• Over the past few months, you might have been wondering to yourself, “Hey! The president of the United States is running roughshod over the rights of millions of Americans! Where the heck is Congress?” From shirking its constitutional power to regulate tariffs to Republican in-fighting over President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill,’ Congress has been a bit M.I.A. In fact, in his first 100 days back in office, Trump signed fewer bills into law than any new president going back to Eisenhower in the 1950s. So… what gives? Annie Grayer, a senior reporter covering Capitol Hill for CNN, gives us the low-down on what Congress has been up to.
• And in headlines: A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from deporting a group of Asian migrants to Libya, the Federal Reserve kept interest rates steady because of tariff uncertainty, and India and Pakistan escalated their decades-long tensions over the disputed Kashmir region.

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TRANSCRIPT

Jane Coaston: It’s Thursday, May 8th, I’m Jane Coaston, and this is What a Day, the show that is taking a stand. A stand against the use of the term raw dogging in contexts like this one, in which a CBS News guest describes how cardinals are spending their time during the papal conclave. 

[clip of unnamed CBS news host] One thing we know they’re not doing is checking Instagram because their devices have all been confiscated. 

[clip of unnamed CBS news guest] I believe the kids call it raw dogging it if you’re going to go through a long period of time with no electronic device. 

[clip of unnamed CBS news host] Yeah. 

Jane Coaston: Look, this is a family podcast, so we are not getting into what the term raw dogging actually means. But let me be clear, we are not using it to discuss whether or not Catholic Cardinals can use their phones during the conclave. [music break] On today’s show, the Federal Reserve keeps interest rates steady over tariff uncertainty, and India and Pakistan escalate their decades-long tensions. Great. But, let’s start with everyone’s favorite group of normal, down-to-earth, hard-working Americans, Congress! Over the past few months, you might have been thinking to yourself, hey, the President of the United States is running roughshod over the rights of millions of Americans. The judiciary has been acting to slow him down-ish. But isn’t there this other branch of government that could be doing something? One that’s co-equal to the executive and judicial branches and arguably more powerful? The legislative branch or something? First, shout out to whomever taught you civics. And second, yeah, Congress could be doing a lot of things. Like, for example, stopping the Trump administration from sending undocumented immigrants to a super prison in El Salvador. Here’s a constituent yelling at Republican Senator Chuck Grassley about this a few weeks ago. 

[clip of unamed constituent] Every person within the jurisdiction of the United States has due process. [clip of indistinct affirmation and applause] [indistinct off the mic] And we would like to know what you, as the people, the Congress, who are supposed to reign in this dictator, what are you going to do about it? These people have been sentenced to life imprisonment in a foreign country, with no due process. 

Jane Coaston: Or take the issue of tariffs. The Constitution of the United States gives Congress the power to set and regulate tariffs. And Congress could overrule Trump’s national emergency declaration he’s used as a basis for his tariff scheme. Republican Senator Rand Paul and Democratic Senator Ron Wyden tried to do so. Here’s Senator Paul on the Senate floor last week. 

[clip of Senator Rand Paul] Congress didn’t debate these tariffs. Congress didn’t vote to enact these tariffs, the tariffs are simply imposed by presidential fiat, by proclamation. Government by one person assumes all power by asserting a so-called emergency is the antithesis of constitutional government. 

Jane Coaston: But the resolution failed after Vice President J.D. Vance cast a deciding vote to kill it. So in short, Republicans, including Republicans who say they don’t like the tariffs, like Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, voted to let the President of the United States do tariffs. Over in the House, Republicans are working on their big legislative package that’s supposed to be a one-stop shop for President Donald Trump’s agenda. Tax cuts, raising the debt ceiling, boosting border security, installing a gold toilet in the White House. Okay. That last one is not true, I made that up. Though he is gilding the Oval Office in a manner Liberace would appreciate. But it is true that Republicans really are putting all of their expensive legislative eggs into this one basket of a bill. And it’s not going well. Surprise, surprise. Pleasing both swing district moderates and slash spending to the bone fuck the poor’s conservatives is really hard when you have tiny majorities. But ever the optimist, Speaker Mike Johnson said this week that House Republicans are still on track to pass the president’s big, beautiful bill. 

