| | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | Presented by The Zero Emission Transportation Association | With help from Burgess Everett, Andrew Desiderio and Sarah Ferris McCONNELL COACHES UP HERSCHEL — The Georgia primary is tomorrow and Mitch McConnell is already coaching Herschel Walker on how to stiff arm Democrats for the next five months. In an interview, the Senate minority leader said he and the former football star (now a Republican Senate candidate) "talk frequently. I think he's in good shape going into the general." McConnell (R-Ky.) is giving Walker some pointers and said he hoped that Walker can unify Republicans in a way that's eluded them for 18 months: "I mean I've had more experience with this sort of thing than he has and it's not all that different from other campaigns that we've [helped]. He's a quick study and very good at bridging the divisions down there that have been on full display for the last couple of years. Which I think is really important going into the general." Voters also head to the polls Tuesday for primaries in Alabama and Arkansas, plus a heated runoff election in Texas (more on that below.) RELATED: Democrats Fight Headwinds in Georgia and Beyond: 'The Problem Is Reality', from Shane Goldmacher and Katie Glueck at The New York Times TWO MORE FOR THE TREATY — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and McConnell are teaming up on a resolution this week calling on the Biden administration to swiftly complete the necessary paperwork for Finland's and Sweden's accession to NATO, according to text of the measure obtained by Huddle. The resolution , which will get marked up in the Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday, comes as congressional leaders in both parties are pushing for the upper chamber to vote before the August recess to ratify a defense treaty allowing the two countries to join the defensive military alliance. Finland's president and Sweden's prime minister were on Capitol Hill last week meeting with lawmakers, and it's clear that there's widespread bipartisan support for welcoming the two nations into NATO amid Russia's war in Ukraine. As Andrew reported last week, even many of those who opposed the latest Ukraine aid package say they'll back the NATO expansion.
| | | | 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 Monday, May 22, where there's a brief reprieve from swamp season. WHAT DEMS WON'T DO TO PROTECT ROE — Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar, the House's sole anti-abortion Democrat, is in the fight of his political life on Tuesday. And even with Roe poised to fall, most of his colleagues are staying out of it. As Cuellar has increasingly become a foe for the left, just five Democrats have endorsed Cuellar's challenger, attorney Jessica Cisneros, in her runoff bid this spring. The progressive base is peeved, but Democrats say the reality is complicated: To start, Cuellar's opposition isn't the reason Dems can't codify Roe. Many are reluctant to challenge incumbents generally. Then there's the political factor: Some fear progressive Cisneros could make it harder to keep the battleground south Texas seat — especially on abortion, given the area's deep Catholic roots. Notably, this includes members like Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.) — who endorsed Rep. Marie Newman (D-Ill.) in her primary fight against then-Rep. Dan Lipinski, another Dem who opposes abortion rights, just two years ago. Newman, too, is staying out of the Cuellar-Cisneros endorsement battle. (Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who leads the Progressive Caucus, told us just two weeks ago she was staying out of it — but changed her mind last week, in part because of the shifting landscape on abortion rights.) Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) — an early supporter of Cisneros — said it's still taboo to challenge incumbents, but told us there's a difference "when a member deserves it." Asked why more of her colleagues didn't take the same stance, AOC told us: "You'll have to ask them." Ally Mutnick and Sarah Ferris look at why Dems taking sides in the Rio Grande valley are outliers and most are keeping their distance. RELATED: House Democrats' Only Abortion Foe Is in a Tight Primary Runoff in Texas, from Natalie Andrews in Rio Bravo, Texas for The Wall Street Journal; FBI won't officially clear Cuellar of wrongdoing before Election Day from Christian Alejandro Ocampo from Laredo Morning Times Meanwhile… State Democrats, abortion-rights activists 'incredibly frustrated' with federal inaction, from Megan Messerly and Alice Miranda Ollstein
| | | | A message from The Zero Emission Transportation Association: Foreign automakers are investing billions to try and win the American clean transportation market. They are building out their supply chains to bring their products to our shores—not investing in our communities or creating local jobs. Congress must expand the clean vehicle consumer tax credits so that American automakers can build a robust domestic supply chain that creates millions of good-paying jobs, generate investments in our communities, and win the clean transportation future. Learn more. | | | THE VIEW FROM DAVOS — Alas, your Huddle host is not in Davos. But about 20 members of Congress are. On a panel today called "The View From Capitol Hill" Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) are set to discuss "the principal challenges facing the United States and point to opportunities to move the country and the world in a positive direction." Buckle up, Davos attendees, the challenges facing Congress are large and numerous. Sen. John John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) is also in Davos on a panel today on rebuilding societal trust and Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) will be talking about the economic outlook for the U.S. on a different panel. Later in the week, Meeks, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, will join foreign affairs ministers from Poland to Pakistan and beyond for a talk on the outlook of geopolitics. And Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) will speak on a panel about "defining the U.S. in a changing world." EMERALD ISLE CODEL — Nine House Ways and Means Committee members were in Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Ireland over the weekend for bilateral talks about strategic partnerships with the European Union and the United Kingdom and transatlantic trade agreements. Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) thanked U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Twitter for a "frank discussion regarding our duty to protect peace and stability on the island of Ireland" and "urged good faith negotiations with the EU to find durable solutions for post-Brexit trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland". "A congressman comes home," the U.S. embassy in Dublin tweeted about Neal, whose grandparents emigrated from Ireland and Northern Ireland. But the same could probably be said for at least half the CODEL, with last names like Joyce, Scanlon, Kelly and Doyle on the roster. | | | | HAPPENING WEDNESDAY—A WOMEN RULE TALK ON THE MIDTERMS : Join POLITICO'S Women Rule for a conversation with the women running the midterm campaigns and how they are shaping messaging and strategy for their candidates. The program will look into what a win for either party could mean for access to reproductive health care, economic advancement of women, and how the final stages of the Covid-19 pandemic are managed. REGISTER HERE. | | | | |
HARDER HIT BY FORMULA SHORTAGE — A flight with 35 tons of baby formula arrived Sunday in Indianapolis on a U.S. military aircraft from Germany to address a nationwide shortage. Rep. Josh Harder (D-Calif.) says his family is in the same frightening situation as millions of parents across the country: "Pam and I are currently on a waitlist for Lily's baby formula. This shortage is real and very scary for us parents," he wrote on Twitter last night.
