Burgess Everett

The Nevada Democrat pushing against her party’s progressive pull When Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto clashed on the floor with a colleague, it spoke loudly about the party’s ongoing internal struggles.

Talked to Sen. Cortez Masto about her vision for the party: Moderates are the future

“I am someone who is not shying from a fight. But I also think that you have to be strategic and you have to get things done"

On Booker spat: "Shocked it became news"

www.semafor.com/article/08/0...

Sign up for Semafor Principals What the White House is reading

News: Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek is telling Dems he's running for the Senate Dem primary -- per a voice mail obtained by Semafor -- and already has a fundraising link up.

More in tomorrow's Principals, sign up here: www.semafor.com/newsletters/...

Vulnerable Republican congressman hit over stock trades The Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund is spending early against Pennsylvania Rep. Rob Bresnahan with ads shared first with Semafor.

NRDC running ads against Rep. Bresnahan on stock trades per @eleanormueller.bsky.social
www.semafor.com/article/08/0...

Why a first-term senator passed up Trump’s Cabinet Eric Schmitt declined the attorney general job and the chairmanship of the Senate Republican campaign arm. He’s still amassing huge clout.

Eric Schmitt could have become Trump’s AG if he wanted the job, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter

He told Trump admin: “I want to be a strong advocate for you in the Senate.”

It seems like a good bet so far ...

www.semafor.com/article/08/0...

🟡 Semafor Principals: Heirs apparent | Semafor In today’s edition: a whirlwind of White House news.

GOP mulling potential rules changes on nominees:
- Shortening debate: 2 hrs to 15 mins
- Eliminating first cloture vote
- Allowing multiple confirmations in one vote

Rounds talking to Dems but unlikely they'd go for something designed to help Trump

www.semafor.com/newsletter/0...

Sen. Rounds on firing of BLS commissioner

"The president's got to have confidence in their ability to get the job done correctly, too. So will it raise questions in the market? It could, and that would be the downside to what he did"

Senate just held its first pro forma session of August, which blocks recess appointments. Sen. Rounds say he wants senators to exempt 300-400 positions from Senate confirmation to make the whole process less unwieldy

Says rules changes to speed noms are likely in the interim

🟡 Semafor Principals: Trump’s enforcer | Semafor In today’s edition: Trump’s enforcer tests her influence.

Slotkin told voters on Monday that she would not support a government funding bill next month unless Republicans “do something to restore some of the cuts” from the GOP megabill per @daveweigel www.semafor.com/newsletter/0...

Loomer tests influence as Trump’s enforcer “A patriot,” in Trump’s words. “A callus” that only appears “after the work’s done,” as one Republican senator put it. The reality may be somewhere in between.

Laura Loomer's a Grim Reaper for Trump officials -- when she shows up, they're in trouble. How much influence does she really have?

Tillis likened her to “callus” that appears only “after the work’s done." Loomer dissed him back

www.semafor.com/article/08/0...

@daveweigel.bsky.social and Shelby

Republicans fight each other over spending strategy The White House would prefer a long-term spending freeze that some in the party criticize as locking in ‘Biden’s budget.’

News: Republicans jammed Dems in March because they were unified on a long-term CR. They are VERY divided right now

-Many Senate Rs want bipartisan deals. Thune says defense hawks "hate" a year-long CR

-White House + conservatives pushing for long CR

www.semafor.com/article/08/0...

They were actually fighting with each other in unusual ways: Booker/CCM/Klobuchar, and Tillis and Marshall got into it on Friday
-the Sept. 30 government funding deadline could drive more deal making on noms, spending
-Trump got some ppl he really wanted: Pirro, Puzder etc

…the Republicans don’t have full agreement on rules changes. Some want to shorten debate time others want to do en bloc confirmations.
-Republicans are leery of recess appointments because of how future Dem president could use them
-senators needed to go home…

what happened in Senate on nominees?

-it’s true there was no big deal on quickly confirming dozens of noms. But there was a smaller deal: Trump got a bunch of confirmations yesterday that could have taken days more
-Rs would rather change rules than do recess appointments but…

Why Trump is going after the Senate—and why it’s more challenging than when he goes after the House

Update: Schumer and Thune met last night, Schumer gave a counter offer on nominees package, per person familiar. Dems waiting on response

Republicans think it's on Democrats to land a deal with the WH. Dems think Thune needs to land a deal with Trump (they met earlier this week)

Sens. Marshall and Tillis had a tense disagreement at Senate GOP meeting today over handling of Trump nominees (how long to stay in session, etc.) and how much to follow his marching orders

Some think the Senate functions better the longer it's in, but this is a counterpoint

The Senate is about to take 16 votes on the approps bill, amendments and nominees. This will take maybe 3-5 hours, depending on how long the votes take

Senate Approps Chair Collins has locked in an agreement on a package of spending bills as well as a bunch of amendments

First step to the Senate's August end game and could alter dynamics of September's shutdown fight

Still no deal on noms but Trump-Schumer-Thune are in talks

Murkowski: “when you don’t like the message, fire the messenger”

Asked her if she can still trust the jobs numbers: “no. That’s the problem. And when you fire people it makes you trust them even less”

Sign up for Semafor Principals What the White House is reading

News: Some White House officials are joining conservatives in Congress to push for a year-long CR, per multiple people familiar

GOP not on the same page: Senate Republicans want bipartisan appropriations bills

Subscribe to Principals for more

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Sen. Collins responds: “When I cast my vote, I do so in the interests of the state of Maine and America. Sometimes that aligns with the president's position. And sometimes it doesn't”

Nominees talks are currently at White House-Schumer-Thune level.

Thune met w Trump yesterday before Trump posted that senators need to stay in town last night

Republicans about to discuss the state of play … and a mountain of Chick-fil-A was just brought into the Capitol

Schumer on jobs report showing big hiring slowdown:

"If this is what Liberation Day was supposed to look like, then God help us"

One thing Dems are not blanket obstructing are the military promotions in Trump era. Dozens went last night by unanimous consent

Biggest risk for Republicans next year is voters that put Trump over the top don’t come out. Already cost GOP a bunch of Senate seats in recent years

www.semafor.com/article/08/0...

Sen. Kaine says he'll force votes requiring Trump admin to produce human rights assessments on Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Eswatini

Longer the Senate stays in the more Democrats will find ways to force votes on Senate floor

How Thune is running the machine McConnell built The new Senate majority leader is also helping steer the party’s electoral ship. He talked to Semafor about how it’s going.

How Thune is running the machine McConnell built

www.semafor.com/article/08/0...

Thune filed cloture on 10 nominees, including some of Trump’s top priorities: Jeanine Pirro (DCUSA), Andy Puzder (amb to EU) and Brian Burch (amb to Vatican). Those votes will start Saturday without a deal and go into Sunday

These are nominees that can’t get consent from Dems

Slotkin: “I owe it to my state to make clear where I stand: Had I made it back for the vote yesterday, I would have voted yes to block offensive weapons to Israel based on my concerns over lack of food and medicine getting to civilians in Gaza.

Michael Whatley blitz: Leader Thune, NRSC Chair Tim Scott and Thune-aligned super PAC Senate Leadership Fund all endorse his Senate campaign in NC

He already has Trump's backing and Tillis said "with the President's endorsement, they should be able to eliminate the primary"