[clip of Speaker Mike Johnson] We can pass that by Memorial Day, that was our original time frame, and some of the people in this room balked and thought that would be impossible, but stop doubting us, we’re going to get this job done, okay? 

Jane Coaston: I’m doubting because, to be clear, Memorial Day is less than three weeks away and there is still no bill, let alone agreement among Republicans as to what should be in it. So what gives? Why is Congress terrified to do anything besides show trial style hearings and posting on the Internet? And I say this as someone who loves to post on the internet. And what’s the deal with this big, beautiful bill? To find out, I had to ask Annie Grayer. She’s a senior reporter covering Capitol Hill for CNN. Annie, welcome to What a Day. 

Annie Grayer: Thanks for having me. 

Jane Coaston: So Congress returned last week from a two-week recess during which they occasionally got yelled at back at home. What exactly have they been up to? 

Annie Grayer: Honestly, it’s a great question. They certainly haven’t been voting on a lot of things. This has been one of the least productive Congresses so far. I mean, there’s been a record low number of bills going from Congress to uh President Trump’s desk, and that’s because the president’s doing most of his actions right now through executive orders. He’s you know not really going through Congress. And in the meantime, Republicans are meeting behind the scenes trying to make progress on their you know quote, “big beautiful bill” that’s essentially all of Trump’s big agenda items from energy to taxes to border but there is just so much disagreement behind the scenes that that is taking up everyone’s time these private meetings where they’re all disagreeing about different aspects of this bill that there’s very little things happening on the floor. 

Jane Coaston: Yeah, let’s get into the big, beautiful bill, which now apparently that’s the phrase we’re just going to use for it. That includes everything. Like there’s been discussions–

Annie Grayer: Right. 

Jane Coaston: Of how this bill is also going to defund Planned Parenthood, raise the debt ceiling, boost border security. What is the actual status of those negotiations? 

Annie Grayer: I mean, essentially stalled right now. I mean, it’s like whack-a-mole right now, so you go into one meeting, there’s a group focusing on one topic, and they might come out with moving the ball like five or 10 yards on the goal line. Speaker Johnson loves using football terms, so we’re always talking in sports metaphors here, but there might be seemingly a little bit of progress, and then that completely contradicts what another group is working on or is told. So there are just so many priorities as you’re talking about that are in direct contradiction with each other, there’s just in general, a huge math problem. I mean, Republicans want to cut at least $1.5 trillion, but they don’t want to touch key programs like Medicaid. And that’s why, you know, things are really moving at a glacial pace right now, because getting an agreement around any of this, everyone’s scratching their head saying how Republicans are going to do it?

Jane Coaston: Yep. Yep. An offense breaking down as it gets close to the goal line. Seen it before many times. But where are those big divisions among Republicans in terms of those proposed spending cuts? 

Annie Grayer: Well, let’s talk about Medicaid because I think that’s kind of the big conversation right now is how to protect that program. So Republicans do want to add some sort of work requirement for Medicaid. That’s a really you know hard thing to put in place. A lot of states have tried it. There’s a lot of issues around there. So how are Republicans going to actually do that? Um. You know in terms of bigger priorities the border is huge. Like that’s where Republicans want to spend a lot more money. So they are very much in agreement on that, but it’s like where the rubber meets the road. How are they actually making this happen? That’s why there’s so much stand still right now, because people start to put pen to paper and immediately are like, well, wait, we forgot about XYZ thing over here. And, you know, there’s divisions, you know, geographically, there’s divisions ideologically, um you name it, we could get into all of it. 

Jane Coaston: And I have to ask. Republicans have said they want to pass this bill by Memorial Day, which is, to be clear, coming pretty quickly. When might we actually see this bill? 

Annie Grayer: That’s a great question. I mean, there just isn’t that many legislative days between now and Memorial Day. Um. I think they’re hoping, because the way a lot of things work around here is there’s that pressure right before a big recess that you know that’s where you can really try and motivate people to get something done. Either you know they vote on something or they have to cancel their family recess plan. But there’s so much that needs to happen between now and Memorial Day, I think. People inside the room understand that that timeline is really a goal, but not necessarily a realistic one. 

