WASHINGTON — Less than a month after a violent insurrection at the Capitol, after a Capitol policeman and others died in it, and after Donald Trump and a majority of congressional Republicans attempted to overturn the election results, the House GOP made its choice clear last night.
The party's caucus held a secret-ballot vote on whether Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., should keep her job (which she survived by a 145-61 margin), but refused to do the same with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
That’s all you need to know.
Accountability for someone who voted to impeach Trump for inciting the insurrection at the Capitol, versus no accountability for another who’s reportedly supported calls for violence against Democrats, who has championed conspiracy theories, and who’s held anti-Semitic views. (Greene, per NBC News’ Capitol Hill team, told House Republicans behind closed doors that she no longer believes in QAnon, but she has not said this publicly.)
And had the Cheney vote not been on a secret ballot, the result on her fate might have been far different.
Tweet of the day
Consequences and precedents
There’s a consequence to the House GOP refusal to take action against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene: Democrats are going to do it for them.
And that vote later this afternoon — over whether to remove her from the House Education and Budget committees — is going to dominate the political news today.
But it also establishes a potentially dangerous precedent: The majority party is going to take away committee assignments from a member of the minority party that it sees as being extremist.
What happens the next time the GOP is in charge of the House?
Democrats will tell you they had no choice: Republicans refused to hold their own member accountable.
But congressional history tells us that when one party takes action, the other party will soon follow.
Data Download: The numbers you need to know today
61: The number of GOP House members who voted to oust Liz Cheney from her leadership position in last night’s secret-ballot vote.
218-212: The House vote on a budget bill that would allow Senate Democrats to pass Covid relief with a simple majority through reconciliation.
$50,000: The latest proposed income cutoff for individuals who could receive a $1,400 stimulus check, according to the most recent Democratic plan.
$573 million: How much McKinsey has agreed to pay in a settlement over its role in the opioid crisis.
26,670,550: The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States, per the most recent data from NBC News and health officials. (That’s 124,948 more than yesterday morning.)
452,664: The number of deaths in the United States from the virus so far. (That’s 3,983 more than yesterday morning.)
91,440: The number of people currently hospitalized from Covid-19 in the United States.
316.93 million: The number of coronavirus tests that have been administered in the United States so far, according to researchers at The COVID Tracking Project.
1,319,980: The average number of individual shots per day since January 20 (7-day average)
84: The number of days left for Biden to reach his 100-day vaccination goals.
Biden’s day
At 2:45 p.m. ET, President Biden gives a speech at the State Department. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki briefs reporters at 11:30 a.m. ET.
Meet the nine Biden Cabinet picks who’ve yet to get a confirmation hearing
Nine of President Biden’s Cabinet nominees haven’t received Senate confirmation hearings yet. But now that the Senate has passed a power sharing agreement, that will likely change fast.
The organizing resolution, which passed by unanimous consent on Wednesday, officially hands the committee chair gavels to Democrats. It’s likely we’ll see quick movement on at least one of Biden’s nominees: Merrick Garland.
While committees are now composed equally of members of both parties, if a bill or nominee is stuck in a full committee, the majority leader or minority leader can make a motion to discharge the bill or nominee to the Senate floor. If that motion passes, the bill or nominee will receive a full Senate vote.
Essentially: Republicans will have a hard time holding up any of Biden’s Cabinet nominees if Democrats vote together.
Here are the nominees who have yet to get a hearing as of this morning:
Merrick Garland (Attorney General)
Xavier Becerra (HHS)
Deb Haaland (Interior)
Miguel Cardona (Education)
Marty Walsh (Labor)
Michael Regan (EPA)
Isabel Guzman (SBA)
Neera Tanden (OMB)
Katherine Tai (U.S. Trade Rep.)
Biden Cabinet Watch
State: Tony Blinken (confirmed)
Treasury: Janet Yellen (confirmed)
Defense: Ret. Gen. Lloyd Austin (confirmed)
Attorney General: Merrick Garland
Homeland Security: Alejandro Mayorkas (confirmed)
HHS: Xavier Becerra
Agriculture: Tom Vilsack
Transportation: Pete Buttigieg (confirmed)
Energy: Jennifer Granholm
Interior: Deb Haaland
Education: Miguel Cardona
Commerce: Gina Raimondo
Labor: Marty Walsh
HUD: Marcia Fudge
Veterans Affairs: Denis McDonough
UN Ambassador: Linda Thomas-Greenfield
Director of National Intelligence: Avril Haines (confirmed)
EPA: Michael Regan
SBA: Isabel Guzman
OMB Director: Neera Tanden
U.S. Trade Representative: Katherine Tai
ICYMI: What else is happening in the world
The Biden administration is looking at a plan that would deliver masks to every American.
Here’s all the latest on the expected vote on Marjorie Taylor Greene in the House.
The vote-a-rama is about to start. Republicans are promising to make it tough on Dems.
Did Lin Wood vote illegally in Georgia?
The National Prayer Breakfast is today.
Is Josh Hawley running for president?
Biden faces significant challenges in reversing Trump’s global policies.
A bipartisan report calls for slowing U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Kyle Rittenhouse is accused of violating his bail.
Canada has declared the Proud Boys to be a terrorist group.
