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WASHINGTON — Hammering began this week on an inaugural platform outside the west side of the U.S. Capitol, a reminder of the transfer of power that will take place Jan. 20.
The completed platform will be large enough to hold 1,600 inaugural guests, including members of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House, Supreme Court justices, former presidents and the new president and vice president, who could be Gov. Tim Walz.
So, it could be fitting that in a ceremony this week celebrating the construction of the 60th inaugural platform, the first nail used to build the structure was made from iron ore mined and processed on Minnesota’s Iron Range by U.S. Steel at its facilities in Keewatin and Mountain Iron. And the hammer used was made by Malco Tools of Annandale.
However, it was not Walz but rather Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the chair of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies and the one who drove in that first nail, who made the decision to use iron mined from the Iron Range in the ceremony.
“The Presidential Inauguration is a powerful symbol of American democracy and our country’s commitment to the peaceful transfer of power. Today’s ceremony marks the beginning of this cherished tradition,” Klobuchar, D-Minn., said in a statement.
Meanwhile, inside the U.S. Capitol, another tradition was taking place — brinkmanship over the federal budget.
An attempt to pass a short-term “continuing resolution,” or CR, that would fund the federal government past the end of the federal fiscal year, Sept. 30, failed Wednesday.
The reason? The legislation would fund the government at current levels for six months, which Democrats say is too long without adjustments to the budgets of federal agencies called “anomalies.” It also had unrelated legislation attached — a bill called the SAVE Act that would overhaul voting laws to require people to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
Democrats oppose the SAVE Act because they say many low-income citizens, especially minorities, don’t have passports, birth certificates or other documents the law would require and there is no proof that non-citizens are voting in U.S. elections, something that is already illegal.
“I voted in favor of this legislation because it includes the SAVE Act, a bill that prevents non-citizens, including illegal immigrants, from voting in our elections,” Rep. Brad Finstad, R-1st District, said in a statement.
Meanwhile, 14 Republicans, none from Minnesota, voted against the CR, mainly because they oppose short-term funding mechanisms that “kick the can down the road” when it comes to passing a new federal budget. So the legislation failed and there is a little more than a week before the federal government will shut down because of a lack of funding.
Rep. Betty McCollum, D-4th District, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, took to the House floor to decry the effort to pass a six-month CR that contained the Save Act. She said Republican leaders in the House “wasted months writing bills loaded with extreme social polity that is rejected by a majority of Americans.”
She also said locking in the current level of government spending for six months “would be irresponsible, and the Department of Defense has identified the consequences for our national security and negative impacts on our military personnel and their families.”
“We should reject this legislation — pass a short-term CR — and roll up our sleeves and get to work,” McCollum said.
So, House Speaker Mike Johnson has a tough choice to make. Will he try to cut a deal with Democrats and President Joe Biden on a three-month stopgap funding bill with some anomalies? Or will he stick to his failed plan and risk a shutdown of the federal government, something Donald Trump is urging him to do?
Smith, AOC push big affordable housing plan
Sen. Tina Smith. D-Minn., teamed up with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., on a longshot proposal aimed at providing billions of dollars in federal funding to provide affordable homes across the United States.
The legislation proposes a public alternative to private developers to meet the immense need for affordable housing, especially for low-income households.
Under the legislation, a new social housing authority would function as both a bank and developer for resident-owned coops, community land trusts, public housing and other market alternatives.
If it were to pass, the Homes Act of 2024 would enable the federal government to acquire real estate that would be turned into affordable housing, build new subsidized homes and apartments and finance other projects for rent or purchase.
The bill faces long odds and has a steep price tag — about $30 billion a year.
But Smith and Ocasio-Cortez say the time has come for social housing, which is used in Europe and a few communities in the United States.
“Instead of treating real estate as a commodity, we can underwrite the construction of millions of homes and apartments that, by law, must remain affordable,” the lawmakers said in a joint op-ed published this week by the New York Times. “Some would be rental units; others would offer Americans the opportunity to build equity. These models of rent caps and homeownership are already working around the world, such as in Vienna and in some parts of the United States.”
Noah Hobbs, of One Roof Community Housing in Duluth, was among those who helped the lawmakers introduce their bill at a press conference just outside the U.S. Capitol. He said “The Homes Act” is the first meaningful housing legislation in 30 years “besides those that responded to crises like the pandemic.”
One Roof Community Housing builds affordable multi-family housing and has a community land trust that refurbishes existing houses and builds new ones for lower-income buyers.
“We’ve seen that de-commodifying the real estate market increases affordability for those earning 80% of an area’s median income,” Hobbs said.
Walz watch
The governor was deployed by the Harris-Walz campaign to the South this week, where he traveled to Georgia (and where one heckler shouted, “You can take your hot dish and shove it!”) and North Carolina — both swing states.
At a rally in Asheville, N.C., Walz initiated a week-long effort to mobilize young Americans to register to vote and go to the polls in November.
But perhaps his most important job is preparing for the Oct. 1 debate with Sen. JD Vance, Donald Trump’s running mate.
The New York Times said Walz is intensifying his debate prep and that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is serving as a stand-in for Vance.
Meet you at the MinnPost Festival
I will be attending the MinnPost festival Sept. 28 and am eager to meet some of our readers — and of course crash the VIP reception in the evening.
I’m also eager to learn from some of the panelists the festival will feature and from readers who can tell me what kinds of stories interest them most. I’d love to hear what kinds of stories interest you most.
This is my first MinnPost Festival, so I could use some tips from veterans.
The festival runs all day Saturday, Sept. 28, and will feature CNN anchor and chief legal analyst Laura Coates, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Pulitzer Prize winning author David Rohde, Timberwolves Chief Executive Ethan Casson, Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous and many more really interesting people.
Hope to see you there! You can buy your Festival pass here.
ICYMI
It’s the time of the election cycle that kicks off polling season, and MinnPost is not immune. In a joint effort with Embold Research, MinnPost is releasing a number of polls that reveal the political mood in Minnesota. Some ran this week.
–One story showed Kamala Harris with a slim lead over Donald Trump in the state.
-Another showed Walz’s popularity has been boosted by his new role as Harris’ running mate.
-Still another looked at what Minnesotans — in the Twin Cities as well as Greater Minnesota — shared with pollsters as their top concerns.
Your questions and comments
A reader was concerned about a story on a poll that showed Sen. Amy Klobuchar leading GOP Royce White by 52% to 41%.
“That two out of five support White, who is totally unqualified for the job, is disturbing,” the reader said.
Another reader said he is disappointed that the Minnesota Republican Party does not recruit better candidates to run against Democrats like Klobuchar.
“Non-DFL folks in this state limp along wondering when local GOP people will step off their death-march campaigns and enter the fray with serious players, serious tactics, and dedication to winning battles — and wars,” the reader said.
Please keep your comments, and any questions, coming. I’ll try my best to respond. Please contact me at aradelat@minnpost.com.
Ana Radelat
Ana Radelat is MinnPost’s Washington, D.C. correspondent. You can reach her at aradelat@minnpost.com or follow her on Twitter at @radelat.