HOME SWEET HOME — Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) is home from the hospital after a stroke last weekend. "It's great to be back home after a long week. I'm grateful for the generous outpouring of support from everyone and the dedicated care I received from the team at GW," he tweeted, along with a picture of him outside with his dog. Democratic Senate candidate and Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman was also discharged from the hospital this weekend after his stroke (followed by his primary win) last week. | | | Reps. David Price (D-N.C.) and Susie Lee (D-Nev.) both said over the weekend that they've tested positive for Covid, Lee said she is "recovering" and Price said he had mild symptoms. | | |
Wardrobe staple… McConnell was gifted a new accessory during his trip to Ukraine, a camo-green hat, emblazoned in bright yellow letters with the iconic phrase that has come to define Ukraine's response to Russia's invasion: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself." If you see McConnell actually sporting the cap from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, please pass along to Huddle.
Profile in Courage… Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) accepted the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award Sunday night. "President Kennedy said 'In the long history of freedom only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger.' Today that role is ours," Cheney said. "As we face a threat we have never faced before: a former president attempting to unravel our constitutional republic." You can watch the whole ceremony (Cheney's speech starts around 33:19). QUICK LINKS This working mom is Republicans' best shot at unseating Marjorie Taylor Greene -- if they want to, from Simone Pathé in Rome, Ga. for CNN Only in N.Y.: Upper West Side's Nadler vs. Upper East Side's Maloney , from Paul Kane at The Washington Post James Clyburn Tests His Kingmaker Reputation in Democratic Primaries, from Eliza Collins at The Wall Street Journal TRANSITIONS Nadgey Louis-Charles is the new deputy communications director for House Judiciary Republicans and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). She was previously communications director for Reps. Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.), Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), and Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.). Mary Christina Riley, former legislative director for Rep. Rick Allen (R-Ga.), starts today as professional staff on the House Education and Labor committee working on higher education for ranking member Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.). Austin Hacker is joining Rep. James Comer's (R-Ky.) office as comms director. He currently is deputy comms director for the House Oversight GOP. Kim Corbin is joining Pioneer Public Affairs as a partner. She most recently was senior adviser to House Rules Chair Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), and is a Martin Heinrich alum. Zach Jacobs is joining the Virginia Farm Bureau in government affairs. He previously was senior legislative assistant for Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.). Max Mandich is joining Global Counsel as a senior associate in the financial services practice. He was most recently a policy adviser for Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.). | | | | A message from The Zero Emission Transportation Association:   | | |
TODAY IN CONGRESS
The House is out. The Senate convenes at 1:45 p.m. for a pro forma session. AROUND THE HILL It looks like a quiet one for now. | | |
FRIDAY'S WINNER: Former Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds (R-N.Y.) correctly answered that then-Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) got her PhD in Education from the University of Miami in 2004.
TODAY'S QUESTION from last week's winner Theo Merkel: In 1814, Congress passed "An Act for the Relief of ____," a private citizen then residing in present day Missouri. Originally from Pennsylvania, famous in his own time for his role in the settlement of Kentucky, his harrowing rescue of his daughter from captivity served as an inspiration for Last of the Mohicans (1826) by James Fenimore Cooper and the 1992 Michael Mann movie of the same name starring Daniel Day Lewis. 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 Zero Emission Transportation Association: Consumer tax credits for clean vehicles are vital for building the American clean vehicle industry. The American auto industry is working hard to onshore our critical minerals and battery supply chains, and they're making rapid progress. But they need Congressional support. If we maintain the status quo, it means domestic automakers will remain blocked from offering consumers the clean vehicle tax credit, while foreign imports are eligible for a $7,500 credit. Inaction means conceding this trillion-dollar market to our foreign competitors. But if Congress expands these consumer tax credits now, we will create durable demand for American-made vehicles, which will send a strong market signal that will enable U.S. companies and automakers to scale up their domestic production. If we get this right, we can create millions of good-paying jobs here at home, drive down consumer costs, cut carbon pollution, and boost public health. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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