| | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | Presented by Mastercard | With a big help from Marianne LeVine and Burgess Everett
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks during a press conference after a Senate Democratic Caucus policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol Sept. 28, 2022. (Francis Chung/E&E News/POLITICO) | DO YOU BELIEVE IN (SENATE) MAGIC? — With the Senate set to leave this afternoon, the biggest question facing the chamber is whether Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) will bring it back into session ahead of the midterms. As of this morning, the answer is a yes, with some wiggle room. The Senate is scheduled to return to Washington for two weeks, starting Oct. 11. With control of the Senate on the line, Democratic incumbents usually go home and campaign. Will this year be different? During a private caucus lunch and later at a press conference, Schumer indicated he has no plans to change course. Democratic senators are starting to sound more bullish about staying. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia said his expectation is the Senate will be in for at least one week in October. Senators are awaiting final word today before the Senate breaks after funding the government. About last night: The Senate again advanced towards action on the continuing resolution, with a voice vote on the motion to proceed to the stopgap spending bill. Now on the table is a substitute amendment from Schumer – the text of the spending bill – after the majority leader filed cloture on the substitute amendment and the underlying bill. Final passage of the stopgap spending bill today will require agreement from all 100 senators to speed up the usual 30 hours of post-cloture time. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), the top Republican appropriator in the Senate, said he expects some GOP support for a time agreement to be contingent on votes on GOP members' amendments. "We want to get moving to get a time agreement. So, put 'em up. Let's vote on them," Shelby said about amendments. "I think most of them would go down, probably." Keep an eye out for the Senate's Thursday magic, where time speeds up and disagreements and delays ...disappear. House mood: The House is back and top House appropriator Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) was elated Wednesday night to have the short term spending bill on the move in the other chamber. "Free at last! …the permitting is gone," DeLauro said while walking into a Democratic leadership meeting before House votes. Later she said: "I said that we're not going to shut the government down and we're not."
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don't miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY. | | | | | GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, September 29, where it's miserable, it's magical, oh yeah. 2024 NRCC RACE IS AFOOT — If your election lens is focused squarely on the midterms, it's time to zoom out. There's already a race for who will run the House GOP's campaign arm for 2024. Reps. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) and Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) are in a two-man race to replace Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), who is set to cede the National Republican Congressional Committee chairmanship as he seeks the whip position next year. Hudson and LaHood hope to be defending a majority, which is always tricky – even more so during a presidential election year. The next NRCC chair may have to respond to former President Donald Trump's unpredictable nature in a potential third bid for the White House, while navigating primary challenges to incumbent GOP conference members. What Hudson backers are saying:
- Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), joked about Hudson's relentlessness in fundraising calls: "Tony, you're 500 percent over your dues, but we need more." (Gonzales, a co-chair of the NRCC's "Young Gun" program for promising younger candidates, is actually 750 percent over his dues.)
- Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.) said Hudson went "the extra mile" welcoming her to Congress after she was widowed and a single mother of two young children. He even gave her a baby crib his family had used.
LaHood fans: - "You could say [LaHood's] a rock star. He's done a great job as the National Finance chairman at the NRCC. And we're gonna do record-breaking fundraising this cycle, which is what we need to do," said Rep. Carol Miller (R-W.Va.), the campaign arm's recruitment vice chair.
LaHood had a tough choice: if he takes over NRCC, he may have to drop a coveted committee slot -- Ways and Means or Intelligence. Olivia has more as Republicans look ahead. A TASTE OF ITALY — From "worried" Democrats to "cheering" Republicans, Senators are keeping an eye on Italy's newly elected far-right prime minister. Conservatives are rallying behind Giorgia Meloni, who already held deep ties with the American right, having spoken twice at CPAC and counting Steve Bannon as an ally. "Like anything with a new administration, you've got to see how they act, not what they say," said Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Menendez (D-N.J.). But Republicans were more effusive.
- "Global elites are crying in their granola because yet another conservative populist was elected," said Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who praised Meloni's "spectacular" victory speech.
- "To me, it was encouraging," said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). "I think people probably reacted in an unfair way to her. For goodness' sake, calling the woman Mussolini is a little bit over the top." (She has praised the facist dictator.)
Andrew digs into what the reception of Meloni signals in the Senate and what her election could mean for the war in Ukraine: 'Reason to worry': Italy's Meloni holds a mirror to Trump's GOP
| | | | A message from Mastercard: See what's possible when you partner with Mastercard. Learn More. | | | HERE COMES OPPO OCTOBER: MORE MURKY MAJEWSKI — Ohio Republican House candidate J.R. Majewski has touted his military service, but new reporting from The Associated Press probes why Majewski was told he could not reenlist in the Air Force after his initial four years were up. His campaign has said he was punished and demoted after a "brawl" in a dormitory in 2001. But records obtained by The AP show that the punishment and demotion were the result of a drunk driving incident on an air base in Japan in September 2001. "The documents, which were provided to the AP and independently authenticated, present yet another instance where the recorded history of Majewski's service diverges from what he has told voters as he campaigns while using his veteran status as a leading credential," writes Brian Slodysko and James Laporta. 23 WAYS TO MAKE CONGRESS BETTER — Constituent engagement and technology in the House are the main focus of the latest tranche of recommendations from the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. The panel will vote today on the proposals, which include building an analytics platform to identify trends in constituent casework, fixing the process for booking constituent tours and processing flag requests and getting customer service feedback from constituents. We've heard complaints of the "technology hellscape" that staff encounter when trying to accomplish even basic tasks, but ModCom is trying to solve that by supporting the "development, adoption, and use of new technologies in the House." Read the recommendations for yourself. GANG OF 8 STILL ON HOLD — Despite high demand, the Hill's Gang of Eight may not get a briefing on the documents seized from Mar-a-Lago until after the midterm elections, Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.) told Andrew on Wednesday. The Gang of Eight includes the top two congressional leaders in each chamber — Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) — as well as the top Democrat and Republican on the House and Senate intelligence committees. Warner said he's still pushing for an "interim" assessment of potential damage to national security from the reams of unsecured documents, but wouldn't say whether Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines has committed to that. "I have no interest, and it would be inappropriate for anybody to get briefed on anything regarding the other legal jeopardy. This is simply the responsibility, from intelligence oversight, to know what vulnerability we have... The clock is ticking," said Warner. Part of the holdup is scheduling: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the top Republican on Senate Intel, is in Florida this week as Hurricane Ian tracks across the state. And the House and Senate may not be back in session at the same time until after the election.
