| | | | | |  | | By Melanie Zanona | Presented by Mastercard | with help from Kyle Cheney CUTTING IT CLOSE -- Party leaders are on the verge of striking a long overdue coronavirus relief deal, after months of gridlock and finger-pointing over the issue. But in true congressional fashion, negotiators are still finalizing the legislative text, with just one day left until the government funding deadline. As House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) put it: "Why this takes so long is because we procrastinate and we pretend just one more day and we'll get a better deal." And, as we pointed out yesterday, leaders waited until the 11th hour to actually sit down together at the negotiating table. The latest update: Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke at 10:30 p.m. last night, and talks will continue today. "All three emphasized the urgency to reaching an immediate agreement and will exchange additional paper and resume conversations in the morning," tweeted Pelosi aide Drew Hammill. That means work could slip into the weekend or even next week, with leaders vowing to pass a rescue package before they head home for the holidays. And while some lawmakers are disappointed that certain provisions don't go far enough, no one is out right threatening to tank the emerging deal at this point. "We're gonna get there," declared Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as he left the Capitol yesterday. Here's what we know about the tentative framework: What's in: Another round of stimulus checks in the range of $600 to $700; expanded unemployment benefits that include a weekly boost of $300 through March; $325 billion in small business relief, including $257 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program; and money for vaccine distribution, schools, transportation and health care. What's out: Funding for cash-strapped state and local governments, which was a Dem priority. And liability protections for businesses that reopen during the pandemic, which the GOP had been pushing for. The snags: Negotiators are still haggling over certain pay-fors. Schumer is still fighting for as much as $17 billion to help idled performing arts venues. And Republicans are worried about Democrats trying to use FEMA money for state and local funding and individuals receiving both the extra unemployment benefit and the stimulus checks. But it's really just down to the fine print. Timing: The deal will be paired with a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill, so the House will go first. A vote could take place Friday. And the Senate may end up finishing its work over the weekend or early next week. That means Congress may need to pass another stopgap bill to avoid a temporary government shutdown. For all the latest on the emerging aid package, read this story from Burgess, Heather and Jake Sherman: http://politi.co/34kFdze. TOP-ED -- "A do-nothing Congress kicks the can down the road once again," by Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) for the Washington Examiner: http://washex.am/2LCkJLK. | | A message from Mastercard: With the pandemic accelerating the adoption of electronic payments, Mastercard is working with businesses and consumers to drive our economy forward, keep small businesses open, deliver innovative solutions that extend beyond the card, and ensure our financial system is inclusive. Learn more here. | | | GIVE ME THE GREENLIGHT -- House Democratic leaders are pushing back against claims that they discouraged the Biden administration from tapping Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) for Interior secretary because of concerns about their slimmer majority next year. Speaker Nancy Pelosi put out a statement yesterday calling Haaland an "excellent" choice for the job. And House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer also made clear he hasn't discouraged Biden from selecting Haaland. "I have not talked to one single person in the administration about Deb Haaland," he said. "Any assertion that I have spoken to the administration about any one of the candidates is incorrect, false." The blessing from Dem leadership could give a major boost to Haaland, who is one of the first Native American women to serve in Congress. And it could put pressure on Biden to pick her, though she was already a top contender for the role. More from Sarah and Tyler Pager: http://politi.co/2WjDFRI. Related read: "Asian lawmakers set sights on Biden's Labor secretary pick," by The Hill's Scott Wong: http://bit.ly/389nWKl. COVID IN THE CAPITOL -- Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) announced Wednesday evening that he tested positive for coronavirus — just hours after he gave a speech and voted on the House floor. "Earlier this evening I learned that I have tested positive for COVID-19. I will be taking all necessary precautions, as directed by the House Physician," Wilson said. "Thankfully I feel fine and do not have any symptoms. It is so important that we all do our part to help prevent the spread of this virus." His announcement comes one day after Pelosi tightened the mask-wearing rules in the House. Members were already required to wear face coverings on the