The White House says it supports an effort to attach previously stalled legislation to fast-track energy projects backed by West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin (D) onto a must-pass defense bill.

“The president believes we should pass the defensive authorization bill, and that the permitting bill should be included in that legislation, so that is something that we support from here,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday.

Her comments come amidst a last-minute push by Democratic leadership to add the energy-permitting legislation to the National Defense Authorization Act, according to people familiar with the effort.

Negotiations about attaching the legislation, which could speed approval of Equitrans Midstream Corp.’s stalled $6.6 billion Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline in Manchin’s home state, to the bill were ongoing at the leadership level and a final decision has yet to be made, the people said.

The annual defense policy bill is considered as must-pass because it authorizes pay increases as well as compensation for troops in harm’s way and is widely-supported by Republicans. It also sets personnel, weapons-buying and geopolitical policies. This year, the final compromise measure was negotiated behind closed doors by leaders of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees as well as Senate and House leadership, Ari Natter and Roxana Tiron report.

The House has yet to introduce the massive defense authorization bill—which was expected on Monday—and now there’s questions whether they’d be able to do it Tuesday. Leaders are still wrangling over whether to include Manchin’s permitting bill, among other provisions. Some House progressives have vowed to block the underlying defense bill if the permitting measure was included, Tiron reports.

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) at the Capitol on November 29.

Happening on the Hill

CONGRESS’ SCHEDULE

• The House returns at 9 a.m. and will consider a veterans immigration bill, among other measures.
• The Senate meets at 10 a.m. to vote on judicial nominations.

Biden Discussed Appropriations With Leahy, Shelby at White House

President Biden hosted Senators Patrick Leahy and Richard Shelby for lunch at the White House on Monday and discussed lame-duck issues including government funding, according to statement.

Biden Urged to Be Tough on Chinese Solar Over Human Rights

Republicans are warning the Biden administration not to prioritize green energy goals over enforcing federal import restrictions meant to discourage alleged human rights abuses in China.

Speaker’s Bid Bringing More Suspense as McCarthy Hunts for Votes

The first order of business for the House at the start of every Congress is to elect a speaker. The public election in early January takes place amid the pageantry of an opening day that includes the mass swearing-in of House members.

Pryor Confirmed to Seventh Circuit as Schumer Tees Up More Votes

Doris Pryor was confirmed to the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit as Senate Democrats readied two other appellate nominees for test votes.

Waters Says ‘Imperative’ Bankman-Fried Attend Dec. 13 Hearing

House Financial Services Committee Chair Maxine Waters says it is “imperative” that FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried attend the panel’s Dec. 13 hearing on the crypto exchange’s collapse, in a series of tweets.

Meta, Snap Defend Efforts to Deter Illegal Fentanyl Sales Online

Social media companies are defending their efforts to combat illegal fentanyl sales on their platforms as Republicans decry a growing drug epidemic.

Meta Threatens to Drop News From Platforms If Measure Passes

Meta Platforms on Monday said it may remove news from Facebook and Instagram if Congress passes a bill that would empower smaller news outlets to negotiate compensation from tech companies.

Elections & Politics

Biden Will Likely Announce 2024 Bid After Holidays, Klain Says

White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said he expects that President Joe Biden will announce he’s running for re-election after the US Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

• Klain said that the White House sees inflation easing but warned against a default on the US national debt, as lawmakers head toward an impasse on raising the borrowing limit. Read more

After 1.9 Million Votes, Warnock-Walker 2.0 Reaches Decision Day

Georgia voters Tuesday will decide whether to send Senator Raphael Warnock, a Democratic incumbent, back to Washington for a full six-year term or instead elect Republican Herschel Walker in the second consecutive runoff election for the seat in less than two years.

Polls show Warnock with a slight lead over Walker, a former University of Georgia football star who was handpicked by former President Donald Trump. Neither of the two men reached the 50% threshold required to avoid the runoff in the Nov. 8 election, due in part, to a third-party candidate who won’t appear on Tuesday’s ballot.

Rupert Murdoch Will Be Deposed Next Week in Voting Machine Suit

Rupert Murdoch will be deposed next week as part of Dominion Voting Systems’s $1.6 billion defamation suit against Fox News over the media company’s reports on a conspiracy theory about the 2020 presidential election.