Jane Coaston: And where are Democrats in all of this? 

Annie Grayer: Sitting back, mostly. I mean, this is not their bill, this not their policy, this is not their priority, but they essentially have no role to play here. I mean that’s what we’re seeing play out kind of in this first hundred days is Democrats really trying to figure out how to be a pressure point when they don’t hold the power at all in Washington anymore. They aren’t unified around a collective leader. They have a lot of different messaging strategies that they’re trying, but they have no involvement in how this legislation is going to be crafted or what policies are going to be included.

Jane Coaston: Here’s what gets me. Republicans control both chambers of Congress right now. And as you’ve mentioned, they’ve barely passed any legislation. In fact, at the hundred day mark, Trump had signed fewer bills than any new president going back to President Eisenhower in the 1950s. What’s driving that? 

Annie Grayer: Well they’re putting all of their chips in this big, beautiful bill basket right now. All of their major legislative priorities, from energy to taxes to the border, are getting grouped in this massive bill that, as we’ve been talking about, have a ton of roadblocks. So with all the energy there, that’s sucking up most of the floor time because members are mostly in meetings. I mean, they’re not voting a lot. As reporters, we’re sitting around a lot waiting for votes to happen. I mean, one vote that’s happening in the House today is codifying Trump’s change of Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America. Now, even some Republicans have come out against this bill. They think it’s kind of a waste of their time. Um. We still think from sources that it will pass, but that’s the kind of thing that Republicans are using floor time to be voting on right now. And then, you know, there are so many issues in front of this country. 

Jane Coaston: Presidents don’t usually have a ton of time to turn their political capital into legislation and we’ve seen that with the last couple of administrations, I mean I think about the ACA debate that took over pretty much all of 2009 and 2010. In recent history it’s really been just in the first two years that a president is in office that they have this ability and given recent polling that shows Americans are souring on Trump’s agenda. What could all of this mean for his presidency if as you mentioned, they have really just put everything into this one bill. 

Annie Grayer: Well you talk to Republicans here and they’ve really shuttered that out. They are so confident in Trump. I mean, House Speaker Mike Johnson has really tied himself to Trump at every single turn. He’s had to have Trump, you know, calling members on the floor as these votes are happening, trying to convince them to stick with him. So I think Republicans are so focused on staying the course right now. They’re so convinced that what they’re doing is ultimately going to pay off. That they really don’t pay a lot of mind to, you know, the polling that we all see about how these policies are increasingly unpopular. But midterms, for I know if people listening to this, it’s like, oh my god, I can’t even think about midterms right now. But they’re not that far away. I mean, Democrats are already thinking about how to craft their messaging around this big legislation that could potentially kick millions of people off of Medicaid. And Republicans have not even really begun to think about how they would respond to that. 

Jane Coaston: Annie. Thank you so much for joining me. 

Annie Grayer: Thank you, so much. This was so fun. 

Jane Coaston: That was my conversation with CNN’s Annie Grayer. She’s a senior reporter covering Capitol Hill. We’ll get to more of the news in a moment, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe, leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, watch us on YouTube so you can see my face when I have to use the term raw dogging and share with your friends. More to come after some ads. [music break]

[AD BREAK]

Jane Coaston: Here’s what else we’re following today. 

[sung] Headlines. 

[clip of Vice President J.D. Vance] The first peace offer that the Russians put on the table, our reaction to it was, you’re asking for too much, but this is how negotiations unfold. 

Jane Coaston: Vice President J.D. Vance gave an update Wednesday on negotiations for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Vance made remarks in D.C. at a meeting hosted by the Munich Security Conference. He didn’t share details about the Kremlin’s list of demands that the Trump administration thinks are too much, but he mentioned that the U.S. is focused on helping negotiate a deal that would permanently end the war rather than a temporary ceasefire. Ukraine has said it’s willing to agree to a 30-day fighting pause, but Vance said Wednesday that Russia says that’s not in their interest. 

[clip of Vice President J.D. Vance] We’ve tried to move beyond the obsession with the 30-day ceasefire and more on what would the long-term settlement look like, and we’ve tried to consistently to advance the ball. 

