| | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | Presented by Sallie Mae® | With help from Nicholas Wu, Andrew Desiderio SENATORS FLAG SPRAWLING SPYING — A secret program at the Central Intelligence Agency relied on mass surveillance and data collection, including from Americans, according to a newly declassified letter from Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). The CIA is largely prohibited by law from engaging in domestic spying. "It has done so entirely outside the statutory framework that Congress and the public believe govern this collection, and without any of the judicial, congressional or even executive branch oversight that comes with FISA collection," the letter says. "This basic fact has been kept from the public and from Congress." Both Wyden and Heinrich are members of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Their letter, dated April 2021, urged Avril D. Haines, the director of national intelligence, and William J. Burns, the CIA director, to declassify the warrantless bulk data collection and any internal agency rules about querying the data for information about Americans. The letter was partially declassified and disclosed yesterday, so anyone can now read the (partially redacted) letter and the press release. RELATED: C.I.A. Is Collecting in Bulk Certain Data Affecting Americans, Senators Warn, from The New York Times, Secret CIA Bulk Surveillance Program Includes Some Americans' Records, Senators Say, from The Wall Street Journal IT'S THE CENTS OF CONGRESS— As their other priorities fall by the wayside, vulnerable Democrats are waging a new uphill battle: actually draining the swamp (at least a little bit). They swept into power pledging to clean up government, and now they're pushing to ban lawmakers from trading stocks, hoping voters will reward them for a different kind of "good government" legislation even if it faces an uncertain future in the narrowly divided Congress. "I've been in rooms full of people who say, 'Oh and I love that stock bill' ... And everybody's like, 'yes!'" said Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), a swing-district Democrat who has pushed the policy since 2020. "I have had people say, 'Oh, well I didn't vote for you, but — that stock bill!'" They face many hurdles in turning the policy into reality. There's the filibuster, a split among Democrats, several different bills to reconcile and warnings that constraining stock trades could dissuade people from entering public service. Nicholas, Burgess, and Sarah with more: Dems want to clean up lawmaker stock trades. It could get messy. | | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | |
GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Friday, February 11, where we promise we're not collecting bulk data about you.
SAVE THE DATE: HUDDLE TRIVIA LIVE! — Clear your calendars for Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. ET. The POLITICO Congress team behind Huddle is whipping up our first-ever virtual trivia night. Think you know everything about lawmakers, their committees and their craziest moments? Show up and show off your skills. RSVP (by yourself or with a team) to Huddle. Registration is free. We'll send sign-up instructions. MASK ON? MASK OFF?— As many Democratic governors ditched mask mandates this week, frontline Democrats on Capitol Hill are on board with loosening Covid policies as the omicrown surge wanes. Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.), who is a doctor himself, says that the concern concentrated among frontliners isn't necessarily political, but representative of their districts. "A lot of purple districts are suburban districts. And in suburban districts, there is a prominent feeling of wanting to get our lives back," he said. But others say it is too early when millions of kids under 5 remain unvaccinated and cases remain higher now than they were during the Delta wave. Sarah and Nicholas have a mask vibe check. NOT SO FAST — Here in the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Thursday that proxy voting will be extended in the chamber until March 30. According to the Sergeant-at-Arms and Capitol's Attending Physician, the public health emergency due to Covid "remains in effect." This is the first extension since the Supreme Court declined to hear House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) lawsuit against the proxy voting practice. The Supreme Court did not explain why it had decided not to take up the case or say how many justices had voted against hearing it. STRATEGY SESSION— President Joe Biden met with Democrats from the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday to talk through the upcoming confirmation battle, where senators urged Biden to move quickly to announce his court pick. Seung Min Kim at The Washington Post reports that Biden told lawmakers he would begin interviewing possible nominees next week. More from Seung Min: Biden talks Supreme Court timing with Democratic senators | | A message from Sallie Mae®: What's the difference between student lending and responsible student lending? For Sallie Mae, the difference is helping students and families borrow responsibly by approving loans they can afford. In fact, fewer than 2% of our loans in repayment default annually. But before we do that, we help students maximize scholarships, grants, and federal financial aid. See how Sallie Mae makes sense of paying for college. | | |
SLOW RUSSIA RIDE — Senators acknowledged yesterday what has really been known all week: they're at an impasse on talks surrounding a comprehensive Russia sanctions bill. That was the update from Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and his GOP counterpart Jim Risch of Idaho, who detailed two snags they've been unable to overcome as part of the negotiations. The first is the structure of the Nord Stream 2 sanctions. But the second wrinkle is a new one: the so-called secondary sanctions on Russian banks that could impact European markets. European officials have appealed directly to senators to express concerns over that provision, two sources told Andrew, arguing that such punishments would have significant ripple effects in their countries. More from Andrew: Senate negotiators at an 'impasse' on Russia sanctions bill
RELATED: 'He's making it worse': Frustrations with Hawley's Pentagon nominee blockade boil over, from Connor O'Brien NEW CHALLENGE IN ALASKA — "Democratic Alaska state Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson of Anchorage registered Thursday morning as a candidate for U.S. Senate in this year's elections. Gray-Jackson is the first Black U.S. Senate candidate in Alaska history and is the first Democrat to confirm a run for the seat currently held by Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski," reports James Brooks for the Anchorage Daily News. | | | | DON'T MISS 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. CHECK OUT CONGRESS MINUTES HERE. | | | | |
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CBA WANTS THE 311— Congressional Black Associates is surveying their members on "workplace wellness" and "about optimal conditions for your workplace". If you're a CBA member you can email congressionalblackassociates@gmail.com to get the survey link.
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LATEST CASE— Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) announced a positive Covid test Thursday. She is asymptomatic and plans to be isolated for 5 days. Capito was in a packed room Wednesday for the announcement of the bipartisan VAWA reauthorization, where many lawmakers went maskless during the press conference.
TESTING, TESTING— House distribution of at-home, self-administered Covid test kits resumes today. Offices can pick up a two-week allotment today between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Longworth Office Supply Store. | | | | A message from Sallie Mae®:   | | |
QUICK LINKS
Capitol Police IG to investigate GOP spying claims, from The Hill These politicians died — but their political action committees are still living, from Hailey Fuchs Opinion: Will Congress really look for the Union label? From Jamie Dupree for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution TODAY IN CONGRESS The House convenes at 11 a.m. for a pro forma session. The Senate is out. AROUND THE HILL Not much on the schedule. | | |
THURSDAY'S WINNER: Ross A. Kapilian correctly answered that John Quincy Adams was the first U.S. President to have his photograph taken.
TODAY'S QUESTION from Ross: Which two U.S. Presidents are buried at Arlington National Cemetery? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answers to ktm@politico.com. GET HUDDLEemailed to your phone each morning. Follow Katherine on Twitter @ktullymcmanus | | A message from Sallie Mae®: Not all student lending is the same. At Sallie Mae, we help students maximize scholarships, grants, and federal financial aid before considering a private student loan. Next, we take the right steps to help ensure students don't overborrow and only approve loans we think they can effectively manage and afford. See how Sallie Mae makes sense of paying for college. | | |
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