| | | | | |  | | By Olivia Beavers | Presented by SoftBank Group | GREENE HOUSE EFFECT: Even if Kevin McCarthy wanted to punish Marjorie Taylor Greene for her hallway antics last week, could he? McCarthy (R-Calif.) no longer can deploy his most powerful weapon: removing her from her two committees. Democrats already used it for him, stripping the Georgia Republican provocateur from her committee assignments earlier this year. There is also the question of whether the GOP leader is willing to do anything. Republicans argue that Greene was unfairly booted from her committees because it was based on social media activity that happened prior to her time in Congress. McCarthy, who is known for being non-confrontational, could decide to make a remark that publicly distances the conference from her behavior or he could move to talk with her privately. TBD if he will... And then TBD if she'd listen to him. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) suggested the House Ethics Committee should investigate her behavior. But that could take months and would be pretty toothless. They could move to censure her, but that is unlikely. Democrats are reluctant to use this harsh form of punishment on matters that fall short of criminal activity. In 2019, Democratic leaders privately rejected a push by rank-and-file members to censure Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) while in office, warning it could open the floodgates and come back to haunt them. So, they don't have many great cards to play. Rather, she may have more reasons to keep up these antics. One pro-Trump House Republican mused that she needs to find ways to keep up the fight, and she can certainly fundraise off of trying to provoke the high-profile Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to debate her over her Green New Deal and what Greene has labeled Democrats' "radical socialist agenda." As we first reported in Huddle, Greene raised a whopping $3.2 million in the first three months of this year after being kicked off of her committees, so she needs to find ways to sustain it. Not to mention, Democrats are also raising money off of this encounter. Greene has built her reputation on being a troll, confronting people and recording it, as the video recently discovered by CNN's KFile shows, or the one my colleague Michael Kruse reported in late February, or just the video of her chasing Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg. It isn't typical behavior in a workplace, let alone the halls of Congress. We will also be watching to see if she keeps it up. CHENEY FILES: Efforts to play down Jan. 6 insurrection 'indefensible,' Cheney says: https://politi.co/3bxYYqz | Cheney on direction of GOP: 'Dangerous': https://politi.co/33P3HQo | Larry Hogan: Ousting Liz Cheney was a mistake: https://politi.co/2QocANT | | | | JOIN WEDNESDAY - "THE RECAST" LIVE CONVERSATION: Earlier this year, we launched "The Recast" newsletter breaking down the changing power dynamics in America and how race and identity shape politics, policy and power. We are recasting how we report on this crucial intersection by bringing you fresh insights, scoops, dispatches from across the country and new voices that challenge "business as usual." Join Brakkton Booker, "The Recast" newsletter author and national political correspondent at POLITICO, for a live conversation with Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.); Malika Redmond, co-founder, president and CEO of Women Engaged; Sonal Shah, founding president, The Asian American Foundation; and Lauren Williams, co-founder, CEO and editor in chief of Capital B, about redefining power in America. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | ABOUT GREENE'S DISTRICT: Greene may be causing trouble in D.C., but back home in Rome, Ga., they have a history of supporting rabble rousers that like to push the envelope. Greene succeeded former GOP Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ga.), who also leaned into the rebel image before coming to Congress -- albeit they are not really comparable. He was nowhere near Greene's level today. In Graves' case, he wasn't afraid to go up against GOP leadership. When he was in the Georgia state house, Graves got kicked off his committees after his 216 Policy Group, which was based off the Republican Study Committee, opposed the GOP state speaker's positions at various turns. Graves came to Congress in 2010 during the Tea Party wave. And after about a year of serving in the House, he was nearly booted off the Appropriations Committee because he voted against the chair's spending bills. He was also removed from the GOP whip team after he advocated against leadership's positions. But Graves then had a quick turnaround – he was asked back onto the whip team in 2013. He joined the Steering Committee in 2014, and gave McCarthy's nomination speech for leader the same year. In 2015, he got his first gavel. Graves retired in 2020 while serving as the top Republican on the Modernization of Congress Committee. (More of his backstory from Roll Call here.) While he may have moderated himself in office, his retirement paved the way for someone far more controversial to take his place. STEERING SHOWDOWN: There's a New York battle underway for a prized seat on