| | | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | | | Assists from Burgess Everett. GEORGIA ON MY MIND — This afternoon the Senate Rules Committee will hold its first field hearing in two decades, bringing the Senate's voting rights fight to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta. The Peach State has once again become a battleground for the country's deep divisions over election laws. The hearing is part of an effort to keep attention on voting rights and election laws after Senate Republicans last month blocked a sweeping bill — dubbed by Democrats as the For the People Act — that would overhaul federal elections. The Georgia hearing is expected to be the first of several the committee holds on election reform. Democrats say federal voting standards are needed to counter a growing roster of new laws that tighten voting rules — pushed by GOP lawmakers in several states like Georgia. The new law in that state, signed in late March by GOP Gov. Brian Kemp, made broad changes to how, when and where Georgians can cast a ballot, including changes to absentee and dropbox systems and shortening the runoff period. "You can do election infrastructure in there because that is part of infrastructure," Rules Committee Chairwoman Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) told the AP in Georgia over the weekend. "It's no substitute for the For the People Act, but it is something we can start working on immediately and are working on right now." Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) is among the witnesses set to testify at Monday's hearing. Related: USNS John Lewis christening among national tributes 1 year after congressman's death, from Tia Mitchell at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Klobuchar Lays Out New Goals for Often Low-Key Rules Committee, from Carl Hulse at the New York Times | | | | 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. | | | | | BIG BIZ IN ON INFRASTRUCTURE — Some of America's business titans are going to bat for the bipartisan infrastructure deal, according to details shared with Huddle. The Build Together's CEO Working Group is set to endorse the physical infrastructure deal today and run a slate of ads to support it. The list of CEOs ranges from Mary Barra of GM to Arvind Krishna of IBM to John Donahoe of Nike. They say the framework "embodies an historic investment in the backbone of America, long overdue." The still unfinished effort will get its first procedural vote on Wednesday and its outcome is uncertain, so GOP proponents will welcome the cover. The Build Together coalition will run ads this week in the Wall Street Journal and a bundle of home state papers to try and lock in more Republican support. The group is targeting West Virginia, Idaho, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Missouri, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Indiana, Alaska, Kentucky and Texas. Those Senate delegations are almost all Republicans, some already supportive of the deal and others, like Mitch McConnell, on the fence. GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Monday, July 19. FRIDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Rep. Joyce Beatty's (D-OH) arrest caught your attention: Black Caucus Chair arrested during protest in Capitol complex. For more: In an interview on SiriusXM Urban View's "The Joe Madison Show," Beatty questioned disparities about her arrest. TESTING, 123 — Hate to interrupt your hot vaxxed summer, but if you, your colleagues or anyone you know met with the Texas Democrats who fled to Washington last week, you should get yourself to a Covid testing site. Better safe than sorry. (Take it from your Huddler, who caught Covid at the Capitol back in December.) In case you missed it: Five fully vaccinated Texas state lawmakers tested positive for coronavirus while in Washington, D.C., after meeting with a slew of folks on Capitol Hill. Zach Montellaro had a full report Saturday night on the initial three positive tests. Since then, two more Texas lawmakers tested positive, bringing the total to five. Check out the free testing sites around D.C. this week here, or check the Attending Physician's site to sign up for a test at the Capitol's testing site. | | 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. | | | INFRASTRUCTURE IMMINENT? — This afternoon Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) is expected to set in motion a procedural vote for Wednesday to begin debate on the bipartisan infrastructure package. But that compromise deal is still being hammered out and some Republican negotiators are pushing back on that deadline. "Unless Senator Schumer doesn't want this to happen, you need a little bit more time to get it right," Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) stressed during an interview on Fox News Sunday. Portman, appearing on CNN's "State of the Union," sounded a similar note of concern. "Chuck Schumer, with all due respect, is not writing the bill. Nor is Mitch McConnell, by the way. So that's why we shouldn't have an arbitrary deadline of Wednesday," he said. "We should bring the legislation forward when it's ready." On the heels of the bipartisan infrastructure package is the Democrats' budget proposal and reconciliation vehicle, along with fiscal 2022 spending bills. That lineup puts a pinch on the floor schedule both leading up to and after the August recess. HIGHWAY HAYMAKER — House Democrats are marrying priorities of climate and infrastructure to make a historic pitch for shifting the country's roads-first approach to federal transportation spending, reports Sam Mintz. The House-passed bill is, for now, separate from the massive bipartisan infrastructure bill that has the backing of both the White House and key GOP senators. But there's a chance that portions of the legislation could end up in whatever Congress is able to piece together and enact. State transportation agencies and the highway lobby are not keen on this shift, but advocates argue that reflexively expanding highways without exploring alternatives is unsustainable. "You can't pave over the whole country," said House Transportation Chair and bill sponsor Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.). More on the fight over highways and byways here. | | | | 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 . | | | | | FARM FRESH CONCERN — What issue is bringing former Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Elizabeth Warren together? Foreign purchases, especially from China, of prime agricultural real estate across the U.S. House lawmakers have advanced legislation cracking down farm purchases, warning that China's presence in the American food system poses a national security risk. And key Senate lawmakers have shown interest in efforts to keep American farms in American hands, reports Ryan McCrimmon. Chinese firms have expanded their presence in American agriculture over the last decade, snapping up farmland and purchasing major agribusinesses, like pork processing giant Smithfield Foods. It's a trend that has lawmakers concerned, amid broader efforts by the Biden administration and congress to curb the country's reliance on China for things like food and semiconductors. | | | | A message from Freight Rail Works:   | | | TRANSITIONS Danielle Fulfs is now legislative director for Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). She most recently was senior legislative assistant to Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark (D-Mass.). Zach Mallove, a longtime aide to Patty Murray, the Senate's No. 3 Democrat, joined Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas as a principal. Rep. Adam Kinzinger will add duties of being a dad in January 2022. The Illinois Republican announced on Instagram over the weekend that he and his wife Sofia are expecting a child early next year. TODAY IN CONGRESS: The House convenes at 2 p.m. The Senate convenes at 3 p.m. TRIVIA FRIDAY'S WINNER: Henry Frisch answered correctly that marauding pigs caused a rupture in diplomatic relations between the Republic of Texas and France, generally referred to as the "Pig War." Hotelkeeper Richard Bullock was the owner of the pigs. TODAY'S QUESTION, from Henry: Which President attempted to eliminate the White House lawn's heavy squirrel population? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answers to ktullymcmanus@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. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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