| | | | | |  | | By Melanie Zanona | Presented by |  | | | FLEW THE COUP -- More Republicans are breaking with Donald Trump over his gambit to overturn the results of the election. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) called for the "full and formal transition" to begin; Rep. Fred Upton (Mich.) said "it's over"; Sen. Pat Toomey (Pa.) said Trump has "exhausted all plausible legal options" in Pennsylvania; and Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.) said that if Trump's campaign cannot prove voter fraud, he should respect "the sanctity of our electoral process." The latest from NYT's Emily Cochrane: https://nyti.ms/3nMKjeT. Without an official ascertainment from the General Services Administration, Joe Biden has not had access to intelligence briefings, agency officials, pots of money and other critical resources. And it's also hindering the Biden camp from conducting background checks on potential cabinet picks. (Speaking of which, he plans to tap Antony Blinken for Secretary of State, per Bloomberg.) SO, at what point do Dems step in and try to force the GSA's hand? Democrats could drag officials to Capitol Hill to testify, issue subpoenas, and even file a lawsuit. But so far, Democrats haven't shown much interest in playing hardball. Instead, they've opted to mount a public pressure campaign. In fact, senior Biden adviser Jen Psaki acknowledged that "there's a rising tide of impatience," but said "legal action isn't our preference." "If it was, we would have done it days ago because we've known the clear outcome for two weeks now, and that's the only trigger for ascertainment," she told CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday. And Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters that Dems want to maintain a "unifying" atmosphere. Plus, they have full confidence Trump will fail at his attempts to overturn the results, and don't want to give it any more oxygen than is necessary. "Let's give them a chance. And that's why we don't have a hearing. We're just having a briefing," Pelosi said. Democrats did request a private briefing from GSA Administrator Emily Murphy and gave her a deadline of today to respond. (Per CNN's Manu Raju, there was still no response as of last night.) But Pelosi has hinted that Dems are willing to take more aggressive action if they need to. "I'm not one to show my hand but nonetheless, we're ready," Pelosi said, when asked if she sees an expanded House role to ensure a smooth transition. Related read: "Democrats brush off calls for Biden to play hardball on Cabinet picks," via The Hill's Jordain Carney: https://bit.ly/35SIeI9. | | | | A message from McDonald's: Ron started as a crew member at McDonald's in Oakland, CA where he found an exciting path. Thanks to college tuition assistance from McDonald's, Ron became the first college graduate in his family, and today works in Operations at McDonald's headquarters. Learn how Ron and others succeed at McDonald's. | | | COVID IN THE CAPITOL -- Since Huddle last published on Friday, several more members of Congress have tested positive for coronavirus: Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.); Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), a newly minted member of GOP leadership; and Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wis.), who was at the Capital Grille on Wednesday night, according to our friends at Playbook. Meanwhile, Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) went into self-isolation after initially testing positive and then receiving a negative follow-up test this weekend. Loeffler has been active on the campaign trail ahead of her Jan. 5 runoff race in Georgia, and even appeared with Vice President Mike Pence at a recent campaign rally. Andrew with the deets: https://politi.co/2J3jUdP. Related: "Congress a microcosm of America's coronavirus struggle," by Fox News' Chad Pergram: https://fxn.ws/35StnNY. When it comes to coronavirus relief ... Biden has been pushing congressional leaders to strike a deal during the lame-duck session. He met with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for the first time since the election on Friday, where they discussed the need for a relief package. The trio agreed a relief bill should include small business aid, state and local funding, expanded unemployment benefits and health care provisions. And according to the NYT, Biden is encouraging Democratic leaders to act quickly even if it means settling for a smaller package than what Pelosi and Schumer have called for in the past. But Biden has still not contacted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a key player in any Hill negotiations. When transition team spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield was pressed on this by Fox News' Chris Wallace, she said Biden is willing to meet with McConnell. "It is important that Senator McConnell comes to the table, and we are very hopeful that we will be able to see progress soon on this bill because people all across the country desperately needed," Bedingfield said. More from Megan Cassella, Theodoric Myer and Ben White: https://politi.co/3pQMRdH. Related: "Pressure for 'targeted' coronavirus relief bill grows as time dwindles," from Roll Call's David Lerman and Lindsey McPherson: https://bit.ly/2J4g0kE. HAPPY MONDAY! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Nov. 23, where your host did not have Jeb Bush going after the "Room Rater" Twitter account on her bingo card. FRIDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Roll Call's report on more front-line workers in the Capitol testing positive for coronavirus drew the most clicks. | 
Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a Defend the Majority Rally, Friday, Nov. 20, 2020 in Canton, Ga. (AP Photo/Ben Gray) | Ben Gray/AP Photo | | | | | DON'T MISS THE MILKEN INSTITUTE FUTURE OF HEALTH SUMMIT 2020: POLITICO will feature a special edition Future Pulse newsletter at the Milken Institute Future of Health Summit. The newsletter takes readers inside one of the most influential gatherings of global health industry leaders and innovators determined to confront and conquer the most significant health challenges. Covid-19 has exposed weaknesses across our health systems, particularly in the treatment of our most vulnerable communities, driving the focus of the 2020 conference on the converging crises of public health, economic insecurity, and social justice. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage from December 7–9. | | | | | Y'ALL READY FOR THIS -- 2020 isn't even over yet, but Senate Republicans are already moving quickly to defend their map in 2022. The story from Burgess and Bres: "Ahead of another brutal fight for Senate control and a 2022 map tilted against the GOP, Republicans are racing to persuade their incumbents to run again. Leadership is already getting some positive results, with a number of GOP senators signaling they will run for reelection in battleground states. "The tough map for Senate Republicans is likely to have a huge impact on what, if any, deals McConnell makes with President-elect Joe Biden and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). And as in this last cycle, McConnell will be looking to protect vulnerable incumbents — both by moving legislation they support and saving them from having to cast tough votes. "Some Republicans have made clear they're not sticking around. Sens. Richard Burr of North Carolina and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania have already announced their retirement plans, and the GOP doesn't want [Sen. Chuck Grassley] to join them. Ditto Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who said that he is undecided and has 'got to see how things play out.'" More: https://politi.co/33cdv74. IN-N-OUT -- "North Carolina's Mark Walker expected to announce Senate bid," by The Hill's Juliegrace Brufke: https://bit.ly/2IZgUPK; and "White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows rules out one option for his political future," via Brian Murphy of the News and Observer: https://bit.ly/3lXM5tb. ALL EARS -- It's been talked about for a while, but the congressional earmark may actually make a comeback next year. The latest from CQ Roll Call's Jennifer Shutt: Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) "said in an interview Friday that sometime after the Appropriations Committee's new chairwoman is elected the week of Nov. 30, she will begin soliciting House lawmakers to 'ask for congressional initiatives for their districts and their states.' "The three candidates to replace retiring House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey, D-N.Y., are all on board with restoring 'congressionally directed spending,' as it has come to be known. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida had previously endorsed the return of earmarks. Connecticut's Rosa DeLauro had hesitated but now 'unequivocally' backs restoring line items for members' districts after further conversations, an aide said. "Hoyer said all three support, with leadership's backing, transparency measures similar to those in place a decade ago before the practice was banned entirely. That includes making a project's requestor publicly available as well as the justification for spending taxpayer dollars on it, and clearly noting in legislation which provisions constitute member-requested items." More: https://bit.ly/2J4I73w. | | | |   | | | MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU -- Move over, Squad, because there's a new ideological crew in town. NBC News with the dispatch: "'The Squad' is facing opposition from a record breaking diverse Republican class of freshman members. And they are calling themselves 'The Force.' 'I want to create a force within my freshman class that will have to be reckoned with. A force of reason, a force for freedom, a force for democracy,' Florida Republican Congresswoman-elect Maria Elvira Salazar, a Cuban-American former journalist, told NBC News. "Salazar is part of the most diverse freshman Republican class in history with eight members who identify as a person of color or minority. And they plan to be a counter the progressive 'Squad', led by New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, with what they say is a message against socialism. … "Newly elected Nicole Malliotakis, a Greek-American and the only Republican New York City will send to Congress, embraced the conservative crew." More from Leigh Ann Caldwell, Haley Talbot and Julie Tsirkin: https://nbcnews.to/3kVNKhq. Related: "New York City's lone Republican in Congress takes aim at AOC," from Erin Durkin: https://politi.co/3lYBj5M. REPLACING HARRIS -- Who will replace Kamala Harris in the Senate? Carla Marinucci has a good look at the state of play in California: "As speculation grows that Gov. Gavin Newsom is leaning toward California elections chief Alex Padilla to fill the U.S. Senate seat of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, a crowd of top Democratic donors and former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown are launching an aggressive campaign to argue that another woman of color should fill that seat instead. "Brown, the former longtime speaker of the California Assembly, said he's launching a drive Monday to organize Black churches, pastors, civic leaders, fraternal organizations and prominent members of the Black press statewide to urge Newsom to consider leading Black women for the seat. Among the leading choices, he said, are Reps. Barbara Lee, Karen Bass and Maxine Waters; San Francisco Mayor London Breed; and state Sen. Holly Mitchell." More: https://politi.co/3lXKBPA. ENGAGED! -- John Twomey, chief of staff in the office of the assistant HHS secretary for legislation, proposed to Meghan Dugan, press secretary for Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), at the Homestead resort Friday. Both are from Georgia and are Tom Price alums, which is how they met. Pic | | | | TUNE IN TO OUR GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS PODCAST: The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded in 2020 amid a global pandemic. 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 for Season Two, available now. | | | | | |  | TRANSITIONS | | Nothing today. | | TODAY IN CONGRESS | | The House and Senate are out. | | AROUND THE HILL | | Quiet. | | TRIVIA | | FRIDAY'S WINNER: Stefani Koorey was the first person to guess that the tradition of the Capitol Christmas Tree first began in 1964, when speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John W. McCormack planted a live Christmas tree on the Capitol lawn. TODAY'S QUESTION: From Stefani: How many U.S. District Court Judges have been impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives and which state holds the title for most impeachments that resulted in removal from office? 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 McDonald's: Ron always knew he could go places, he just didn't know where to start. So he applied for a job at McDonald's, where he found an exciting path and free college tuition assistance. Ron's drive to succeed and support from his Manager helped make him the first in his family to graduate college. Today, he puts his college degree work as an Operations Associate at McDonald's headquarters.
There are tens of thousands of stories like Ron's at McDonald's, where restaurant employees take multiple paths to learn and grow. We offer programs and benefits like Archways to Opportunity®, which has expanded access to education for more than 60,000 crew members and managers while providing more than $125M in tuition assistance.
Learn how Ron and others build careers at McDonald's. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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