| | | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | | | With Nicholas Wu and Olivia Beavers. CEILING THE DEAL? — The House is expected to vote Wednesday on a bill that would suspend the debt ceiling, but the path forward in the Senate remains murky. Senate Republicans sank Democrats' plan to fund the government into December and kick the debt limit through the 2022 midterms. They then blocked a subsequent effort by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to lift the debt ceiling by a majority vote on Tuesday. There is opposition among some moderate House Democrats who see the standalone debt limit bill as a tough vote politically and as a dead-end strategy to appease the Senate, where Republican refusal to back the debt increase has not relented. As many as six moderate House Democrats are willing to oppose the debt ceiling vote, Sarah reported last night. But House Democratic leaders are confident that they can quiet the moderate rebellion and get the debt limit measure passed. There's still confusion among Democrats on how, given their slim majorities and Senate Republicans' refusal to vote for debt limit action, they will avoid potential default. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen informed lawmakers Tuesday that the deadline to avoid a default could come as early as Oct. 18, narrowing the window of time for Congress to act. "Using reconciliation is a non-starter. We have gone through it twice, I've listened, and it takes him about 15 minutes for Chuck Schumer to explain how that works, what it involves. Three or four weeks of activity in the House and Senate," said Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). More from Burgess and Heather on debt limit here. HOTLINE THING — Senate leaders are hotlining a continuing resolution that would fund the government through Dec. 3, stripped of language that would have adjusted the debt ceiling, after Senate Republicans refused to fast track a package that paired the two issues. They started circulating the legislation Tuesday night, trying to sniff out opposition before moving it through an expedited process on the floor. The stopgap funding bill still includes $6.3 billion to help relocate Afghan refugees and $28.6 billion to address natural disasters including Hurricane Ida. In the House, there's talk of taking the Senate-passed CR and putting it through their own expedited floor process, under suspension of the rules. That could come Wednesday as well. Caitlin Emma and Marianne have more details. | | | | INTRODUCING CONGRESS MINUTES: Need to follow the action on Capitol Hill blow-by-blow? Check out Minutes, POLITICO's new platform that delivers the latest exclusives, twists and much more in real time. Get it on your desktop or download the POLITICO mobile app for iOS or Android. GET A FIRST LOOK AT CONGRESS MINUTES HERE. | | | | | SINÉMA VÉRITÉ — The clarity that Democrats were hoping to glean from the five White House meetings that Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) were summoned for on Tuesday hasn't materialized, which puts the infrastructure bill in danger in the House. It is also stoking concerns among Democrats that Biden's ambitious domestic agenda could fall apart on Capitol Hill while Manchin and Sinema are in no rush to solidify what they actually would support. More meetings this week are possible. "There were no commitments made at all, no commitments from my standpoint, just good negotiations talking about the needs of the country," Manchin said. As far as a topline spending number, he said: "We haven't talked about it, no. Just talking about the need. I'm looking at the needs of the country." Sinema made clear , once again, that she's not on board with the Democrats' $3.5 trillion social spending plan and doesn't even want to engage on specifics until the bipartisan infrastructure package clears the House (which it might not, because progressives want details from Manchin and Sinema before they'll back the infrastructure bill). Don't miss Burgess and Marianne's exploration of the Manchin-Sinema situation. | | A message from Freight Rail Works: U.S. companies count on American freight railroads for the efficient, reliable shipment of goods, especially now. That's why railroads are doing everything to meet that demand, from hiring more workers to increasing storage capacity to reopening rail yards. Railroads are committed to doing their part to get supply chains moving. | | | GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Wednesday, September 29, where deadlines loom but lawmakers will still PLAY BALL! MONDAY'S MOST CLICKED: That's right, there was plenty of interest in the Congressional Baseball Game JUST VIBES — Thursday's House vote on the bipartisan infrastructure package won't come without a progressive fight. With just one day left, the majority of the nearly 100-member House Progressives Caucus is still planning to vote against the Senate-passed package, more than enough votes to scuttle the measure. And they have backing from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is urging progressives to torpedo the infrastructure bill if there isn't clarity about what Manchin and Sinema want to see in the Democrats' social spending plan. House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) hadn't started whipping the infrastructure vote as of Tuesday night. When asked about when he might start, he said he's "not ready." "I don't know when that is but I think I'll feel it," he added. There you have it: Democrats' whip operation runs on pure vibes. Much more on progressives digging in their heels from Sarah and Heather here. WHAT THE JAN. 6 COMMITTEE IS PLANNING — The House panel investigating former President Donald Trump's role in the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol is quietly devising plans to pressure hostile witnesses to spill their secrets. With the drawn-out legal battles of the Trump years in mind, the panel's leaders are preparing a narrow set of options as they brace for Trump allies to invoke a wide range of constitutional protections to avoid testifying — from claiming executive privilege to invoking their constitutional right to avoid self-incrimination. Whether it's coaxing reluctant witnesses with offers of immunity or bludgeoning them with criminal contempt of Congress, lawmakers say they'll be ready for whatever obstacles witnesses throw their way. Kyle and Nick lay out the legal path ahead for the committee here. WELCOME TO THE BIG LEAGUES — The Congressional Baseball Game is usually relegated to C-SPAN, where lawmakers are already the stars of the show. But this year the game will also be broadcast by Fox on the FS1 cable networks and the FOX Sports streaming app, with the same attention and high-tech cameras used to cover Major League Baseball. Locals will recognize the play-by-play crew as George Wallace and analyst Mitch Miller from WTOP and the Fox feed will be shared with C-SPAN. Check out Jim Saksa's piece from Roll Call for a full preview of the game: As fiscal crises mount, Congress is finally ready to play ball — literally, not figuratively FRUITS OF INTERNS' LABOR? — Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-Calif.) and three dozen House Democrats, in partnership with Pay Our Interns, are calling on Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and