☕ Congress' to-do list

Good morning!

A call-out if you have a bottle of Kirkland Signature Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG from Costco - over 940,000 bottles of bubbly have been recalled due to bottles shattering. Customers will get a refund for their dodgy bottles, hopefully to be used on a slightly less fizzy drink.

I’ve got 30 seconds

Some headlines from this morning:

• President Trump has provided more details on a proposed $2,000 tariff-funded check distributed to every low- and middle-income American on Sunday, but other members of the administration have suggested it may be distributed as a tax rebate. The announcement came shortly after Republicans lost major elections over the weekend, with Trump making the pledge on Truth Social. Tax experts quoted by the Associated Press said Trump's tariffs will bring in up to $300b in revenue annually, while providing such checks would cost the government $600b. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he had not discussed the checks with the President when asked about the dividend, but that it could “come in lots of forms”, including “tax decreases”.

• The Supreme Court has extended a federal government freeze on the SNAP food subsidy program on Tuesday, allowing the suspension of benefits to 42 million Americans to continue. The freeze follows a lower court order that initially directed the government to use emergency funding to continue payments despite the government shutdown. A government challenge to that ruling led to Supreme Court intervention. A formal ruling in the case may not be issued until after the shutdown concludes.

• Indian police have arrested multiple suspects in connection with a car bombing outside New Delhi's Red Fort Monument on Monday that killed eight people. Officials said the suspects were located in the disputed Kashmir region, which has been a focal point of separatist and terrorist violence. The Red Fort is a symbol of Indian independence. If confirmed as a terrorist attack, it would be the deadliest in the Indian capital since 2011.

• Taiwan has evacuated 8,300 people as Tropical Storm Fung-wong prepares to make landfall in the southern part of the island on Wednesday afternoon. The storm previously killed 27 people in the Philippines when it hit as a Super Typhoon, but has weakened to wind speeds of 65km/h. A similar storm killed 18 people in Taiwan in September. The Taiwanese government has warned against spending time near water sources and the ocean, as forecasters expect heavy winds, flooding, and rough seas.

I’ve got 1 minute

The United Nations’ 30th annual climate change conference (COP30) is underway in Belém, Brazil. Past COPs have seen global commitments, such as the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015. They have also attracted criticism for “greenwashing,” particularly at COP26.

What is COP?

COP30’s attendees are the 198 countries that have signed the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change. COP is the UN’s largest annual event and a “global forum for…discussion of climate change matters” among countries.

The conference was first held in 1995 in Berlin, with around 4,000 attendees. Last year’s edition hosted 50,000. Notable decisions include the adoption of the Paris Agreement at COP21 in France in 2015.

The agreement binds countries to limit their emissions to ensure global temperatures don’t rise more than 1.5°C above levels recorded during 1850-1900, after which fossil fuel emissions rapidly increased.

The U.S. withdrew from the agreement in 2020 under President Trump, rejoined in 2021 under President Joe Biden, and submitted to withdraw again in January 2025 under Trump.

This year marks 10 years since the Paris Agreement was signed. Countries needed to bring a climate change action plan to this summit, showing their short and long-term policies. This included stating their carbon-emissions-reduction targets for 2035.

Criticisms

Previous COPs have drawn protests, including COP26 in Glasgow in 2021. At the time, Swedish activist Greta Thunberg labeled it a “greenwashing event”. Thunberg said that world leaders were “creating loopholes... to continue the exploitation of nature and people”.

The Kick Big Polluters Out coalition criticized COP28 in Dubai for the “record number of fossil fuel lobbyists” at the event, calling it a “conflict of interest”.

I’ve got 2 minutes

Speaker Mike Johnson has ordered hundreds of House members to return to Washington to vote on reopening the government after a 41-day shutdown, ending an unprecedented period in which he kept Congress closed during the crisis.

The House will vote on a funding bill, legislation to extend health care subsidies, and the release of the Epstein files. Johnson will also swear in Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, whose delayed oath of office has sparked accusations of partisan obstruction. Here's what you need to know.

Closed for business

On October 1, the government shut down after Senate Democrats withheld the eight votes needed to pass a funding bill. Some federal workers were furloughed while others worked without pay.

Despite elected representatives being exempt from payment suspensions, Johnson refused to convene the House during the shutdown. He argued it was unnecessary since the Senate had to pass the funding bill first. Political historians quoted by the AP noted this action may be unprecedented.

On Monday, eight Senate Democrats broke with the party line and voted to fund the government. The House must now also pass the funding bill, forcing Johnson to reconvene Congress. Johnson gave members 36 hours to return to Washington on Monday, meaning the House is likely to reconvene and vote on Wednesday.

Health care subsidies

A major condition of Democratic cooperation is that legislation to extend ACA (Affordable Care Act) health care subsidies be introduced by mid-December. These subsidies, which reduced insurance premiums for millions of lower-income Americans, expired during the shutdown.

Despite Senate guarantees, Johnson refused to commit to a vote on health care subsidies when the deal was announced Monday.

Epstein vote

The last House vote was on September 19, amid growing pressure to mandate the release of the Epstein files. The push for congressional intervention emerged after Attorney General Pam Bondi rescinded an earlier promise to release them - a move suspected to be motivated by President Trump's ambiguous connection to the notorious pedophile.

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky has been gathering signatures to force the release. His motion requires only one more signature.

Rep Adelita Grijalva

Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva won a special election in Arizona in September, succeeding her late father. Johnson has refused to reconvene the House to swear her in despite fast-tracking two Florida Republican Rep.-elects earlier in the year, swearing them in within 24 hours.

Johnson said, "As a courtesy to them and their families, we went ahead and administered the oath to an empty chamber." He has promised to swear Grijalva in when the House reconvenes.

House Democrats suspect Johnson's reluctance is linked to the vote on the Epstein files. Grijalva is likely to provide the final signature Massie needs to force the release. Her swearing-in will also dilute Republicans' power in the House.

What’s next?

The House is expected to vote today on the funding bill, health care legislation, and the release of the Epstein files. Major flight delays caused by the government shutdown may frustrate representatives' efforts to return to Washington from every state.

TDU asks