| | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | Presented by the Flex Association | NOW THAT'S WARP SPEED — Usually a key ingredient for a deal on Capitol Hill is a hefty dose of jet fumes as lawmakers try to get out of town. But it was lawmakers landing in town that seemed to fuel the $10 billion Covid preparedness aid package Senators finalized on Monday. (Both chambers are, of course, trying to hit the road for a two-week Easter and Passover recess at the end of this week.) The deal, announced by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), redirects billions of dollars from previous coronavirus bills to fund investments in therapeutics, testing and vaccine distribution. More details from Burgess, Sarah and Erin Banco. Not included: The global pandemic aid that Democrats (and a handful of Republicans) wanted. That could be a problem when the measure heads to the House, where some Democrats are already saying they won't support the package without international aid. But House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) is projecting confidence, telling reporters Monday night: "If that's all the Senate can do right now — which I regret deeply — I think we need to pass that and we need to pass it as soon as possible." Asked if he could get the votes in the House, Hoyer said: "I think ultimately the answer to that is yes." Timing: Top Democrats hinted Monday that the consideration of the Covid package could result in Friday votes in the House, scrambling plans for CODELs and recess departures. MITT AND MURKOWSKI MAKE THREE — Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will be backed by three Republican Senators later this week for the final confirmation vote: Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah. Murkowski lamented the deterioration of the confirmation process Monday night, hours after announcing she'd vote for Jackson: "We are to the point where it's almost automatic, if it is a president who is not of my party puts forth a nominee, I am somehow obligated to just barely even give consideration?" she said. "This is an awful process. It's just awful." Jackson is on track to get bipartisan confirmation as the first Black, female Supreme Court justice before the week is out. Catch up with Marianne's dispatch on yesterday's discharge drama. Cloture clock: Schumer is expected to file cloture on Tuesday, which would set up a procedural vote on Jackson's nomination for Thursday. Keep an eye on that post-cloture time. Republicans could push a final confirmation vote to Friday if they chose to use all 30 hours of debate time.
| | | | DON'T MISS ANYTHING FROM THE 2022 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO is excited to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage and insights from the 25th annual Global Conference. This year's event, May 1-4, brings together more than 3,000 of the world's most influential leaders, including 700+ speakers representing more than 80 countries. "Celebrating the Power of Connection" is this year's theme, setting the stage to connect influencers with the resources to change the world with leading experts and thinkers whose insight and creativity can implement that change. Whether you're attending in person or following along from somewhere else in the world, keep up with this year's conference with POLITICO's special edition "Global Insider" so you don't miss a beat. Subscribe today. | | | | | GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Tuesday, April 5, where therapy dogs are on hand (more on that below). JONES-ING FOR A JOB? — Doug Jones has served as a capable sherpa for Jackson and is days away from clinching one of the most bipartisan Supreme Court confirmations in recent years. If he has ambitions to join the Biden Administration, he's aced the audition, write Marianne and Burgess. Could Jones himself be seeking Senate confirmation soon enough? His friend and former colleague Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) isn't counting it out: "I don't know what he does. He's friends with the president. They go way back. Will he appoint him to something?" Shelby said. "There'll always be a shakeup in the Cabinet, probably after the first two years." DEMOCRATS' DEFENSE DILEMMA — In recent years, Democrats talked about reigning in Defense spending, but this year there's a completely different calculation: Support President Joe Biden's record high Pentagon budget….. Or spend even more. Spurred by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and high inflation, Democrats could toss out their own president's defense spending proposal and instead fork over tens of billions of dollars to the Pentagon's budget that the Defense Department didn't ask for. "At this point, I think we need a 5 percent real increase in the budget and I think that our ultimate goal should be to get to 5 percent of GDP, or [approximately] $1 trillion," Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.) told Connor O'Brien. "That is what it is going to take to modernize the nuclear enterprise … and to make a serious investment in our shipbuilding and actually be serious about deterring Chinese aggression against Taiwan." Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley will make the case for the fiscal 2023 Pentagon budget at a House Armed Services Committee hearing this morning. More from Connor: Democrats' dilemma: Back Biden's Pentagon budget or supersize it
| | | | A message from the Flex Association: Flex is a new trade association you should get to know. If you use transportation network and delivery network companies, you are part of an economic ecosystem that millions of drivers benefit from and many millions of customers depend on. Flex is a source for information and ideas and is an association that advocates for policies that help drivers, customers, and the economy thrive. Learn more. | | | LEGBRANCH MARATHON— Efficiency, man. The House Appropriations Legislative Branch Subcommittee has stacked its budget hearings today with one for the Government Accountability Office at 10 a.m., the Congressional Budget Office at 1 p.m. and the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights at 3 p.m. Your Huddle host is keeping a close eye on that last one given the House staffer union drive and that Susan Tsui Grundmann, longtime head of the OCWR, is decamping for an appointment to the Federal Labor Relations Authority. There's turbulence ahead, but the agency hasn't asked for any additional funding for the next fiscal year. | | |
Therapy dogs… The Senate's Employee Assistance Program is bringing "canine comfort" to the Hill today, with dogs in Russell B24A from noon to 1:30 p.m. "Join the EAP and our furry friends for a midday wellbeing boost!" Here is what your Huddle host thinks of this event.
