News: Schumer’s big moment

Thursday, January 21, 2021

Schumer’s big moment

Jan 21, 2021

Presented by The National Domestic Workers Alliance

With help from Sarah Ferris

The action is moving to the Senate as Democrats take power, with Sen. Chuck Schumer adjusting to the new title of majority leader.

Here's what's on tap for Democrats in the next few weeks: Confirming President Joe Biden's Cabinet nominations, holding an impeachment trial for Donald Trump and approving Covid stimulus. There's also a looming fight over the legislative filibuster.

Let's dive in:

NOMINATIONS: Biden is kicking off his administration with one confirmed member of his Cabinet, who will lead the U.S. intelligence agencies.

Avril Haines received bipartisan support in the Senate to serve as Biden's director of national intelligence, making her Biden's first Cabinet-level official to be confirmed in an 84-10 vote.

Now, the question is who is next?

Not so fast: Democrats were pushing for other national security officials like Biden's Homeland Security nominee Alejandro Mayorkas to get quickly confirmed, but Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) on Tuesday blocked the fast track. And as Andrew and Burgess report, Hawley likely wasn't alone in this decision.

Friday: The Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to vote Friday morning on Janet Yellen's nomination to be Treasury secretary, where she is expected to be confirmed.

Maybe Monday?: Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), the incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said this week the panel likely won't have a vote on Antony Blinken, Biden's secretary of State nomination, until at least Monday. He, too, is expected to be confirmed on a bipartisan basis.

Lloyd Austin, Biden's pick to lead the Pentagon, faces an additional hurdle: Both the House and the Senate must first pass a bill that would exempt him from the requirement that a Defense secretary is removed from the military at least seven years. Andrew and Burgess have more: http://politi.co/392l97C

IMPEACHMENT TRIAL: Speaker Nancy Pelosi could send the article of impeachment to the Senate as early as today, which would trigger the start of the second impeachment trial on Trump's first full day as a Florida man.

It is all about timing: Democrats don't want to be seen dragging their feet on an impeachment they say is critical to the nation's security, which comes after they charged Trump with willfully inciting an insurrection. So Democrats aren't expected to wait too much longer.

The Constitution dictates that the impeachment trial begins at 1 p.m. the day after the impeachment article is formally transmitted from the House to the Senate, with Sunday being an exception (or sooner if ordered by the Senate). And as Playbook scooped this morning, lawmakers have privately talked about a three-day impeachment trial for Trump.

There are still many outstanding questions about witnesses, Trump's defense team, who will preside over the trial, and the ongoing legal debate of whether a former president can be impeached.

But what Democrats know is they are fighting to get 17 Republican senators to join them in convicting Trump, and then they only need a simple majority to bar him from ever seeking federal office again. While McConnell has indicated that he is waiting to see the evidence against Trump before choosing how to vote on impeachment, he is now facing warnings from some Senate Republicans that voting "yes" could mean a "no" for them on his leadership, report CNN's Manu Raju and Ted Barrett.

STIMULUS TALKS: Here are a few ways Democrats are eyeing this top priority.

-Democrats have privately raised the idea of implementing reconciliation , which would allow them to bypass a Senate filibuster and push their package through both chambers, largely without GOP support. (Spoiler alert: Such a move would be a very divisive way to kick off the new administration that has touted Biden's past bipartisan accolades).

-Another option? A bipartisan bill that would quickly provide cash for vaccine distribution and $1,400 direct stimulus checks, all of which would cost far less than Biden's proposal.

-Some still hope both sides can come together to pass another big, bipartisan bill through both chambers, but that may be a heavy lift. Heather, Sarah and Caitlin Emma have more: http://politi.co/2Ng0RyO

FIGHT OVER THE FILI: Senate Democrats are signaling that they are gonna say "nah, man" to McConnell, who is calling on the new majority to commit to protecting the legislative filibuster this Congress. Instead, they want to keep that option as they start to govern.

While Democrats have no plans to gut the filibuster further, they believe having the option to kill it will bring reluctant Republicans to the negotiating table. And they don't want to look like they're caving to the demands of the new minority leader. Power dynamics, you know?

