| | | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | Presented by Sallie Mae® | Recess is wrapping up and Congress is gearing up for a mad-dash as Democrats try to piece together a slimmed-down social spending package by the end of the month and attempt to finagle deals to avert disaster on government spending and the debt limit. As lawmakers return to Washington, here are a few angles your Huddle host plans to keep an eye on… CONTEMPT TEST — The select committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a report making the case that former Trump adviser Steve Bannon is in criminal contempt of Congress. Bannon has told the panel that he will not comply with the subpoena issued to him Sept. 23. The report will include language for a contempt resolution that could come to the House floor in the coming days, report Betsy Woodruff Swan and Kyle Cheney. If the full House votes to hold Bannon in contempt, the matter will be referred to the U.S. Attorney for Washington D.C. for criminal prosecution. NOMINATION WAY STATION — Wednesday's confirmation hearing of former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to be ambassador to Japan is sure to draw plenty of attention, but as Andrew reminded us this week, there is a lot more going on with foreign policy nominees than Rahm drama. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is expected to advance 29 of Biden's State Department nominees next week — including Cindy McCain for ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, former Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Utah) to be ambassador to Turkey, Tom Udall (D-N.M.) to be ambassador to New Zealand, plus Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger to be the U.S. representative on the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization. Of course these will all run into the brick wall named Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). Don't forget that Cruz's months-long blockade has folks fuming on both sides of the Atlantic. RECONCILIATION CONSTERNATION — While talks and negotiations never stopped during the recess, there's sure to be more action (and more tension) as moderates, progressives and Democratic leaders return to Capitol Hill to hash out details… or even just a topline number… for the top-priority social spending plan. | | | | 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. | | | | | GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Friday, October 15, where absence makes the heart grow fonder (of Congress.) WEST VIRGINIA, BUT ...WHERE? — The first potential incumbent-vs.-incumbent matchup of the 2022 congressional elections is here, but it wasn't immediately clear where GOP Reps. David McKinley and Alex Mooney were running because they both initially announced bids for the wrong district. Redistricting is rough! The state legislature in West Virginia approved a new congressional map Thursday that condenses the state's three seats into two and lumps McKinley and Mooney in the same northern 2nd District. Ally Mutnick looked at the race and how common ideological fault lines within the GOP may play a role. McKinley is a centrist who voted to certify electors from Arizona and Pennsylvania and to create the Jan. 6 commission. Mooney is a Freedom Caucus member with more cash but he's also a former Maryland state senator who moved to West Virginia to run for Congress in 2014. Read up on the awkward battle for West Virginia's 2nd District. Rep. Carol Miller (R-W.Va.) has the southern region of the state to herself under the new map's 1st District and she will run for reelection there. | | | | A message from Sallie Mae®: Sallie Mae does so much more than offer private education loans - we're an education solutions provider helping students and families understand, plan, and responsibly finance their education. A degree opens doors and creates opportunities, and those doors and opportunities should be open and available to everyone. That's why we offer free resources like a planning calculator, scholarship searches, and FAFSA support. See how Sallie Mae makes sense of it all. | | | FDA APPROVAL? — The Biden administration is nine months into its search for a permanent head of the Food and Drug Administration Commissioner and must weigh what it would take to win the votes of three Senate Democrats who previously rejected the current leading candidate for the job? Former FDA Commissioner Robert Califf is the likely pick, David Lim, Adam Cancryn and Sarah Owermohle reported Thursday. It isn't finalized, but part of that process could include considerations of where Democratic Sens. Ed Markey (Mass.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) stand on Califf today, more than five years after they voted against his nomination for the same role in 2016. (They were joined by New Hampshire Republican Kelly Ayotte in the 89-4 vote.) Here's coverage from the POLITICO archive of that vote and what issues dominated during the confirmation process. Something to watch: Would Republicans who backed Cardiff back then still endorse him today, amid the politicization of the pandemic? Or would Democrats need every last vote (and what would that take?) The agency hasn't had a Senate-confirmed leader under Biden and as the agency is on the cusp of making key decisions on coronavirus vaccines and treatments. LILA'S NAME IN LIGHTS — The Capitol Police's comfort dog is on a media blitz, with appearances on CNN and NBC Nightly News. But let's not bury the lede: another comfort dog, Leo, joined USCP last month and will work with Lila around Capitol Hill. When will the 4-year-old yellow lab be camera-ready? DAZZLE DISASTER — One of the zebras that escaped a Maryland farm in late August and have been frolicking free, has died. (Yes, after a WaPo article assured us they would be fine.) Your Huddle host needs more details on if Girl Scouts are actually to blame. IN CASE YOU forgot during recess, flu shots are available from the Office of the Attending Physician. | | | | 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. | | | | | QUICK LINKS — Architect of the Capitol employee spats with Capitol Police draw scrutiny, from Chris Marquette at CQ Roll Call — Trump asserts his dominance inside GOP, pushing Republicans to embrace his false claims of fraud, from the Washington Post — Meet 'the lobbyist hunter' trying to fill D.C.'s swamp, from Hailey Fuchs — Kyrsten Sinema Is Unfriending Her Network Into Oblivion , from Sam Brodney at The Daily Beast TRANSITIONS Sean Duggan has joined Anduril Industries as a director for government relations. He was most recently a military legislative assistant for Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). TODAY IN CONGRESS The House convenes at noon for a pro forma session. The Senate is not in session. | | | |   | | | AROUND THE HILL Not much! (Might as well get your flu shot.) TRIVIA THURSDAY WINNER: Charles Coger correctly answered that Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska died earlier this year and tried during his long career to win the Democratic vice-presidential nomination, and the Democratic and Libertarian presidential nominations, all without success. TODAY'S QUESTION from Charles: Chuck Schumer was the most recent Senator named Chuck elected. When he was sworn in, what percentage of the Senate was named Chuck? 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 Sallie Mae®: Sallie Mae helps students plan and responsibly pay for college in ways that might surprise you. While we're best known for offering private education loans, we also help students and families in different, but equally important, ways. Before offering financing options, Sallie Mae helps families navigate what is too often a complicated – and stressful – planning and paying for college process. We provide free financing tools and education resources to help families make informed decisions about college, regardless of whether they choose to borrow with us. Through a free suite of tools and resources including a planning calculator, scholarship searches, and FAFSA support, students and families can maximize their options before borrowing. When the need arises to cover any remaining college costs, and when scholarships, savings, and federal loans aren't enough, we offer responsible, credit-based private student loans to help fill the gap. See how Sallie Mae makes sense of college financing. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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