Swing Districts Snooze on Woke Week: What to Know in Washington

House Republicans will campaign anti-“woke” bills that look unlikely to rouse swing districts away from other issues. But first, you should know:

• Speaker Mike Johnson said the GOP will prioritize business tax cuts and “blowtorch” regulations if they sweep November elections.
• Donald Trump pledged to bring back the SALT tax deduction that he helped dismantle while in office.
• Kamala Harris is ramping up outreach to Hispanic voters and wants to cap child care costs at 7% of working families’ income.

‘Woke Week’ Dominates House Floor

House Republicans will target “woke” companies and schools during one of their last pre-election weeks in Washington — a wake-up call that’ll likely be ignored in the most vulnerable districts.

Opposing school diversity and environmental investing rounds out Republicans’ central theme on the House floor this week. However, what conservatives label “anti-woke” messaging is far less ubiquitous in vulnerable Republicans’ campaign ads ahead of the November election, which more often focus on economic and border policies than culture wars.

The bills likely won’t divide Republicans on the House floor. But the social issues will be “a net neutral in terms of affecting an outcome of an election, frankly,” Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.) predicted. Independent voters are “worried about the economy, they’re worried about the border, they’re worried about inflation,” Garcia, who represents a toss-up seat, added.

About eight in 10 registered voters in a recent Pew Research Center poll said the economy was “very important” to their vote in the 2024 presidential election, with health care second at 65%. Racial and ethnic equality and climate change — the centerpiece of many of the “woke” policies Republicans oppose — ranked last of the issues Pew asked about, with 37% of voters calling each issue “very important.” Read More

Read BGOV’s Congress Tracker for the complete breakdown of lawmaker’s daily legislative agenda and the politics driving it.

Harris Ramps Up Hispanic Outreach

Vice President Kamala Harris is turning her focus to Hispanic voters as she looks to shore up support among one of the Democratic Party’s key blocs, a group among whom Donald Trump has made inroads.

Harris will address the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute conference in Washington today, with President Joe Biden speaking at an awards dinner for the group on Thursday.

According to the Pew Research Center, the number of Latinos eligible to vote grew to an estimated 36.2 million this year up from 32.3 million in 2020. In swing-state Nevada, Latinos account for 22% of eligible voters according to Pew, and 25% in Arizona, another battleground. Polls show Harris has improved over Biden among Hispanics as the new Democratic nominee, but the support Trump still retains could tip states such as Nevada and Arizona.

Since Labor Day, Harris’ campaign has earmarked $3.2 million for Spanish language television and radio, about 16 times more than Trump’s campaign has spent, according to AdImpact. The Harris campaign also recently launched the “Latinos con Harris-Walz” WhatsApp channel to reach voters. Read More

Editor’s Picks

Harris Seeks to Cap Child Care Costs at 7% for Working Families

Vice President Kamala Harris said that she would seek to cap child care costs for working families at 7% of their income, her latest effort to assure voters that she will address the high prices and broad economic anxiety that has threatened her bid for the White House against Republican Donald Trump.

Trump Pledges to Restore SALT Write-Off, Tax Break He Curbed

Donald Trump said that he would revive the state and local tax deduction, a popular tax break for New Yorkers that the former president limited during his time in the White House.

Lawyers Give More to Harris in 10 Days Than Trump in Entire Race

Lawyers gave more to Vice President Kamala Harris in the first 10 days of her presidential campaign than to former President Donald Trump in nearly two years, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Swing-State Court Fights Flare Over Voting Rules Before Election

Judges are racing to resolve fights — many in swing states — over how Americans will cast ballots and tally results in the Nov. 5 presidential election as absentee and early voting is poised to start.

Butler’s Senate Clash Tests Respect for Black Women Politicians

Laphonza Butler said she’s used to “being the only Black woman” in the room, a position she found herself in once again on the dais while leading a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

Johnson Says Business Tax Cuts Are Key Aim If GOP Wins

Republicans would extend tax breaks for businesses and “take a blowtorch” to regulations on energy production if they win the White House and Congress, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said yesterday.

Johnson said a “very aggressive” first 100 days of a new Trump administration would “pass an economic plan that will put us back on that pioneering path of liberty, opportunity, prosperity” at an event hosted by the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute.