Just say it: But Republicans want a commitment now, not when the parties get heated over some piece of legislation. As Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) put it, the GOP just wants to hear Schumer say it: "We're not going to change the legislative filibuster." Burgess with the story: http://politi.co/3c0ll9k

A message from The National Domestic Workers Alliance, Community Change Action, and FWD.us:

We can't fight this pandemic without essential workers, many of whom are immigrants. For almost a year, essential workers have risked their lives to care for those most at risk for COVID-19 without access to relief given to other workers or assurance that they would be safe from being torn from their families. They are getting us through this crisis, so relief plans must include a fast track to citizenship for essential workers>>

Related Reads: Schumer becomes new Senate majority leader by The Hill's Alexander Bolton: http://bit.ly/394BoB8 | Uncertainty reigns in Senate as Schumer pushes fast agenda and McConnell calls out Trump by WaPo's Mike DeBonis and Paul Kane: http://wapo.st/3bZ3tvy | Ossoff, Warnock take first votes as U.S. senators, confirm Biden pick for national intelligence by AJC's by Tia Mitchell: http://bit.ly/2Mar69y

THIS QUOTE: "As the son of an exterminator and a homemaker and a descendant of Holocaust victims, I'm thinking about my family and how remarkable it is that a kid from Brooklyn could grow up to lead the U.S. Senate," Schumer said Wednesday after he became majority leader.

HAPPY THURSDAY! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill on this Jan. 21, where Inauguration Day had some feel-good moments when two different worlds collided, like this one and that one.

WEDNESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: The Colorado Sun's story on how two big-name Colorado Dems are already looking at 2022 bids to unseat Boebert was the big winner.

A NEW YEAR, A NEW WASHINGTON, A NEW PLAYBOOK TEAM: Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri, Eugene Daniels and Rachael Bade take the reins of Playbook this week to set the agenda for the political day and days ahead; break news and make sense of it; and provide a steady dose of insider nuggets and intrigue for and about the power players in Washington. Delivered to your inbox twice a day, POLITICO Playbook keeps you up to speed with everything happening in the world of politics as a new administration enters the White House. Subscribe today to the unofficial guide for official Washington.

CLYBURN'S BURNING EARS: Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) says former President George W. Bush called him "the savior" of Biden's election, over his decision to support Biden during the crowded Democratic primary, in which the former veep was struggling to pull ahead of the pack, the Democrat told reporters on a call Wednesday. POLITICO's Ben Leonard has more: http://politi.co/3qEZ8l7

'YOU ALMOST DIED. IS IT WORTH IT?' Your Huddle host interviewed five members who chose to put their bodies in the way of harm and support the Capitol police in keeping rioters at bay as their colleagues evacuated from the House chamber on Jan. 6. Here are their various experiences, showing how they stood their ground as the insurrection reached the door, offering a new details into what happened that deadly day: http://politi.co/3izfJUt

'22 IN VIEW: We aren't done with the Senate just yet, or elections … because are we ever? Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) is poised to become the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for the 2022 cycle as Democrats gear up to defend their slim control of the Senate, multiple sources tell James Arkin: http://politi.co/2XYUmCK

MOVING ON IMMIGRATION?: Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) tells POLITICO's Laura Barron Lopez that she, Reps. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) and Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) had a discussion with Pelosi about immigration legislation on Tuesday, one day before Biden was sworn in. If that isn't a clear flashing light that the Hill is going to make a big, early push on immigration legislation, well maybe you can tell me what is. Laura and Alice Miranda Ollstein have more on Biden's Day One executive orders and how immigration factors into it: http://politi.co/2LIBxBq

IS THIS AN ARIZONA THING NOW?: Rep. Andy Biggs' brothers: 'Andy spread election fraud lies' by Arizona Republic's Ronald Hansen: http://bit.ly/39SpDN8

PARDON ME? NO, PARDON YOU: All the people President Trump pardoned on his way out of office (hint: It includes some former members of Congress) by David Siders: https://politi.co/3sJBAxc

CAPTION THESE PICS WITH ONE WORD: https://bit.ly/3qKac0t

INAUGURATION STATION: Biden pursued the presidency for decades, and now he is living the first hours of his childhood dream come true: In the White House as the 46th U.S. President. But his first day in office was also defined by old and altered rituals marking the extraordinary times, which will likely shift and shape the incoming administration in the days to come.

Your Huddle host highly recommends reading the story by WaPo's Matt Viser: http://wapo.st/2KxLocu

BOOM. BOOM. AND BOOM. Kamala Harris is a history maker and a barrier breaker. While Harris is the first woman to be sworn in as the nation's No. 2, she is also the first Black vice president and first vice president of Indian descent. She will now serve as the tiebreaker over the chamber where she served as a California senator just days ago, a role that makes her one of the most influential women in politics and this country.

Eugene Daniels and Christopher Cadelago have more on how the hard part for Harris comes after she makes history: http://politi.co/360yEm8

WHAT A DAY: Much like everything else in the last year, Wednesday's inauguration felt different without the crowds and the deafening cheers. The West Front lawn was just a fraction full, with members of Congress restricted to just one guest. Many brought spouses, some brought senior aides and others went alone.

