Cozen Oconnor Public Strategies - The Beltway Briefing

Since winning a Long Island congressional seat last year, a flood of recent reporting has exposed George Santos as an alleged serial liar who embellished or fabricated a shockingly large part of his life story during his election campaign. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the impact of the Santos controversy, which has drawn a divide within the House GOP conference, with some Republicans coming out against the freshman and others backing his continued service. And, as the U.S. government hit the statutory debt ceiling on Thursday, prompting the Treasury to institute extraordinary measures to allow the government to pay its obligations until early June, they also break down the status of debt-ceiling negotiations and ponder the economic damage a first-ever default on U.S. debt would cause around the world.

In this episode, Public Strategies introduces Rodney Davis, a former five-term congressman representing Illinois’ 13th Congressional District, who has joined the firm as a Managing Director. Rodney will leverage his substantial experience in public affairs to provide strategic counsel to the firm’s government relations clients. Rodney and regular co-hosts Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin break down the measures taken up to advance the GOP's agenda during the first full week of the new Congress, with a House speaker finally elected, members sworn in, and the rules for the 118th Congress adopted. They also discuss why President Biden, who began the year with a surge of political momentum, propelled by better-than-expected midterm election results and Republican disarray, suddenly confronts a ballooning political problem, albeit not necessarily a legal one, resulting from revelations that classified documents dating from his vice presidency were found at his ho

After a chaotic week of harsh rhetoric, backstage maneuvering, and brinkmanship politics, Rep. Kevin McCarthy became the 55th speaker of the House on a historic post-midnight 15th ballot early Saturday, finally breaking the impasse and overcoming a fierce challenge to his leadership by hard-right defectors that led him to make steep concessions. For better or worse, this exercise represented the most thorough review of House rules and processes since the chamber’s reorganization efforts in the mid-1970s. On a somber two-year anniversary of the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the stalemate not seen on the House floor since 1923 that laid bare the divisions among House Republicans and tested McCarthy’s and the new GOP majority’s ability to effectively govern in the 118th Congress. NOTE TO LISTENERS: this episode was recorded at 9 a.m. on Friday, after the House had just finished its

Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin wrap up this year’s Beltway Briefing podcast series as they reflect on key political and legislative battles of 2022 and – as the 118th United States Congress gets ready to convene, look ahead to events in Washington and beyond in 2023. And, as it’s now a tradition, our podcast co-hosts sing and recite their own Christmas carols. Wishing you all a very merry holiday season and a happy and prosperous New Year, --Your Beltway Briefing podcast team

On November 8, voters across the country cast their ballots for governor, U.S. Senate, the House, and several down-ballot seats. Americans in 37 states also voted on 132 statewide ballot measures,including cannabis legalization, guns, abortion rights, voting policy, and sports betting. The results were consequential for both the states and the nation as a whole. Public Strategies’ Jim Davis, Katie Schwab, Matt Glavin, John Reich, and Julia Hammond provide a state-by-state breakdown of the results of the midterm races in Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois, Minnesota, and Virginia. They also offer an overview of the nationwide midterm election results and their impact from the perspective of their respective state politics.

On Thursday night, the White House hosted the first state dinner of Biden’s presidency in honor of France, a key American ally. Joining President Biden and French President Macron were more than 350 guests, including House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, whose quest to secure the 218 votes he needs to be elected Speaker of the House in January looms over lame-duck legislative debates. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Towner French share their thoughts on the first post-Covid state dinner. They also break down end-of-the-year partisan maneuvering over key government appropriations bills, including the National Defense Authorization Act and the shutdown deadline-facing 2023 Omnibus spending package, before current funding expires on December 16.

Democrats’ strongest showing in a presidential midterm in the last two decades enabled them to retain control of the Senate. After more than a week of vote counting, Republicans secured a slender majority in the House on Wednesday, a delayed yet consequential finish to the 2022 midterm elections that will reorder the balance of power in Washington and is certain to complicate the Biden administration’s efforts to enact parts of the President’s legislative agenda for the next two years. After leading the House Democrats since 2003, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday that she will step down next year from her spot at the top of the party, leading to a seismic change on Capitol Hill. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin reflect on Speaker Pelosi’s momentous leadership and ponder how a coming shift in power dynamic, which in January will end two years of unified Democratic control, will transform the workings of Washington.

The midterms were poised to usher in a “red wave” in the House and potentially the Senate, teeing up a heavily Republican U.S. legislature in 2023, based on the disapproval of President Biden, record inflation, and traditional losses for the party that holds the White House. But on election night, the results painted a different picture for the future Congress. Democrats appeared to defy historical odds, as the Republican landslide political pundits had been predicting for months failed to materialize. The 2022 election remains in the balance, as the battles for both chambers are still too close to call, with Republicans favored to win what increasingly looks like a narrow majority in the House and Democrats moving closer to retaining their Senate majority. As the votes continue to be counted, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin break down the results of key midterm races and offer some early election takeaways.

On November 8, New Yorkers cast their ballots for governor, U.S. Senate, the House, and several down-ballot seats. The results were consequential for both the state and the nation. New York Public Strategies’ Katie Schwab, Stuart Shorenstein, Rose Christ, and Jamie Ansorge break down the results of the midterm elections in New York and provide an overview of the nationwide midterm election results from the perspective of New York politics.

