment to a dangerous health care agenda that would raise costs on hardworking Texans and strip away protections for pre-existing conditions.”




https://dccc.org/gop-hopes-tx-23-dim-tony-gonzales-screams-won-void/

NY-24: Katko: Both parties to blame as $600 jobless benefit is set to expire

U.S. Rep. John Katko said Friday that Democrats and Republicans are to blame for the expiration of a $600 weekly benefit that was available to millions of unemployed Americans.

The additional jobless aid was included in a $2.2 trillion COVID-19 relief package approved in late March. The $600 payments, which are on top of the weekly unemployment benefits, were set to end July 31 — unless Congress acted.

The payments have provided much-needed assistance to unemployed Americans. In Katko's district, the unemployment rate in Onondaga County is 12.1% and 10.6% in Cayuga County.

In May, the House passed the Democrats' $3 trillion proposal that included an extension of the $600 payments through January 2021. Katko, R-Camillus, voted against the bill because he said it contained "poison pills," such as the release of incarcerated individuals who are age 50 or older, within a year of being released from prison or have chronic health conditions that increase their risk of serious illness if they contract COVID-19.

Katko argued that it would be unfair to the inmates who are left in prison.

Despite Katko's opposition, it was still a starting point for negotiations. However, Senate Republicans opted to wait until July to act on another COVID-19 relief. And it wasn't until this week that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released the GOP's proposal.



https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/rep-john-katko-both-parties-to-blame-as-600-jobless-benefit-is-set-to-expire/article_4a9c2ddb-818a-5b6a-ba23-ac4be84d54d6.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1

McConnell: 15-20 GOP senators will not vote for any coronavirus deal

enate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Friday that more than a third of Republican senators will not vote for any coronavirus relief package, underscoring division with his caucus.

"I think there are 15-20 of my guys that are not going to vote for anything. ... It's a statement of the obvious that we will not have everybody on our side," McConnell told WHAS, a Kentucky radio station.

McConnell's estimate comes as congressional Democrats and the administration are struggling to reach an agreement after days of talks about a potential fifth coronavirus package as cases climb across the country and an economy bludgeoned by the pandemic.

McConnell, during the radio interview, said the two sides were "light-years apart," the latest sign that Congress and the White House are not close to a quick deal.

"This negotiation is going to be tough," he added. "At the moment there's not much movement."

But GOP divisions have also been in the spotlight after several senators trashed their own party's package, which was unveiled Monday. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) called the bill a "mess," while Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) argued that the negotiations were being carried out by "two big government Democrats."



https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/510094-mcconnell-15-20-gop-senators-will-not-vote-for-any-coronavirus-deal?__twitter_impression=true

I attended Joe Biden's fundraiser this evening and he left with one message about this election.

Expect a hard road ahead.