With a line of National Guardsmen at every checkpoint, members said they felt safe. Still, several Democrats — including Rep. Ann Kuster (D-N.H.) — bought and wore an armored vest for the occasion.

Rather than jubilance, the mood was more like a sigh of relief after four years of chaos in Congress and down Penn Ave. "All the pageantry is a reminder that, despite the fact there was a violent bloody attack in this very place just two weeks ago, that our democracy remains strong," Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) said after Biden's speech.

Our Tyler Pager has more on Biden's plan for the next four years: http://politi.co/3bUYhbX. And Natasha Korecki has more on the historic speech http://politi.co/2LRQHnF

WATCH IT AGAIN: Youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman recites stunning poem at Biden inauguration: http://cnn.it/3p2BM8M … "A nation that isn't broken, but simply unfinished."

Related Reads: Biden's calls for unity are already being tested in Congress by NYT's Carl Hulse: http://nyti.ms/2NdtAUX | Harris's elevation as first female Vice President breaks gender, race Barriers by WSJ's Tarini Parti: http://on.wsj.com/3bXeBsB | Fist bumps, cute kids, and a giant bird: Not-to-miss moments from the inauguration by the Boston Globe's Amanda Kaufman: http://bit.ly/3bYaUTv

JOIN TODAY TO HEAR FROM SELECT MAYORS ACROSS THE U.S.: Today, The Fifty: America's Mayors will virtually convene select mayors from across the U.S. for back-to-back interviews during inauguration week to discuss bold ideas and policy proposals for their cities to move forward post-COVID-19. The mayors will also discuss their cities' needs from state and federal government to recover from the economic and public health crises and how they'd like to work with President Biden as he begins in the White House. This virtual program will feature an executive conversation between POLITICO CEO Patrick Steel and Microsoft's President of U.S. Regulated Industries Toni Townes-Whitley. REGISTER HERE.

TRANSITIONS

Amanda Hall is now legislative director for Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.). She most recently was a senior adviser at the Department of the Interior. Faith Vander Voort is now comms director for Valadao. She most recently was deputy director of the office of congressional and legislative affairs at the Dept. of Interior. Hannah Cooke is now scheduler and financial administrator for Valadao. She most recently was a special assistant to former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt.

Maggie Woodin has recently transitioned over to Rep. Peter Meijer's office to be his LD, after previously working as Rep. Mike Gallagher's Senior LA.

Ben Stout, who previously served as Georgia Rep. Jody Hice's deputy district director, is starting as Rep. Lauren Boebert's new comms director on Monday.

Tamlyn Sheng, who previously worked as Hice's deputy press secretary, is joining Sen. Tommy Tuberville's office as Digital Director. And Megan Quinn is now Hice's new DPS.

TODAY IN CONGRESS

The House will meet at 2 p.m. for legislative business, with first votes expected as early as 3 p.m., where they will consider the "legal exception necessary" for Loyd Austin to be appointed as Biden's Defense secretary.

The Senate meets at noon tomorrow.

AROUND THE HILL

1 p.m.: The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) meets at 1 p.m. to organize for the 117th Congress.

2 p.m.: HASC has a full committee hearing on the consideration of Loyd Austin for a legal exception for appointment as Defense secretary.

TRIVIA

TUESDAY'S WINNER: Your Huddle host apologies for butchering yesterday's question. It should've read which members voted in both the House and the Senate to impeach the same person (not the same impeachment process). But luckily, many of you savvy Huddlers still bypassed the mea culpa. Joe Bookman was the first to correctly guess Sen. Mike Crapo, Sen. Chuck Schumer, and former Sen. Jim Bunning voted in both the House and the Senate for the impeachment of the same person, now in addition to Sens. Lujan and Marshall.

TODAY'S QUESTION: From Joe: Who was the last President not to attend his successor's inauguration?

The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answer to obeavers@politico.com.

GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning.

A message from The National Domestic Workers Alliance, Community Change Action, and FWD.us:

5.2 million essential workers in the U.S. are undocumented immigrants, serving in frontline industries. They care for our sick, put food on our tables, and risk their health and lives to serve their neighbors. We can't get through this without them. Yet they've been left out of previous stimulus relief packages and live in fear of being torn away from their families by a cruel immigration system.

We call on the new Congress to build a more fair, humane, and functional immigration system. This begins with putting immigrant essential workers on a fast track to citizenship as a part of the COVID recovery package. These workers sacrifice for their communities every day, and deserve stability. If you agree, join us in thanking an essential worker by telling Congress to include them in the next COVID relief bill.