floor, but are now also required to wear them in the hallways and while speaking. In a video clip posted to his Twitter, Wilson is seen wearing a mask while delivering his floor speech. But his undetected diagnosis shows exactly why tighter mask rules — and widespread testing — are so necessary in the Capitol. Related read: "Inaugural ceremony to go forward without public attendance," via Roll Call's Niels Lesniewski: http://bit.ly/3nrl7uP. GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, Dec. 17, where your host can totally get behind Sen. Angus King's calls for free streaming services over the holidays. WEDNESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: AJC's story on Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) testing positive for coronavirus drew the most clicks. | 
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 16: Snow falls near the Washington Monument on December 16, 2020 in Washington, DC. A storm is expected to deliver a wintery mix of precipitation along the U.S. Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | | | | | NEW EPISODES OF THE GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS PODCAST: Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded over the past year amid a global pandemic. This podcast helps us identify and understand the impediments to smart policymaking. Subscribe for Season Two, available now. | | | | | RONJOHN RECAP -- Sen. Ron Johnson insisted that his Wednesday hearing about election "irregularities" was just an attempt at information-gathering. But what ensued was a three-hour airing of insinuation and discredited or deeply misleading allegations about election fraud that Democrats warned amounted to an effort to stoke flames of disinformation demanded by President Donald Trump. Those themes were tempered only by the presence of former Trump administration cybersecurity chief Christopher Krebs — fired by Trump after he declared the 2020 election the safest in history — who urged the president's allies to move on from the election defeat and to have confidence in the result. But it was Republicans' witnesses, including former Trump impeachment lawyer and independent counsel Kenneth Starr, who got a significant share of the oxygen and used it to stoke doubts about the integrity of the 2020 election, despite no evidence of widespread or significant fraud. Kyle has the rundown: http://politi.co/3alcH4s. Clip of the day: The hearing was also notable for this fierce exchange between Johnson and ranking Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who drew Johnson's fury for suggesting the hearing would fuel foreign adversaries' disinformation campaigns. The clip. NADLER'S NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION -- "House chairman to press ahead for McGahn testimony in new year," via The Hill's Olivia Beavers: http://bit.ly/38gQlyp. THE DIFI DEBATE -- The Los Angeles Times' George Skelton has an interesting new column titled, ""Yes, Feinstein is the oldest U.S. senator. But she should be able to retire on her own terms." More from his piece, which includes an interview with Feinstein: "'I don't feel my cognitive abilities have diminished,' she said in answer to my question about whether she felt they had. 'No, not really. Do I forget something sometimes? Quite possibly.' "That seems to be the main rap on her: short-term memory loss. During my roughly half-hour phone interview with Feinstein on Tuesday, she did repeat herself a couple of times after she'd moved on to talk about other things. That's normal for many people, especially as they get older. But I hadn't noticed it before in her." More: http://lat.ms/3mmhkNW. Related: "AOC: Nancy Pelosi Needs to Go, but There's Nobody to Replace Her Yet," by The Intercept's Aída Chávez: http://bit.ly/2KdIEkn. | | | |   | | | GEORGIA ON MY MIND -- The Columbus media market, where Vice President Mike Pence is rallying today, is shaping up to be a key Senate runoff battleground. The latest from Marc Caputo: "Since Nov. 3, Republicans have spent and reserved a record $21 million to Democrats' $4.1 million in the Democratic-leaning Columbus market — the most disproportionate GOP advantage in the state, according to the media-tracking firm AdImpact. Both sides have also assembled robust ground games in the region. "Radio ad inventory is so filled up , for instance, that the conservative group American Crossroads ran a statewide spot Thursday that criticizes the African-American Democrat in the race against Loeffler, the Rev. Raphael Warnock, over controversial comments he made about the military while preaching from the pulpit of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, spiritual home of Martin Luther King Jr." More: http://politi.co/3gVM2fG. IN OTHER Senate race news … "Lara Trump's potential Senate candidacy does little to scare away Republican challengers in North Carolina," from CNN's Alex Rogers and Manu Raju: http://cnn.it/3gWU1cz. INFRASTRUCTURE WEEK! -- If confirmed as Joe Biden's Transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg has a tall task ahead of him: selling Congress on a long elusive infrastructure program. The story from Tanya Snyder and Sam Mintz: "Buttigieg will