Trump administration rescinds DACA; Congress responds

On Tap this week we've got summaries of how members of Congress responded to Trump rescinding DACA, an update on the third major piece of legislation   [View this email in your browser]( [Ballotpedia](   [Facebook](   [Twitter](   [The Tap](   Good morning! We hope this email finds you safely as our thoughts are with our family, friends, and coworkers in Florida, Texas, and up the East Coast. We've got a summary of this week's political news ready for you. Click the button below to read the extended edition. As always, reply to this email and let us know how we're doing. [Dive into this week's federal news](   Trump administration rescinds DACA - On Tuesday, Attorney General [Jeff Sessions]( announced at a press briefing that Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke had [issued a memo]( rescinding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. The program was established via an administrative memo underneath the Obama administration in June 2012. It set forth "the exercise of our [U.S. Department of Homeland Security's] prosecutorial discretion" in enforcing immigration laws and provided temporary relief from deportation for individuals who had been brought without legal permission to the United States as children. Eligible individuals who applied were also granted work authorization. - The memo outlined a wind down of DACA taking place over several months. The administration will hear and decide currently pending program applications and applications for renewal from those whose benefits will expire by March 5, 2018. The department will reject any new applications. Current DACA holders whose benefits expire after March 5 will retain their benefits until they naturally expire. In his official statement, President Trump stated that benefits for some individuals could remain in effect for up to two years. - Sessions said that the program was "an unconstitutional exercise of the executive branch" and that it was his duty to uphold constitutional order. - In a statement, President [Donald Trump]( (R) said he would work "with Republicans and Democrats in Congress to finally address all of these issues in a manner that puts the hardworking citizens of our country first." - House Speaker [Paul Ryan]( (R-Wis.) said, "It is my hope that the House and Senate, with the president's leadership, will be able to find consensus on a permanent legislative solution that includes ensuring that those who have done nothing wrong can still contribute as a valued part of this great country." - House Minority Leader [Nancy Pelosi]( (D-Calif.) said, Congress should "bring the DREAM Act to the floor for a vote without delay." - Senator [John McCain]( (R-Ariz.) said, "I will be working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to devise and pass comprehensive immigration reform, which will include the DREAM Act."   Trump signs bill to extend the debt ceiling, fund the government, and provide hurricane aid - On Friday, President Donald Trump signed a [bill]( that extends the debt ceiling and funds the government until December 8, 2017. The bill also includes more than $15 billion for Hurricanes Harvey and Irma relief efforts. The bill was the result of a deal struck by Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) earlier in the week. - On Wednesday, by a vote of 419-3, the House passed a $7.85 billion Hurricane Harvey relief bill. Three Republicans—Reps. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.)—voted against the bill. - After congressional leadership met with Trump, amendments were added to extend the debt ceiling and fund the government until December 8, 2017, proposals backed by Schumer and Pelosi. House Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) wanted a longer term for the debt limit increase and wanted to work on funding the government in a separate bill. According to [Politico]( Trump struck the deal with Democrats because he “wanted to clear the legislative decks to ensure tax reform remains the policy focus this fall.” - On Thursday, by a vote of 80-17, the Senate passed the amended bill. All 17 votes against the bill were cast by Republicans. On Friday, by a vote of 316-90, the House passed the amended bill. All 90 votes against the bill were cast by Republicans. Most Republicans who opposed the bill wanted to debate spending cuts along with raising the debt limit. - Congress initially faced deadlines of September 29 and September 30 to raise the debt limit and pass a funding bill to avoid a partial government shutdown. Now Congress has until December 8, 2017, to address these two issues.   [Almanac of American Politics ad]( The 2018 Almanac of American Politics—the gold standard of accessible political information—is now shipping. Ballotpedia readers have the opportunity to order the newest edition and get 10 percent off with the discount code ballot18. The 2018 edition features all new profiles of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, in addition to Almanac ratings on congressional members. [Order your copy here →](   Mattis, Haley, and Trump respond to North Korea’s nuclear test - After North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test since 2006, Secretary of Defense James Mattis [said]( that the U.S. has many options if North Korea continues to test nuclear weapons and threaten the U.S. and its allies. He said, "Our commitments among the allies are ironclad. Any threat to the United States or its territories, including [the U.S. territory of] Guam or our allies, will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming. ... Kim Jong Un should take heed the United Nations Security Council's unified voice. All members unanimously agreed on the threat North Korea poses, and they remain unanimous in their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. We are not looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea. But as I said, we have many options to do so." - While speaking to the U.N. Security Council on Monday, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley [said]( North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was "begging for war." She said, "To the members of the Security Council, I must say, enough is enough. We have taken an incremental approach, and despite the best of intentions, it has not worked. The time has come to exhaust all diplomatic means to end this crisis. Only the strongest sanctions will enable us to solve this problem through diplomacy." Haley also said that "The United States will look at every country that does business with North Korea as a country that is giving aid to their reckless and dangerous nuclear intentions." - Trump [tweeted]( that the United States was "considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea," to deter the country's nuclear development program. China, Russia, and India are among the more than 100 countries that do some business with North Korea.   