The 2022 midterm elections could be the most consequential in years. Every seat in the House of Representatives is up for grabs, as are 35 Senate seats and 36 governorships. Several more down-ballot races for secretary of state, attorney general, or control of state legislatures could have wide-ranging effects on the 2024 presidential elections and hot-button issues like abortion rights, health care, and climate change. Public Strategies’ Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss what’s at stake on November 8, and break down the top House and Senate races to watch on Election Day and how they could alter the balance of power in Washington.

Public Strategies' Howard Schweitzer and Mark Alderman discuss Israeli business and politics directly from Tel Aviv, Israel.

The 2022 midterms are around the corner, and there may not be a more consequential election than this one. From inflation to a possible recession, tax policy, gun control, abortion law, immigration reform, and more, American voters have a plethora of issues to consider on November 8. All 435 House seats are up for election, and a shift of only five seats would transfer control of the chamber to Republicans. In the Senate, a total of 35 seats are up for election, with a net change of one seat in either direction altering the balance. As Republicans and Democrats battle it out with just weeks of campaigning left before election day, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin break down the electoral map and discuss the impact of the last January 6 Committee hearing.

Will Vladimir Putin use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine, or elsewhere in the West? It’s not an idle question as the Russian dictator, who doesn’t believe in the credibility of the U.S. nuclear deterrent, grows increasingly agitated with mounting setbacks in Ukraine. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin ponder the seriousness of the prospect of Armageddon, raised for the first time since Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis. They also break down the implications of President Biden’s decision this week to take his first major steps toward decriminalizing marijuana, by issuing a blanket pardon for all prior federal offenses for simple possession of the drug and discuss the latest developments in the 2022 midterm races.

Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Towner French, Kaitlyn Martin and Joe Hill discuss how President Biden and Governor DeSantis are managing the Hurricane Ian crisis on the federal and state levels. They also breakdown the high-profile, high-stakes races in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and extrapolate the trends that could have nationwide implications and affect the country’s political makeup in November.

The 2022 midterms are around the corner, and there may not be a more consequential election than this one. From inflation to a possible recession, tax policy, gun control, abortion law, immigration reform, and more, American voters have a plethora of issues to consider in November. The Biden administration’s politics, policies, and polling will shape the national atmosphere, as midterms are generally viewed as a referendum on the president. All 435 House seats are up for election, and a shift of only five seats would transfer control of the chamber to Republicans. In the Senate, a total of 35 seats are up for election, with a net change of one seat in either direction altering the balance. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Towner French ponder different case scenarios for the midterms, including one of the House flipping to Republican control, and how the shift in the balance of power and the resulting legislative gridlock could pose serious challenges to Biden’s agend

The 2022 midterm elections will be incredibly consequential. While it’s conventional wisdom that the House will flip to Republican control, 35 U.S. Senate seats and 36 governorships are also up for grabs. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss Trump's political influence and other potential factors affecting voters in November. And with just over two years to go until the 2024 presidential election, they discuss the issue seemingly on every voter’s mind: who will throw their hats in the ring for what is already shaping up to be one of the most heated political races in American history.

Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-serving monarch, died on Thursday at 96. Elizabeth’s broadly popular 70-year reign was widely considered a symbol of decorum and a rare bastion of stability and permanence in a world of shifting values and tectonic challenges that followed World War II. Against a backdrop of the passing of such an unwavering institutionalist, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the extremism and ongoing threats to democracy in the United States, and consider President Biden’s record and Trump’s legal jeopardy.

Heading into August recess, Congress is on the cusp of delivering President Biden two back-to-back legislative victories: on Wednesday, after more than a year of wrangling and frustration, Senate Democratic leaders and Joe Manchin announced a reconciliation agreement for a sweeping tax-and-spend plan known as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The breakthrough bill includes $433 billion in new federal spending, including $369 billion in energy and climate change investments, and is designed to generate an estimated $739 billion in revenue and reduce federal deficits by $300 billion over 10 years. On Thursday, the House of Representatives voted to pass the CHIPS and Science Act, a $280 billion funding package that will boost the U.S. semiconductor industry and cut reliance on chip products from foreign sources. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin breakdown the two pieces of legislation and discuss what they mean for Biden’s Build Back Better agenda and an

Looking ahead at the critical midterm elections, perhaps no issue is likely to motivate Americans more at the polls than the state of their own finances. So just like it was in 1992, is it “the economy, stupid” again in 2022 and, if so, which economy? The one reflecting soaring gas, food and housing prices and historically high inflation, or the one indicating a tremendous labor market, sustained consumer spending, and continued strong business investment? Meanwhile, in a recent poll, only 13 percent of voters said the country is on the right track, prompting some in the media to note that “everything is broken.” Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin discuss the economic crosswinds and the fact both Democrats and Republicans are pouncing on the economy’s diverging paths to support their policymaking pursuits ahead of the midterms. And they ponder whether the system is indeed fundamentally broken or if it’s still strong enough that it can be rep

Midway through the 2022 primary season, as the challenges facing the nation mount, there is growing speculation among both Democrats and Republicans that neither Biden nor Trump will be on the ballot in 2024. Meanwhile, the House Committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, during its prime-time televised hearings, continues to present evidence of a conspiracy to overturn a free and fair democratic election. Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin ponder whether Biden and Trump will run in 2024, discuss the impact, if any, the January 6 Committee hearings are having on the presidential race, and break down the most recent attempts to get the reconciliation bill across the finish line.