| | | | | |  | | By Melanie Zanona | Presented by |  | | BARRETT BOYCOTT -- The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote today on approving Judge Amy Coney Barrett to serve on the Supreme Court. But don't expect Senate Democrats to be there. In protest of the GOP's lightning-fast effort to confirm ACB before the election, Democrats are planning to sit out the committee markup. And instead, they plan to place pictures of people who have been impacted by the Affordable Care Act on their empty seats, per CNN's Manu Raju, as the party tries to hammer home the message that the public's health care is in jeopardy if ACB is confirmed. The statement, from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Judiciary Dems: "This has been a sham process from the beginning. … Throughout the hearings last week, committee Democrats demonstrated the damage a Justice Barrett would do – to health care, reproductive freedoms, the ability to vote, and other core rights that Americans cherish. We will not grant this process any further legitimacy by participating in a committee markup of this nomination just twelve days before the culmination of an election that is already underway." But it doesn't look like their boycott will stop the GOP from moving forward. Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham said they can still hold the vote without Dems present. "Judge Barrett deserves a vote and she will receive a vote," Graham said. "Judge Barrett deserves to be reported out of committee and she will be reported out of committee. Judge Barrett deserves to be on the Supreme Court and she will be confirmed." The latest from Marianne: https://politi.co/3kpS0GA. Related read: "Supreme Court vote tears at Judiciary Committee relationships," from Roll Call's Todd Ruger: https://bit.ly/3kmHUWS. | | A message from Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices: Small businesses continue to be left behind by Congress, which brings a cost of inaction. 30% of all small business owners will exhaust their cash reserves by the end of the year and 43% of Black small business owners will completely deplete their cash reserves by the end of the year. Learn more | | | WHAT THE DUCK -- Negotiators are racing to finalize a coronavirus relief bill before the election. But even senior Democrats acknowledge that a deal could slip until the lame duck session of Congress. "The election is less than two weeks away, and I believe we'll be back in Washington a week or two after the elections and we can do something there," House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) told CNN. "At least elections will be behind us. People will know what their futures are." And Speaker Nancy Pelosi pinned the blame on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who reportedly advised the White House not to strike a deal before the election. "We obviously want to have a deal by November 3rd. That really is going to be up to whether the president can convince Mitch McConnell to do so," Pelosi told a Sirius XM show. "However, I don't think, I think Mitch McConnell might not mind doing it after the election." But can we even count on action during the lame duck? Some in Washington believe Democrats would rather just hold out for a better deal under the next president if Joe Biden wins, while others think Trump would have little incentive to sign a big bill if he loses. (Not to mention, Congress is going to have to fund the government during that time period as well.) Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) told reporters that the lame duck "is a really hard time to get much done." And here's what Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told AP's Andy Taylor: "I think Democrats would want to wait until the new president is sworn in and do it then. And I think Republicans probably would say unless the economy would take a bad turn between now and let's say Dec. 1 -- and there doesn't seem to be a sign that's going to happen … we would say the economy is taking care of it." But at the same time, it's hard to imagine Congress going home for the holidays without delivering much-needed relief to the American people — especially as coronavirus cases are only expected to climb in the winter. And as Pelosi said earlier this week, she wants a deal ASAP so she doesn't have "to carry over the droppings of this grotesque elephant into the next presidency." More on the state of play from Marianne: https://politi.co/2HmC2hQ. SPEAKING of notable quotes … When asked why White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was in the Capitol yesterday, Blunt quipped to reporters: "Maybe he just needed to get out of the White House." (For the record, Meadows was there to brief Senate Republicans on the relief talks.) Related read: "Mnuchin is a man alone as Senate Republicans dig in against stimulus deal," by WaPo's Paul Kane: https://wapo.st/3kmBNBQ. FRUSTRATION IN THE FINAL STRETCH -- Two weeks away from the election, Trump is tweeting about rapper 50 Cent. He's trashing Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert. And he's picking fights with CBS' popular "60 