Jane Coaston: Vance’s comments could signal growing tensions between the Trump administration and Russian President Vladimir Putin amid stalled peace talks. You may remember Trump’s infamous Truth Social post last month, where he said he was quote, “not happy with Russia” after the Kremlin launched a barrage of deadly attacks on Kyiv. He wrote in that same post, quote, “Vladimir, stop.” The president has also hinted at the possibility of imposing sanctions on Russia. A federal judge on Wednesday issued a temporary restraining order to block the Trump administration from deporting a group of Asian migrants to Libya, or any other country where they are not citizens. Immigration attorneys filed an emergency motion Wednesday after it was reported that the Trump Administration is planning to deport a group undocumented immigrants to the war-torn country. Libyan officials denied coordinating any deportations with the Trump Adminstration and said they will not accept any migrants from the U.S. President Trump was asked to clarify the issue during a press conference at the White House Wednesday. A reporter simply asked the president to confirm if his administration is doing this, to which he said.

[clip of President Donald Trump] I don’t know, you’ll have to ask Homeland Security. 

Jane Coaston: Bro, it’s your administration and you don’t know. The attorneys who filed Wednesday’s emergency motion claim that the Trump administration’s reported plans are in defiance of an earlier court ruling that bars officials from deporting migrants without written notice or a quote, “meaningful chance to challenge their deportation.” For a third meeting in a row, the Federal Reserve didn’t change interest rates on Wednesday because of growing concern over the effect of President Trump’s tariffs on the economy and inflation. In a statement, the Fed said that labor market conditions are solid, but, quote, “uncertainty about the economic outlook has increased further.” [?]. Fed Chair Jerome Powell gave an update Wednesday. 

[clip of Jerome Powell] If the large increases in tariffs that have been announced are sustained, they are likely to generate a rise in inflation, a slowdown in economic growth, and an increase in unemployment. The effects on inflation could be short-lived, reflecting a one-time shift in the price level. It is also possible that the inflationary effects could instead be more persistent. 

Jane Coaston: Yes, he did say short-lived. We’re all moving through that together. Of course, while the Fed continues to monitor the economic outlook, it also has to deal with Trump, who has continuously called on Powell to cut rates. Just last week at a rally in Michigan, Trump said, quote, “You are not supposed to criticize the Fed. You were supposed to let him do his own thing. But I know much more than he does about interest rates. Believe me.” I do not. India’s military said Wednesday it launched strikes against Pakistan and Kashmir, increasing tensions in the region. Pakistan claims it shot down several Indian fighter jets. We don’t have time to delve too deep into this, but this is the latest in a long conflict between Pakistan and India. Control of Kashmir has been a point of contention since the late 1940s. Both countries control parts of the region, but claim it in full. Both are also nuclear powers. India’s strikes against Pakistan Wednesday came in response to a deadly attack last month at a resort in Kashmir where Hindu tourists were shot. India accused Pakistan of being behind the militant attack. Pakistan has denied involvement. India’s defense ministry said in its retaliation, it aimed at sites in Pakistan where, quote, “terrorist attacks against India have been planned.” Pakistan’s military said at least 31 people were killed by the missiles, including women and children. Pakistan’s prime minister said he would avenge the dead. And that’s the news. [music break] One more thing. The clock is ticking on the 90-day pause on Trump’s reciprocal tariffs. Now, we’re only about a month in, but the president has had weeks to negotiate trade deals with the countries he’s levied taxes on. He keeps saying that at least one big trade deal with one country is coming soon, but as of our recording Wednesday night, the number of new deals sits at zero, zilch, nada, a big old goose egg. Turns out, negotiating complicated trade agreements with dozens of countries is hard. Who knew? And every day the Trump administration delays has real consequences for everyday Americans, like small business owners. Many rely on imported goods and supplies to make a living, and they’re worried that if the White House fails to make these deals, it could mean the end of their businesses. I wanted to talk to a small business owner who’s feeling the effects of Trump’s trade war right now, so I called up Chitra Agrawal. She’s the co-founder of Brooklyn Delhi. Chitra, welcome to What a Day. 

Chitra Agrawal: Thanks for having me. 

Jane Coaston: So tell me a little bit about Brooklyn Delhi. 