arrive at the Department of Transportation's Navy Yard headquarters with little experience dealing with the various appendages of official Washington, but he'll hardly be the first person in that position. "In any case, Buttigieg will need to be a bridge connecting the White House, state and local transportation departments, Congress and the DOT's own bureaucracy to pitch, implement and oversee a potential trifecta of urgent issues: A massive infrastructure stimulus, a surface transportation reauthorization and the rescue of a transportation sector reeling due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He'll also be the face of the effort to stop the spread of coronavirus on trains, planes and buses, likely through a mask mandate for all employees and passengers." More: http://politi.co/37tXeNE. WHAT CONGRESS WAS BRIEFED ON -- "How suspected Russian hackers outed their massive cyberattack," by Natasha Bertrand and Andrew: http://politi.co/34mSrvd. THE BEST WAY TO SPREAD CHRISTMAS CHEER -- Do yourself a favor and watch this heart-warming video of Sens. Lamar Alexander and Tim Kaine playing Christmas tunes in the atrium of a Senate office building. The bipartisan duo has performed together in the past, with Alexander on the piano and Kaine on the harmonica. But with Alexander retiring, this could be their last musical performance together. And even Sen. Susan Collins showed up to cheer them on. | | | | JOIN TODAY - CLOSING THE HEALTH CARE GAP: Another Covid-19 outbreak is taking a significant toll on the health of the Latino community. As President-elect Joe Biden prepares to assume office, how will his administration address the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on communities of color, particularly Latinos? Join POLITICO for a virtual conversation on the policy, economic and cultural barriers Latinos confront in accessing quality health care and how the pandemic can create an opportunity to identify solutions. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | |  | TRANSITIONS | | Melissa Kelly has been hired as chief of staff for Rep.-elect Scott Franklin (R-Fla.). She most recently was chief of staff for Rep. Pete Olson (R-Texas). Carter Moelk has been hired as comms director for Rep. Trey Hollingsworth (R-Ind.). She most recently was deputy comms director for Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio). Blaine Kistler is now scheduler for Hollingsworth. He most recently was trip coordinator for the Trump campaign. Robert Julien is now deputy comms director for Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.). He previously was press secretary for Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas). Catherine Kuerbitz has been promoted to be chief of staff for Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.). She most recently was Scott's legislative director. Matthew Verghese has been promoted to chief of staff for Rep. Anthony Brown (D-Md.). Verghese served four years as Brown's deputy chief of staff and communications director. Molly Jenkins will be comms director for Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.). She currently is comms director for Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and press secretary for the Energy and Commerce GOP. | | TODAY IN CONGRESS | | The House gavels in at 12 p.m., with votes expected around 4 p.m. Today's agenda: http://bit.ly/3ap3Crn. The Senate meets at 10 a.m. to resume consideration of the nomination of Charles Edward Atchley Jr. to be U.S. district judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee, post-cloture. At 11:30 a.m., the Senate will vote on confirmation of the Atchley Jr. nomination, followed by a motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Zachary N. Somers to be a judge of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. | | AROUND THE HILL | | Waiting for a relief deal. | | TRIVIA | | WEDNESDAY'S WINNER: Patricia Bieze was the first person to guess that 1969 was the year in which a U.S. Senator's salary was the highest in 2020 dollars. TODAY'S QUESTION: From Patricia: Name at least two attorneys general who reported for jury duty as a civic duty. Send your best guess to mzanona@politico.com. GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning. | | A message from Mastercard: Our economy has been hit hard by COVID-19. But, by delivering innovative payment solutions and a resilient and reliable network, Mastercard is helping small businesses stay open, protect jobs, reach customers, and generate revenue with digital services. Mastercard is also applying its technology, philanthropy, data science and cybersecurity expertise to rebuild communities, ensuring that economic growth is inclusive and helping address new challenges of the touchless economy.
Mastercard is committed to identifying and addressing the needs of small businesses, governments and communities as they fight to survive the COVID-19 pandemic, and will continue to help them adapt to new ways of working and new payment preferences, such as contactless payments, so that they can thrive in the years ahead. Learn more here. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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