He offered only the broadest strokes of a GOP policy platform, with few details attached. But the hints pointed to the ways Republicans would use their power if they hold majorities in both chambers of Congress for the first time since 2018.

Much of his agenda centers on the biggest legislative victory of Trump’s first term, the 2017 tax cuts. Johnson pledged to renew key business tax provisions declining or set to expire. He argued the cuts boosted economic growth, while liberal critics say they were heavily weighted toward wealthy people and businesses. Nonpartisan analysts found that the cuts increased the federal deficit.

He also pledged to combat China’s economic power and to spur energy production by slashing regulations. Read More

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Walz Takes Free School Meal Debate National

Tim Walz’s ascent to national prominence as the Democrats’ vice presidential nominee is elevating the profile of a signature policy he ushered into Minnesota schools: free meals for kids.

The governor signed the bill last year, making Minnesota one of eight states to offer universal school lunch — an issue that often fails to garner the same national attention as abortion rights and border security. Proponents hope Walz can help change that, and Democratic lawmakers are helping spotlight the issue this week.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) will lead a hearing today on school breakfast and lunch programs featuring officials and nutrition advocates in the Senate agriculture panel on nutrition. It comes amid the backdrop of lawmakers debating a five-year farm bill and government funding legislation.

Legislatures in 23 other states and Washington, D.C., considered similar legislation during their most recent sessions, according to a Bloomberg Government analysis of state legislation. Read More

More Happening on the Hill

Senate GOP Blocks IVF Bill Democrats Sell as Election Issue

Senate Republicans once again blocked consideration Tuesday of legislation guaranteeing and expanding access to fertility treatments.

Secret Service Vexes Congress Despite Transparency Pledge

Rising tensions indicate a rocky path ahead for the Secret Service on Capitol Hill, even as the agency’s new acting director pledges transparency.

House to Expand Scope of Probe on Trump Assassination Attempt

US House of Representatives will expand the investigation purview of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement.

Speaker Johnson Says GOP Sweep Would Doom Biden’s Climate Law

House Speaker Mike Johnson said President Joe Biden’s signature climate law would be an early target for Republicans if Donald Trump wins the presidency and the party secures control of Congress after the November election.

Durbin Tells Judiciary Supreme Court Ethics Code Falls Short

The Supreme Court’s recently adopted ethics code for the justices still falls short, Senate Judiciary Chairman Richard J. Durbin told the judiciary at its twice-annual meeting Tuesday, a source familiar said.

House Votes to Hike Penalties on Leaking Tax Data After IRS Breach

House lawmakers on Tuesday voted to increase penalties for the unlawful disclosure of a person’s tax information, an effort that gained traction after an IRS contractor admitted to leaking thousands of tax returns from rich Americans, including former President Donald Trump.

Capitol Hill Union Gets Closer to Contracts in Two House Offices

Congressional aides are inching closer toward union contracts in two House offices, notching a small victory for staff bargaining after a lengthy stalemate.

AI Company Safety Fears Raised by Former Tech Workers to Senate

The former officials warned that the tech sector isn’t incentivized to prioritize responsible AI development and called for congressional action.

What Else We’re Reading

Russian Election Propaganda Targets Harris, Microsoft Says

After President Joe Biden ended his campaign to return to the White House, Russian efforts to influence the US election shifted to smearing Vice President Kamala Harris with doctored and misleading videos, according to new research from Microsoft Corp.

Billie Eilish Supports Harris’ Bid, Joe Rogan Praises Her Debate

A pair of celebrities with appeal to different factions of younger Americans added to Kamala Harris’ celebrity support, as both the vice president and Donald Trump vie to turn out first-time voters in the final weeks of an exceedingly tight election race.

Trump Says He Will Meet With India’s Modi Next Week

Former President Donald Trump said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans to meet with him next week — the latest visit from a foreign leader or official as nations grapple with the possibility of the Republican returning to power after November’s election.

To contact the reporter on this story: Giuseppe Macri in Washington at gmacri@bgov.com

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kayla Sharpe at ksharpe@bloombergindustry.com; Jeannie Baumann at jbaumann@bloombergindustry.com