What does the fox say?... SPOTTED: A stunning fox outside Russell on Monday, with sightings by Michael Macagnone and a close up look from Yazan Hanouneh. (Click through for cute fox pics.) Bad news: Apparently it has a biting problem. Vote of no confidence?... Senate cafeteria workers face massive layoffs by contractor Restaurant Associates, a position they've been in multiple times since the pandemic began, but this time could be different. "These are our colleagues and our friends. You know, in general, it's unacceptable the way that they have been treated and the amount of uncertainty they've had to live with over the course of the last several years," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Monday, who oversaw funding of the restaurant contracts in recent years. On the chopping block? He isn't eager to see a continued partnership with Restaurant Associates, noting that the problems predated the pandemic. "These guys were getting jerked around on a regular basis. … I think this operator has outlived its usefulness here in the Senate, and we should probably figure out a better partner," Murphy told Huddle. (In 2016, more than 650 Senate cafeteria workers received a total of more than $1 million in back pay after the Labor Department found that they were illegally denied wages they had earned by Restaurant Associates and its subcontractor, Personnel Plus. Workers were improperly classified, paid for lower-wage positions and required to work overtime without compensation in violation of federal and local labor laws.) Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) penned a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) calling for funding for Senate cafeteria workers to be included in the COVID supplemental package. But as the deal was finalized Monday, lawmakers couldn't say if funding for Senate dining workers could be squeezed in. It is a long shot, but not unprecedented. Congress tucked $25 million for the Architect of the Capitol into the $2 trillion coronavirus aid package Congress passed in 2020, with some of those funds directed towards keeping dining staff on the payroll. The workers plan to picket on Wednesday and if the past is prologue, expect progressive Senators to make an appearance. When Senate dining workers walked out in 2015 over low wages, lawmakers joined them. MEANWHILE… "Restaurant Associates will be hosting a virtual cooking demonstration on Instagram live" on Wednesday evening, three hours after the planned worker picket, featuring perogies and borscht from scratch. | | | | INTRODUCING DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR MORNING TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER, RE-IMAGINED: Technology is always evolving, and our new tech-obsessed newsletter is too! Digital Future Daily unlocks the most important stories determining the future of technology, from Washington to Silicon Valley and innovation power centers around the world. Readers get an in-depth look at how the next wave of tech will reshape civic and political life, including activism, fundraising, lobbying and legislating. Go inside the minds of the biggest tech players, policymakers and regulators to learn how their decisions affect our lives. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | |
QUICK LINKS
Mooney ethics inquiry probes alleged misuse of taxpayer dollars, tampering with investigation, from Chris Marquette at CQ Roll Call GOP Candidates Can't Stop Touching the Third Rail of Politics, from Sam Brodey at The Daily Beast TRANSITIONS Maddy McGarry has been hired as senior content manager for BarnTools. She previously was deputy press secretary for Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). TODAY IN CONGRESS The House convenes at noon for legislative business. The Senate convenes at 10 a.m. with a vote expected at 10:30 a.m. | | | | A message from the Flex Association:   | | |
AROUND THE HILL
9:30 a.m. Reps. Nikema Williams (D-Ga.), Alma Adams (D-N.C.), Deborah Ross (D-N.C.) , and Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) hold a press conference on student debt relief (House Triangle). 10:15 a.m. House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Vice Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) hold their weekly news conference (Studio A). 1:30 p.m. House Rules Committee holds a business meeting to consider a bill that would increase appropriations for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (H-313). 10:45 a.m. House GOP Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Reps. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) hold a press conference following the GOP conference meeting (Studio A). 3:30 p.m. Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), Mike Bost (R-Ill.) and others host a press conference on the Biden administration's energy policy (House Triangle). | | |
MONDAY'S WINNER: Katherine Lee correctly answered that Justice Joseph Hatchett was the first Black justice on the Florida Supreme Court.
TODAY'S QUESTION: Four people began their Senate careers as the youngest U.S. senator and later went on to be President. Who were they? 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 the Flex Association: What is Flex? A new trade association made up of DoorDash, Gopuff, Grubhub, HopSkipDrive, Instacart, Lyft, Shipt, and Uber. We deliver facts, data and public policy ideas to inform the conversation on the app-based economy and workforce.
We are a voice for the millions of app-based drivers, consumers, and entrepreneurs who rely on our platforms. We advance commonsense policies that strengthen our transportation and delivery networks, improve safety, advance sustainability, and deliver equity and opportunity so all communities can thrive.
Our industry touches nearly every community across America. App-based platforms provide services that so many depend on, throughout the pandemic and day in, day out. We contribute nearly $350 billion to the economy. We provide flexible opportunities for tens of millions of Americans who want to earn on their own terms. And we continue to advocate for innovative policies to better serve drivers, customers, and the communities where we live and work. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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