Harris Now Dems’ Presumptive Nominee: What to Know in Washington

Vice President Kamala Harris became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee last night when she surpassed the pledged delegate count needed to secure the nomination. But first, you should know:

• Bloomberg Government delves into how a Harris victory in November would shape the lame-duck session in Congress, with key issues like spending and defense still unresolved.
• Embattled Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle now faces an impeachment threat.
• The CEO of CrowdStrike was requested to urgently appear before a House committee.

Harris Secures Delegates, Hits Campaign Trail

Vice President Kamala Harris sealed her status as the presumptive Democratic nominee for president last night, after crossing the magic number of 1,976 pledged delegates she needed to clinch the nomination, according to an unofficial Associated Press tally.

“It is my intention to go out and earn this nomination and to win,” Harris told workers Monday at her campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Del. “So in the days and weeks ahead, I, together with you, will do everything in my power to unite our Democratic Party, to unite our nation and to win this election.”

Delegates will formalize their votes in the coming weeks. Earlier Monday, party leaders outlined a virtual balloting process to officially designate a nominee by Aug. 7. Harris will now recommend a running mate to those same delegates, who will ratify the slate at the party’s national convention in Chicago the week of Aug. 19 — if not through a similar virtual roll call in earlier in the month. Read More

Former Attorney General Eric Holder and his law firm, Covington & Burling, were tapped by Harris’ team to help her vet possible running mates. Holder is expected to run point on the vetting process for Harris, a source briefed on the matter said. Read More

In the meantime, Harris will launch her nascent presidential campaign in earnest today with a rally in Milwaukee seeking to answer the biggest question on skittish Democrats’ minds: How does she plan to beat Donald Trump?

It’s a sizable challenge for Harris, who must re-introduce herself to the country. That task will require reassembling the coalition of moderate and progressive voters that Biden rode to the White House four years ago, and overcoming dissatisfaction over the administration’s handling of the economy. Read More

Also Read:

• A Six-Second Decision Shows How Harris Snapped Up Delegates
• Harris Campaign Says It Raised More Than $100m Since Sunday
• Hollywood Donors Embrace Harris After Helping Push Biden Aside

If Harris wins the election, she would be in a better position than President Joe Biden — who is now a lame duck president — to immediately shape the final stretch of the 118th Congress. Lawmakers are considering lingering legislation on such key issues as farm policy, defense and appropriations.

Biden’s endorsement of Harris makes lame-duck negotiations on government funding, and possibly the debt limit, more unpredictable. Republicans had already been debating whether to seek a spending deal in December or wait until 2025, when they may have more leverage.

• House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) has urged members to finish work quickly so Trump won’t immediately face a shutdown deadline if he wins in November.
• But late-year negotiations may be more tense as Republicans — including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) — call on Biden to resign the presidency immediately.

Congress also technically faces a Jan. 1 deadline to lift or suspend the debt limit, but Treasury officials can buy more time with so-called “extraordinary measures.” Lawmakers weren’t certain if they would seek negotiations in the lame duck. If they don’t resolve the issue quickly, they’re guaranteed to face a deadline early in a new presidential administration. Read More

Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff outside Wilmington, Del., yesterday. Photo by Erin Schaff/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Biden’s exit from the 2024 race immediately sparked speculation about whether Republicans could convince courts to keep the eventual Democratic nominee’s name from appearing on ballots or block access to Biden’s campaign dollars. Election law experts of all political stripes are largely in agreement so far that such challenges are likely to fail. But the unprecedented situation opens the door to aggressive and creative lawyering. Read More

BIDEN’S SCHEDULE

• The president will return to the White House from Rehoboth Beach, Del., but has no public events.

HARRIS’ SCHEDULE

• 2:05 p.m. — The vice president will deliver remarks at a political event in Milwaukee.

CONGRESS’ AGENDA

• The House returns at 9 a.m. to consider spending bills spanning Energy and Water Development and Interior-Environment.
• Senators convene at 3 p.m. to consider nominees, including Colleen Duffy Kiko to stay on the Federal Labor Relations Authority.
• For the full agenda read BGOV’s Congress Tracker.

Happening on the Hill

US House Plans Resolution Condemning Kamala Harris on Border

Republican House leaders plan to hold a vote this week on a resolution condemning the Biden Administration and Vice President Kamala Harris over what they said is a “failure to secure the United States border.” Rep. Elise Stefanik (N.Y.) submitted the resolution.

GOP Rep. Mace Says She Will Move to Impeach Secret Service Chief

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said she plans to to bring articles of impeachment against Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle via a privileged motion, she said on X.

Schumer Tees Up Vote on Bipartisan Kids’ Online Safety Bills

The significant step follows months of behind-the-scenes wrangling and failed attempts to fast-track the pieces of legislation.

CrowdStrike’s CEO Called to Testify Before US House Committee

A US House committee called on the chief executive officer of CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. to testify on a defective software update that caused widespread global outages.

Congress’s Tax Scorekeeper Gets Spotlight After Chevron Ruling

The role of the Joint Committee on Taxation—already crucial when Congress drafts tax legislation—could take on new significance after the fall of a legal doctrine empowering federal regulators, former staffers and members say.

New Manchin Permitting Bill Sets Deadline to Approve LNG Exports

The Energy Department would have 90 days to make decisions on liquefied natural gas export projects under a permitting reform plan unveiled Monday by Senator Joe Manchin.

CFTC Whistleblower Program at Risk Without Lawmakers’ Help

A stopgap measure that kept a key US financial regulator’s whistleblower office afloat during a funding crisis is set to expire unless lawmakers revive it, putting the cash-for-tips program in jeopardy.

Water Resources, Army Corps Projects Bill Passed by House

The House on Monday passed legislation to study and carry out water resources projects across the country, a measure Congress reliably enacts every two years with bipartisan support.

Also in the News

ANALYSIS: For Thomas, Reining in Section 230 Means Showing Flaws

Social media platforms enjoy immunity from liability under Section 230 for third-party content. But when it comes to defending their First Amendment rights, they paint themselves as content developers—in contradiction to their Section 230 arguments. The Supreme Court will eventually rule on—and curb—their immunity.

United Airlines Plane to Track Greenhouse Gases for Government

The US government and United Airlines Holdings Inc. will use a commercial aircraft to monitor greenhouse gases throughout the atmosphere, a first-of-its-kind collaboration that promises to vastly expand what scientists know about how planet-warming pollution behaves in the sky.

PFAS in Pesticides Ban Sought by Groups Through EPA Petition

Citizen groups are petitioning the EPA to revise pesticide regulations to prohibit PFAS and plastic containers that release the chemicals into stored pesticides, the latest move in an effort to force a ban of “forever chemicals” and technologies that produce them.

US Asks Supreme Court to Unblock Transgender Student Protections

The Biden administration wants the US Supreme Court to step in and limit lower court orders that fully blocked it from extending protections against sex discrimination in education to transgender students.

Drugmakers’ Price Fight Draws Amicus Support in Third Circuit

Bristol Myers Squibb Co., and Johnson & Johnson received a flood of support in their lawsuits seeking to scuttle a government drug price-setting program as various amicus briefs were filed in their favor at the Third Circuit.

To contact the reporters on this story: Brandon Lee in Washington at blee@bgov.com; Jeannie Baumann in Washington at jbaumann@bloombergindustry.com

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kayla Sharpe at ksharpe@bloombergindustry.com; Giuseppe Macri at gmacri@bgov.com