| CONGRESS: “They’ve been warned.” Trump on Wednesday threatened to use his executive authority to adjourn both houses of Congress if the Senate will not confirm his nominees to vacancies across the administration, including judicial appointees. "The Senate should either fulfill its duty and vote on my nominees or it should formally adjourn so I can make recess appointments," the president said, chafing at the rules that allow the minority to procedurally stretch out the confirmation process and vowing to sideline Congress to make recess appointment, or go to court to get his way. "We have a tremendous number of people that have to come into government. And now more so than ever before because of the virus," he said from the Rose Garden (The Hill). Trump has the power to adjourn Congress, but no president in history has done it, and some constitutional law experts believe he is misinterpreting his authority (Forbes). More common in history are presidential threats to call Congress back into session. The Senate is scheduled to return to Washington May 4 and Congress has set Jan. 3, 2021, as its formal date for adjournment. Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution provides that the president "may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper." “It’s been a very partisan government for a long time,” Trump said, turning aside a question about whether he would be undercutting his own goals to move major legislation if he tried to recess Congress. “It’s because of the Democrats,” he continued. “They're taking so much time and approving every -- they're trying to put us through the mill.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who is nothing if not focused on using Senate floor time to secure confirmations, spoke with Trump on Wednesday to pledge continued efforts without embracing temporary recess appointments. Republicans went "nuclear" in 2019 to change the Senate's rules and cut down on the amount of time it takes to confirm most executive nominees and district judges. But Democrats are still able to force McConnell to eat up days of floor time for a single nomination under the chamber's rules. > Tick, tick, tick … Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin raised expectations but failed on Wednesday to agree on a deal to replenish an oversubscribed small business lending program. It ran out of funds on Wednesday night and GOP lawmakers raced to attack Democrats as responsible for demanding add-ons to legislation and stalling federal help to small business owners who are in financial straits during the pandemic (The Hill). The Schumer-Mnuchin meeting had been seen early in the day as a positive sign after days of stalemate (Bloomberg News). GOP leaders warned late on Wednesday that the Small Business Administration (SBA) will have to stop accepting applications for the recently enacted Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which provides loans to employers who opt to keep workers on payrolls during the public health emergency. They cast Democrats as motivated by partisan political goals: "The notion that crucial help for working people is not appealing enough to Democrats without other additions sends a strange message about their priorities." > House Democrats responded with furious blowback to the president’s controversial decision to place a hold on U.S. funding for the World Health Organization (WHO), which is part of the United Nations. House Republicans say they want to investigate how the global health agency responded to China when the coronavirus emerged from Wuhan late last year (The Hill). WHO’s critics, including Trump, say China was not transparent with the world about the outbreak of the new contagion and that WHO contributed to the pandemic by not pressing China to share data early and to allow outside experts into the country. Trump on Wednesday accused WHO of “a coverup.” As Reid Wilson reports, WHO, which is a chronically underfunded agency, walks a fine line with member nations and can encourage but cannot compel sovereign partners to share data about disease outbreaks. Researchers around the world say the administration’s freeze on WHO funding during a deadly pandemic is misplaced and unwise. As both parties negotiate coronavirus relief legislation and discuss a potential recovery bill, a consensus is needed for benchmarks states will use as they move cautiously to reopen their economies. The whole project has become partisan, with both parties gauging the electoral implications in November (The Hill). Looking ahead, Hoyer told Bloomberg BNA on Wednesday that “there’s a possibility” that lawmakers will put appropriations bills on the floor by June. “It ought to be relatively easy to reach agreement,” he predicted, citing progress on the House Appropriations Committee, chaired by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.). *** POLITICS: Former Vice President Joe Biden rolled out another key endorsement on Wednesday as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) tossed her weight behind the presumptive Democratic nominee. In a 4-minute video, Warren hailed Biden as the candidate to “rebuild and transform” the U.S. and urged her supporters to back the former vice president in the general election, saying, “We’re all in this together now.” “Joe Biden has spent nearly his entire life in public service,” Warren said. “He knows that a government run with integrity, competence, and heart will save lives and save livelihoods. And we can't afford to let Donald Trump continue to endanger the lives and livelihoods of every American.” Warren’s announcement marked the third straight day of a high-profile endorsement of Biden’s presidential bid. On Monday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) threw his support behind Biden only days after dropping out of the Democratic nomination fight, while former President Obama announced his long-awaited endorsement on Tuesday. Wednesday’s endorsement also means that all of Biden’s opponents for the Democratic nomination are behind his campaign as Warren was the last remaining candidate to back him. Hours after Warren rolled out her endorsement, Biden made a pitch to Warren’s extensive list of supporters, saying that he wasn’t going to ask for donations yet and planned to “earn your trust.” Annie Linskey, The Washington Post: Warren endorses former Biden as allies ponder her future role. Reuters: Warren says she would accept an offer to be Biden's running mate. The Hill: Michigan, Wisconsin Democratic senators endorse Biden. The Wall Street Journal: Biden campaign indicates Priorities USA is preferred super PAC. 
© Getty Images As of this morning, there are only 200 days until the general election and Democrats are growing more confident in their chances to retake the White House and unseat the president. As Julia Manchester and Max Greenwood write, politicos on both sides view the November election through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the American public’s views on how Trump steers the country through the worst public health crisis in modern memory. Polling suggests a tight race, but recent surveys give Democrats hope that Biden can top Trump in states such as Florida and Arizona that are crucial to his reelection chances. Down ballot, Democrats are also feeling upbeat about their chances to flip the Senate. The New York Times: The Democratic establishment suddenly loves Bernie Sanders. > Independent bid?: With all eyes on a Trump-Biden general election matchup, some are keeping eyes on Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.) as he once again considers launching a third-party White House bid. As Jonathan Easley writes, the Michigan congressman, who bolted the GOP in July over frustration with the party's loyalty to Trump, recently hinted that voters deserve a third choice in November, sparking chatter that the libertarian-leaning lawmaker could seek the Libertarian Party nomination. While libertarians have been pursuing Amash for months, he is not guaranteed to win the Libertarian Party's nomination at next month's convention in Austin. However, many in the party view the Michigan lawmaker as a boon for libertarians as he would bring an avalanche of media attention, give them their best shot at making the debate stage and leave an impact on the race. Having Amash on the ballot in the fall would also create potential issues for Trump in Michigan; the president won the state by less than 11,000 votes (0.23 percent). The siphoning of any meaningful portion of votes could doom the incumbent’s chances of winning the state’s 16 electoral votes. The Trump campaign says it's not worried by what it views as a fringe candidate seeking media attention. The Washington Post: Democrats eye tantalizing Senate prize in Georgia but face doubts about seizing it. | 