Chitra Agrawal: Brooklyn Deli is a premium Indian food brand that I founded in 2014. It’s inspired by my Indian heritage and we make authentic Indian sauces, condiments, and heat and eat meals. 

Jane Coaston: That is of deep interest to me, a person who fucking loves Indian food. So what was your reaction to Trump’s long, long, long list of tariffs he debuted in April? Which ones worried you the most when it comes to your business? 

Chitra Agrawal: It was just um panic, basically. Because we make products that have authentic Indian ingredients, we’re importing a lot of our ingredients. Also, our glass and our lids are also coming from abroad. So it’s like hitting us on a lot of different levels from not just India, but China, Taiwan, um Sri Lanka. It’s crazy just kind of trying to figure out, uh you know what the impact is gonna be at the end of the day. 

Jane Coaston: Yeah, I think people kind of forget about just like, where do you get bottles and lids? I have a friend who runs a distillery who had that same issue. So how have the tariffs already impacted your expenses and overall ability to run your business? 

Chitra Agrawal: There’s a ten percent across the board that’s hitting us right now on all the ingredients that we’re importing. In addition, we do have glass that’s coming from China. So we’re right now trying to scramble to see if we can get alternatives. The one thing that’s interesting is that, you know, we get glass from Taiwan, right? And even with the proposed tariff that is supposed to come down, it’s still cheaper to import that glass with that tariff than it is to actually manufacture that glass domestically. 

Jane Coaston: Oh, that’s wild. So when did you notice a change in prices for supplies and ingredients and which prices increased the most and how do they compare to prices before Trump’s tariffs? 

Chitra Agrawal: Right now, we’re just kind of just getting a lot of these letters from our suppliers saying that we’re going to be passing on the 10% tariff and they’re basically like we’re just holding tight to see what happens next because there’s just this 90-day pause which everybody is kind of just you know waiting to hear what’s going to go on. So for instance, for now, you know we have a hiring freeze. We’re not bringing on anybody new. We’re not launching any new products or, you know, have plans right now because the times are just too uncertain. Everybody is in kind of a holding pattern right now. 

Jane Coaston: I just keep thinking about how Trump’s big rebuttal for businesses like yours, worried about the tariffs, is just move all your operations to the US and rely on domestic production and sourcing. Is any of that really an option for your business? 

Chitra Agrawal: I’d say no, for a lot of the ingredients, I mean, we have cumin, coconut cream, all these different very you know specific ingredients that are just not grown at scale here or–

Jane Coaston: No. 

Chitra Agrawal: Just can’t be grown here. And in addition, I mean–

Jane Coaston: Yeah there’s not a big cumin industry in the United States. 

Chitra Agrawal: No. And the other piece is that we actually manufacture our jarred products domestically. So we’re supporting local factories here. But it’s just that the components are coming from abroad. And I’d say if you look at the grocery store, I would say the majority of food products have a piece of a global supply chain in them. And it’s not just Indian products. It’s like, you know, coffee, olive oil, chocolate. I mean, It’s just like all of these ingredients that you wouldn’t think will be impacted by these tariffs but are going to be impacted. 

Jane Coaston: Chitra, thank you so much for joining me. 

Chitra Agrawal: Thanks for having me. 

Jane Coaston: That was my conversation with Chitra Agrawal, co-founder of Brooklyn Delhi. We’ll include a link to her business in our show notes. [music break]

[AD BREAK]

Jane Coaston: That’s all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, celebrate First Lady Melania Trump on her successful avoidance of both her husband and the White House, and tell your friends to listen. And if you’re into reading and not just about how, as The New York Times noted on Wednesday, Melania Trump has spent less than two weeks at the White House since her husband was inaugurated in January, like me, What a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at Crooked.com/subscribe. I’m Jane Coaston, and I’m not saying Melania Trump is a hashtag resistance hero, but I am saying that she is making what we might call in sports a business decision. [music break] What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It’s recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producers are Raven Yamamoto and Emily Fohr. Our producer is Michell Eloy. We had production help today from Johanna Case, Joseph Dutra, Greg Walters, and Julia Claire. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison, and our executive producer is Adriene Hill. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East. 

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