The Beltway & Beyond

The House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol issued five subpoenas this week for members of Congress. Meanwhile, geopolitical risks and economic headwinds are rattling markets, stores nationwide are struggling to stock enough baby formula, and gas prices are setting records on an almost daily basis.

Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Towner French, Kaitlyn Martin, and Tristan Breaux discuss the current developments and the country’s increased polarization along political and ideological lines, and ponder what it would take to bring the country back together and restore our confidence in government.

The Supreme Court stands on the brink of striking down the landmark 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, and the news has hit the political world like an earthquake.

Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, Kaitlyn Martin, and Tristan Breaux discuss the leak of a draft opinion itself, unprecedented in the Supreme Court’s recent history, on the court’s standing, and ponder the potentially seismic consequences of overturning the landmark decision across the social, demographic, and political spectrum.

A barrage of divisive economic signals played a role in recent market turmoil. On Capitol Hill, politicians are pouncing on the numbers to support their political agendas ahead of the critical 2022 midterm elections. Meanwhile, the path forward in the war in Ukraine remains unclear, as what many predicted would be a swift victory for the Russian military enters its third month, with no end in sight.

Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, and Kaitlyn Martin take a step back from the minutiae of Washington to reflect on the bigger picture of politics and try to bring some perspective to the challenging environment in which the country finds itself.

Eric Adams - a former New York City police captain, state lawmaker, and Brooklyn Borough President -distinguished himself in the Democratic primary running on public safety, economic inequality, and making the city feel orderly, functional and fun again. In his first 100 days in office, Adams projected an aggressive confidence as he announced policies aimed at combating an image of NYC as hobbled by the pandemic and beset by rising crime. He dropped many COVID-19 precautions, even as virus cases have risen, and he ordered homeless encampments removed from public spaces and the subways, despite complaints from activists.

Then Mr. Adams was thrown a curveball: he marked his 100th day as mayor by going into quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 and, in a stunning turn of events, all of the above issues converged the next day in a Brooklyn subway station when a deranged gunman opened fire and injured 26 people.

Cozen O'Connor-New York Public Strategies’ Ken Fisher, Katie Schwab, Stuart Shorenstein, Rose Christ, and Jamie Ansorge grade Mr. Adam’s performance during his first 100 days in office and discuss the many challenges still confronting the mayor.

On Thursday, the Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson as the 116th justice, making her the first Black woman to join the Supreme Court. It was a history-making moment for Judge Jackson, but also for President Biden, who served as vice president to the first Black President, selected the first Black woman to be named vice president, and is now linked to another groundbreaking first.

Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, and Towner French speak of a larger meaning of the incoming justice’s elevation and discuss the ways many of the most pressing cultural issues today impact how we engage politically.

The nine words about Vladimir Putin that President Biden ad-libbed in his speech in Warsaw last weekend seemed to imply the U.S. seeks regime change in Moscow, causing the White House and the State Department to quickly clarify Biden’s remarks. On Thursday, Biden ordered the largest-ever release of oil from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve for the next six months, in an effort to tamp down gasoline prices that have buoyed inflation. And a few days earlier, the U.S. and EU announced a joint task force to reduce Europe’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels, causing Biden to engage in a political balancing act as he touted his Administration’s commitment to tackling climate change.

As the war in Ukraine grinds into a second month, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Kaitlyn Martin, and Tristan Breaux discuss how domestic political pressures may stand in tension with Biden’s stated commitments to protecting democracy outside of U.S. borders, and how balancing both the domestic and international pressures shape the President’s decision making.

On Wednesday, Judge Ketanji Brown-Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court moved forward with the conclusion of her confirmation hearings, which featured tense exchanges over her sentencing record and the recognition of the historic nature of the proceedings. On Friday, House Republicans wrapped up their annual retreat in Florida, during which they sought to project unity and cobble together key parts of their proposed agenda in a bid to retake the House majority in 2022 midterm elections. Meanwhile, in meetings this week of NATO, the G-7 economies and the EU, President Biden and other leaders offered unified support and boosted assistance for Ukraine, one month after Russia launched a full-scale invasion.

Public Strategies’ Mark Alderman, Towner French, Kaitlyn Martin, and Tristan Breaux debate key moments and takeaways from the Senate confirmation hearings and the House GOP retreat.

The FY 2022 $1.5 trillion omnibus spending legislation moved at the congressional version of warp speed last week, passing the House less than a day after it was introduced and clearing the Senate 24 hours later. On Tuesday, President Biden signed the massive package, providing a substantial increase in spending for domestic spending and national security and $13.6 billion in emergency assistance for Ukraine. The same day, after losing an hour of sleep over the weekend, a groggy Senate unanimously passed a proposal to make daylight-saving time permanent.

On the heels of Biden’s high-stakes call with Chinese President Xi Jinping focused on China’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Towner French, and Tristan Breaux break down this week’s political developments and discuss some of the key events scheduled for next week, including Biden’s trip to Brussels for an extraordinary NATO summit and Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

On Friday, the U.S. moved to revoke “most favored nation” trade status for Russia, and ban imports of its seafood, vodka and diamonds, as it joined the EU and G7 countries in ratcheting up economic pressure on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. The day before, in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote, the Senate passed a $1.5 trillion spending package to fund the federal government for the current fiscal year, capping off a fierce and urgent push to respond to the geopolitical unrest roiling Europe and approve $13.6 billion in aid to Ukraine.

On the anniversary of the American Rescue Plan becoming law, and the second anniversary of the WHO’s pandemic declaration, Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Towner French, and Kaitlyn Martin break down the government response to Russia’s invasion and discuss how the one-two punch of rising energy prices and the intensifying geopolitical crisis could complicate the Fed’s efforts to rein in inflation and put the brakes on the rapid economic rebound.

On Tuesday, President Biden delivered his first State of the Union address at a precarious moment, after a year marked by continuing struggles with the COVID-19 pandemic, declining political fortunes for him and his fellow Democrats, the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and, now, Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The speech offered Biden an opportunity to try to pull some discontented voters back onto his side, all while giving due gravity to the situation in Eastern Europe.

Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Patrick Martin, Towner French, Kaitlyn Martin, and Tristan Breaux offer the main takeaways from the President’s address and discuss how the fast-shifting international crisis sparked by Russia’s violent invasion is already reshaping political views in the U.S. and impacting the domestic economy.