| | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | Presented by The American Petroleum Institute (API) | With help from Sarah Ferris and Nancy Vu CHOICES ARE LIMITED — Democrats don't have the votes to legislate their way to locking abortion rights into law while the country awaits the anticipated reversal of Roe v. Wade. But they're testing the waters on smaller scope legislative proposals, hoping to both blunt the impact of the Supreme Court's likely action and to keep the public focused on abortion rights before the official ruling — and the midterm elections. Democrats are turning their efforts away from the Senate floor and focusing primarily on data privacy and access to abortion pills and birth control. "It's critical to make certain that every single person in this country understands the full implications of losing Roe. That means part of what we do over the next few months is keep talking about Roe and privacy protections," Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told Marianne. "We also need to push forward in highly specified areas like medication abortion and tracking women who travel in order to get health care." A battalion of female Democratic senators , led by Washington Sen. Patty Murrary, the third-ranking Senate Democrat and chair of the Senate HELP Committee, is readying for the fight. The group, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis), are all part of Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) leadership team. They are working to coordinate the Democratic Caucus' response to the Roe rollback, which could include future floor votes and hearings. They met twice last week and plan to continue, Warren said. Marianne has more: Dems debate limited options as Roe decision looms ARE YOU READY FOR IT? — After days of tumult, the final version of New York's district maps are expected today from the special master. The biggest storyline is how much those maps will change from Monday's political earthquake, which created five member-on-member races, throwing ten lawmakers into uncertainty. Other questions we are watching:
- Will New York's lower Hudson Valley look any different? DCCC Chair Maloney has drawn rebuke from across the Democratic Caucus after he said he would switch districts to run into a newly redrawn seat that includes his home — but also nearly 74 percent of another members' constituents. (That member, Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones, could announce his own decision where to run as soon as Friday).
- Will the lines change in Manhattan? NYC is where the special master threw out years of political norms by merging Rep. Jerry Nadler and Rep. Carolyn Maloney into the same seat — rather than separate upper West and East side districts.
- Will the special master tweak the maps in Brooklyn? That is where House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries is currently thrown into the same district as fellow Democrat Rep. Yvette Clarke.
| | | | 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, May 20, where the weather is heating up along with the politics. DEMS WHITE WHALE ― Just call them Ahab, because Democrats are hunting a Senate seat in North Carolina. Democrats need to protect their four key incumbents in tough races to keep their majority, but they are juggling a half dozen competitive states. Despite Democrats losing the last four North Carolina Senate races, some think that it's worth going all-in to back Cheri Beasley against Trump-backed GOP Rep. Ted Budd. "I know what it takes to win in North Carolina and Cheri Beasley can do it. With everything on the line this year, we need to leave it all on the field for her from the national party on down to the local level," North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, told Burgess in an interview on Thursday. But so far, Democrats are investing more in trying to flip Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where President Joe Biden won in 2020, and have been more favorable to Democrats in recent years than the Tar Heel State. So far, at least. There are calculations of money and momentum at play and Burgess breaks it all down. CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION ― In a letter to the Federal Trade Commission , exclusively obtained by POLITICO, 22 Democrats are calling for the agency to investigate what caused the nationwide baby formula shortage that's put the nation's parents on edge for the last several weeks. Reported by Nancy and Sarah , the asked-for investigation would include an analysis of "any harmful business and financial practices" by corporations, such as price gouging and stock buybacks, and look into how the Special Nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has worsened consolidation within the market. The letter also called for the agency to partner with USDA and other federal partners to evaluate policies that would eliminate supply chain mishaps and diversify the market. The push is led by high-profile progressives like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.). | | | | A message from The American Petroleum Institute (API): President Biden's agreement to send more U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe will help our allies achieve key energy security and decarbonization goals. Another breakthrough is the European Commission's recognition of natural gas as sustainable for the purposes of investing. Without question, America is the best-prepared nation to help Europe and others meet energy and climate needs amid international conflict. The administration should authorize more LNG infrastructure to match its commitments. Learn more here. | | |
TOUR TROUBLE? ― Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) brought a "constituent family" into the Capitol complex a day before rioters breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, he disclosed Thursday after the select committee investigating the attack called on him to address evidence that he'd brought a group inside a Capitol office building. Nicholas and Kyle have the latest (and what comes next).
EXPANDING THE NATO TABLE ― The Senate seems on track to approve a defense treaty supporting Finland's and Sweden's bids to join NATO, but the turkey isn't cooked yet. In part because Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is using the two NATO prospects as a bargaining chip with the U.S. Andrew has more on the state of play. GET WELL SOON ― Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) went to the hospital Thursday at the advice of the Capitol's Attending Physician and missed some votes. But he's back home and expects to be back in the Senate next week, reports Spectrum's Taylor Popielarz IT'S DOCTOR (of Liberal Arts) TURNER, TO YOU — It's not a state secret, but for more than a decade, Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) wasn't exactly advertising that he has been pursuing his doctorate, which Georgetown University will award him today. He's earned a Doctorate in Liberal Studies (DLS) with a research focus on urban economic development, an interest at the intersection of his federal policy work and his tenure as mayor of Dayton, Ohio. Now that the secret is out , colleagues on both sides of the aisle want to hear about his research; his dissertation focused on the impacts of federal poverty intervention on American cities, plus capital-based alternatives. "It's not exactly the most Republican issue, so a lot of my Democratic counterparts are interested in what my research was and what my focus was looking at urban issues," Turner said. Turner credits the flexible part-time program at Georgetown for accommodating his congressional schedule, but the pandemic also helped him get to the finish line. And his lack of Netflix subscription. "I can say honestly that absent COVID lockdowns. I'm not sure how certain I would have ever gotten this done," Turner told Huddle in an interview. "When people say 'what did you do during Covid?' I finished my doctorate." | | | | 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. | | | | |
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CVC PARTIAL OPENING — The Capitol reopening enters "Phase II" today, which means tour groups will now enter through the Capitol Visitor Center to pick up tickets and badges.
- It's the first time the CVC has served as an entrance point to the Capitol since closing in March 2020 due to Covid-19.
- The Old Senate Chamber will now be included in the guide-led and staff-led tour route.
- Tour hours are expanded, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays
A memo from the Senate Sergeant at Arms reiterates Capitol Police staffing shortage: "There are currently insufficient USCP officers to reopen all the 2019 CVC posts. The closure of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center during the pandemic meant the Department had no ability to backfill higher than normal attrition in 2020 and 2021. The USCP is actively recruiting officers and has several classes scheduled for new recruit training. Phased reopening will be our operating posture until the USCP is back at normal strength." Riley put a ring on it… Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) confirmed Thursday that she and her longtime partner Riley Roberts got engaged in April. Pablo ManrĂquez broke the news. QUICK LINKS 'They look like a bunch of clowns': Freedom Caucus hardball antics irritate both parties, from Melanie Zanona and Kristin Wilson, CNN Jan. 6 committee evidence includes official White House photos from day of Capitol riot, from Kyle and Nick TRANSITIONS Tigran Agdaian is joining Breathe SoCal as their manager of advocacy and public policy. He previously was a legislative assistant in Rep. John Garamendi's (D-Calif.) office. Hadar Arazi is now director of operations for Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.). She most recently was D.C. scheduler for Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and is a Josh Gottheimer alum. | | | | A message from The American Petroleum Institute (API):   | | |
TODAY IN CONGRESS
The House convenes at 9:30 a.m. for a pro forma session. The Senate is out. AROUND THE HILL Looks like a quiet Friday. | | | THURSDAY'S WINNER: Theo Merkel correctly answered that John F. Kennedy created the Peace Corps and appointed his brother-in-law Sargent Shriver to lead it. TODAY'S QUESTION: Which House member earned a PhD in Education while serving in Congress in 2004? 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 American Petroleum Institute (API): Much of the world's work to meaningfully address climate risk and tackle climate change is already underway and accelerating right here in America. In fact, our emergence as the world's top oil and natural gas producer is occurring while overall emissions have been declining.
This trend is a nod to the widespread and growing use of cleaner natural gas in the power generation sector, as well as the embrace of technologies to reduce the industry's overall footprint. Energy producers are taking meaningful steps to improve our environment and enable America to be a positive force in difficult times as increased shipments of U.S. LNG mobilize in response to geopolitical turmoil in Europe.
Innovation and technology have allowed American natural gas and oil producers to get real results for the environment and for energy security at home and abroad. Learn more here. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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