NRSC Weekly Rundown: Manchin = scaredy cat, Tina Smith caught lying, Donnelly goes Washington and more!
And here’s this week’s edition of the NRSC Weekly Rundown:
#TaxReform: This week, the number of companies announcing pay raises and bonuses topped over 300. Companies, including locally based businesses in Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia, continue to dole out benefits thanks to the Republican tax cuts.
#JoeVotedNo: The NRSC launched digital and radio ads in West Virginia highlighting Vice President Pence’s comments hitting Joe Manchin’s track record of not standing up for West Virginians. It seems Pence’s criticisms have really gotten to Joe Manchin. In panic mode, he signed a ridiculous pledge begging his fellow Senators not to campaign against him.
#INSen: Mexico Joe Donnelly attended a fundraiser at lobbyist Heather Podesta’s house, with tickets priced as high as $33,900. Looks like Donnelly has gone full D.C. insider.
#MNSen: The Washington Post caught Tina Smith lying to her constituents, fact-checking her false justifications for voting against the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Act, which restricts abortion after 20 weeks. Making a bad week even worse, Smith got a primary challenger.
#OHSen: Just weeks after Sherrod Brown joined New York liberal Chuck Schumer in voting for the disastrous Schumer Shutdown, the Ohio Senator brought the architect of that ill-advised political stunt to Columbus for a fundraiser.
#WVSen: A non-partisan organization filed an ethics complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee against Joe Manchin this week. The complaint details that Manchin didn’t comply with financial disclosure requirements related to his shady hotel dealings.
#TNSen: Democrats have vowed to repeal the tax relief plan that has helped hardworking Americans. Tennesseans deserve to know where Phil Bredesen stands on repealing the tax cuts.
NEWS AND NOTES:
Daily Caller: Joe Manchin Is Running Scared
President Donald Trump won West Virginia decidedly in the 2016 presidential election, claiming 68 percent of the vote. The state’s governor also left the Democratic Party in August to become a Republican. READ
INFORUM: Letter: High-five or awkward handshake? Watch the video for yourself
I hope that whoever her opponent is for the Senate seat plays that video relentlessly, as in my opinion, no one who favors abortion (except in the case of rape or incest), especially abortion more than halfway through pregnancy, represents the people of North Dakota. READ
New York Times: Democrats Need to Win 28 Seats to Control the Senate. Republicans Need Only 8.
But in the Senate, Democrats and the independents who caucus with them have significantly more seats to defend: 26 compared with eight held by Republicans. For Democrats to take control of the chamber, they must keep all of their seats and win two of the Republican seats in play. READ
The Hill: Chipotle announces new employee bonuses, citing tax cuts
Chipotle employees will see one-time bonuses of between $250 and $1,000, as well as expanded training programs and parental leave, the company announced Wednesday. READ
WDRB: Humana says 28,000 employees eligible for bonuses year earlier than planned because of tax cut bill
About 28,000 employees of Louisville-based Humana Inc. – more than half of the company’s nationwide employee base – will become eligible for performance bonuses a year earlier than previously planned as a result of the GOP-led tax cut bill, executives said Wednesday. READ
CNBC: CVS to hike wages, introduce paid parental leave with windfall from new tax law
CVS will boost starting pay for hourly employees to $11 per hour from $9 per hour, starting in April. Pay ranges and rates will be adjusted for many of its retail pharmacy technicians, front store associates and other hourly retail employees later in the year. Full-time employees will qualify for as much as four weeks of paid parental leave, and worker health-care premiums will hold steady at current rates. READ
Reuters: U.S. jobless claims drop to near 45-year low
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, dropping to its lowest level in nearly 45 years as the labor market tightened further, bolstering expectations of faster wage growth this year. READ
###