Minutes" news program and revered journalist Lesley Stahl. To put it lightly: this is not the closing message that his GOP allies were hoping for. It's clear that Trump is on a completely different page than Senate Republicans, undermining the GOP as it fights to hang on to its Senate majority. And frustrations are spilling out into public view. "There's just not any discipline. I mean the president's got a great record to run on. But we don't hear too much about it. And I just think that's a mistake," said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). Some Republicans pressed Meadows during a private GOP lunch about why the president isn't promoting their $500 billion stimulus bill and instead talking about spending more money than Pelosi. But after nearly four years of Trump, some lawmakers just seem resigned to it all. "What he's thinking about that day, he says it. And that changes moment to moment. And that's who he is," said Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.). The dispatch from Burgess, Meridith McGraw and James Arkin: https://politi.co/3kgrHT8. Related read: "Mitt Romney says he did not vote for Trump in the 2020 election," via CNN's Manu Raju and Paul LeBlanc: https://cnn.it/3dM2Cgk. GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, October 22, where your host can't say she is surprised that Rudy Giuliani got duped by Borat. WEDNESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: The Hill's report that Sen. Dick Durbin isn't interested in leading the Judiciary Committee was the big winner. | 
WILMINGTON, DE - OCTOBER 19: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden waves as he departs The Queen theater on October 19, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. According to the campaign, Biden recorded an interview with CBS 60 Minutes that will air Sunday evening. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) | Drew Angerer/Getty Images | | | | | THIS WEEK - NEW EPISODES OF POLITICO'S GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS PODCAST : The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, but many of those issues exploded over the past year. Are world leaders and political actors up to the task of solving them? Is the private sector? Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, unpacks the roadblocks to smart policy decisions and examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. Subscribe now for Season Two, launching Oct. 21. | | | | | ABOUT LAST NIGHT -- DOJ and national security officials held an unexpected news conference last night to announce that Russia and Iran have obtained voter registration data that could aid efforts to interfere in the election. And Iran has already used some of the data it obtained: the country was behind some threatening "vote for Trump" emails, officials said. The statement from Pelosi and Intel Chairman Adam Schiff , who are among the lawmakers who will be briefed on the threats today: "The bedrock of our democracy is that every citizen has a right to vote and to have that vote count as cast. We cannot allow voter intimidation or interference efforts, either foreign or domestic, to silence voters' voices and take away that right. … In the face of these ongoing attempts to undermine Americans' confidence in our elections, it is more essential than ever that voters exercise their sacred constitutional right to vote and to participate in our democracy." Related: "Trump weighs firing FBI director after election as frustration with Wray, Barr grows," from WaPo's Devlin Barrett and Josh Dawsey: https://wapo.st/3kjZHOs. IS GARDNER A GONER? -- Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado is one of the most vulnerable Republicans up for reelection — and it's largely because of Trump. The dispatch from Bloomberg Government's Nancy Ognanovich: "A Democratic ad that aired in Colorado described Sen. Cory Gardner and President Donald Trump as sticking together 'like peanut butter and jelly.' That's an unappetizing image for Gardner, a first-term Republican whose fate is glued to an unpopular president in a race against former Gov. John Hickenlooper. "Hickenlooper has maintained a healthy lead in the polls in a state that's trended increasingly Democratic over the past decade, as it grows with an influx of Californians and minorities. It's one of only two Senate seats held by a Republican in a state Hillary Clinton won in 2016 — the other is in Maine — and it's a cornerstone of the Democrats' drive to regain control of the chamber. … Democrats' confidence in winning the seat has grown so much that Senate Majority PAC, which is aligned with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and aired the peanut butter and jelly spots, recently canceled its remaining TV buy in Colorado and moved the $1.2 million to races considered more competitive." More: https://bit.ly/35ljdUt. Related: "'Not a fair fight': In Kansas, GOP frustrated as money rolls in for Democrat and Senate race tightens," by WaPo's Annie Gowen: https://wapo.st/2IUsj38. | | | |   | | | MAKE IT RAIN, MITCH -- Senate Dems may have a cash advantage, but there's one recent fundraising