| | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | | | With help from Andrew Desiderio SO IT BEGINS— President Biden's Supreme Court nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson is headed to Capitol Hill today to kick off her confirmation slog. Jackson is starting at the top in the Senate, meeting with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) at 10 a.m., Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) at 11 a.m. followed by afternoon meetings with key Judiciary Committee members: Chair Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). Meetings will also feature a photo op, so keep an eye out for those pics. Former Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) will return to the Senate to join Jackson as her "sherpa" for the confirmation process, which Democrats and the White House hope to wrap up by the Senate's Easter break. HOUSE MOVES ON UKRAINE— The House is set to vote today on a resolution sponsored by Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) and Michael McCaul (R-Texas) that asserts House support for Ukraine's sovereignty and a ceasefire. "The House of Representatives stands steadfastly, staunchly, proudly, and fervently behind the Ukrainian people in their fight against the authoritarian Putin regime," it reads. The resolution (read it here) is nonbinding and does not actually … do anything. As for actual aid… There might be a problem. "We've hit a snag," McConnell told reporters Tuesday. The $6.4 billion in aid to Ukraine would upend an agreement between Republicans and Democrats on spending labels for defense and nondefense dollars. March 11 is the deadline for the broader spending deal to clear. "This is an emergency," said McConnell. He wants the billions of dollars to fund U.S. troop deployment to Central and Eastern Europe to be wrapped into the defense funding total leaders already set for the broader deal. MEANWHILE… Dead soldiers. An icy river. Ukraine town on the front lines prepares to battle Russians, from Nabih Buloss and Marcus Yam on the ground in Ukraine for The Los Angeles Times. Russia moves to encircle and capture critical cities in Ukraine, from The New York Times.
| | | | 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. | | | | | GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Wednesday, March 2, where we're looking for signs that the fence might come down. VIBES OF SOTU — Catch up with what Sarah and Burgess saw in the chamber, heard from lawmakers, and how the State of the Union's key moments played on Capitol Hill: Congress returns to normal-ish for Biden's speech — with cheers, jeers and viral moments VACCINE VOTE — The Senate will vote today on a measure that would end the vaccine mandate for health care workers. It could get through the Senate, but it doesn't stand a chance in the House and President Joe Biden would certainly veto it if it ever made it that far. TALK ABOUT A TWEETSTORM — Have you been following Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Fla.) tweets? Many Hill denizens and foreign-policy observers have watched with surprise as the Florida Republican and "Gang of Eight" member tweeted detailed intelligence last week as Russia kicked off its invasion of Ukraine. First off, Rubio says he wasn't revealing anything classified. He told Andrew that his tweets were based largely on open-source information mined from social media, plus his perspective on the unfolding events as a frequent consumer of intelligence information. But at one point, Rubio volunteered on Twitter that he wished he could say more about Vladimir Putin's mental state, and proceeded to speculate about the Russian leader's mental fitness. Critics said his tweets amounted to unverified and irresponsible musings. This is a highly unusual display of transparency from a Gang of Eight member. Rubio said he's doing this in order to explain to his constituents why they should care about Ukraine. That effort has included detailed, real-time information on Putin's war plans and assaults on specific cities throughout Ukraine. "The open-source intelligence from people on the ground that are posting videos and providing that information is extraordinary," Rubio said. "It's a new era." This all carries political benefits for Rubio, too. He's eyeing another White House run and is fending off a Democratic challenger for his Senate seat this year, so this strategy can help burnish his foreign-policy credentials. Andrew has more: Marco Rubio is tweeting through the Russia-Ukraine war — for a reason | | A message from Blackstone: Blackstone is dedicated to supporting our country's veterans and their families. Veterans develop a range of skills during their service, including a mission-focused approach to work, creative problem-solving, and the ability to collaborate across diverse teams. These are the same qualities that build stronger businesses, and we're committed to supporting the employment and professional development of veterans and their families within our firm, across our portfolio and through our nonprofit partnerships. See how. | | |
TEXAS TAKEAWAYS — Runoff: The Democratic primary battle between Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros is headed to a runoff (as is the GOP primary for the same seat).
