| | | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | | | With Burgess Everett and Anthony Adragna. RECALCULATING ROUTE…. — Democrats are recalculating how to move forward on, well, a few things. That tandem track for the Democrats' domestic agenda? Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is reversing course on the commitment to push through the Senate's bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Democrats' huge social spending bill on the same timeline, with their fates linked. Pelosi privately told members at a rare Monday night caucus meeting that the strategy began to change in recent weeks when she learned that Democrats would need to scale back the initial $3.5 trillion price tag for that spending bill in order to get enough votes to clear the Senate — a massive legislative task. "It all changed, so our approach had to change. It isn't about diminishing the importance of the reconciliation," Pelosi told the caucus, according to a source familiar. Heather and Sarah have the details on last night's Dem caucus meeting and Pelosi's pivot: https://politi.co/3kKUT7q Democrats meet again this morning. There's a lot of wrangling ahead for Democratic leadership before the pivotal Thursday vote on the infrastructure package, especially with some progressives already saying they aren't on board with the new path forward. But we'll know more after their morning confab. A key part of this recalculation is that Pelosi and her caucus will need to reach an agreement with the vocal centrists across the Capitol, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), on total costs of the reconciliation package and other parameters. Progressives won't be satisfied with broad strokes, they want details and specifics on provisions ranging from Medicare expansion to climate. "We are not going to pass a bill that won't pass the Senate. And that's why we have to come up with a number. But we're not there yet," said Pelosi. | | | | 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. | | | | | "IT'LL ALL BE OVER PRETTY SOON" — The impending debt ceiling deadline is looking more and more like a problem for another week, after Senate Republicans tanked the House-passed stopgap spending bill because it included a debt limit suspension, ramping up urgency for federal spending action before Thursday night's deadline. A conscious uncoupling could be underway as Democrats hint they're willing to drop the debt ceiling from their government funding package this week in order to avoid a government shutdown. The debt ceiling deadline is several weeks away, and the more immediate deadline is on funding the government past Thursday. Democrats, with super-slim majorities in both chambers, don't want a federal government shutdown on their watch. Burgess, Marianne and Jennifer Scholtes have the latest on the Democrats' scramble to get a plan B in place to keep the government open past Thursday after their initial effort was tanked by Senate Republicans: https://politi.co/2Y6Xujt But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is projecting confidence that the U.S. won't default, despite being a ringleader for his caucus to vote against any proposal to raise or suspend the debt limit. "They're going to raise the debt ceiling," McConnell told Burgess. When asked why he was so confident, he used history as his guide, saying simply: "Because we always do." McConnell said that he doesn't see his position as a risk. "It'll all be over pretty soon," he said. "I know the country is not going to default. I know they have the votes to do this.. I know they don't want to do it … I don't have any doubt that they will take care of this." On Monday, McConnell pointed an early 2000s vote when Republicans had united government in which then-Sen. Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) each voted against raising the debt limit, saying "There's no particular tradition that the minority will always vote for debt limit hikes during united government." Yet… Democrats did not launch a filibuster against the debt limit increase back then, because at that time it was common for lawmakers to vote yes on cloture and then against the underlying measure, which has become rare. | | 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 Tuesday, September 28, where your host doubts that a flotilla of kayaks will change Manchin's mind. MONDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Maybe you thought the Senate Majority Leader got on stage for a little song and dance and were disappointed? Schumer's appearance at the Tony Awards was the winner by a mile. HOT SEAT — Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin face lawmakers today and tomorrow and will take a barrage of questions on the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. The pair will testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday and in the House on Wednesday. Questions to Milley surely won't stick to Afghanistan -- he'll also face inquiry into his calls with China late in former President Donald Trump's term. Connor O'Brien has much more on all this: https://politi.co/3EVePfY BOOST A MOVE — McConnell, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) all went public about getting Covid booster shots Monday, along with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Reps. Reps. Alma Adams (D-N.C.) and Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.). What a week for senior members of Congress to possibly be dealing with booster after effects! (Of course wishing everyone an uneventful immunization.) More from Anthony & Congress Minutes: https://politi.co/3m5O287 MODERNIZING CRS, CBO & GAO — The House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress is digging into how Congressional support agencies like Congressional Budget Office, Government Accountability Office, and Congressional Research Service can better serve lawmakers and staff in a hearing this afternoon. If this makes your eyes glaze over like a 70-page CRS report (can't relate, tbh) you are apparently not alone...they're looking to fix that. Wendy Ginsberg, Ph.D., former CRS analyst and current Staff Director of House Oversight's Subcommittee on Government Operations has tough love for CRS in her written testimony. She points out that lengthy reports are simply not read by congressional staff, helpful podcasts produced by CRS are impossible to find and that the CRS search feature pulls up stale, outdated reports while just-published items are buried below. Ginsburg's take on CRS' videos: "Most of the videos on the website are more than an hour long. You do not have to be a TikTok user to know that more than 10 minutes is too long to hold the audience." | | | | BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we've got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don't miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now. | | | | | CAPITOL HILL'S HOTTEST CLUB IS… The new C-SPAN App. It has everything: streaming video of C-SPAN 1, 2 and 3, along with C-SPAN radio and podcasts. Need to look up that fire clip on the go? The app has video and featured clips. Two things your Huddle host is keeping an eye on: will it drain your phone battery like the C-SPAN radio app does? And will folks have the basic decency to use headphones, or nah? IT'S ONLY A GAME — The Congressional Baseball Game is on deck for Wednesday at Nationals' Park, a rescheduled matchup after the game was forced to take a hiatus last year due to the pandemic. The game is a fundraiser for the Congressional Sports for Charity Foundation. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and the game begins at 7:05 p.m. Just like this week on Capitol Hill , it's anyone's guess how the game will turn out. The Democrats' ace pitcher Cedric Richmond left Congress for a White House gig, Dems' catcher Sen. Chris Murphy had surgery back in the spring and longtime player Rep. Tim Ryan is continuing to isolate as he recovers from a breakthrough case of Covid-19. What does that all mean for the Democrats' winning streak? Four former players will be inducted into the Congressional Baseball Hall of Fame: Richmond, Biden, Former President George H.W. Bush and Former Rep. John Shimkus. Tickets are available here: https://bit.ly/39GIoDA | | | | A message from Freight Rail Works:   | | | QUICK LINKS — Yellen and Powell warn that the Delta variant is slowing the recovery, from the New York Times — Women's March plans return to D.C. to fight for abortion access, from the Washington Post TRANSITIONS Madeline Corso is now communications director for Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga). She was most recently press secretary for Rep. Barry Moore (R-Ala). Andrea Flores, the White House's national director for transborder security, is leaving the administration to be Sen. Bob Menendez's (D-N.J.) chief counsel. Deni Kamper is now press secretary for the House Oversight Committee. She previously was press secretary for Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) TODAY IN CONGRESS The House convenes at 10 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business. The Senate convenes at 10 a.m. with a vote at 11:30 a.m. AROUND THE HILL 9 a.m. House Democrats and Republicans hold their caucus and conference meetings. 10:15 a.m. Dem Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) holds a press conference. 11 a.m. Reps. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) and Chris Stewart (R-Utah) hold a press conference on infrastructure. Noon Senate Democrats and Republicans hold caucus lunches, followed by press conferences around 2 p.m. 2:30 p.m. Senate Judiciary's subcommittee on the Constitution holds a hearing on "toxic conservatorships" and "the need for reform," (aka #FREEBRITNEY) 1 p.m. Pelosi, Climate Crisis Committee Chair Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Reps. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Sharice Davids (D-Kan.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Susie Lee (D-Nev.), Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.), Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) and Tiernan Sittenfeld of the League of Conservation Voters hold a press conference on the climate priorities in the Democratic agenda. TRIVIA MONDAY'S WINNER: Anahita Dhungel correctly answered that the only senator to be killed in a military battle was Sen. Edward Dickinson Baker from Oregon, during the 1861 Battle of Ball's Bluff during the Civil War. TODAY'S QUESTION from Anahita: Which president's children were rumored to put spitballs on Andrew Jackson's portrait in the White House? 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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