haul that's making them nervous. HuffPo's Kevin Robillard explains: "Senate Leadership Fund, the super political action committee controlled by McConnell allies, raised $92 million in September and began October with more than $103 million in the bank, according to a Federal Election Commission report filed Tuesday afternoon. Those huge sums … have helped Senate Republicans gain a financial edge in several key races. "Over the final days of the election, according to the Democrats tracking media buys, Republicans are set to outspend Democrats on TV in four key Senate races: Michigan, where Democrats are hopeful Sen. Gary Peters can defend his seat against Republican John James; Georgia, where Democrat Jon Ossoff is looking to knock off GOP Sen. David Perdue; Kansas, where Democratic state Sen. Barbara Bollier is battling Rep. Roger Marshall for an open seat; and in South Carolina, where Democrat Jaime Harrison is putting a scare into GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham." More: https://bit.ly/3oofZsj. Y'ALL READY FOR THIS -- "Tom Cotton is already laying the groundwork in New Hampshire for a 2024 presidential run," from Jake Lahut of Business Insider: https://bit.ly/31w2htu. A DEBATE ABOUT DEBATES -- In the final stretch of election season, some Senate incumbents who are confident in their chances are choosing to avoid the debate stage. The dispatch from Marianne: "Debates can often produce some of the most memorable moments of a campaign. But just two weeks before the Nov. 3 election, four states are unlikely even to hold debates on whom to send to the U.S. Senate. "The debate about the debates is playing out in three red-leaning states — Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, where GOP Sens. Bill Cassidy and Cindy Hyde-Smith plus Republican Senate candidate Tommy Tuberville are not planning to debate their opponents. A closer race in Michigan between Democrat Sen. Gary Peters and Republican businessman John James also likely won't produce a debate, though it's because of disagreements over the forum." More: https://politi.co/34mwq0d. GRADING THE FRESHMAN CLASS -- "Young, outspoken and diverse, the 2018 House class began with high hopes. Did it deliver?" via Jennifer Haberkorn and Sarah D. Wire of the Los Angeles Times: https://lat.ms/3mcIg36. | | | | GLOBAL PULSE, GLOBAL PURPOSE: At a high-stakes moment when global health has become a household concern, it is pivotal to keep up with the politics and policy driving change. Global Pulse connects leaders, policymakers and advocates to the people and politics driving global health. Join the conversation and subscribe today for this new weekly newsletter. | | | | |
|  | TRANSITIONS | | Stephen Spaulding will be senior adviser to the president of Common Cause and senior counsel for public policy and government affairs. He previously was senior elections counsel to House Administration Chair Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and committee Dems. | | TODAY IN CONGRESS | | The House is out. The Senate meets at noon to resume consideration of the nomination of Michael Newman to be a district judge for the Southern District of Ohio. They will vote on whether to invoke cloture on Newman's nomination, as well as on two procedural motions from Schumer, beginning at 1 p.m. Senators are expected to vote on confirmation of Newman's nomination during Thursday's session. | | AROUND THE HILL | | The Senate Judiciary Committee holds an executive meeting to advance the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, and several other nominations, beginning at 9 a.m. in Dirksen G50. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) holds her weekly press conference at 10:45 a.m. in HVC Studio A. | | TRIVIA | | WEDNESDAY'S WINNER: Patricia Bieze was the first person to guess that 17 current U.S Senators voted as House Members on Medicare Part D back in June 2003. TODAY'S QUESTION: From Patricia: Name the former member of the House of Representatives who said: "Public apprehension and fears about the future have provided very fertile ground for a chorus of cynics. And these cynics go around saying that it makes no difference who is elected President of the United States. You must say to those cynics, 'You are perpetuating a fraud.' It does make a difference who is president." The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess to mzanona@politico.com. GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning. | | A message from Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices: Small businesses are in dire need of support. As Congress continues to leave the small business community behind, their inaction comes at a tough cost. 30% of all small business owners will exhaust their cash reserves by the end of the year and 43% of Black small business owners will completely deplete their cash reserves by the end of the year. The federal government hasn't done enough. Congress and the Administration must work together, regardless of party lines, to provide relief for the American people. Small businesses can't wait. Learn more | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment