MNI POLITICAL RISK - Conservatives Escalate Shutdown Threats

Executive Summary:

• One week out from the first of two government funding deadlines, the conservative House Freedom Caucus has issued a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) hinting that they may shut down the government if he doesn’t back a raft of contentious policy riders in Fiscal Year 2024 spending bills.
• President Biden is considering a range of executive actions to enhance security at the US-Mexico border.
• Robert Gates, former CIA Director and Secretary of Defense in the administrations of George W Bush and Barack Obama, says that Moscow has broken the stalemate in Ukraine.
• Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has called for a return to the “hard power” of the Reagan-era in an op-ed urging the House of Representatives to approve the Senate-passed foreign aid package.
• Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says the US is slowing replenishing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve but proceeding with caution to avoid actions that would affect oil prices.
• Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo says she believes the US will likely need additional legislation to encourage the domestic semiconductor sector.
• The Department of Defense is preparing for major cuts in weapons programmes to meet budget restrictions negotiated by President Biden and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hold a press conference today after the G20 foreign ministerial in Brazil.
• Poll of the Day: Americans are pessimistic on the state of the nation.

Please find the full article attached below:

MNIPOLRISKUSDaily220224.pdf