| | | | HAPPENING NOW - MILKEN INSTITUTE ASIA SUMMIT : Go inside the 9th annual Milken Institute Asia Summit, taking place from September 28-30, with a special edition of POLITICO's Global Insider newsletter, featuring exclusive coverage and insights from this important gathering. Stay up to speed with daily updates from the summit, which brings together more than 1,200 of the world's most influential leaders from business, government, finance, technology, and academia. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | | "IRRETRIEVABLY BROKEN" — That's how Perry Greene, the husband of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), described their relationship in a divorce filing in Floyd County, Georgia, Superior Court on Wednesday. In a statement to the Rome News Tribune, Rep. Greene said she remains a "firm believer" in marriage. "Our society is formed by a husband and wife creating a family to nurture and protect. Together, Perry and I formed our family and raised three great kids. He gave me the best job title you can ever earn: Mom. I'll always be grateful for how great of a dad he is to our children. This is a private and personal matter and I ask that the media respect our privacy at this time." More from the Rome News Tribune: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's husband files for divorce BIDEN'S PAINFUL CALL-OUT — There's no doubt that Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) would have been on hand for the big White House conference on hunger, if she hadn't died in a car crash last month. Walorski was a champion of hunger issues and worked extensively across the aisle on food security. She was also a major advocate for the conference, the first in decades. But instead of honoring her legacy, President Joe Biden called out to the crowd as if she were in it. Nancy and Meredith Lee Hill have more on Biden's awkward moment and the White House's stumbling defense. TRAILBLAZER LUNCH — The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition will honor Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) in a private lunch today for being "Congressional Black Caucus foreign policy trailblazers." Meeks is the first Black member to chair the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Lee is the first Black member to chair the appropriations subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations.
| | | Smells like bipartisanship... We've heard a Senate tradition is set to return today. Keep a nose out for the smell of serious BBQ. No one defeats Truman… A statue of President Harry S. Truman is set for unveiling in the Capitol this afternoon at a ceremony attended by Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) and the rest of the Missouri congressional delegation. Pelosi and the chair of the Truman Library Institute are also set to attend. "No president faced more crucial decisions than those President Truman confronted in the first nine months of his presidency. It's been an honor to work in the same Russell Senate offices he used for the last 12 years," said Blunt in a statement. HBD Congress dot gov…"The year was 2011, the internet was younger, and his developers had a big task ahead — completely rebuilding the online home of the legislative branch, and giving it a new address too. Thomas.gov would become Congress.gov," writes Chris Cioffi at CQ Roll Call. QUICK LINKS Meet the Republican team behind the House's newest Democrat, from Jim Saksa at CQ Roll Call US Urges China to Resume Talks Ended After Pelosi Went to Taiwan, from Rebecca Choong Wilkins at Bloomberg TRANSITIONS Michael Helmer is now energy policy adviser for Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas). He most recently was a legislative aide for Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas). David Marten has joined Elevate Government Affairs as an executive vice president. Marten most recently worked as legislative director for Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). Matt Duss is joining the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace as a visiting scholar in the American Statecraft Program. He most recently was foreign policy adviser for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
| | | | A message from Mastercard:   | | | TODAY IN CONGRESS The House convenes at 10 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business. The Senate convenes at 10 a.m. to resume consideration of the continuing resolution. Cloture has been filed on the Schumer substitute amendment #5745 and the underlying bill, H.R. 6833. The senate is expected to vote before lunch on confirmation of Arianna J. Freeman 's nomination to be a U.S. Circuit Court judge for the Third Circuit. Additional roll call votes on the CR are expected. AROUND THE HILL 10 a.m. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), GOP Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), and other GOP members hold a press conference on House Republicans "Commitment to America." (East Front Steps) 10 a.m. House Select Modernization of Congress Committee business meeting to vote on recommendations. (2175 Rayburn) 10 a.m. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on "Investing in our Nation's Transportation Infrastructure and Workers: Why it Matters." Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner testifies. (2167 Rayburn) 10:15 a.m. House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Assistant Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) hold a press conference after the Democratic Caucus meeting. (Studio A) 11:30 a.m. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) hold a press conference on refusing Russian annexation of any portion of Ukraine. (Senate Studio)
| | | WEDNESDAY'S WINNER: Larry Swann correctly answered that Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and Rep. Carol D. Miller, both West Virginia Republicans, followed their fathers to Congress. Rep. Arch Moore (R-W.Va.) and Rep. Sam DeVine (R-Ohio) served together in the House. TODAY'S QUESTION from Larry: What former U.S. senator whose name is synonymous with wealth also had a father in law who served in the Senate? 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
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