| | | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | | | With Sarah Ferris, Burgess Everett, Marriane LeVine, Heather Caygle and Olivia Beavers. INFRASTRUCTURE OUTLOOK — The tanked infrastructure test vote brings it, in some ways, back to where it began: lawmakers working towards a final agreement that has seemed within reach for weeks while also racing against the clock to move the legislative centerpiece of President Joe Biden's first-year agenda. Here's where things stand in each corner of the Capitol. "We have made significant progress and are close to a final agreement," the informal and bipartisan group of 22 senators who are critical to the bill's passage said in a joint statement after the vote. Negotiators said they were working to "get this critical legislation right" and were optimistic they could finish up "in the coming days." Senate Dems: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) made the key procedural move Wednesday, changing his vote to join Republicans against the motion, which will allow him to bring it back to the floor later for fresh action. The pressure is on for Schumer, the key leader on Capitol Hill for pursuing this piece of Biden's agenda, to move on advancing the administration's priorities. Wednesday was also the deadline that Schumer set for Democrats to be ready to move forward on a budget resolution that sets up the Democrat-only $3.5 trillion bill, but that timeline may also be scrambled. Senate Republicans: Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) caucus is insisting that it will put up the votes to move forward as soon as next week, once the deal is done and they have some input from budget scoring chiefs on the bill's revenue sources. But Republicans are being careful not to get too tied down, declining so far to release their letter to Schumer insisting they'll eventually support the bill moving forward. John Thune (R-S.D.), the GOP whip, seems doubtful enough of his members will vote to move forward until there's bill text — and that could take days. House Dems: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) remains in close contact with Schumer and Biden as the Senate bipartisan group continues to try to reach a deal. Although the Senate is leading the negotiations, Pelosi would have to privately sign off on any package, given her razor thin majority in the House — she can only lose 3 votes. Still, Pelosi has been careful to publicly defer to Schumer, giving him the room he needs to operate as the leader of the dual-track effort. House Republicans: Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) conference is taking a wait-and-see approach to the bipartisan infrastructure package, not publicly committing to back it or oppose it until more details are solidified. Moderates like Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) of the House's Problem Solvers Caucus are generally supportive of the effort. But if bipartisan negotiation is abandoned and Senate Democrats move forward to package all of both tracks into a reconciliation package, House Republicans will certainly oppose the massive Democratic wishlist that results. For a look at what progressives in both chambers are pushing for as everyone mulls next-steps, don't miss the latest from Marianne, Heather and Sara. | | | | 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. | | | | | SELECT COMMITTEE ROLLER COASTER — Pelosi flexed her limited veto power Wednesday, nixing two of McCarthy's picks for the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. In response, Republicans may boycott the probe altogether. That could open the door for Pelosi to name additional members to fill the committee. Except, of course, for Wyoming's Liz Cheney. She backed the speaker's rejection of Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). Opposition to Banks' and Jordan's ascension to the panel was led by Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) Both Jims voted to challenge certification of President Joe Biden's electoral wins earlier this year, hours after Trump supporters violently overtook the Capitol. Cheney agreed with Pelosi's actions, adding that "at every opportunity, the minority leader has attempted to prevent the American people from understanding what happened" on Jan. 6. One of the Republicans Pelosi nixed may be a "material witness," Cheney added, referring to Jordan. House Republicans are quite unhappy that Cheney sided with Pelosi and want her to face consequences, Olivia, Nick and Heather report. "She should probably just go and switch parties and be a Democrat. She's gonna violate everything," Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) said. "She's not in a leadership position so she has got some freedom, but this is so blatant." Pelosi is convening a meeting of the select committee mid day Thursday. Olivia, Heather and Nick have details of all the twists and turns that led up this drama and what might come next. DEBT CEILING DOOM — There's just nine days until the United States runs out of power to keep borrowing money. If that fact gives you unnerving flashbacks to 2011 or 2013, that's understandable. If the debt limit isn't raised, the U.S. government defaults on its loans. (A bad look, globally speaking.) "The United States pays its debts. There is no doubt about that. We do not want to create doubt about that, anywhere in the world," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). Democrats will need to round up the support of at least 10 Republican senators in order to pass legislation to raise the debt limit and avoid the U.S. government from defaulting on its loans. That seems unlikely, as McConnell said Wednesday he doesn't expect any GOP senators to support raising it in the current environment. Unless that changes, Democrats may have to stick the debt ceiling measure into their go-it-alone $3.5 trillion reconciliation package. That package might not pass in time to remedy the debt issue and could force the majority party into a trickier vote on a new maximum for the $28 trillion national debt, reports Caitlin Emma and Jennifer Scholtes. "Mitch McConnell is clearly part of an effort to hold our economy hostage. We aren't going to let anybody do that," Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Wash.) said Wednesday. Democrats are calling out what they see as the GOP being unfair, noting that McConnell did not hedge to raise the debt limit when the GOP tax cuts ballooned the debt under President Trump. "When Donald Trump was president, they made sure everything happened," Wyden added. "Now we have Covid debt, we have Trump debt, we've got a double standard." For what's ahead on the tricky debt limit issue, read Caitlin Emma and Jennifer Scholtes' latest. | | 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 Thursday, July 22. On this day in 1937, the Senate voted down President Franklin D. Roosevelt's proposal to add more justices to the Supreme