The House and Senate are in recess until the week of April 25.

While the House and Senate are out until next Monday, several issues continue to be discussed upon the return of both chambers. A few of the issues that continue to be discussed:   

• Inflation: The issue that will continue to drive the messaging of Congressional Democrats and the Biden Administration alike.  With President Biden’s approval ratings on the economy hovering in the low-to mid-30s, the White House will have to remain laser focused on bringing prices down.  If not, it could complicate an already dim outlook for Democrats in the 2022 midterms.
• COVID-19: As the White House continues to seek additional funding for COVID-19 in anticipation of a new wave or variant of the disease, a federal judge in Florida struck down the CDC mask mandate on public transportation, as well as air travel.  The Department of Justice announced on Tuesday that it is ready to appeal the ruling, which was set to expire on May 3rd.  In the meantime, the mandate is not being enforced at the federal level, however, some local authorities are continuing to keep the mandate, creating a patchwork of enforcement across the country.
• Ukraine: The United States is anticipated to announce $800 million in military aid to Ukraine, in addition to the $800 million announced last week.
• Title 42: Reports are claiming that the Biden Administration may delay the lifting of Title 42 beyond the current May 23rd rescission date. While some Democrats are opposed to this, Republicans and many moderate Democrats are opposed to lifting Title 42, which keeps migrants seeking entry to the US, in Mexico, until their cases are heard.

Energy: This week, ASA Government Affairs is in Washington, DC, attending the 8th Annual Joint Trades Summit and participating in discussions around energy security.  

 Politics
Latest Senate: Much has transpired over the last few days when it comes to the 2022 Senate map:

• Ohio: The big news late last week was that former President Donald Trump had selected attorney and Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance to receive his endorsement in the May 3rd Ohio GOP Primary. While several Republicans had been vying for the endorsement, the nod is presumed to give the Vance campaign a boost.  Recent polling has shown a horse race between former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel and businessman Mike Gibbons. This primary will be one to watch over the next two weeks, to see who will emerge and vie for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Rob Portman (R).
• Missouri: Rep. Vicki Hartzler appears to be emerging as the front runner in the August 2nd GOP Primary. The race to succeed retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (R) has taken several twists and turns over the last few months.  Former Governor Eric Greitens had been pushing hard for a Trump endorsement and had been relatively strong in recent polling, until his ex-wife revealed in a court filing that he allegedly had abused her and their child.  As a result, the field has course corrected and Rep. Hartzler, Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Greitens have remained at the top, but the momentum that the latter had earlier appears to be fading.  National Republicans are concerned that if Greitens wins the nomination that the seat could be lost.  Rep. Hartzler has been endorsed by Sen. Josh Hawley (R) and former Republican Missouri Sen. Kit Bond. AG Schmitt has received the backing of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), entrepreneur Peter Thiel, among others.  Rep. Billy Long, Missouri Senate President Dave Schatz, and attorney Mark McCloskey are also running.

Generic Congressional Ballot (30-day RCP Average): Republican +3.3
President Biden Job Approval (14-day RCP Average): 41.0% Approve – 51.7% Disapprove
Retirement Tracker:  Senate: (1 D, 5 R); House: (31 D, 18 R).  
Special Elections: Republican-held: California’s 22nd (06/07/2022), Minnesota’s 1st (Primary: 05/24/2022, General: 08/09/2022), Alaska At-Large (Primary: 06/11/2022), Nebraska’s 1st (TBD).   

The House now has composition of 222 Democrats to 209 Republicans (with 4 vacancies).  The Senate is comprised of 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans – with Democrats controlling the chamber as the Vice President also serves as the President of the Senate.

Visit ASA's web-based state legislative tracker here.