| | | | | |  | | By Olivia Beavers | Presented by |  | | | CHENEY-RAMA: If you thought you could coast back into business as usual after a long House recess, think again: Get ready to watch the House GOP leadership attempt to push one of their own overboard. The outcome seems set, but this drama could continue into next week or longer. Not a single House Republican has told your Huddle host that they think Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) is safe from attempts to oust her as conference chair. And GOP leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) is publicly endorsing Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), who currently has no competitors and is pledging to only serve one term, to take Cheney's spot. The outcome seems inevitable, even if the timing is still in flux. More on that below. The House is out on Monday, but Stefanik is expected to address the House Freedom Caucus, members of which have expressed doubts about Stefanik's moderate track record and late conversion to Trumpism. Her bid for the role seems all but wrapped up, but Stefanik is still making an effort to reach out to some of her critics in the conference. The GOP conference is slated to meet Wednesday. That's the soonest the vote to remove Cheney could happen, though it's not etched in the calendar. How it will happen: A member – we are expecting it to be Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) – can introduce a resolution for immediate consideration. If that happens, the conference will have a vote on Cheney's political future, requiring only a simple majority to give her the boot – similar to the last ouster in February where Cheney survived in a 145-61 secret ballot vote. But the GOP conference won't vote on her replacement immediately, multiple Republican sources tell Melanie et moi. There is supposed to be a "candidate forum" ahead of any leadership election for the conference to ask questions of those running. It could be this week or next week, we are told. It is expected to be wrapped up before Congress leaves town in mid-June. Important Context: Some advisers are urging Donald Trump not to support McCarthy for Speaker if Republicans flip control of the House next year, WaPo's Ashley Parker and Josh Dawsey reported over the weekend. Trump, who has been angry McCarthy helped defend Cheney's role as conference chair in late February, is interested by the idea. There is still quite a bit of time between now and then so we will see. Read Ashley and Josh's story here: https://wapo.st/3f4C5fh Messaging: The key question is whether McCarthy can convince voters that the GOP had to oust Cheney for the good of the party's messaging going into 2022, or if the pro-Cheney wing will convince voters that it's about the party having no room for Trump critics. This is still a TBD situation, but either way, it sends a big signal that the House GOP is largely on the Trump train. As Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) , the head of the Republican Study Committee, tweeted: "You can't erase Donald Trump or his voters from the GOP and expect to win back the Majority in the midterms." But some Republicans are rallying to her defense, calling on the party to take on the big(ger) tent approach. "You look at polls, there's a whole group of folks that agree with Liz Cheney, and so for us to win in 2022 and 2024, we need everybody," Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who also voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial earlier this year, said on NBC's "Meet the Press." Related: Like the drummer for Spinal Tap, the No. 3 in GOP leadership does not usually last long, by WaPo's Paul Kane: https://wapo.st/3uxILsU | Liz Cheney's months-long effort to turn Republicans from Trump threatens her reelection and ambitions. She says it's only beginning, by WaPo's Michael Scherer, Josh Dawsey, and Dan Lamothe: https://wapo.st/2R673Me PODCAST ALERT: Your Huddle host spoke with Jeremy Seigel for Politico's Dispatch. You can check it out here: https://spoti.fi/2RadwFM | | | | 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. | | | | | ACROSS THE CAPITOL: The Senate Rules Committee will hold a markup on Democrats' sprawling voting rights and elections bill, the For the People Act, offering members of the panel an opportunity to propose amendments to the controversial legislation. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) has already sought to make changes to the bill. Afterwards, they will also vote on whether to advance the bill to the Senate floor. Expect it to get heated. Republicans are fiercely opposed to this bill and some critics have called for it to be broken into smaller parts or stripped of certain provisions. Also coming up this week: The Senate Commerce Committee is slated to markup bipartisan Schumer-Young Endless Frontier Act, which aims to keep the U.S. strategically competitive with China and other countries. And in general, this is going to be a busy month. Both parties will be moving quickly to address a series of policy issues, including infrastructure (more on that below), police reform, gun control, and more ahead of Memorial Day weekend. Related: Senate committee to hold markup on controversial voting bill, by CBS News' Grace Segers:https://cbsn.ws/3tBsfXw | Mitch McConnell: For the People Act designed to make 'easier to cheat,' by Fox News' Tyler Olson: https://fxn.ws/3vT0Y4r | | A message from Freight Rail Works: Harnessing cutting-edge technology and predictive analytics, freight railroads are rising to the challenges of the 21st century. Today's freight rail network is safe, sustainable and always evolving to meet the nation's changing needs today – and tomorrow. Railroads are ready for whatever comes next. Learn how. | | | HAPPY MONDAY! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill on this May 10, where Dracula fantasies and vaccines are colliding. FRIDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Melanie's story on how Elise Stefanik boosted other GOP women before boosting herself was the big winner. A BURGER WITH A SIDE OF PUSHUPS: Iowa GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley, 87, is a 4 a.m. riser who is ready to drop and do push ups at a moment's notice. "You want me to do 35 for you?" he responded to Burgess when asked about his regimen, which also often includes a two mile run. Grassley's offer came as he waited for a burger at Bambino's, a haunt in Ossian, Iowa, a town of about 800 people, where Burgess paid him a visit. Burgess with a great reference: "The challenge sounds like something out of the classic 'Seinfeld' episode where the elderly Mandelbaum family taunts Jerry to prove his physical prowess. But Grassley's longevity is no joke. It could be the ticket to an eighth term in the Senate — and change the midterm landscape." Thes seat is expected to be safe if Grassley runs again, but his potential retirement could make it harder on Republicans to win back the Senate majority, especially following a wave of retirements. Burgess with the dispatch: https://politi.co/3y23do7 INFRASTRUCTURE WEEK: Believe it or not, there are other things going on in the House/Senate beside the Cheney saga. The White House is doing a bunch of meetings on infrastructure this week, which comes as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is signaling that Republicans are willing to go higher on their infrastructure counteroffer than the $568 billion over five years that Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) has put forward. "The proper price tag for what most of us think of as infrastructure is about $600-$800 billion, which Shelley Moore Capito of my conference has put together and recommended as a bill that's related to the subject," McConnell told Renee Shaw yesterday on Kentucky's PBS station. How he wants to pay for it: "The way to pay for infrastructure is through the gas tax that already exists," he also said in part. "The best way to pay for infrastructure is with the people who use it, not revisiting the tax bill in a way that creates additional problems for the economy." Here is the full interview: https://bit.ly/3vRe960 As per meeting mania: -Monday: President Joe Biden will meet Monday with Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), chairman of the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee, to talk shop about his infrastructure proposal, per Axios' Alayna Treene. Carper has been working with the group of Republicans who are trying to put forward a counter proposal to Biden's $2.3 trillion "American Jobs Plan." -Wednesday: Big day. In addition to Cheney-rama, Biden is expected to huddle with top congressional leaders including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), and McConnell to discuss the same infrastructure proposal. This will also be the first time McCarthy and the president will meet in person since Biden moved into the White House. -Thursday: Biden will hold a meeting with a group of six Senate Republican to chat about his infrastructure-jobs plan. On the invite list? Capito, plus GOP Sens. John Barrasso (Wyo.), Roy Blunt (Mo.), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Pat Toomey (Pa.) and Roger Wicker (Miss.). Related: Infrastructure talks could set course of Biden spending plans, by WSJ's Andrew Restuccia and Andrew Duehren: https://on.wsj.com/3tw4kbV | Biden to meet with GOP senators amid infrastructure push, The Hill's Tal Axelrod reports: https://bit.ly/3utpRn3 | | | | JOIN THURSDAY FOR A CONVERSATION ON TRANSGENDER POLITICIANS: More transgender people got elected to office at all levels across the country in 2020, in both blue and red states – and that number is likely to continue to grow. During the last year, constituents across America elected six transgender candidates at the state level as transgender rights gain more attention across the country. Join POLITICO Nightly: Daytime Edition for a conversation featuring transgender elected officials as they discuss their experiences running for and serving in public office. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | PAGING 2022: School daze: Why Democrats are vulnerable on education, by the National Journal's Josh Kraushaar: https://bit.ly/3tz9HY6 | Democrats agonize over who should try to dethrone Rubio, by our Gary Fineout: https://politi.co/3f78Vw7 POLICE BILL MOVEMENT? House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) is signaling that he -- and perhaps some other Democrats -- are willing to come together on police reform with Republicans by dropping their demands to overhaul qualified immunity, which shields officers from lawsuits. (Hint: progressives and other advocates pushing for police reform aren't going to be big fans of this idea.) "I would never sacrifice good on the altar of perfect. I just won't do that….I'm willing to see good legislation and I know that sometimes you have to compromise," Clyburn said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union." He added: "We got to root out the bad apples, and let's go forward with a good, solid program. If you don't get qualified immunity now, then we'll come back and try to get it later, but I don't want to see us throw out a good bill because we can't get a perfect bill." Related: Clyburn says Democrats should not stall police reform talks over push for 'perfect' bill and ending qualified immunity, by CNN's Chandelis Duster: https://cnn.it/33yHDJy BIG SPENDING ENERGY: Our David Siders has an interesting look at why Democrats stopped stressing about big spending, which has brought down Democrats in the past. David writes: "[Biden's] expansive agenda, in part precipitated by the coronavirus pandemic, represents the toppling of decades of Democratic orthodoxy on the economy and the role of government — beliefs and practices rooted in fear of the tax-and-spend label that emerged from [Walter] Mondale's ill-fated promise to raise taxes," he reports. "It's a recognition that Democrats want more government intervention than ever — and a bet that the post-Trump, working-class-oriented Republican Party is too fractured to stop it." Our David with the story: https://politi.co/3bhdT8t SALTY: Axios' Jonathan Swan caught up with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), including his take on restoring the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction, which the senator says would send a terrible, terrible message." "You can't be on the side of the wealthy and the powerful if you're gonna really fight for working families," Sanders told Swan in the interview. Another excerpt: "If ... [the Dem] Party becomes the party of the college educated, Republicans become the party of the not, do you think that's sustainable for a progressive party?" Swan asked, to which Sanders replies , "no," adding: "I don't think it's sustainable for American democracy." G.I.N.O. TOUR: The Greene-and-Gaetz In Names Only Tour took off over the weekend as Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) launched an "America First Tour" where they plan to lay into RINOs, or "Republicans In Name Only" -- defined in this case as GOP lawmakers Gaetz and Greene deem insufficiently supportive of Trump. Gaetz, who remains bogged down in scandal as the Justice Department investigates charges of sex trafficking against him, described himself as a "marked man in Congress." And we know Greene has had her own share of scandals. "I'm a canceled man in some corners of the Internet. I might be a wanted man by the deep state. But I am a Florida man, and it is good to be home," Gaetz proclaimed. "Today, we send a strong message to the weak establishment in both parties: America First isn't going away. We're going on tour." More here from our Ben Leonard: https://politi.co/3xYAQH8 Related: This California Republican voted to impeach Trump. Now he's helping others who voted same way, by David Lightman: https://bit.ly/3he38HZ | Capitol rioters make questionable claims about police, by the AP's Jacques Billeaud: https://bit.ly/3uzhZAB | | | | A message from Freight Rail Works:   | | | TRANSITIONS Justine Sanders will be comms director for House Armed Services ranking member Mike Rogers (R-Ala.). She previously was comms director for Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.). She is a Rubio alum. Lauren French is now a senior advisor and communications director for Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and the House Intelligence Committee. She previously worked at the House Democratic Caucus as well as the leadership office of then-Rep. Ben Ray Lujan's (D-N.M.). She also worked on Ray Lujan's Senate campaign. TODAY IN CONGRESS The House is out. The Senate will meet at 3 p.m. to take up Andrea Palm's nomination as deputy secretary of Health and Human Services, with a vote to invoke cloture at 5:30 p.m. AROUND THE HILL 11 a.m.: The Ways and Means Committee' Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) will host a meeting entitled, "$60 Billion and Counting: The Consequences of Unchecked Pandemic Unemployment Fraud." 3 p.m: Capitol Police IG Michael Botlon will testify about Jan. 6 before the Administration Committee. TRIVIA FRIDAY'S WINNER: Henry Frisch was the first person to correctly guess that the highest number of states a person has ever represented as a senator is three. The senator was James Shields. He represented Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri. TODAY'S QUESTION: From Henry: How many Republican senators have been censured by the U.S. senate and who were they? 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 Freight Rail Works: The terabytes of data collected across the freight rail network each day are key to unlocking freight rail's full potential. Using new technology, like continuous rail inspection and advanced data algorithms, railroads are uncovering insights to optimize nearly every aspect of the 140,000-mile network. The result? A 21st-century transportation solution that delivers a safer, greener, more prosperous future for America. Where trains go, big things follow. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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