| | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | Presented by Sallie Mae® | WILD, WONDERFUL: WEST VIRGINIA'S GOP PRIMARY — Lo, and behold: policy has taken center stage in one of the hottest primary races this cycle, pitting two GOP lawmakers against one another. Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure. That was the tune in Congress for much of last year. But now the bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure package is in the spotlight in a member vs. member primary in a state with some of the worst roads and bridges in the country. The split over support for the bill that will pump $6 billion into the state, is a key discussion as the primary race heads into the final stretch ahead of the May 10 primary. Bridge over troubled water: Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.), a civil engineer by trade, was eager to bring home a major federal investment in crumbling local infrastructure and voted in favor of the legislation. "I'm not worried about Idaho and Montana," McKinley said. "I'm worried about West Virginia. So I want to make sure we get our fair share." 'Liberal agenda': Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.), who was drawn into the same district as McKinley after West Virginia lost one of its three seats in redistricting, voted against the package calling it part of the "Democrats' liberal agenda." Don't miss Ally's dispatch from the Mountain State: Wild GOP primary hinges on roads-and-bridges dollars BOBBY RUSH(ING) TO CROWN SUCCESSOR— Retiring Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) hand-picked a candidate to fill his seat, but 19 other Democrats are fighting to win the Democratic primary for the Illinois 1st Congressional District. Shia Kapos breaks down the dynamics that are making the race for this safe Democratic seat one to watch.
| | | | 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 12, where the primary calendar is making our heads spin. NO, THE OTHER BARR — The Biden administration is eyeing former Treasury Department official Michael Barr as a frontrunner for the top job overseeing banks at the Federal Reserve, reports POLITICO'S Victoria Guida. President Joe Biden's last pick faced opposition from Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) along with Senate Republicans. Which of course begs the question: could Barr, if nominated, could get support from all 50 Democrats? ALOHA, BY PROXY — Rep. Kai Kahele (D-Hawaii) hasn't been to work in a while. Of the 125 roll call votes he has cast in the House in 2022, just five votes were in-person, all during a three-day stretch in January, reports Nick Grube in a deeply reported story for the Honolulu Civil Beat. Only three other House members voted more often by proxy: Reps. Albio Sires (D-N.J.), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.) and Al Lawson (D-Fla.). Other legislators representing the Aloha State have shown up in Washington much, much more. Rep. Ed Case (D-Calif.) hasn't proxy voted yet in 2022 and only did so for 30 votes since the pandemic-era practice was implemented in the spring of 2020. With the 50-50 split and lack of proxy voting in the Senate, Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz, both Democrats, have had to be in Washington for votes throughout the pandemic. Kahele's office told POLITICO's Alex Daugherty that Kahele's continued employment with Hawaiian Airlines includes "a drastically reduced schedule to maintain his active status" and is in compliance with House Ethics rules that limit outside income to $29k per year. But his financial disclosures show he made $120 thousand in 2020 from Hawaiian Airlines. More on that highly unusual arrangement. Callback: When he ran for the House in 2019, Kahele said "What Hawaii needs is a full time representative in Congress who will show up and whose sole focus is fighting on behalf of the people of the 2nd Congressional District." His tune has changed. Kahele is considering a run for governor in 2022. | | A message from Sallie Mae®: What does it mean when we say Sallie Mae makes sense? It means we recommend students maximize scholarships, grants, and federal financial aid before considering a private student loan. It means we assess a customer's ability to afford a loan before approving them. And it means 9 in 10 of our loans in repayment are being paid back on time. See all the reasons why Sallie Mae makes sense. | | |
HOUSE (CAFETERIA) OF HORRORS— Workers in House cafeterias told The Hill's Rafael Bernal about alarming sanitation issues and labor practices imposed by food service contractor Sodexo. They say short staffing means that sanitation and cleaning shortcuts are taken, workers go without bathroom breaks and some are cycling between cooking, cleaning and working the registers.
"The CAO is working with Sodexo management to review and address the concerns mentioned by the employees and ensure Sodexo continues to perform in accordance with the food service contract between Sodexo and the House of Representatives," the House Chief Administrative Officer said in a statement to Huddle. At a picket last week with Senate dining workers, employed by contractor Restaurant Associates, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) told them that the food service workers on the House side were also raising complaints about their employer, Sodexo. "They are cutting their hours, they don't want them to reach the hours that will make them eligible for benefits. And they're really messing with them. This is a fight that we need to lead by example. The U.S. Congress needs to lead by example," Espaillat said on April 6. "I'm here to support you to support the workers here in the Senate, but also to let you know that the fight is going on over there in the House too. And we're gonna continue to fight until the workers get the respect that they deserve. Dignity and respect." TUNE IN — My colleagues Kyle Cheney and Nicholas Wu will be live on Twitter Spaces today to break down everything you need to know as the Jan. 6 committee reaches its final phase. Join them at 2 p.m. ET | | | | INTRODUCING DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR 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
Fresh off Trump rally, cocaine orgy story, Cawthorn declines April 11 debate, from Joel Burgess of the Asheville Citizen Times U.S. senator visiting Alberta oilsands amid energy security concerns, from CTV News Calgary Bucha's Month of Terror, from Daniel Berehulak and Carlotta Gall at The New York Times Jury convicts former Va. police officer for role in Jan. 6 riot, from Kyle Cheney Man who threatened to kill Alaskan senators gets 32 months in prison, from The Washington Post TRANSITIONS Jen Piekarz is now a press assistant for Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.), replacing Claire Waggoner, now a government affairs associate at the Oregon Farm Bureau. Piekarz previously was an intern for Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.). | | | | A message from Sallie Mae®:   | | |
TODAY IN CONGRESS
The House and Senate are out. AROUND THE HILL Not much.
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MONDAY'S WINNER: Shiv Patel correctly answered that Jimmy Carter and Donald Trump are the two presidents who didn't throw out an opening day first pitch during their terms. (Maybe they had big opening day plans for the second terms that neither won.)
TODAY'S QUESTION: Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, year after year, sponsors legislation to allow this old-school downhill race to take place on Capitol Hill. 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®: How can you tell the difference between a Sallie Mae private student loan and a federal student loan? Sallie Mae assesses a customer's ability to afford a loan before approving one. Roughly 9 in 10 of Sallie Mae private student loans in repayment are being paid on time. Sallie Mae private student loans do not include any origination fees and have protections in place to prevent overborrowing. Once you see the differences between a private student loan from Sallie Mae and federal loans, you'll see why Sallie Mae makes sense. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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