| | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | Presented by National Retail Federation |
With an assist from Nicholas Wu
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Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) speaks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol Dec. 19, 2022. (Francis Chung/POLITICO) | Francis Chung/POLITICO | OFF TO THE RACES — The 4,155 page year-end spending bill says no to TikTok on government phones, no to cannabis banking, yes to Ukraine aid and yes to an Electoral Count Act overhaul. And oh, so much more. The Senate will make the first moves on the measure, with the goal of passing the bill by Thursday. That will require all 100 Senators to get on board with an agreement to speed up consideration of the bill. Any senator could hold up that deal in exchange for amendments or concessions. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) tweeted after midnight (and before the text was out) that Senate leaders "should not assume that every senator will agree to facilitate their efforts to ram this through." Even an expedited process leaves a narrow window for the House to clear the bill before Friday's deadline. "A continuing resolution into the New Year does not, nor would it provide assistance to Ukraine or help to communities recovering from natural disasters," said Senate Appropriations Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) in a statement. "The choice is clear. We can either do our jobs and fund the government, or we can abandon our responsibilities without a real path forward." The bill is so large it was carried to the Senate floor at 1:23 a.m. in a cardboard box by Senate pages. The basics: The bill would fund government agencies through Sept. 30 2023 and boosts defense funding by $76 billion, totalling $858 billion. Domestic spending in the bill totals $773 billion. The $45 billion for Ukraine in the bill exceeds President Joe Biden's $37 billion request, as some lawmakers worry that there won't be appetite in the new Congress for continued aid. The measure also includes $40 billion for disaster aid for communities impacted by recent storms and wildfires. Punted: After haggling between Marylanders and Virginians over the location of the new FBI headquarters held up the bill's release, they agreed to disagree. The bill requires the head of the General Services Administration to meet with representatives from both states to consider their ideas. Left out: The bill doesn't reinstate the expanded child tax credit as some Democrats wanted or a tax deduction for research costs for businesses sought by Republicans. A bill to fast-track citizenship for Afghans evacuated to the U.S. after Kabul fell to the Taliban also did not make the cut. Made it in: The bill from Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) to ban the popular video app TikTok on federal government phones made it into the bill, with support from Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). House mood: Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and a dozen other conservatives in the House signed and circulated a letter last night promising to block any legislative priorities of any Republican senators who back the omnibus deal. Weather watch: Your Huddle host is watching the weather. Winter storms are expected to pummel the midwest this week and the east coast is expecting rain and ice Thursday and Friday. Thoughts and prayers for the schedulers trying to get their bosses to the Hill for votes and then home for Christmas. Recommended reading: Read the bill | Democratic Summary | Republican Summary Related reads: How TikTok Became a Diplomatic Crisis, from Alex W. Palmer at The New York Times, Congress unveils $1.7 trillion deal to fund government, avert shutdown, from Tony Romm at The Washington Post, US Lawmakers Release Huge Spending Bill Before Year-End Deadline, from Erik Wasson at Bloomberg
| | | | A message from National Retail Federation: The INFORM Consumers Act is a bipartisan solution to stop organized retail crime. It's supported by retailers, law enforcement organizations and consumer advocates alike. It's time for Congress to pass the INFORM Consumers Act — this year — and help keep our communities safe. Learn more here. | | | GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Tuesday, Dec. 20, where Senators, staffers, pages and reporters were up way too late waiting on the omnibus. FIRST IN HUDDLE: PROGRESSIVES ORGANIZE — The Progressive Caucus is rolling out the rest of its leadership team for the next Congress, all of whom are appointed by the chair, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.). Its deputy whips will be: Reps. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) and Chellie Pingree (D-Maine). The executive board members at large are Reps. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.). The special order hour conveners are Reps.-elect Summer Lee (D-Pa.), Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky.) and Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.). SELECT COMMITTEE DROPS REPORT — The House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress releases their final report today on the panel's groundbreaking four years exploring what is broken within Congress and how to fix it. And the problems were glaring from the start: the panel was delayed by the longest government shutdown in history and its renewal for the 117th Congress was stalled after the violent Jan. 6 2021 attack on the Capitol ended the nation's history of peaceful transfers of power. The panel, which operated outside of the intensely partisan norms on Capitol Hill, made 202 bipartisan recommendations. Those were derived from 283 ideas and requests from members and staff just in the 117th Congress and brown bag meetings and roundtables with more than 1,500 House staffers. The panel wants its work to continue. They are calling for the establishment of a House Administration Committee subcommittee on Modernization, where ideas could continue to be brought forth and implementation and follow-up on the existing recommendations could be focused. Read the final report from one of the most interesting entities in Congress.
