| | | | | |  | | By Marianne LeVine | Presented by |  | | | With Caitlin Emma, Nicholas Wu, Sarah Ferris and Melanie Zanona. A TALE OF TWO LEADERS: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have the same goal: win back their respective chambers in 2022. But as we saw this week — and will continue to experience in neon lights next week, when Congress returns — they have very different approaches to Donald Trump's role in reaching that goal. While McCarthy stayed in close contact with Trump on House GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney's (R-Wyo.) potential ouster, McConnell declined to acknowledge Trump at all. When asked about Trump's attacks on him, the Kentucky Republican said at a home state event Thursday: "I'm focused entirely on the present and the future, not the past, and my view at the moment is we need to turn this administration into a moderate administration." Meanwhile, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), reiterated this week that Trump is the GOP's leader. McCarthy's allies argue Cheney needs to go so Republicans can be unified in their fight against President Joe Biden's agenda. But it's not just about Biden — the need for a leadership slate without Trump critics is more acute in the House than in the Senate, where the former president's influence is less pronounced. As one Senate GOP aide put it, McCarthy has 212 members "who are looking at him and saying 'your number one job is to get me re-elected,'" while "every senator is an island" and has "six years to reassure people at home they're good with Trump even if they're not making up with Donald Trump." And because House members aren't running statewide and only for two-year terms, they're more vulnerable to a primary challenge. McCarthy and McConnell also have different dynamics on their leadership teams. Even though Trump has attacked both McConnell and Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) at various points, McConnell maintains a steady grip on his caucus. No one on his team is spending much time talking about the 45th president. McConnell himself lambasted Trump in the aftermath of Jan. 6, but, unlike Cheney, he has avoided the topic of Trump since, as Eliana Johnson wrote this week. McConnell previously said he'd campaign for Cheney, but he hasn't weighed in on her ouster. McCarthy repeatedly refused to commit to defending her on the campaign trail, even before this latest leadership showdown. | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TODAY: Power is shifting in Washington and in communities across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. The Recast is a twice-weekly newsletter that explores the changing power dynamics in Washington and breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics and policy in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | STEFANIK'S SALES PITCH: Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) is widely considered to have her leadership bid on lock. Still, she's not taking votes for granted, and that includes the House Freedom Caucus. Stefanik plans to address that group on Monday, ahead of the conference-wide vote on Cheney's position on Wednesday, per Melanie. The New York Republican shored up more support on Thursday, including Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa). HOW SHE GOT HERE : Stefanik made a name for herself in the House GOP conference by helping elect a record-breaking number of Republican women to the House in 2020 through her Elevate PAC. Now she's on the cusp of her own promotion, our Melanie, Ally Mutnick and Anna Gronewold report. "She's definitely the reason why we have a record number of Republican women in our conference today," said Hinson, who represents a crucial swing seat. "I wouldn't have been able to build the campaign I needed to in order to win without early support from E-PAC, and her mentorship and her support along the way." Yet Stefanik's role in the squabble over Cheney's future has also exposed the GOP's still-lingering weaknesses with women, showing far they have to go. Former Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.), who lost re-election in 2018, called the situation "dismaying." "I think it's sad to be used by the guys in a way like, 'okay, we get a skirt to replace a skirt,'" Comstock said. "And then now they're saying, 'Oh, Virginia Foxx, you put in the resolution to get Liz to step down.'" More here: https://politi.co/3vP8nle Related: Stefanik resurfaces false election claims as she moves to oust Cheney, from the New York Times' Catie Edmondson and Luke Broadwater: https://nyti.ms/3um0NhL; As Trump loyalty trumps ideology, conservatives hold their noses for Stefanik, from CNN's Michael Warren, Ryan Nobles, Jamie Gangel and Gabby Orr: https://cnn.it/2PUu0kO | | A message from College of American Pathologists: Our health care system relies on pathologists to guide and inform patients' care decisions. Pathologists decode illnesses and ensure laboratory quality in your community. Learn more about the CAP's public policy agenda and key issues affecting pathology. Learn more. | | | HAPPY FRI-YAY! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill on this May 7, where your guest Huddle Host is wondering how much money Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is going to spend on cheesecake this campaign cycle. THURSDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Brian Mann's Twitter thread on his experience covering Stefanik for more than 6 years was the big winner. BREYER RETIRE WATCH: Progressive groups like Demand Justice are waging an outside pressure campaign for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer to retire and at least two members of Congress, Reps. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) and Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), are backing the idea publicly. But not all liberals are convinced that the calls are going to help and some are confused by the strategy. "Here's what I think: publicly asking Supreme Court Justices like Ruth Bader Ginsburg to step down ultimately backfired," one liberal activist told your guest Huddle Host. "I think given the experience with Ginsburg, one wonders why they're pursuing a route that has failed to produce the required result." Meanwhile, CNN's Ariane de Vogue, Manu Raju and Phil Mattingly reported Thursday that "those close to Breyer are infuriated by the retirement pressure from Demand Justice and others, even though they think he will still make his decision based on concern for the well-being of the institution and not because of pressure from liberal groups." More here: https://cnn.it/3b8bMnf THE LATEST ON CAPITOL SECURITY CASH: House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) expects to brief Democrats early next week on a supplemental security spending package following the Jan. 6 insurrection. The lower chamber will approve the legislation in the coming weeks, she said during a Thursday webinar with The Brookings Institution, adding that the package is narrow in scope. "Supplementals can become Christmas trees — and that we're not going to do," she said of emergency spending bills that can get loaded up with extraneous provisions. "What we are going to do is keep narrowly to what happened on January 6, so we look at what are the needs of the Capitol Police that were not met and how we can do that." On government funding bills: DeLauro said she expects fiscal 2022 government funding bills to go through subcommittee and full committee markups next month, followed by floor passage of the appropriations measures in July. Earmarks included in the bills will be unveiled ahead of each markup, she said, acknowledging that more than 300 requests received by her committee are undergoing intense scrutiny after a history of abuse and ethical issues. | | | | 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. | | | | | STATE OF MAY: House Democrats laid out a packed schedule for their two-week session in May. In a Thursday letter, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said the chamber would consider bills "that aim to align our nation's policies with our highest principles of equality, justice, and opportunity for all." Next week, when the House gets back, they'll take up legislation addressing mental health needs, debt collection reform, and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. The following week, they'll act on the Senate's version of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which passed the chamber at the end of April on a 94-1 vote and a nonbinding resolution condemning the Atlanta-area shootings in March that left eight women dead, six of whom were Asian Americans. Hoyer left the door open to acting on legislation addressing supplemental security funding for the Capitol and for the creation of a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection. What wasn't mentioned? Police reform. Despite Biden's call for Congress to reach a "consensus" on police reform by the end of May, it is unclear how much progress negotiators are making and congressional leaders have declined to commit to the deadline. The House's departure until mid-June means it won't be able to act on any legislation by then even if the bipartisan group of lawmakers does reach a deal. RURAL DEMOCRATS PUSH BACK ON CAPITAL GAINS TAX: Thirteen House Democrats sent a letter Thursday to leadership voicing concern that the Biden administration's plan to tax some individuals' unrealized capital tax gains when they die could create an "unintended burden" on farms and family businesses. "The requirement to recognize capital gains at death runs the risk of forcing farms and ranches to sell part, or all, of a farm that may have been passed down for several generations in order to pay the tax burden," the members, led by Rep. Cindy Axne (D-Iowa), wrote. While the administration has said the plan will include protections for families that operate farms after the owner's death, lawmakers want more specificity and are asking for a full exemption for family farms, POLITICO Pro's Brian Faler reports. "The lawmakers who signed the letter are concerned not just about the financial burden the plan could potentially impose but also the administrative one," Brian explains "It could be difficult to comply with because farms and machinery may be hard to value." More here: https://bit.ly/3b9M4yS | | | |   | | | TRANSITIONS Zack Brown is now comms director for Rep. Don Young (R-AK). He was previously press secretary for Young. TODAY IN CONGRESS The House is out. The Senate is out. AROUND THE HILL Crickets. (Or Cicadas?) TRIVIA THURSDAY'S WINNER: Ritika Robertson was the first person to correctly guess that William Rufus King, who previously served as a senator from Alabama, was the only VP to be sworn in on foreign soil… in Cuba as he searched there for a cure to tuberculosis. TODAY'S QUESTION: From your Huddle Host: For my Senate nerds out there, a three part question: 1. What's the highest number of states a person has ever represented as a senator? 2. Who was the senator? 3. Which states did he/she represent? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answer to mlevine@politico.com GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning. Follow Marianne on Twitter: @marianne_levine | | A message from College of American Pathologists: Throughout America, patient care is powered by pathologists. Every day, even amid the pandemic, pathologists are working behind the scenes to lead laboratories in examining samples to determine the root causes of patients' illnesses. From a fluid or tissue sample to the moment patients receive results, pathologists are there to inform patients' treatment options and guide decisions with their care teams. Our health care system relies on pathologists to inform treatment options. Patients' recovery begins with discovery. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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