Progs' rock: Greg Casar, backed by Justice Democrats, won the open TX-35. Jasmine Crockett is headed for a runoff against fellow Democrat Jane Hamilton in TX-30. McCarthy's proxy: Republican Morgan Luttrell won the GOP primary to replace retiring Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), after backing from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's Congressional Leadership Fund weighed in to intervene in the race for a safe GOP seat. MARCH MEETING— Senate Democrats will retreat close to their second home, right here in Washington next week. The caucus will hold a "retreat" in Washington on March 9 to try and revive their domestic policy agenda. Can they coalesce around a replacement for Build Back Better? TBD.
| | | NO ENTRY — Pre-screening for the State of the Union caught at least five Democrats with positive coronavirus tests, keeping Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) plus Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) and Pete Aguilar (D- Calif.) away from Tuesday night's speech. | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO NATIONAL SECURITY DAILY : Keep up with the latest critical developments from Ukraine and across Europe in our daily newsletter, National Security Daily. The Russian invasion of Ukraine could disrupt the established world order and result in a refugee crisis, increased cyberattacks, rising energy costs and additional disruption to global supply chains. Go inside the top national security and foreign-policymaking shops for insight on the global threats faced by the U.S. and its allies and what actions world leaders are taking to address them. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | | UNION TRAIN — The rights of congressional staff to collectively bargain are on the agenda at a House Administration Committee markup today, where Mark Strand from the Congressional Institute will argue against unionization alongside John D. Uelmen General Counsel of the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, which would be tasked with implementation of collective bargaining rights and rules. Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.), the sponsor of the resolution to extend organizing rights to Hill aides, submitted written testimony but is not slated to testify. 10,000: the approximate number of "covered employees" in the House who would gain the right to unionize according to Uelmen. 500: approximate number of "employing offices" in the House (The House itself is not considered an employing office). Wage worries: Some Democratic staff who have been briefed by the Office of House Employment Counsel say the OHEC is telling chiefs of staff that wages and salaries will not be negotiable as part of collective bargaining. But, as many things with this process, it may not be as clear cut as it seems. Some aides in favor of a move towards unionization worry about losing momentum if staffers, especially motivated junior staffers, are discouraged by OHEC's messaging. Some aides questioned the power and role that OHEC would have to shape union contracts, a process which would be implemented by OCWR. (They also pointed out that OHEC and chiefs of staff both represent a management perspective.) QUICK LINKS US Capitol police officer detained in Israel while working in advance of Nancy Pelosi trip, from ABC News Russia crisis could sink the International Space Station, from Bryan Bender TRANSITIONS Tommy Brown has been promoted to legislative director for Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.). He most recently was senior policy adviser for Schneider. Sophia Swain has been promoted to be deputy press secretary and digital manager for Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). She most recently was press and digital assistant for Cantwell. Mary Owens is now comms director at Susan B. Anthony List. She most recently was comms director for Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.), and is a Mike Braun alum. Isabel Sanchez is now senior policy adviser on immigration and appropriations for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. She previously was a legislative assistant for Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.). TODAY IN CONGRESS The House meets at noon for legislative business. The Senate convenes at 11 a.m.
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AROUND THE HILL
9 a.m. House Veterans' Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) hold a press conference on the PACT Act (House Triangle). 10 a.m. House Financial Services Committee hearing on monetary policy. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testifies (Rayburn 2128). 11:30 a.m. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) holds a press conference on a Senate resolution calling for accountability for Vladimir Putin (S 325). Noon Resident Commissioner Jennifer Gonzalez-Colon and others hold a press conference on the 105th Anniversary of U.S. Citizenship to the People of Puerto Rico (House Triangle). 2 p.m. Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) holds a press conference on Ukraine (S 325).
| | | TUESDAY'S WINNER: Tim Arnade, from the congressional affairs team at the Federal Highway Administration, correctly answered that President Ronald Reagan welcomed Congressional Budget Office employee Lenny Skutnik, who plunged into the frigid Potomac after an Air Florida plane crash and saved the life of Priscilla Tirado, to the gallery for his 1982 State of the Union Address. TODAY'S QUESTION from Tim: Who addressed a joint session of Congress and said, "If my father had been an American, and my mother British, instead of the other way around, I might have gotten here on my own"? 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 Blackstone: Blackstone has a longstanding commitment to supporting the professional development of our nation's veterans. For over a decade, we've led by example -- supporting employment opportunities for the veteran community by providing training and resources to help them shape meaningful, long-term careers.
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