the House GOP Steering Committee. Reps. Claudia Tenney and John Katko have both been calling their colleagues in a bid to become the regional representative for New York, New Jersey, West Virginia and Maryland, sources tell Mel. The spot became available after Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) was elected as GOP Conference chair last week. Some lawmakers think it's important to put another woman on the male-dominated Steering panel, which is responsible for doling out committee assignments to other lawmakers. But Katko, who is close to Stefanik, is an ally of GOP leadership. Stay tuned: Steering meets later tonight. | | A message from SoftBank Group: Entrepreneurs of color are vastly underrepresented in the tech industry. That's why SoftBank Group launched a new $100 million venture fund dedicated to supporting and building a community of outstanding Black, Latinx and Native American entrepreneurs. Learn more at TheOpportunityFund.com. | | | HAPPY MONDAY! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill on this May 17, where if you thought Cicadas were going to make you squirm, wait until you learn what is coming to eat them. FRIDAY'S MOST CLICKED: BuzzFeed's story on the unresolved questions about the pipe bombs placed at the DNC and RNC on Jan. 6 was the big winner. ON TAP TODAY: In the House, the Rules Committee will have a virtual business meeting at 3 p.m. on two bills: The Fairness in Orphan Drug Exclusivity Act (the bill that led to the big dust-up last week on the floor after Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) wouldn't let Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) co-lead the bill because of his anti-certification vote on Jan. 6), and a bill which condemns the March 16 shootings in Atlanta and seeks to reaffirm the House's stance on combating hate crimes towards the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities. The Senate will take its first procedural vote on the Schumer-Young Endless Frontier Act, voting on whether the upper chamber will limit debate on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) motion to proceed. While Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) is a leading co-sponsor of the bill, the Senate Commerce Committee made funding changes to the bill that Republicans may take issue with. SOAK THE RICH? A growing faction of Dems in Congress are ready to talk bluntly about making the richest Americans help pay for President Biden's infrastructure plan. The idea -- while far from settled, with Biden's plan still in flux -- would be a political gamble ahead of a high-stakes midterm. Still, many Dems say it'll pay off because ideas like hiking taxes on investment income or raising the corporate rate are more popular than ever, with a pandemic-strained middle class irked at corporate America and its soaring profits. But many mods are cautious, to say the least. "Open borders, higher taxes, deficit spending ... If we're not careful, we're giving them all the narratives to campaign against us," said Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas). John Anzalone, a top Biden pollster during the campaign , said it's understandable that Dems are anxious about being blunt on taxes. "I get it. We've been hit on it for 30 years," he said. "But you have an issue that two-thirds of people are with you on." More here from Sarah: https://politi.co/3ollSXz Related: With violent crime spiking, the push for police reform collides with voters' fears, by WaPo's Griff Witte and Dave Weigel: https://wapo.st/3eT9JG5 NEW NEW PUSH FOR SUNUNU: Senate Republicans have their eye on a key GOP recruit that they hope may be their answer to winning back the Senate: Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire. "If he runs, we'll win," Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said of Sununu, chair of Senate Republicans' campaign arm, who has been ringing up Sununu constantly. Republicans are seeking to woo the three-term governor to challenge Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan next fall, which comes after he enjoyed a 30-plus-point victory last year in a state Biden carried with relative ease. As Burgess and James Arkin write: "[Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's] party only needs to net a single seat to end Democrats' 50-50 majority in the chamber. But they're defending two seats next year in states President Joe Biden won and must hold onto others with crowded, expensive primaries. What's more, Republicans have yet to land big name challengers in once-red Arizona and Georgia, and both states could see contested intra-GOP battles." "He'd be a great candidate," said McConnell (R-Ky.), who has personally lobbied Sununu to take on Hassan. "We're hoping he'd make the race." More here from Burgess and James: https://politi.co/2SXaENe Related: Rise of a megadonor: Thiel makes a play for the Senate, by our Alex Isenstadt: https://politi.co/3wajOnR | | | | DON'T MISS OUT ON OUR NEW PLAYBOOK DEEP DIVE PODCAST: Washington is full of whispers, colorful characters and little-known back stories that even D.C. insiders might not know. Playbook Deep Dive is a new, weekly podcast that pulls back the curtain on the stories behind the power. From Congress and the White House to bar stools and backrooms, POLITICO's top reporters and Playbook authors bring you the most compelling and confounding stories that explain what's really going on in Washington. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | THE DISH ON THE COMMISH: Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) has struck a deal with Democrats on a 9/11-type commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack, with the bipartisan legislation expected to come to the floor this week. But we are watching closely to see what the blowback will be from Donald Trump and his allies -- and whether that falls on McCarthy. And if the former president does get involved, how will that impact the resolution? While the GOP leader seemed to dismiss the deal on Friday, telling reporters he hadn't seen the details and emphasizing his demand that any commission should also probe violence tied to racial unrest. But multiple sources tell our friends over at Playbook that Katko communicated back and forth about the details of the deal and Katko got most of what they wanted. Katko has also told Republicans there is some wiggle room with the language of the agreement, even if it doesn't specifically mention violence related racial tensions. Democrats may not feel the same way. The Playbook team has the details: https://politi.co/3tNWuuF Related: GOP's Upton: I suspect Jan. 6 panel will subpoena McCarthy ... Watch the CNN clip here: https://cnn.it/3ond5nP RECKONING: President Joe Biden is facing pressure to get tougher on the Israeli government, putting him in another prickly situation. As Andrew put it: "The prospect of forced evictions of Palestinians in east Jerusalem and a sustained rocket campaign against Israel this week have laid bare the increasingly thorny political dynamic facing congressional Democrats, more of whom are beginning to question the lockstep bipartisan support for Israel that has existed across Washington. While not abandoning America's historically strong ties to Israel, Democrats aren't flinching this week in their calls for a tougher posture against aggression toward Palestinians." Lawmakers have issued different statements calling for an immediate ceasefire: I.E. This joint statement of 30 Senate Dems and a bipartisan statement from Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Young, the top senators on the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism. Meanwhile, Republicans are not wavering in their support of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Lots more here: https://politi.co/33OJvhO SPEAKING OF ADMIN HEADACHES: The Biden administration is still grappling with a record influx of migrants on the southern border, with HHS diverting more than $2 billion meant for other health initiatives in order to cover the financial toll of caring for more than 20,000 unaccompanied immigrant children. This could fuel further scrutiny of the admin's border strategy so keep an eye out on GOP messaging this week. Our Adam Cancryn has the story: https://politi.co/3eTaKhy THEY HAVE THE VOTES: Senators tout bipartisan effort to combat sexual assault in military: https://politi.co/3uSkPAR QUICK CLICKS: Bipartisan meeting was historically tardy, by National Journal's George Condon: https://bit.ly/3w3hOxI | Why Justice Breyer may resist calls for his retirement, by NYT's Adam Liptak: https://nyti.ms/3eSqVeP | | | | A message from SoftBank Group:   | | | ICYMI: -Matt Gaetz equates sex trafficking investigation with earmarks in Ohio speech, by NBC's Henry Gomez: https://nbcnews.to/3hwO4oH -In new vaccination push, Biden leans on his 'Community Corps', by NYT's Noah Weiland: https://nyti.ms/3eQDCH6 -Cicilline seeks to censure Republicans who dismiss Jan. 6 insurrection, by yours truly: https://politi.co/2RWMTnV TRANSITIONS Nothing today. TODAY IN CONGRESS The House meets at noon, with votes postponed until 6:30 p.m. THE SENATE will meet at 3 p.m. to take up the motion to proceed to the Endless Frontier Act, with a vote to invoke cloture at 5:30 p.m. AROUND THE HILL 3 p.m.: The House Rules Committee virtual business meeting on The Fairness in Orphan Drug Exclusivity Act and the legislation that addresses the March 16 shootings in Atlanta. TRIVIA FRIDAY'S WINNER: Nick Pearson was the first person to correctly guess the two presidents who were Ivy League university presidents: Woodrow Wilson was president of Princeton University and Dwight Eisenhower was president of Columbia University. TODAY'S QUESTION: From your Huddle host: How many House members have been censured before since the first censure in 1832 and who was the last member to face such a punishment? 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. Follow Olivia on Twitter: @Olivia_Beavers | | A message from SoftBank Group: Entrepreneurs of color are vastly underrepresented in the tech industry. That's why SoftBank Group launched a new $100 million venture fund for outstanding Black, Latinx and Native American entrepreneurs that use technology to reimagine traditional business models and create new ones.
We are committed to demonstrating there is no tradeoff between diversity and excellence. Learn more at TheOpportunityFund.com. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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