| | | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | | | With a big help from Sarah Ferris & Andrew Desiderio. SHATTERED CALM — The tentative, hopeful posture of Capitol Hill in recent weeks, with vaccinated staffers returning and fencing coming down, is beginning to implode as Covid infections creep back into the Capitol. Staffers lined up for tests within the Capitol on Tuesday, spooked by the news that several fully vaccinated individuals on the Hill have tested positive for the virus. Covid has hit the Capitol before, and hard. Scores of lawmakers tested positive during the height of the pandemic and dozens of Capitol Police fell ill. But the spread of the Delta variant, along with partisan divides over vaccine promotion and a lack of clarity on masking and testing guidance, has some staff and their bosses alike on edge. Especially as some lawmakers had just begun to welcome their full staff back to the office. "It's a nightmare," said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who said he saw about half of members — including himself — wear their masks on the crowded House floor on Tuesday. "The mood is one of frustration and concern. ... It's a disappointing turn of events." Frustration is palpable among House Democrats, as some GOP lawmakers continue to refuse vaccines and go maskless throughout the complex. Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) has been maskless for months, but just received his first dose of the vaccine in recent days, citing the Delta variant. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's early August trip to Israel with all the GOP freshmen was postponed due to the variant. But that schedule change could open up early August for legislative business, which had been off the table. More on how Covid is once again upending life on Capitol Hill, from Katherine and Sarah. Related: Pelosi aide, White House official test positive for Covid-19 after contact with Texas Democrats, from Maeve Sheehey, Covid outbreak sideswipes Texas lawmakers' D.C. tour, by Zach Montellaro and Marissa Martinez | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO WOMEN RULE : The Women Rule newsletter explores how women, in Washington and beyond, shape the world, and how the news — from the pandemic to the latest laws coming out of statehouses — impacts women. With expert policy analysis, incisive interviews and revelatory recommendations on what to read and whom to watch, this is a must-read for executives, professionals and rising leaders to understand how what happens today affects the future for women and girls. Subscribe to the Women Rule newsletter today. | | | | | TEST VOTE TIME — The fated day has finally arrived, when the Senate is scheduled to vote on cloture on a motion to proceed (the test vote of all test votes) on the still unwritten bipartisan infrastructure deal. The vote is expected to fail, as GOP leaders have rallied their senators on holding a line: they won't inch toward beginning debate on legislation that is still being negotiated and drafted. It's worth noting that both parties have backed moving forward on legislation that was far from finalized many times before, including on the Republican attempt to repeal Obamacare in 2017. There aren't clear indications on next steps if the test vote on the bipartisan deal fails — Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that he hoped Republicans would join Democrats in voting to move forward. Republicans insist that delaying the vote would allow for a successful result early next week. Schumer did offer the bipartisan group more time to negotiate, if Senate Republicans agree to move forward Wednesday. But he stressed that the timeline is tight ahead of the August recess. Republican Whip John Thune of South Dakota shared his count ahead of the Wednesday vote, saying he expects 50 Republican no votes, including the bipartisan negotiators. Burgess and Marianne have both a look ahead at today's vote and a deep dive into how Schumer got to this point. Related: Senate eyes piecemeal approach to infrastructure, from National Journal's Zach C. Cohen and Casey Wooten
LAST TRAIN IN TOWN — The Jan. 6 select committee's investigation is likely to look at more than the Capitol riots. Democrats plan to look at all national-security breakdowns related to the attack, including how Donald Trump may have contributed to those failures.
Democrats running the probe are pointing to recent revelations in Phil Rucker and Carol Leonnig's new book that Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, worried that Trump would orchestrate a coup and try to use the military to achieve it. Those details have emerged apart from the probe into the insurrection, but Democrats view them as critical to their investigation. "The impeachment trial was about one guy and one crime — it was about presidential incitement to insurrection," said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a member of the Jan. 6 investigation who served as the lead prosecutor in Trump's second Senate impeachment trial this past winter. "The select committee has the charge of determining how it was organized, how it was financed, and what the purposes of the insurrection were." Democrats are prepping a deep dive into the chaotic endgame of the Trump White House, which they say laid the groundwork for the insurrection and was worsened by the national-security paralysis that came over the government. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), another Jan. 6 committee member, said of the Milley revelations and other national-security breakdowns: "If there were a variety of different potential ways of overturning the election and maintaining power against the will of the people, that would be pertinent to our inquiry." Andrew has more on the emerging dynamic with the select committee. Related: Democrats begrudgingly accept McCarthy's picks for Jan. 6 committee, from Olivia and Nick.
| | A message from Freight Rail Works: Freight rail carries its own weight with its $25 billion annual investment in its privately funded network, but America still needs real infrastructure solutions. See why it's time for bipartisan support from Congress so rail can keep delivering for the economy. | | |
GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Wednesday, July 21, where the Covid testing site (open 10am-3pm) is the cool place to be.