| | | | POLITICO AT CES 2023 : We are bringing a special edition of our Digital Future Daily newsletter to Las Vegas to cover CES 2023. The newsletter will take you inside the largest and most influential technology event on the planet, featuring every major and emerging industry in the technology ecosystem gathered in one place. The newsletter runs from Jan. 5-7 and will focus on the public policy related aspects of the event. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage of CES 2023. | | | | | WAYS AND MEANS WEIGHS IN — Are you ready to rumble? The House's tax writing panel meets this afternoon to vote on whether to make public former President Donald Trump's tax filings. Back in November, Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal (D-Mass.) won access to Trump's filings after a long court fight, but only a tiny inner circle of lawmakers and staff have been allowed to look at them (including ranking member Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas)). They are still protected by privacy laws that make it a felony for anyone with access to them to divulge even small details. This afternoon's business meeting is to vote behind closed doors to make them public. Brady and his GOP colleagues have a press conference planned ahead of the closed-door vote to warn against making the returns public, warning that it could set a precedent to erode privacy for everyday Americans. EYES ON RICHMOND — Voters weigh in today on who should succeed the late Rep. Donald McEachin (D-Va.). The Democratic firehose primary is expected to determine the race in the heavily Democratic 4th district. THROW OPEN THE DOORS — Capitol Police Chief Tom Magner told the Senate Rules Committee that the department's aggressive staffing increases put them "on track to meet our goal of fully reopening the Capitol with an emphasis on reopening the public facing entrances around the Capitol Complex." Rules Chair Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said another Senate office building door recently opened and another is expected to open in January. She also anticipated that the public galleries overlooking the Senate chamber will open to the public in the New Year. But about 10 percent of authorized positions for officers are still vacant, Manger said. He touted that as of Monday, 219 recruits are in the pipeline and getting some level of training. Money can't buy happiness?: "I don't think that money is going to have a sustained impact on morale," Manger told the panel. But he did credit this period of retention and hiring bonuses and assignments available with specialty pay with a stabilizing effect in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack. More from the hearing from Anthony. USCP in the omni… The bill released overnight includes $2.5 million to provide off-campus security for lawmakers and the development and administration of a "residential security system program." It also includes language providing for a body camera pilot program for Capitol Police officers.
| | | | A message from National Retail Federation:   | | | LOOKING AT LEG BRANCH — The Senate isn't instituting a pay floor like the House, but the omnibus does include "sufficient funding for each Senate office to cover a minimum annual pay for full-time staff at $45,000, which is the livable wage for the District of Columbia," per the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee's "explanatory statement" released along with the bill text. The bill also provides $7 million for compensating Senate interns, with an average of $70,000 for each Senator's office to pay interns either hourly wages or lump stipends. GEORGE SANTOS, WE HARDLY KNOW YOU — Rep.-elect George Santos' (R-N.Y.) lawyer responded to the New York Times report that much of the politician's biography is fabricated with a statement that failed to deny the allegations but succeeded in using a fake Winston Churchill quote. A follow-up from the New York Times team that broke the story: George Santos Dodges Questions as Democrats Label Him 'Unfit to Serve' DYNAMITE, NOT DYNAMIC DUO — It's no secret on Capitol Hill that while Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) are often grouped together, they aren't actually best buds. Greene tweeted Monday that Boebert "gladly takes our $$$," … "but when she's been asked: Lauren refuses to endorse President Trump, she refuses to support Kevin McCarthy, and she childishly threw me under the bus for a cheap sound bite." Boebert weighed in, telling The Daily Caller that she backs Trump but is tired of constantly being associated with Greene. "I've been asked to explain MTG's belief in Jewish space lasers, why she showed up to a white supremacist's conference, and now why she's blindly following Kevin McCarthy and I'm not going to go there."
| | | | A NEW POLITICO PODCAST: POLITICO Tech is an authoritative insider briefing on the politics and policy of technology. From crypto and the metaverse to cybersecurity and AI, we explore the who, what and how of policy shaping future industries. We're kicking off with a series exploring darknet marketplaces, the virtual platforms that enable actors from all corners of the online world to traffic illicit goods. As malware and cybercrime attacks become increasingly frequent, regulators and law enforcement agencies work different angles to shut these platforms down, but new, often more unassailable marketplaces pop up. SUBSCRIBE AND START LISTENING TODAY. | | | | | | | | Not eating his words… Retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) will be missed on the Senate Rules Committee, but there's one thing he won't miss: the fraught relationships between the Senate and the food service companies contracted to run the Capitol's eateries. He liked having a hands-on management role working with Capitol Police, the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress, but added "and unfortunately, the food service companies and the things that have really been complicated the last few years." Blunt has taken every chance he gets to tell your Huddle host in the last few years that he was against privatizing Capitol eateries back when that decision was made and has stuck to his guns on that as conflicts over layoffs, pay, pandemic staffing and more have ended up on the Rules Committee's plate. QUICK LINKS 'I'm still subject to death threats,' Upton says as he prepares to leave Congress, from Anna Gustafson at States Newsroom TRANSITIONS Amanda Fitzmorris is now communications director for both Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) and the Congressional Western Caucus. She was previously comms director for Newhouse's personal office. Mike Martin is now chief of staff for Rep.-elect Mark Alford (R-Mo.). He most recently was deputy chief of staff for Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas). Luke Holland has now joined The Nickles Group. He previously was chief of staff for Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.). TODAY IN CONGRESS The House convenes at noon for a pro forma session. The Senate convenes at 10 a.m. and will recess between 12:30 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. for weekly party caucus lunches. Roll call votes are expected, but aren't locked in yet. AROUND THE HILL 2 p.m. Senate Democratic and GOP leaders hold separate press conferences following closed door caucus lunches. (Ohio Clock Corridor). 2:45 p.m. Ways and Means Ranking Member Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) and other Republicans from the panel hold a press conference. (Longworth West Lobby) 3 p.m. House Ways and Means Committee business meeting to consider documents protected under Internal Revenue Code section 6103. (Longworth 1100)
| | | MONDAY'S WINNER: Mitch Relfe correctly answered that the House began using its current chamber in 1857. TODAY'S QUESTION Mitch: Since the modern budget process began, what were the four fiscal years that Congress managed to pass all appropriations bills on time? (Yeah, there are only four.) 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 National Retail Federation: According to NRF's National Retail Security Survey, retailers reported an average 26.5% increase in organized retail crime last year alone. Retailers, consumer advocates and law enforcement organizations agree: Congress should pass the INFORM Consumers Act this year. This bipartisan bill will make it tougher for criminals to sell stolen goods online, while ensuring honest small businesses can use ecommerce to reach customers. Learn more here. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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