What to Know in Washington: White House Snubs GOP LNG Policy

The Biden administration has dismissed a deal with Speaker Mike Johnson to tie Ukraine aid to lifting the Biden administration’s pause of new liquefied natural gas export licenses.

“The president has been clear that House Republicans should pass the bipartisan national security agreement that already passed the Senate as soon as possible to get Ukraine the aid it urgently needs to defend itself from Russian tyranny,” the White House said in a statement yesterday.

Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg

The White House

“The president supports the pause on pending, additional approvals of LNG export licenses to evaluate the economic and climate impacts on consumers and communities.”

Johnson (R-La.) in recent weeks has expressed an interest in linking aid for Ukraine and Israel to a reversal of the pause and raised the issue with Biden in a one-on-one meeting late last month, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Johnson hinted that he planned to bring a Ukraine aid package that could include language reversing the pause to the floor after the House returns from its spring recess on April 9.

It remains to be seen if Democrats, who Johnson would likely need to pass the measure in the face of opposition from hard-line conservative Republicans, would go along with such a plan. Read more from Ari Natter and Jennifer Jacobs.

BIDEN’S AGENDA

• President Joe Biden will deliver remarks on lowering health care costs around 11 a.m. He will be joined by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
• Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will hold a briefing around 1:30 p.m.

Also Happening on the Hill

The blockbuster drug OZEMPIC is Sen. Bernie Sanders’ latest target in the Vermont independent’s quest to lower drug costs, but it’s unlikely the political pressure campaign will make a dent on the manufacturer to slash prices, some drug pricing observers say. Read more.

Rep. LAUREN BOEBERT successfully underwent SURGERY to remove a blood clot and insert a stent following severe swelling in one of her legs, CBS News Colorado reports, citing a statement. The Colorado Republican was previously diagnosed with May-Thurner Syndrome and is expected to fully recover from the surgery. Read more.

Defense and Foreign Policy

Aid being dropped over the Gaza Strip yesterday. Photo by Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images

BIDEN said ISRAEL hadn’t done enough to PROTECT CIVILIANS after the death of seven aid workers, in some of his sternest criticism yet of the country’s conduct in the months since it launched a military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

• “This conflict has been one of the worst in recent memory in terms of how many aid workers have been killed,” Biden said in a statement released last night.
• The sharply worded statement highlighted growing US frustration with Israel’s prosecution of its war and the mounting civilian death toll. Read more.

ISRAEL’s military offensive in Gaza has destroyed about $18.5 billion in infrastructure, equal to about a year’s worth of economic output in the enclave and the West Bank, according to an analysis outlining the devastating economic impact of the Hamas war.

• According to the report, roughly three-in-four Palestinians in Gaza are now unemployed and the region’s GDP has dropped by 86% in the last quarter of the year. Read more.

The NAVY is delaying the first delivery of its next-generation nuclear-armed submarine by up to 16 months, the most significant slip to date for the service’s top acquisition program that is seen as a crucial replacement to the aging Ohio-class ICBM fleet. Read more.

In Washington and Brussels, there’s a consensus that CHINA is seeing excess capacity that could wipe out overseas industries, spurring protectionist methods to stem the damage. But a look at the data suggests that the picture is more complicated. Read more.

Much of the world tunes out when NORTH KOREA vows to unleash destruction on its enemies. But in the past few months, some prominent analysts began warning that Kim Jong Un may actually be serious about preparing for war. Read more.

People, Power, and Politics

Donald Trump in Grand Rapids, Mich., yesterday. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

DONALD TRUMP said his campaign will give more details next week on his stance on abortion rights, amid mounting pressure to define his position on a decisive issue for voters that’s proven to be a political quagmire for the Republican Party.

• By announcing his stance, Trump could spur Republicans to coalesce around a specific policy. He dodged questions about whether he supports Florida’s six-week abortion ban. Read more.
• Florida Ballot: Meanwhile, Florida’s Supreme Court has primed abortion opponents to seek personhood protections, and litigators on both sides say the legal battles have only just begun. Read more.

The TARIFF PLAN that TRUMP has vowed to impose would likely send inflation above the Federal Reserve’s target and pressure the central bank to raise interest rates, Bloomberg Economics said in a report. Read more.

JEFF MILLER’s firm had a big revenue jump the year that his close friend became speaker of the House. With Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) now out of office, the founder of the all-Republican lobby shop describes his approach to building for the future.

• Miller Strategies persevered because it offered more than just an entrée to McCarthy, Miller said: “I truly believe sound strategy paired with good information should always win.” Read more.
• BGOV Report: The influence industry reported a $4.27 billion year in 2023, cumulatively. BGOV examined the figures and spotted a few trends. Find our full coverage and the downloadable report here.

The SUPREME COURT declined to put on hold use of a Washington STATE VOTING MAP that a lower court redrew over concerns an earlier one disadvantaged Hispanic voters. Read more.

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