The HILL Evening Report, March 11, 2024 - Biden unveils budget blueprint, faces pushback

 

EVENING REPORT

Monday, March 11

©  Associated Press

Biden unveils budget blueprint, faces pushback President Biden has released his $7.3 trillion spending outline for the coming budget year, proposing several ambitious efforts aimed at raising taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations to fund new social programs.   "We are the only nation that has emerged from every crisis we have entered stronger than we went in. While my Administration has seen great progress since day one, there is still work to do. My Budget will help make that promise real," Biden wrote in a budget document to Congress.   Biden's proposal calls for trimming the nation’s deficit by $3 trillion in the next 10 years, doubling down on pitches to increase the corporate tax rate, enact a minimum tax on billionaires and quadrupling the stock buybacks tax.   The spending meets the caps that House Republicans tucked into last year's Fiscal Responsibility Act in exchange for raising the debt limit.   But House Republican leaders immediately tore into Biden's proposal, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R– La.) Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R– La.), Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R– Minn.) and GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R–N.Y.) releasing a joint statement. "The price tag of President Biden’s proposed budget is yet another glaring reminder of this Administration’s insatiable appetite for reckless spending and the Democrats’ disregard for fiscal responsibility. Biden’s budget doesn’t just miss the mark – it is a roadmap to accelerate America’s decline."    Meanwhile, Trump boasted Monday that “there is a lot you can do” when it comes to cutting funding to entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare.   Biden shot back: "I’m never gonna allow that to happen."   The president's proposed budget, which is intended to be seen more like a wish list, is unlikely to ever become law. Due to Republican opposition, the version of the budget that eventually passes will likely look much different than it does now.

Welcome to Evening Report! I'm Liz Crisp, catching you up from the afternoon and what's coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here.

CATCH UP QUICK   Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge will depart the Biden administration later this month, making her just the second Biden Cabinet official to leave their post.   Kate, Princess of Wales, has issued an apology after the first photo showing her since her abdominal surgery in January was retracted by news agencies once they discovered it had been deceptively altered.   Former President Trump labeled E. Jean Carroll “Miss Bergdorf Goodman” in an interview Monday as he expressed frustration with having to post a $91.63 million bond in Carroll’s defamation lawsuit against him. Trump is appealing the recent verdict.

NEW THIS AFTERNOON

© Associated Press Menendez pleads not guilty to new obstruction, bribery charges Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and his wife have pleaded not guilty to a slate of new charges accusing them of obstruction of justice while being investigated over bribery allegations.  The former Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair is accused of accepting “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in bribes to curry favor in Egypt and accepted gifts from the Qatari government.   Menendez now faces 16 counts and his wife, Nadine, faces 15 counts. Their co-defendant, businessman Jose Uribe, has pleaded guilty in the alleged scheme. (The Hill)

Senate Intel panel reviews global threats The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is holding a hearing with top officials from security agencies on the broad subject of global threats, including potential actions by Russia, Iran and China. Witnesses include National Intelligence director Avril Haines, CIA director Bill Burns and FBI director Christopher Wray. (The Hill)

STATE WATCH GOP’s Robinson under growing scrutiny in North Carolina  North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R) is facing growing scrutiny over controversial positions as he aims for the North Carolina governor’s mansion. Robinson, an ally of former President Trump, won the GOP nomination this week and is headed for a showdown with Democrat Josh Stein in November. If elected, he’d be the state's first Black governor. But Robinson’s past remarks on topics ranging from LGBTQ issues to civil rights and slavery to women’s issues are drawing new criticism.  “Democrats have been given the greatest messenger against Mark Robinson, and that’s Mark Robinson,” Paul Shumaker, a North Carolina Republican strategist, who worked on Robinson’s primary opponent’s campaign, told The Hill.   Read more about the race from The Hill's Cheyanne M. Daniels and Julia Manchester.

IN OTHER NEWS

© NewsNation Cuomo to Carlson: You ‘cherry-picked’ Jan. 6 video NewsNation anchor Chris Cuomo and ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson clashed over the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack in Carlson’s first national television appearance since his exit from Fox last year. Cuomo confronted Carlson about his views of the event and criticized how he handled access to security footage from the Capitol that day. "I think it was a riot. And I think they were way over the line, and I think they were motivated to go over the line in part by the resident of the United States," Cuomo said. Carlson agreed that “parts of it obviously were a riot” but said there is a lack of transparency, though he received exclusive access to thousands of hours of tapes. “You cherry-picked that tape by the way,” Cuomo said.  The one-on-one interview will air Monday at 8 p.m.

Bands pull out of SXSW over U.S. Army sponsorship Multiple musical acts scheduled to perform at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival this week are pulling out because of the U.S. Army’s sponsorship of the event and America’s ongoing support of Israel’s war against Hamas.  The Belfast, Ireland-based rap trio Kneecap — the most recent departure — called the relationship “depraved” in light of the war in Gaza.  Other slated SXSW performers including Lambrini Girls, Scowl, Gel, Okay Shalom, Squirrel Flower and Sprints also have backed out of the event in protest.  The festival in Austin, Texas, typically attracts more than 300,000 people each year. The U.S. is currently the top supplier of weapons to Israel. The U.S. Army said in a statement that it is “proud to be a sponsor of SXSW, and to have the opportunity to showcase America’s Army… explore new ideas and insights, and create dynamic industry partnerships.” (The Hill)

OP-EDS IN THE HILL

"How the GOP can stop alienating women over abortion," writes Sarah Chamberlain president and CEO of the Republican Main Street Partnership and founder of Women2Women.   "America needs leaders with political courage," writes Jeff Mayhugh, president of East Coast Operations for No Cap Fund.

COUNTDOWN 126 days until the Republican National Convention.  161 days until the Democratic National Convention.   238 days until the 2024 general election.

COMING NEXT   Tuesday: President Biden will host Poland President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk on the 25th anniversary of Poland's admission to the NATO Alliance.