Franken announces public opposition to Eighth Circuit nominee - In a statement released on his Facebook page, U.S. Sen. [Al Franken]( (D-Minn.) announced that he would withhold his [blue slip]( on the nomination of [David Stras]( to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Stras, an associate justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court, was nominated to a vacancy on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals by President Donald Trump (R) on May 8, 2017. Under the current practice of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which conducts confirmation hearings on all Article III judicial nominees, any home state senator that withholds a blue slip prevents the nominee from being considered by the committee. In the absence of committee hearings, nominees are often prevented from receiving a final confirmation vote before the full Senate. Franken is the first senator to publicly withhold a blue slip on a federal appeals court nominee during the 115th Congress. Franken's colleague from Minnesota in the Senate, Sen. [Amy Klobuchar]( (D-Minn.), said in a statement that while she did not agree with Stras as the nominee, she felt that Stras deserved a committee hearing and that, in the absence of going forward with hearings, President Trump may submit a nominee to fill the vacancy from outside the state of Minnesota. Both Franken and Klobuchar sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee. - For more on Franken’s decision to withhold his blue slip, read [our coverage](.   [Vote Spotter ad](   Moore continues to top Strange in Alabama Senate race polls with double-digit lead - Former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice [Roy Moore]( led incumbent Sen. [Luther Strange]( in the [Alabama Senate Republican primary runoff]( by 16 points, according to a new poll from Southeast Research. Moore has led Strange in every public opinion poll since the Republican primary by 2 to 19 points. Strange receives first major endorsement since Republican primary; Meadows backs Moore - Incumbent Sen. Luther Strange received his first major endorsement in the [Alabama Senate special election]( since the August 15 Republican primary from the [U.S. Chamber of Commerce]( while former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore picked up another endorsement from Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), the chair of the [House Freedom Caucus](. Meadows previously backed third-place finisher Rep. Mo Brooks during the primary. Outside spending in Alabama Senate race nearly passes $7 million mark - Fourteen organizations have collectively spent nearly $7 million on [U.S. Senate special election in Alabama](. Approximately 87 percent of that spending came from the [Senate Leadership Fund]( (SLF)—the Mitch McConnell-aligned super PAC founded to support a Republican majority in the United States Senate—to back incumbent Sen. [Luther Strange](. Since the primary, SLF has spent approximately $1.8 million on online, television, and radio advertising opposing former Alabama Supreme Court Chief [Justice Roy Moore](. The only other organization to report spending in this time period was the Courageous Conservatives PAC, which spent $300 on social media advertising to support Moore. Alabama residents: Monday is the last day you can register to vote in the Republican primary runoff for the Senate - If you're an Alabama resident, your deadline to register to vote in the Alabama Senate Republican primary runoff is Monday, September 11. If you didn't vote in the primary, don't worry; you can still vote in the runoff. To register, you'll need to be a U.S. citizen living in Alabama and at least 18 by the election day. Alabama utilizes an open primary system, meaning that any registered voter can vote in any party's primary. However, you can't vote for a different political party in the runoff than the one you voted for in the primary.   Congress is in session SCOTUS is not in session The Senate will be in session Monday through Friday. The House will be in session Monday through Thursday. The U.S. Supreme Court has concluded its 2016 October term. The court will continue to act on emergency petitions throughout the summer and consider petitions for case review in advance of the court’s [2017 October term]( which begins on Monday, October 2, 2017.  For more on the court’s recently completed term, read our [review](. Where was the president last week? - On Saturday, President Donald Trump visited Texas and Louisiana to asses the damage done by Hurricane Harvey. - On Tuesday, Trump met with congressional leadership to discuss tax reform. - On Wednesday, Trump met with House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to discuss the upcoming legislative agenda. He also held a tax reform event in North Dakota. - On Thursday, Trump met with the Amir of Kuwait at the White House. - On Friday, Trump and his entire Cabinet traveled to Camp David. Federal Judiciary - 138 judicial vacancies in life-term, Article III judicial positions - 30 pending nominations to life-term, Article III judicial positions - 18 future vacancies to life-term, Article III judicial positions   Ballotpedia depends on the support of our readers. 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