| | | | | |  | | By Melanie Zanona | Presented by Mastercard | with help from Andrew Desiderio CONNECT FOUR -- The big four congressional leaders met in person yesterday to hammer out a coronavirus relief deal and even started trading paper on a potential agreement — the strongest signal yet that Congress is actually on the verge of breaking the months-long stimulus stalemate. And in another positive sign , leaders also agreed to stay in Washington until they strike a deal. Top lawmakers left yesterday's meeting, which was the first meaningful conversation between all four party leaders in months, sounding more upbeat than they've been in a while. "We're making significant progress and I'm optimistic that we're gonna be able to complete an understanding sometime soon," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. Talks will continue today. But leaders are up against the clock , having waited until the last possible minute to actually sit down together at the negotiating table. Meanwhile, lawmakers still haven't filed the omnibus spending bill, which is supposed to be the legislative vehicle for a potential aid package. Current government funding expires at the end of the day on Friday. All the latest on the talks from Heather, Burgess and Marianne: http://politi.co/2Wjlxrd. And reaching an agreement is only part of the battle: they still need to convince their members to vote for it. Underscoring the difficulty leadership is facing, the Congressional Progressive Caucus is considering opposing any proposal that doesn't include another round of stimulus checks, sources tell Heather. The group is now asking its members to respond by noon today on whether they'd be willing to oppose the rule or underlying bill. At least one progressive is on board: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). "It's a red line. It's also common sense," she tweeted of the stimulus checks. "Sick + tired of Mitch McConnell & the GOP playing games with peoples' lives for corporate handouts. It ends here. ... If Congress needs to spend Christmas on the House floor, so be it." Related: "Leaders in Congress Meet in Search of Spending and Stimulus Deals," by NYT's Emily Cochrane: http://nyti.ms/3moqtpk. | | 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. | | | COLD HARD MITCH -- Mitch McConnell is finally moving on. For weeks, he refused to recognize Joe Biden as the president-elect and gave President Donald Trump a long leash to challenge the election results. But that all came to an end this week, when the Electoral College officially certified Biden as the winner. On Tuesday, the Senate majority leader congratulated Biden on his victory for the first time and also gave a floor speech touting Trump's accomplishments, which sounded like a send-off speech. "The Electoral College has spoken. So today I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden," McConnell said on the floor. Then McConnell followed it up by moving to quash a last-ditch effort by some of Trump's Hill allies to reverse the election results in Congress, which would amount to nothing more than a public spectacle anyway. During a conference call , McConnell urged Senate Republicans to not join a House GOP-led push to challenge the election results when Congress certifies them on Jan. 6, warning it would force everyone in the GOP to take a tough vote. And no one pushed back on him during the call, which might not be surprising given the GOP's tough Senate map in 2022. The story from Marianne and your Huddle host: http://politi.co/3oYHgAY. The big picture : McConnell tried to let Trump down gently, using Monday's Electoral College vote as an exit ramp. He also didn't tell Trump to tone down the rhetoric or false claims of voter fraud, careful not to alienate him. And McConnell made sure the White House was completely in the loop, giving them a heads up before his Tuesday floor speech. The step back from Burgess: http://politi.co/2IUnAi9. But apparently, McConnell's maneuvering wasn't delicate enough for Trump. The president needled McConnell on Twitter late last night, tweeting: "Mitch, 75,000,000 VOTES, a record for a sitting President (by a lot). Too soon to give up. Republican Party must finally learn to fight. People are angry!" And Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), in response to McConnell cautioning the GOP against objecting to the election results, tweeted that he hopes it's "fake news." He also told your Huddle host: "I find it unfathomable that anyone would acquiesce to election theft and voter fraud because they lack the courage to take a difficult vote on the House or Senate floor. Last time I checked, that's why we were elected to Congress." ACROSS THE CAPITOL … House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), a top Trump ally, still didn't answer questions from reporters about whether he acknowledges that Biden won the election, per CNN's Manu Raju. Related: "McConnell sets up a clash with Trump over who's in charge in the GOP," via WaPo's Aaron Blake: http://wapo.st/3r3Ok12. WE'RE HALFWAY THERE! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Wednesday, Dec. 16, where your host wants to echo all the praise being showered on the tireless Hill reporters who have been contributing to the pool report, so we don't all have to be in the building during a pandemic. TUESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Alex Isenstadt's report on Trump antagonizing Republicans with his Georgia fundraising ploy was the big winner. | 
ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 15: U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, (C) and U.S. Democratic Senate candidates Jon Ossoff (R) and Rev. Raphael Warnock (L) wave to the crowd during a drive-in rally at Pullman Yard on December 15, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. Biden's stop in Georgia comes less than a month before the January 5 runoff election for Ossoff and Warnock as they try to unseat Republican incumbents Sen. David Perdue and Sen. Kelly Loeffler. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) | Drew Angerer/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. | | | | | RON QUIXOTE -- It's no secret that Sen. Ron Johnson has positioned himself as a loyal Trump ally. But as the Wisconsin Republican decides whether to run for re-election, his efforts to investigate the president's political foes and prop up his false claims of voter fraud are coming into greater focus. Johnson is convening a hearing later this morning focused on alleged "irregularities" in the 2020 election. It's an effort that has drawn bipartisan rebukes, but Johnson is unapologetic about his approach. "I don't feel bad about what I've done. I think I'm being vindicated right now," Johnson said in an interview this week, referring to his myriad investigations. "It's a record I'm proud of. … Time will prove me right. It will vindicate what I've tried to do here." Of course, it's a huge gamble for Johnson. Biden won Wisconsin this year, and Democrats won statewide in 2018, too. Johnson doesn't care about any of that. In fact, he's quite used to going it alone without the help of the national GOP apparatus. But this time around, Democrats are more eager than ever to topple him. Andrew has more on RonJohn's political future: http://politi.co/3aozEDw. Related: "Fired CISA chief Krebs to testify before Senate panel," by Martin Matishak: http://politi.co/386RoAN. NEW RULES -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced stricter mask rules in the House. While face coverings were already required on the floor, lawmakers now will be required to wear them in the hallways and while speaking. "Masks will now be required at all times in the halls of the House, without exception" Pelosi said. "And recognition will be withdrawn if they remove the mask while speaking." Meanwhile … Mitch McConnell, a polio survivor, talked up the importance of Americans getting the coronavirus vaccine yesterday. "I'm a big supporter of being vaccinated when you have a vaccine that you know works," he said on the floor. "It's the right thing to do for yourself, for your family, and for the country." Related: "Barry Loudermilk is latest Georgia lawmaker to test positive for COVID-19," from AJC's Tia Mitchell: http://bit.ly/34j8c6v. | | | |   | | | BIDEN COURTS THE GOP -- Joe Biden campaigned on being able to reach across the aisle. But now he's working to make sure the GOP actually takes his hand. More from WaPo's Annie Linskey: "Biden's strategy, displayed in private conversations and some public actions, features two goals, both exceedingly difficult: winning the two Senate runoffs in Georgia to seize a razor-thin Democratic majority, while forging alliances with key Republican senators. "Both goals are increasingly evident, as Biden held his first phone call as president-elect this week with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and a short time later boarded a plane for Georgia to campaign for the two candidates whose victory would unseat McConnell as majority leader. ... "In a meeting on Monday, Biden insisted to supporters that he could work with Republicans, despite the continued refusal of some GOP senators even to acknowledge his victory. 'I may eat these words, but I predict to you: As Donald Trump's shadow fades away, you're going to see an awful lot change,' Biden said on a call with grass-roots supporters." More: http://wapo.st/2WhvQvQ. Related: "Biden's Congress Whisperer," by Nancy Scola for POLITICO Magazine: http://politi.co/3ntsu4W. CABINET CORNER -- Rep. Deb Haaland is still a top contender to be Biden's Interior secretary, reports Reuters. The story from Jarrett Renshaw and Valerie Volcovici: "U.S. Representative Deb Haaland of New Mexico has emerged as President-elect Joe Biden's leading choice to head the Interior Department, according to three sources familiar with the proceedings, a selection that would make her the first Native American to lead a cabinet agency. "The position would give her authority over a department that employs more than 70,000 people across the United States and oversees more than 20% of federal land, including national parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite. She has told Reuters she would seek to usher in an expansion of renewable energy production on federal land to contribute to the fight against climate change, and undo President Donald Trump's focus on bolstering fossil fuels output. "Two of the sources said that Biden's team is close to finalizing the decision on Haaland, but are weighing concerns about the loss of a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives, where Democrats are hanging on to a slim majority. The third source said the decision was made and that an announcement was imminent." More: http://reut.rs/3abukn8. Related: "Top liberals line up behind Nina Turner's House bid," via Holly Otterbein: http://politi.co/37ooQUn. | | | | TODAY - TALKING TRANSITION WITH SENATOR CASEY: From Janet Yellen to Antony Blinken to Lloyd Austin, President-elect Joe Biden is building his Cabinet. What can we infer from Biden's nominations so far? Which of his nominees will face the toughest confirmation obstacles in the Senate? Are progressives satisfied with his choices? Join POLITICO for our first Transition Playbook: Live edition featuring Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), who will break it all down. REGISTER HERE. | | | | |
|  | TRANSITIONS | | Nancy Juarez has been named chief of staff for Rep.-elect Marie Newman (D-Ill.). She most recently was deputy chief of staff/legislative director for Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.). Rep.-elect Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) is adding Sophie Seid as comms director and Brittany Madni as deputy COS. Seid is currently press secretary for the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Madni is currently legislative director for Rep. Troy Balderson (R-Ohio). | | TODAY IN CONGRESS | | The House gavels in at 3 p.m., with vote timing still up in the air. The Senate meets at 10 a.m. Lawmakers will resume consideration of the nomination of Katherine Crytzer to be a district judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee, with a vote on confirmation to begin at 11:30 a.m. Senators will then vote on whether to invoke cloture on the nomination of Joseph Dawson III to be a district judge for the District of South Carolina, with a confirmation vote possible later in the day. | | AROUND THE HILL | | Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Democratic Caucus, and Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), vice chair-elect of the Democratic Caucus, will hold a press conference at 11:30 a.m. in HVC Studio A. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) holds his weekly pen and pad with reporters via conference call at 2 p.m. | | TRIVIA | | TUESDAY'S WINNER: Martin Flax was the first person to guess that from 1871 to 1873 and 1907 to 1925, Senate salaries were $7,500 per annum. TODAY'S QUESTION: From Martin: Staying with the theme of Senate salaries, since 1920, what was the year in which a U.S. Senator's salary was the highest in 2020 dollars? 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 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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