The Senate debate over same-sex marriage becomes clearer

In today’s edition …  Ruby Cramer reports on the night an armed man shouted at Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and her husband outside their Seattle home — and how threats of political violence haunt and alter the lives of elected officials … Poll Watch: Emily Guskin examines what Americans think about Trump’s classified files at Mar-a-Lago … Jeff Stein and Tory Newmyer scoop that Treasury will warn the White House that crypto needs major regulations … but first …

?: “Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged additional U.S. support for Ukraine during an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Thursday, as the Biden administration seeks to help Ukraine’s military recapture territory now occupied by Russian invaders,” our colleagues John Hudson and Missy Ryan report.

“As part of that pledge, the United States will supply Ukraine another $675 million in U.S. military support, officials said, including additional rockets and military vehicles, bringing the total in U.S. security aid since the war began to $13.5 billion.” More Ukraine coverage here.

Senate to vote on same sex marriage bill imminent

One of the big questions heading into this legislative stretch ahead of the midterms was how the debate over same-sex marriage legislation would unfold. On Wednesday, we got a little more clarity.

First, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said a vote will happen “in the coming weeks,” putting Republicans on notice they will have to stake out a position on same-sex marriage — which enjoys broad public support, but is opposed by some key elements of the GOP base — before voters head to the polls in November.

“A vote will happen on the Senate floor in the coming weeks and I hope there will 10 Republicans to support it,” Schumer told reporters in response to a question from The Early.

Second, a bipartisan group of senators is finalizing language concerning religious liberty protections to appease concerns of several Republican senators who are skittish about supporting the bill but who are seen as the among the most likely to vote for the measure. 

Marianna Sotomayor and Leigh Ann have a story up detailing how this group is trying to win over 10 Republican votes:

• The group of five senators is led by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine). They met with Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) Wednesday morning to finalize language on the bill after Republicans voiced concerns that the four-page proposal does not clearly mention religious liberty exceptions.
• The change being discussed would ensure religious protections and also address concerns by conservatives that the bill is too broad and leaves room for interpretation that passage could lead to federal recognition of polygamous relationships. Collins said that the language is being corrected “even though there’s not a single state that allows for polygamous marriages.”

“The group of five thinks it has the support of 10 Republican senators, or will by the time the measure comes up for a vote, which could be as early as next week, according to three Senate aides familiar with the negotiations who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. But those Republicans won’t announce support for the legislation until the vote, so they can be shielded from attacks that could pressure them to vote otherwise,” Marianna and Leigh Ann write. 

The Senate usually is more bipartisan than the House, where in July 47 Republicans — nearly a quarter of the GOP conference — voted for the measure. It would defy the norms of this Congress if a smaller percentage of Senate Republicans than House Republicans ultimately back the bill. 

The big remaining questions are which Senate Republicans will support the bill and how much the upcoming midterms will influence the vote.

The two Republican senators facing competitive reelection races haven’t taken a solid position on the bill. Rep. Ted Budd, the Republican nominee for an open Senate seat in North Carolina, voted against the bill in July.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said in a press release in July that he sees “no reason to oppose” the same sex marriage bill. But Johnson said at a Common Sense Citizens of Washington County meeting last week, according to audio obtained by Heartland Signal and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Wednesday, that he sent the press release to get reporters “off my back.”

Johnson now says he would oppose the bill in its current form and that he is working with Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) to come up with a “smokin’” amendment to address religious protections. It’s unclear if the changes made by the bipartisan group will appease Johnson. 

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has also signaled that he doesn’t think a vote to codify same sex marriage is necessary, insisting it’s not under threat. 

John Feehery, a former Republican congressional aide who’s been lobbying for the bill, argued that supporting the proposal would be politically advantageous for Johnson and other senators two months ahead of the midterms. Republicans in swing states and swing districts are already on defense over abortion following the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. Democrats are pushing the same-sex marriage bill arguing the Supreme Court’s conservative majority could also overturn a 2015 ruling that protected these unions.

“For a lot of these senators, it takes a little bit of the edge off,” Feehery said.

The religious liberty amendment could make it easier for Republicans to support the bill, Feehery said, but he’s urging senators to vote for it regardless.

“I think politically it’s a no-brainer,” he said.

Government funding fight ahead

On Wednesday, we also saw a bit of a preview of the battle ahead over government funding. 

Schumer told reporters that his “intention” is to add Sen. Joe Manchin III‘s (D-W.Va.) energy permitting deal to the short-term government funding bill and that he plans to also include President Biden‘s request for Ukraine, covid, and monkeypox funding in the bill. 

Minutes later, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters that he wants a continuing resolution “as clean as possible,” which means with as few policy and funding additions. While McConnell wasn’t specific as to what he won’t support, it will be a tough negotiation that both parties would like to not cause a government shutdown.

But with a few weeks to go before the fiscal deadline, no one’s tipping their hand just yet.

When a man with a pistol shows up outside a congresswoman’s house

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) recounts the night an armed man showed up outside her house and how threats of political violence haunt and alter the lives of elected officials. Below is an excerpt from our colleague Ruby Cramer’s story:

10:38 p.m. “Everyone could hear the men on the street. The car, a black Dodge Challenger with gold rims, sped down the block, just past the congresswoman’s house. Two voices shot through the dark. ‘HEY, PRAMILA,’ the first man shouted. ‘F— YOUUUUU.’ Then came the second: ‘F— you, c—!’”

• “She was on the couch, watching the psychological thriller ‘Mindhunter’ with her husband, Steve Williamson. It was July 9 in Arbor Heights, a West Seattle neighborhood laid out in neat sweeps of grass and pavement. They paused the show. Williamson got up and went outside. The items on the porch sat undisturbed: sneakers, turquoise Crocs, a dog leash, two hanging plants swaying in the night air. Then they heard the men again.”
• “Inside, Jayapal picked up her phone and dialed 911 … There had been instances of obscene yelling at the house that summer, this she knew. She had reported those to Capitol Police. But she didn’t know then what dozens of pages of police reports and court filings would later reveal — that one of her visitors that night had been there before, in the same Dodge Challenger.”
• “She didn’t know that he had driven by her house between three and seven times since late June, or that the other male voice that night belonged to his adult son, as he would later tell investigators. She didn’t know that from the house across the street, her neighbor had seen the Dodge earlier that same evening, or that down the block, another neighbor had seen it, too, just a week before. She didn’t know that the man in the Dodge had emailed her congressional office back in January, to express his distaste for her political party, and for her, the 56-year-old three-term Democrat…