Fences come down at the Capitol

A play-by-play preview of the day's congressional news

Jul 08, 2021 View in browser   By Olivia Beavers With Nick Wu, Sarah Ferris, Andrew Desiderio and Ally Mutnick. THE RISE AND FALL OF THE OTHER GATES IN DC: More than six months after the insurrection on Jan. 6, the remaining security fencing around the Capitol is set to come down. Yes, that's right: no more fencing. Per a memo sent to staff and lawmakers yesterday, the removal could begin as early as tomorrow and finish within three days. But that doesn't mean the Capitol Police are pulling back all security. The memo noted the Architect of the Capitol has the ability to put the fencing back if they need to, and a similar memo sent to all Senate offices said the Capitol Police will still use bike racks to block off access to parts of the Lower West Terrace and East Front Plaza of the Capitol. It didn't note if the usage of the racks as barriers would be temporary or permanent. And even if the fencing is gone, the building is still mostly closed off to the public. Tours have been halted for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic, and the memo sent to House offices noted the current Capitol access restrictions "will remain in place." It's unclear when tours will resume, even as tourists return to the nation's capital. Nick has the full story: https://politi.co/3hneby4 Related: Fencing will come down, but Capitol still closed to visitors, by AP's Lisa Mascaro: https://bit.ly/2VmjiWL SALES PITCH: Democrats this year passed one of the biggest anti-poverty measures in a generation. Now, months later, it's time to make sure they get credit — and the fate of the program just might be on the line. The expansion of the child tax credit was a huge part of Dems' March coronavirus aid bill. But the rollout doesn't formally begin until next week, when 90 percent of American parents will see monthly checks in their bank accounts. It's a relatively simple sales job — who doesn't love kids and tax cuts!? — but Dems are stepping up their messaging campaign with hopes they can remind voters exactly who delivered them the cash, while building momentum to make the whole thing permanent — an enormously costly move that many Dems want to see as part of the upcoming reconciliation bill. The House Dem Caucus has been working on the outreach for months, and recently brought in former Obamacare advisor Phil Schiliro to share lessons learned from one of the last big Dem safety net expansions: "If people are not aware of it, it's unlikely the program continues," Schiliro said in an interview. Sarah has the story: https://politi.co/3AJorIO SHARK WEEK OR INFRASTRUCTURE WEEK? We knew July would be busy, and now the bipartisan infrastructure deal that has consumed the Biden administration and Congress for months could hit the Senate floor as early as mid-July, Laura Barrón-López and Burgess scooped. The timeline goal comes after two key White House officials briefed Hill Democrats on a call yesterday, informing lawmakers that the administration is working alongside the Senate to have the bipartisan infrastructure bill ready for floor consideration as early as the week of July 19. But some Democrats have cautioned that the bill's substance could change. They also have to worry about appeasing the left, which is pushing for a bigger Dem-only reconciliation package. "As [Senate Majority] Leader [Chuck] Schumer has said, he wants to move on both the bipartisan plan and the budget resolution during the upcoming July/August Senate session," a White House official said in an email, per my colleagues. "Our understanding is that the process could begin as early as the week of 7/19, given that committees are still finalizing legislative text for both the budget resolution and the bipartisan bill." "We of course support going forward as fast as possible, but it would be a mistake to think of July 19 as anything more than the opening of a window," the official added. As Burgess noted on Twitter: "This timetable would be without any hitches, and there are likely to be plenty. But it reflects Schumer's desire to finish the bipartisan deal (if there is one to vote on) and the budget resolution setting up reconciliation before breaking for August break." Related: Conservative groups mount opposition to increase in IRS budget, threatening White House infrastructure plan, by WaPo's Jeff Stein, Tony Romm and Yeganeh Torbati: https://wapo.st/3jURiUv FIRST IN HUDDLE: The Medicare for All PAC, chaired by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) is out with a new 30-second ad urging Biden and members of Congress to expand Medicare in the reconciliation package. She wants the expansion to lower the eligibility age, drop the price of prescription drugs, as well as cover hearing, vision and dental insurance. It's going to run in the Republican-held swing districts of CA-21, CA-39, CA-48, FL-26, FL-27, IA-02, IA-01, NY-22, and UT-04. The ad: https://bit.ly/3wA1K6B   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.     GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Wednesday July 7, where Olivia is back. You know you missed her. Xoxo. Reporter girl. I'll be with you for the next three Huddles before we give a warm welcome to your next Huddle host. TUESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: The AP's story about every Democrat holding leverage in the infrastructure talks was the big winner. CHANGING ON CLIMATE CHANGE: A new group of House Republicans are looking to make their mark addressing climate change. Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah), a mild-mannered former mayor of Provo, Utah, is leading the Conservative Climate Caucus in the hopes of getting House Republicans to shift not only towards getting more comfortable talking about climate issues, but also solutions. Curtis knows that his caucus , which was formed last month, will face skepticism, but he is waving them off, saying he's "ready to be judged" in a year on the impact the group has had on the climate change conversation. Per our Anthony Adragna: "In a recent phone interview, Curtis said he's wary of linking particular events, like last week's heat wave in the Pacific Northwest, to climate change directly rather than examining longer-term trends, which he finds more compelling. He thinks Democrats may be making a mistake in calling climate change a crisis and says his caucus won't endorse specific legislation to address the problem. The congressman also said he's not yet on board with carbon pricing, despite increasing interest from industry groups." Anthony has the full interview here: https://politi.co/2UsYHjc TAKING STOCK: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, won big on Alphabet Inc. stock and added bets on Amazon.com Inc. and Apple Inc. in the weeks leading up to the House Judiciary Committee's vote on antitrust legislation that seeks to severely limit how these companies organize and offer their products," Bloomberg's Billy House and Anna Edgerton scooped. "In a financial disclosure signed by Nancy Pelosi July 2, her husband reported exercising call options to acquire 4,000 shares of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, at a strike price of $1,200. The trade netted him a $4.8 million gain, and it's risen to $5.3 million since then as the shares have jumped. The transaction was completed just a week before the House Judiciary Committee advanced six bipartisan antitrust bills, four of which take aim at Google, Amazon, Apple and Facebook Inc." Read their story here: https://bloom.bg/2VloMRF THE POWER TO WAR: July is shaping up to be critical for the bipartisan efforts on the Hill to scale back presidential war powers. The House has already taken action to scrap outdated AUMFs for Iraq — ones adopted in 1957, 1991 and 2002 — and the Senate is set to begin its own process when the chamber returns to D.C. next week. Biden supports these efforts, which is a good sign for proponents of AUMF reform; however, getting them to his desk will be tricky. Since the House and Senate bills are different, they'll have to be reconciled either through a conference committee or through the NDAA process at the end of the year. We're hearing that the latter is the most likely path at this point. Of course, the Kaine-Young bill to repeal the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs still has to break a filibuster, which isn't a sure bet. On top of all this, Biden has expressed interest in repealing and replacing the 2001 AUMF to better tailor it to the current threat landscape. That AUMF, of course, was passed in the days following the Sept. 11 attacks and allowed successive presidents to deploy military assets against terror groups, largely unchecked. Something lawmakers will have to consider as part of these talks with the White House: the escalation of hostilities between U.S. troops and Iran-backed militia groups in Iraq and Syria. Biden has claimed Article II to retaliate against these proxies, not an AUMF — and that's certain to factor into the talks on the Hill surrounding the 2001 AUMF. Andrew has more on what to expect as Congress finally gets to work tackling one of its most vexing challenges: https://politi.co/3ABc15u CAMPAIGN CENTRAL: OH ME OH MY OH: The August 3rd special election for Ohio's 11th congressional district has quickly evolved into a proxy war for feuding Democratic factions, our Ally Mutnick reports. The race is to replace the seat left vacant by now-HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge and already some big names are involved. The Congressional Black Caucus Pac is throwing its endorsement behind candidate Shontel Brown over Nina Turner in the special election. Brown also has the support of Hillary Clinton and pro-Israel forces, while Turner has the support of progressives, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Ally has the story: https://politi.co/3qSEfnL ALSO OHIO: Breakfast with J.D. Vance, anti-Trump author turned pro-Trump candidate, by Time's Molly Ball: https://bit.ly/3AJksMm TRIPLE M: Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, the Iowa Republican who won her hotly contested House seat by just six votes, raised over $480,000 in the second quarter, according to her campaign. She has over $1.1 million in the bank. Related: In Michigan, pro-impeachment Republicans face voters' wrath, by NYT's Jonathan Weisman in Grand Rapids, Mich.: https://nyti.ms/2VpcpEh | Republicans suppressing their own voters in Arizona and Georgia, by National Journal's Josh Kraushaar: https://bit.ly/3hrdHXT   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.     TRANSITIONS Kate Currie is now comms director for Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.). She most recently was a press assistant for Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) and is a Denver Riggleman alum. Jacob "Jake" Best has been promoted to be communications director for Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.). He most recently was Ossoff's press secretary. TODAY IN CONGRESS The House and Senate are out. AROUND THE HILL Nada. TRIVIA WEDNESDAY'S WINNER: Stefani Koorey was the first person to guess that former Rep. Sidney Yates was a child of Lithuanian immigrants who became an All-Big Ten basketball player (for the University of Chicago, which was then a member of the conference), served in the Navy in World War II, served for 48 years in the House of Representatives, and helped establish the Holocaust Memorial Museum. TODAY'S QUESTION: from Stefani: How many U.S. presidents were widowed before taking office and what were their deceased wives' names? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answers to obeavers@politico.com GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning. Follow Olivia on Twitter @Olivia_Beavers   Follow us

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