News: Moulton and Meijer go rogue, September deadlines pile up

Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Moulton and Meijer go rogue, September deadlines pile up

Aug 25, 2021

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By Katherine Tully-McManus

Presented by

With Sarah Ferris.

SEPTEMBER SCARIES — Just two days of frantic House action felt like a full week, but it is recess once again. Let's look at what is coming down the pike when the summer recess truly comes to an end and a slew of September deadlines loom.

The budget resolution, now cleared by both chambers, kicks off a flurry of activity in the next several weeks as committee chairs in both chambers work behind the scenes to write their portions of a massive $3.5 trillion social spending bill, assemble them together and prepare them for floor action. Sept. 15 is the target date to get there.

Mid-September is also when the Treasury Department is expected to be on the precipice of running out of the "extraordinary measures" they've put in place to avoid defaulting on the national debt.

The House just locked in a Sept. 27 deadline to vote on the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill, just a few days before surface transportation programs are set to expire.

Government funding dries up at the end of September, unless Congress can either conference all 12 spending bills (unlikely is an understatement) or pull together a continuing resolution by Oct. 1. While stopgap spending measures are commonplace, starting the first part of fiscal 2022 on a CR predicated on spending levels and policies adopted during the Trump administration is a tough pill for Democrats to swallow while in the majority.

By the end of September , the 15 percent increase in federal food benefits put in place during the pandemic are also set to conclude and on Oct. 3, the extension of the ban on evictions will end.

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ROGUE RESCUE MISSION — Two members of the House watched as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the frenzied and dangerous evacuation effort that followed and thought that what the situation needed was … them.

Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) took their dissatisfaction with the chaotic evacuations from Afghanistan on the road, traveling this week to the Taliban-controlled nation.

The rogue codel prompted a terse warning from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Wednesday night, in which she urged other House members not to travel to the highly volatile region "during this time of danger."

"Member travel to Afghanistan and the surrounding countries would unnecessarily divert needed resources from the priority mission of safely and expeditiously evacuating America and Afghans at risk from Afghanistan," Pelosi said in the letter Tuesday evening, obtained by POLITICO.

The pair, both Iraq war veterans , said their trip had been "to gather information, not to grandstand." They defended themselves against swift criticism, saying they "left on a plane with empty seats, seated in crew-only seats to ensure that nobody who needed a seat would lose one because of our presence."

Who paid for the trip? According to Moulton spokesman Tim Biba, the pair paid out of pocket for flights to the United Arab Emirates before hopping a military flight to Kabul.

Rep. Sarah Jacobs (D-Calif.), House Foreign Affairs Committee member and former State Department official issued some of the first criticism for her colleagues in a tweet: "Whether it is Haiti or Afghanistan, taking up space in a disaster zone for your own ego helps no one."

Both Moulton and Meijer voted by proxy on Tuesday. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) proxy-voted for Moulton, and a source familiar told Massachusetts Playbook's Lisa Kashinsky and later Huddle that McGovern and his staff were told Moulton would be in Massachusetts and were unaware of the Afghanistan trip. Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah) voted for Meijer. More from Nicholas, Sarah and Heather: https://politi.co/3ygMgoD

GOTTHEIMER'S GAMBIT — You've probably heard more about Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) this week than ever before in your life. That's because it's been a big few days for the moderate New Jersey Democrat.

After a rollercoaster week, ehem, two days, Sarah and Heather look at what went down behind closed doors, on private phone calls and how it's possible for moderates to claim victory while Pelosi and her allies say she has not wavered or given an inch: https://politi.co/2Wp5N9t

One key point about Gottheimer and the moderates: Unlike the Progressive Caucus, the centrist faction is more scattered. That includes this gang of nine, which is a mix of fiscal and social conservatives, vulnerable "frontliners" and some who hold deep blue seats.

The moderates' various wings — Blue Dogs, New Dems, Problem Solvers — usually spend more time debating semantic differences between themselves than joining together on a position. Not this time.

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GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Wednesday, August 25.

TUESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: After Jan. 6 attack, U.S. Capitol Police choose San Francisco for new field office. Here's why, from Tal Kopan at the San Francisco Chronicle

HOW SCREWED IS KINZINGER? — Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.)'s exurban Chicago district could be a casualty of redistricting with Illinois losing one of its 18 districts and Democrats in complete control of the redistricting process in the state.

He is well-aware that his seat is on the chopping block. "But I'm not too freaked out," he told POLITICO.

The elimination of his district would force Kinzinger to choose between A) running in unfamiliar territory, possibly against another incumbent, or B) making a long shot run for governor or Senate in a blue state. And a bid for governor assumes Kinzinger could prevail in a GOP primary after spending the last year criticizing a former president who remains beloved by the base. Allie Mutnick digs into the dynamics of the potential new maps and what it means for Kinzinger: https://politi.co/3yi6z50

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 .

JAN. 6 WARNING EMAILS REVEALED — The Secret Service circulated warnings ahead of the attack on the Capitol about possible violence at the hands of supporters of then-President Donald Trump and threats to police officers in Washington on Jan. 6.

The Secret Service emails , obtained by POLITICO, further reveal the intelligence lapses by the Capitol Police that the department's internal watchdog and a Senate report had previously highlighted.

Betsy Woodruff Swan and Nick unpack the ominous emails, who might have seen them and what it means for the ongoing investigations into the preparation for and response to the violent attack on the Capitol: https://politi.co/389rXyL

VOTING RIGHTS ROUNDTABLE – Senate Rule and Administration Chair Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) is once again taking the Democrats' voting rights message on the road. She's in Madison, Wisconsin today for an event with Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell, Urban League of Greater Madison President and CEO Dr. Ruben Anthony, and faith leaders involved in voter turnout efforts.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) will also be on hand for the event that Klobuchar's office is touting as a followup to the Rules Committee's visit to Georgia last month for the first field hearing in two decades.

QUICK LINKS

— Ethics office: Rep. Mooney tapped campaign funds for family vacations, fast food, from Chris Marquette at Roll Call

— Herschel Walker files for Georgia Senate race, from Marc Caputo

TRANSITIONS

Lauren Miller is now comms director at the Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics. She previously was senior adviser to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

TODAY IN CONGRESS

The House is not in session.

The Senate is not in session.

AROUND THE HILL

9 a.m. Pelosi holds her weekly press conference.

11 a.m. Pelosi joins leaders of the Poor People's Campaign for a press event following a meeting.

11:30 a.m. GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy holds his weekly press conference.

Noon Reps. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Jason Crow (D-Colo.) and a bipartisan group of House Foreign Affairs Committee members hold a press conference to call for the safe evacuation from Afghanistan of all Americans and SIV applicants.

TRIVIA

TUESDAY'S WINNER: Jack Howard correctly answered that Theodore Roosevelt became the first U.S. president to fly in an airplane in 1910. On the "related" note, in 1943 Franklin Roosevelt flew to Casablanca in North Africa for a strategy meeting with Allies during World War II. (Teddy was the first president to own a car, the first President to be submerged in a submarine and the first to have a telephone in his home.)

TODAY'S QUESTION from Jack: Which former Senate page, messenger, doorkeeper and U.S. Senator was responsible for previous major league baseball franchises in Washington being called the "Senators"?

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

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