the DOL to create reporting requirements for unpaid internships, to generate data on the internship economy within DOL and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. "The creation of a DOL reporting system would not only ensure the country's approximately 1 - 2 million annual interns are counted, it would also ensure policymakers have the information needed to make financial and strategic decisions in ending unpaid internships, as we move forward," said Carlos Mark Vera, Executive Director of Pay Our Interns. "That which gets measured gets done ," said Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass), a former unpaid congressional intern herself, in a statement. Read the letter to Walsh here and the press release is here. | | | | HAPPENING TODAY - DON'T MISS THIS PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW WITH REP. GOTTHEIMER AS THE HOUSE PREPARES TO VOTE : President Biden's domestic agenda is on the line, with a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill slated for a House vote on Thursday. However, moderate and progressive Democrats remain at odds over a larger, multitrillion-dollar spending package — with the left even threatening to tank Thursday's vote. Join Playbook co-author Rachael Bade for a virtual conversation featuring Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), the leader of the centrists urging his colleagues to take the win Thursday and continue working on the second package in the coming days. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | FIRST IN HUDDLE — A potential shutdown is certainly on the minds of lawmakers. Look no further than Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Dean Phillips (D-Mich.), who are introducing bipartisan legislation today that aims to prevent a government shutdown if Congress fails to pass a full appropriations bill. This bill would in part: A) Continue the previous fiscal year's funding for the first 30 days; B) Hold the pay of senior government officials in an escrow account until such a bill is enacted; C) Prohibit funds to be used to pay for travel for senior government officials. Possible hiccup: This proposal could run afoul of the constitution. The Department of the Treasury is obligated to pay members in full due to a clause in the 27th amendment that blocks officials from "varying the compensation for the services of the Senators & Representatives" between elections. The same clause that makes lawmakers "refusing" their salaries during a shutdown is pure political theater. WHAT CAN UNITE — Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and the progressive squad these days? Not much, but there was huge bipartisan backing in the House Tuesday to pass the Equal Act, which would eliminate sentencing disparities for crack vs powder cocaine that have perpetuated the disproportionate incarceration of African Americans for a generation. Gohmert, a former judge, said the measure was a "a great start toward getting the right thing done" as he recalled dealing with cocaine cases. The bill was led by Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Kelly Armstrong (R-N.Dd), and Bobby Scott (D-Va), and would need to clear the Senate before heading for the president's signature. DAVIS SEES REDEMPTION — Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) says R. Kelly deserves a second chance, a shot at redemption. The artist was convicted Monday on charges of recketeering and sex trafficking. "Let me tell you as an artist — one who's gifted and is gifted — I think he'll be welcomed back into Chicago as a person who can be redeemed," Davis told TMZ outside the Capitol. Davis sponsored the Second Chance Act, signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2008, which included grants for providing career training, mentoring, substance abuse treatment and other evidence-based re-entry programs for people returning home from incarceration. SOLVE A MYSTERY — Dear readers, help us solve a mystery: Why are folks with AT&T cell phone service barely able to send a Tweet or text on the Senate side of the Capitol due to weak service? Staff and reporters are mystified and frustrated to the point of switching carriers! Does a brilliant Huddle reader know the answer (or have a solution?) Let me know. | | | | A message from Freight Rail Works:   | | | QUICK LINKS — 131 Federal Judges Broke the Law by Hearing Cases Where They Had a Financial Interest, from the Wall Street Journal — GOP could split Colorado's House seats under new congressional map, from Ally Mutnick — Capitol Police chief sees rising threats, from AP — Could The Escaped Zebras Survive Roaming Around Prince George's County Forever?, from Rachel Kurzius at WAMU and DCist. TRANSITIONS Sarah Drory is now press secretary for Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). She previously was press assistant for Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) Brooke Lillard is starting as deputy comms director for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. She previously was comms director for the House Blue Dog Coalition. TODAY IN CONGRESS The House convenes at 10 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business The Senate convenes at 9:30 a.m. with votes at 2:30 p.m. AROUND THE HILL 10 a.m. Reps. Ann McLane Kuster (D-N.H.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), David Trone (D-Md.) and others hold a press conference on the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force 2021 legislative agenda. 10:30 a.m. Clyburn, Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) and others hold a press conference on health care costs and expanded health care coverage in the budget reconciliation package. 10:30 a.m. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) holds a press conferences on the Womens' Health Protection Act. Noon Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and other GOP Senators hold a press conference on "crises facing Democrats." 1:30 p.m. Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) holds a press conference on critical race theory and civil rights. TRIVIA MONDAY'S WINNER: Mitch Rabalais correctly answered that Teddy Roosevelt's children used to shoot spitballs at a portrait of Andrew Jackson. TODAY'S QUESTION from Mitch: Who is the only Louisianan to serve as President Pro Tempore of the Senate? 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: A recent report from the Northwestern University Transportation Center found "that freight railroads responded well to rapid demand shifts, particularly in intermodal traffic. The sharp intermodal increase was driven in part by the rise of e-commerce, a tight trucking market, and shifts in consumer spending." As the number of intermodal shipments of electronics, clothing and other consumer goods continues to rise — and with supply chains still backed up — railroads are doing their part to get American companies the goods they need to begin growing again. They are closely coordinating with shipping partners and customers to better manage the flow of traffic, increasing storage space and collaborating with truckers to move goods as quickly as possible. American businesses working to reopen can count on freight rail as a consistent, dedicated partner. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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