MONDAY'S MOST CLICKED: OK, Covid conscious folks. Many of you wanted to know more about Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan testing positive for Covid, despite being fully vaccinated. TACO TUESDAY IS INFRASTRUCTURE — A two hour meeting Tuesday night, fueled by a delivery from D.C. taco joint SurfSide, yielded what some senators in the bipartisan group called progress, but nothing tangible appeared ahead of the Wednesday vote. "Whoever writes the ultimate tick-tock of this story, Pulitzer material," said Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va), emerging from the meeting. "Because of all the twists and turns, and how many times we've been close to done." Predictions from the senators of when the group would have an agreement ranged from Wednesday at noon to Monday, reports Sam Mintz. TURN ON THE CHARM — With all eyes on the Senate's negotiations over infrastructure and reconciliation, some House Democrats have been feeling neglected by the White House and the Biden administration is ramping up communication and courtship of different corners within the House Democratic Caucus. The administration is working to soothe anger among Democratic members who have grown vocal in their dissatisfaction with the bipartisan infrastructure bill that the Senate will soon consider, reports Barrón-López and Heather Caygle. MASKLESS MONEY — The House Ethics Committee rejected three more appeals by Republican lawmakers fined in May for repeatedly going maskless on the House floor, upholding the $500 fines against Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.). Six GOP members in total have now been fined for their maskless protest on the floor. In her appeal, Greene called the fine "arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion, and otherwise not consistent with law or with principles of fairness." The mask mandate for the House chamber that the GOP lawmakers were challenging was lifted by the Office of the Attending Physician on June 11, when the OAP stated that only people who are unvaccinated or "vaccination-indeterminate" should wear masks. Greene suggested that a Tuesday question about her vaccination status at a press conference was a "violation" of her HIPAA rights, which the question did not. Massie has said he won't get the vaccine because he previously tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies. Public health officials advise getting vaccinated despite any previous recovery from the virus. These fights might not be over as congressional leaders mull how to respond to the Delta variant, which is already circulating on Capitol Hill.
| | | | Be a Policy Pro. POLITICO Pro has a free policy resource center filled with our best practices on building relationships with state and federal representatives, demonstrating ROI, and influencing policy through digital storytelling. Read our free guides today . | | | | | AUGUST RECESS WATCH — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has already cautioned his members that they may need to stay in for part of the August recess. That's still a big TBD on the House side. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters Tuesday that he doesn't plan to bring back members to hang out in the Capitol and wait for a deal. "We know we can act. We know we can act quickly. But there's not a point of having members just sitting here waiting for the Senate to act. We'll see what they do and act accordingly," Hoyer said. FIX CONGRESS COHORT GROWS — The Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group is launching today a new initiative aimed at helping make Congress become more effective by investing in its capacity to better serve the public and take on big issues facing the country. The Alliance for Congress will "help Congress deliver results on critical issues, pass legislation with bipartisan support, foster collaboration between the legislative and executive branches and cultivate a professional, dedicated and diverse workforce," according to a statement. The new venture joins a thriving coalition of advocacy groups and academics including the Congressional Management Foundation, Demand Progress, PopVox and others focused on improving the legislative branch. The Partnership for Public Service has been actively working with the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, even before this new alliance was launched.
| | | | A message from Freight Rail Works:   | | |
TRANSITIONS
Kelly Montgomery is now press secretary for Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.). She previously was an account manager at Subject Matter. Rich Luchette, former communications director for Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) is joining Precision Strategies as a comms principal. TODAY IN CONGRESS: The House convenes at 10 a.m. The Senate convenes at 10:30 a.m. with votes expected at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. AROUND THE HILL 9 a.m. Reps. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA.), along with other members of the bipartisan Congressional PFAS Task Force, will hold a news conference. 10 a.m. Reps. Chip Roy and Mary Miller along with Sen. Steve Daines hold a press conference to introduce abortion legislation. 11 a.m. Rep. Carolyn Bordeaux and other House Democrats hold a press conference introducing her bill on expanding Medicaid. 1 p.m. Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) and CBC members hold a press conference on voting rights. 2 p.m. Reps. July Chu (D-Calif.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) hold a press conference on immigration. 3:30 p.m. Schumer, Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) hold a press conference on immigration. 4:15 p.m. Pelosi, Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Shiela Jackson Lee (D-Texas) hold a bill enrollment ceremony for the crime victims fund legislation that passed the House in March and the Senate on Tuesday. 4:30 p.m. Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and others hold a press conference "to condemn the rise in attacks against the Muslim community" and call for the State Department to establish a a Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Islamophobia. TRIVIA MONDAY'S WINNER: Jamie Grillo correctly answered that Sen. George Murphy of California started the Senate's "candy desk" tradition in 1965. TODAY'S QUESTION: Who, after serving 44 years in the House, donated the chandeliers that hang in the House Members' Dining Room? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answers to ktm@politico.com GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning. Follow Katherine on Twitter @ktullymcmanus.
| | A message from Freight Rail Works: Which network pulls double duty when it comes to efficiency and sustainability? Freight rail. As trains travel across the country, they're not just delivering what the nation needs, they're also keeping the network running safely and sustainably. Last year proved that businesses of all sizes need consistency from their delivery partners to support their economic recovery; freight rail provides that — dependably and affordably. That's why strong, bipartisan action on transportation — action that ensures freight rail can continue innovating and investing in key economic, environmental, and efficiency priorities — has never been so crucial. Broadly supported infrastructure solutions and bipartisan legislation will benefit Americans for generations to come by creating a safer, more efficient transportation system for the nation. See how. | | |
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