Court. WEDNESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: This story from Sarah and myself: 'It's a nightmare': Covid Delta variant rocks a recovering Capitol complex INSIDE DEMS' RACIAL JUSTICE PUSH FOR THE MILITARY — Congress and the Pentagon had mostly agreed to a major sexual assault reform. Now, many Democrats are pushing to go further — taking all serious crimes out of Pentagon purview — for what they see as their best shot at racial justice reform in this Congress. Powerful groups like the Black Caucus and Hispanic Caucus are behind the push. But Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been phoning Democrats urging them to oppose. And the dispute is raising questions about how the broader measure on the military's sexual assault process, championed by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), can become law. With several Dems undecided , House Armed Services Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) delayed this week's markup on the bill. But Smith said he's personally "leaning towards" supporting the broader reforms: "It's really complicated, but it is actually the simpler, cleaner approach." Rep. Anthony Brown (D-Md.), a 30-year Army veteran who is Black, has been one of the biggest proponents for the measure. He acknowledged that some of his colleagues are still "sort of sympathetic to the department's claim that this is a major change." But his reply? "What I say is, it was a big change when we desegregated the Army in 1948." On Wednesday night Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Gillibrand, who have been at odds on military justice reform, announced that the Senate's NDAA "makes historic changes to the military justice system and combats the scourge of military sexual assault." But they didn't get into details about what or how far reaching those reforms are. Sarah, Nick and Connor O'Brien have more on the push to overhaul serious crimes in the military here. FIRST IN HUDDLE — Most of the House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump helped organize -- and fund -- an all-expense paid vacation for D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone and his family to Myrtle Beach, S.C., with the assist of local business owners, Olivia has learned. Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.) and his office spearheaded the effort, and GOP Reps. Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio), Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Peter Meijer (Mich.), Dan Newhouse (Wash.), John Katko (N.Y.), Fred Upton (Mich.), and David Valadao (Calif.) also chipped in. Fanone , who was badly injured during the Jan. 6 attack, has been outspoken in calling on McCarthy to denounce denialism and efforts to downplay the assault. The beach time comes before Fanone is expected to testify next week during Dems' first Jan. 6. select committee hearing. | | | | 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 . | | | | | SCOOTER COMMUTER — D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton has submitted an amendment to fiscal 2022 spending bills that would bar the Capitol Police from using any of its fundings to enforce the department's prohibition on the use of electric scooters at the Capitol complex. Scoot scoot! "Electric scooters are an affordable, environmentally friendly, and efficient mode of transportation," Norton said. "The positive benefits and promise of electric scooters warrant treating them like motorized bicycles, mopeds, and the other low-speed vehicles that are already permitted at the Capitol complex." In 2019, Norton sent a letter urging the Capitol Police to amend their policies to permit electric scooters at the Capitol complex, while adopting narrowly tailored regulations to protect public safety. In 2020, commercial dockless scooter vendors, such as Lime, were required to install geofencing on their vehicles so scooters do not enter the Capitol complex. This agreement between D.C. and scooter companies was noted in the fiscal 2021 Legislative Branch appropriations committee report. One big issue was scooters dumped at curb cuts around the Capitol complex, making sidewalks and crosswalks inaccessible to wheelchair users, strollers, etc. Quick tip: if scooters return to Capitol Hill, don't be a jerk! DENTIST TO DENIALIST — A must-read this week from Ben Terris at the Washington Post is a chronicle of the transformation of how Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar went from a friendly dentist putting patients at ease to one of the most boundary-pushing figures on the right, denying the results of the election and defending insurrectionists… as told by his dental patients. | | | | A message from Freight Rail Works:   | | | TRANSITIONS Christopher Dalton is the new press secretary in Rep. Marcy Kaptur's (D-Ohio) office, coming from a chief of staff gig on the Cincinnati city council. Kelsi Daniell is now deputy chief of staff for communications for Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). She most recently was Ernst's comms director. Valerie Buvat de Virginy has joined Rep. Katherine Clark's (D-Mass.) staff as press assistant. She previously worked for Warren's presidential campaign and Sen. Jon Ossoff's (D-Ga.) special election bid. Nisha Ramachandran was tapped as the new executive director of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC). She most recently managed her own consulting business that focused on AAPI advocacy. Prior to that, she served as Policy Director for the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) and as an APAICS fellow in the office of Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) TODAY IN CONGRESS The House convenes at 9 a.m. The Senate convenes at 10:30 a.m. with votes at 1:30 p.m. AROUND THE HILL 9 a.m. House GOP Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and conference chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), along with the Republican Doctors' caucus, hold a press conference on the implications of the Delta variant of COVID-19 10 a.m. Speaker Pelosi holds her weekly press conference 12:15 p.m. The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol meets behind closed doors. The lone GOP member of the panel, Cheney, is expected to attend. 12:30 p.m. Minority Leader McCarthy holds his weekly press conference. TRIVIA MONDAY'S WINNER: Joe Massaua correctly ID'd the donor of the chandeliers in the House Members' Dining Room as Rep. Charles E. Bennett, who represented Florida for 44 years before retiring in 1992. TODAY'S QUESTION: What artist created a work specifically for the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce (now House Energy and Commerce) that depicts winged figures representing the Four Freedoms — of speech, of religion, from want, and from fear under an inscription "On Earth Peace"? 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. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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