Sep 8, 2017

House GOP not happy about Mnuchin's debt ceiling plea

Alayna Treene

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin takes his seat on Capitol Hill Photo: Jacquelyn Martin / AP

House Republicans were not happy today when Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin urged members to "vote for the debt ceiling for me," per The Hill.

Why it matters: Mnuchin's pleading, which some House leaders called "arrogant" and "intellectually insulting," is placing further strain on an already tense relationship between Capitol Hill and the White House following this deal with the Democrats.

The critiques:

  • "His performance was incredibly poor," said Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC).
  • "It was a very arrogant lecture that turned off more of the conference," said another congressman. "I'm less sold than when I walked into the meeting."
  • Rep. Ryan Costello (R-PA) said the pitch was "about as well received as his wife's Instagram post."
  • Rep. David Brat (R-Va.), a Freedom Caucus member, called the comments "unhelpful" and "intellectually insulting."

Go deeper

Axios

Situational awareness

Photo: Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

Catch up on today's biggest news:

  1. Mike Bloomberg offers to release women from 3 NDAs
  2. Wells Fargo to pay $3 billion to settle consumer abuse charges
  3. Bloomberg campaign says Tennessee vandalism "echoes language" from Bernie supporters
  4. Scoop: New White House personnel chief tells Cabinet liaisons to target Never Trumpers
  5. Nearly half of Republicans support pardoning Roger Stone
Keep ReadingArrowUpdated 45 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Orion Rummler

Wells Fargo agrees to pay $3 billion to settle consumer abuse charges

Clients use an ATM at a Wells Fargo Bank in Los Angeles, Calif. Photo: Ronen Tivony/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Wells Fargo agreed to a pay a combined $3 billion to the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday for opening millions of fake customer accounts between 2002 and 2016, the SEC said in a press release.

The big picture: The fine "is among the largest corporate penalties reached during the Trump administration," the Washington Post reports.

Go deeperArrow47 mins ago - Economy & Business
Fadel Allassan

Bloomberg offers to release women from 3 nondisclosure agreements

Mike Bloomberg. Photo: Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

Mike Bloomberg said Friday his company will release women identified to have signed three nondisclosure agreements so they can publicly discuss their allegations against him if they wish.

Why it matters, via Axios' Margaret Talev: Bloomberg’s shift in policy toward NDAs comes as he tries to stanch his loss of female support after the Las Vegas debate. It is an effort to separate the total number of harassment and culture complaints at the large company from those directed at him personally. That could reframe the criticism against him, but also protect the company from legal fallout if all past NDAs were placed in jeopardy.

Go deeperArrow55 mins ago - Politics & Policy