Giuliani Puts 2020 Election Back on Trial in DC Ethics Case

Rudy Giuliani “weaponized his law license” to try to undermine the US Constitution when he led a failed effort for Donald Trump to invalidate potentially millions of Pennsylvania votes after the 2020 election, DC Bar officials argued Monday.

White House Plans to Remain in Twitter’s ‘Rougher Neighborhood’

The White House will continue to use Twitter to communicate with voters as long as it remains a “viable platform,” White House chief of staff Klain said Monday.

• Twitter is facing new legal fallout from mass layoffs under Elon Musk’s management, including complaints from some workers that severance payments are less than promised and from other employees that the company retaliated against them for exercising protected labor rights. Read more

Ex-Trump Foe Avenatti Gets 14 Years for Defrauding Clients

Former celebrity lawyer and Trump antagonist Michael Avenatti was sentenced to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to stealing millions of dollars from his clients, far more time than he received following two previous criminal convictions.

Ex-Miami Congressman Arrested Over Venezuelan Consulting Deal

A former Miami congressman was arrested on charges that he engaged in consultancy work for a US unit of PDVSA as a front for acting as an agent of the Venezuelan government.

Around the Administration

PRESIDENT’S SCHEDULE

• Biden at 1:30 p.m. MST tours TSMC’s semiconductor plant in Phoenix, Arizona. At 2 p.m. he is scheduled to give remarks on manufacturing and job growth as well as supply chain improvements.

Tim Cook, Biden to Help TSMC Unveil $40 Billion US Chip Buildout

Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook and Advanced Micro Devices CEO Lisa Su will join Biden on Tuesday at an Arizona event for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., where the chipmaker will announce plans to bolster its investment in the state to $40 billion and construct a second production facility.

Biden Convenes Oil Executives to Discuss Bolstering Ukraine Grid

The Biden administration is convening senior executives from oil and gas companies to brainstorm ways to help Ukraine reinforce its war-battered energy infrastructure.

US Upgrades Taiwan Weapons Package With Newer Patriot Missiles

The US has proposed selling Taiwan as many as 100 of its most advanced Patriot air-defense missiles along with radar and support equipment in a deal valued at $882 million, according to a State Department notice obtained by Bloomberg News.

US Army Taps Bell Textron for Helicopter of the Future

The US Army on Monday selected Bell Textron to build the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft in a contract worth up to $1.3 billion, beating out a Lockheed Martin–Boeing team to replace the iconic Black Hawk helicopters by 2030.

US, EU Mull Climate-Based Tariffs Aimed at Chinese Metals

The US and European Union are weighing new tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum as part of a bid to fight carbon emissions and global overcapacity, according to people familiar with the matter.

Crypto Pressure Ratchets Up as FTC Probes Several Firms Over Ads

The US Federal Trade Commission is probing several crypto firms over allegations their advertisements were deceptive or misleading, the agency said Monday.

Interior to Expand Solar Development on Federal Lands in West

The Interior Department will take steps to expand solar power development on federal lands in the West, the agency said Monday.

Musk’s Neuralink Faces Animal Welfare Probe, Reuters Says

Elon Musk’s brain implant company Neuralinkis under federal investigation for allegedly violating the Animal Welfare Act amid staff complaints its animal testing is being rushed, Reuters reported.

US Extends Temporary Protected Status for Haiti for 18 Months

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas has extended the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti for an additional 18 months, Department of Homeland Security says in a statement.

Alito Quip About Children, KKK Creates Awkward High Court Moment

Justice Samuel Alito made a quip about Black children wearing Ku Klux Klan outfits at the US Supreme Court Monday.

US Won’t Back 2022 Patent Waivers for Covid Tests and Treatments

The US won’t agree to waive intellectual-property protections for Covid-19 treatments and tests this year — aligning with developed-nation peers and damaging prospects for a World Trade Organization accord aimed at boosting global access to life-saving medicines.

With assistance from Roxana Tiron

To contact the reporters on this story: Michaela Ross in Washington at mross@bgov.com; Andrew Small at asmall@bgov.com

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrew Small at asmall@bgov.com; Andrew Small at asmall@bgov.com