| | | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | | | ALL THIS AGGRAVATION AIN'T SATISFACTIONING ME — Democrats are taking a cue out of the Elvis Presley songbook and promising a little less conversation and a little more action in the coming weeks. They're watching the clock tick down on their fleeting opportunity to deliver on key planks of President Joe Biden's domestic agenda before the utter gridlock that consumes Congress in an election year. They're staring down a stretch in which they need to pin down a deal on the massive social spending bill that, at this point, has no locked-in topline number or provisions. For the next three weeks, they'll be focused on coming to a consensus on the social spending package and on how to slash the ambitious bill to roughly half of its initial $3.5 trillion. "We have to move from performative losing to enacting laws. And this is our moment to demonstrate that we actually are serious about enacting the things that we run on, not just talking about them every two years," Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) told Burgess and Sarah. "It's just a fact that the trifecta doesn't come around very often, and doesn't last very long." Satisfactioning isn't easy: They're trying to thread a needle of tiny majorities and a canyon-size difference between progressive goals for the bill and what Senate centrists like Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) will vote for. And yet! Democrats close to the discussions insist that behind-the-scenes talks are still ongoing with the two leery centrists, report Burgess and Sarah. Read their latest on the Democrats' chance to enact things they've been working on for a decade and what's standing in the way. Oct. 31 is when Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) wants the House to clear the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill, because a whole tranche of transportation programs are set to expire at the end of the month. (There's a Halloween joke here, but thousands of potential furlough letters going out to federal employees if the bill isn't passed isn't funny.) This deadline will once again test the two-track strategy that ties the infrastructure bill to the party's broader spending plan. "The Oct. 31 deadline is Speaker Pelosi's deadline. It is not a deadline the entire House voted on, like the Sept. 27 deadline. And even that deadline was violated. So I think it's hard to imagine the Oct. 31 deadline will hold, if the speaker isn't willing to get the votes for this bill," Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.) said. | | | | 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 Monday, October 18, where this jam is stuck in your Huddle host's head and might be the Democrats' soundtrack this week. METRO MADNESS — You're here for Congress news, but first a heads up … Metro will only be running trains about every 30 minutes today, following last week's Blue Line derailment. WMATA is holding all the shiny 7000 series railcars out of service. That's 60 percent of the fleet and leaves only about 40 trains running today. Don't say we didn't warn ya. CLIMATE SCRAMBLE — With news over the weekend Manchin doesn't support the cornerstone climate policy in the Democrats' social spending package, the White House and Democrats in Congress are scrambling to salvage the Clean Electricity Performance Program and other climate provisions to try and keep Biden's ambitious climate agenda on track. The program was proposed as a way to reward utility companies that increase their clean energy supply by 4 percent each year, while penalizing those that continue to rely on fossil fuels. In Manchin's coal-producing home state, the program was a tough sell. This all comes ahead of Biden's trip to Glasgow, Scotland, for a United Nations climate summit next month. RELATED: As Manchin Blocks Climate Plan, His State Can't Hold Back Floods, from the New York Times; To woo Manchin, Dems could OK climate funds for coal and gas plants from Zack Colman VOTING RIGHTS VOTE — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is expected to file cloture Monday night on a pared-back voting rights bill, setting up a vote on the measure later this week, probably Wednesday. What's in it: The bill would make Election Day a public holiday, ensure that every state offers same-day voter registration, set minimum federal standards on mail voting and ban partisan gerrymandering. It also seeks to protect nonpartisan election officials from undue interference. It is a trimmed down version of a previous sweeping elections bill that was tailored specifically to woo Manchin who was against the earlier proposal. One key change was flexibility built into some policies and the allowance of state-based voter ID requirements. Backed by the whole Democratic caucus, the bill doesn't have the 60 votes it needs to overcome a Republican filibuster. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has promised that the measure "will go nowhere," labeling it a "partisan power grab" to "micromanage elections across America."' | | | | A message from Energy for Progress: Tackling climate change requires innovative partnerships that connect the brightest minds in science, research, and manufacturing. See how America's natural gas and oil companies are partnering with the country's best problem solvers to help the world move toward a lower-carbon future. | | | BLACK STAFF SPEAK OUT — The two Black congressional staff associations published a joint letter calling for "a stronger college-to-Congress pipeline" to recruit Black aides, better pay for Hill staff and urging lawmakers to diversify their staff. "Today, we are sending a message to America. We come to you as Black congressional staffers on Capitol Hill. We come as proud public servants," the letter published by the Senate Black Legislative Staff Caucus and the Congressional Black Associates said. "We believe that if the United States Congress wants to hold steadfast to its representative form of government, then congressional staffers hired to construct and inform legislation should be reflective of the United States' population." The letter was published on behalf of more than 300 Black staff members working in the Senate and House and highlights long standing problems with diversity and representation on Capitol Hill, where Congressional staff do not reflect the population they serve. Aishvarya Kavi from the New York Times has more here (along with stunning portraits by Sarahbeth Maney.) STENY AND THE DEBTS — House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) signaled in a Dear Colleague letter on Saturday a growing momentum to eliminate the debt limit following a cycle of brinkmanship over national credit that is set to repeat ahead of the next deadline. "The House will explore options to remove the threat that the debt limit poses over the long term, now that Republicans have demonstrated a willingness to weaponize it for partisan purposes," Hoyer wrote. "The House may consider legislation as early as this month to do so." Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) last week expressed support for a proposal from House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) and Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) that would transfer the authority for raising it to the Treasury secretary instead of Congress, saying "I think it has merit." Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is on board with abolishing the debt limit. She argued earlier this month that the borrowing cap is "destructive" and poses unnecessary risks to the economy. The next debt limit deadline is Dec. 3. | | | | 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. | | | | | FRIDAY NIGHT FISSURE — Senate Budget Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has been haranguing Manchin to support the president's sweeping domestic agenda, and its hefty price tag, for many weeks. But the policy disagreements between the two men on polar opposite sides of he Democratic caucus turned towards public animosity Friday night after Sanders published an op-ed in Manchin's hometown paper on Friday night. Manchin had this to say: "This isn't the first time an out-of-stater has tried to tell West Virginians what is best for them despite having no relationship to our state." Burgess unpacked the Friday night flare up. CHILDCARE CHALLENGE — There are numerous proposals flying around about paid leave, early childhood education and daycare and it isn't yet clear what could survive as the Democrats' social spending bill hits the chopping block in coming weeks. Here's what's going on with childcare in two key places: Sanders' home state of Vermont and Manchin's home state of West Virginia… Vermont announces ARPA funding for child care. Providers say it can't come soon enough, from Vermont news site VTDigger; In Senator Manchin's Home State, Universal Pre-K Is Already a Reality, from the New York Times. YIKES — Assistant House Sergeant at Arms Stefan Bieret, 41, was arrested and charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography. He had previously worked for Capitol Police. More on the case here. RELATED: Indian Health Service Managers Protected a Pedophile in Their Midst. Now the Agency Is Protecting Them, from the Wall Street Journal | | | | A message from Energy for Progress:   | | | QUICK LINKS — 'This is the future': Black Senate candidates crush fundraising expectations, from Maya King — Congress blocks cuts to top contractors' weapon budgets, from John Donnelly at CQ Roll Call — Widow of D.C. Metropolitan police officer speaks out, from NBC News TRANSITIONS Brandon Wear is now comms director at JLK Political Strategies. He previously was comms manager for Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.). CJ Mahler is now a legislative assistant handling health care policy for Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.). He was previously a senior health policy specialist at Arnold & Porter. TODAY IN CONGRESS The House is not in session. The Senate convenes at 3 p.m. with a vote scheduled for 5:30 p.m. AROUND THE HILL A quiet Monday, but that could change. TRIVIA FRIDAY'S WINNER: Kelly (who asked we not use her last name) correctly answered that when Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) was sworn into the Senate in 1999, he joined Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Chuck Robb (D-Va.) and Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) to make up the four percent of the Senate named Chuck. TODAY'S QUESTION: Who was the 1,000th U.S. Senator? 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 Energy for Progress: As the global population continues to grow, the demand for energy continues to rise. How can we provide more energy and tackle climate change? America's natural gas and oil companies are doing their part by creating lower carbon energy with breakthrough innovations like carbon capture, hydrogen fuels, and more. See how we're planning to help the world meet growing energy needs while addressing CO2 emissions. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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