| | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | | | With an assist from Olivia Beavers, Daniella Diaz and Jordain Carney
| 
Call me, beep me. Speaker Kevin McCarthy wants to meet up with President Joe Biden. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | DEBT LIMIT DANCE — Speaker Kevin McCarthy told President Joe Biden that he is “on the clock” to set a date for their next meeting to discuss the debt ceiling. Biden turned the tables Tuesday night and wants to see McCarthy’s budget proposal by the end of the week. A key part of this equation is that McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Biden simply don't talk outside of these formal sit down situations. Sure, they were together for the St. Patrick's Day lunch, but they didn't get down to brass tacks over the impending fiscal crisis at that jolly gathering. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) doesn’t think there’s much for the pair to talk about until there’s a House GOP budget proposal. He took aim at McCarthy’s letter to Biden calling his target of $4 trillion in cuts “vague and amorphous” and saying “a number is not a plan.” He dared McCarthy to put a GOP budget proposal on the floor. “The reason he doesn't want to do it, in my judgment, my humble judgment, is because he can't get 218 votes for any plan,” Schumer told reporters on Tuesday. But Senate Republicans found that rich, given that Senate Democrats haven’t put forth their own budget (and may not at all). “If they wanted to put the President's budget on the floor, we'd be more than happy to vote on that,” Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) said. Thune said the administration needs to handle the debt limit and “deal with the issue of spending reforms, which is what the House Republicans are trying to get on the table.” Meanwhile… House Financial Services Chair Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) said Tuesday he has “never been more pessimistic about where we stand with the debt ceiling," with no sign that Republicans and Democrats are coming together to ensure the government avoids a default. He said at an event hosted by Punchbowl news that there are “no back-channel conversations going" on between Republicans and the White House and "no staff conversation going.” Related read: Biden and McCarthy barely speak, dimming prospects for a debt ceiling deal, from Scott Wong and Peter Nicholas at NBC News WATER OF THE WHAT? — Sen. Shelley Moore Capito’s (R-W.Va.) resolution to permanently repeal the Biden administration’s waters of the U.S. — or WOTUS – is expected to hit the Senate floor today. The Congressional Review Act measure just needs a simple majority, so there’s no filibuster threat. The measure is considered a “privileged resolution,” which compels the majority to schedule a vote even without Senate Democratic leadership supporting the move. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is expected to join Republicans to roll back the regulation, which he has referred to as federal overreach. The House voted 227-198 back on March 9 to overturn the rule. President Joe Biden already threatened to veto the resolution. But before that, the Senate will vote this morning to repeal the 1991 and 2002 authorizations for the use of military force against Iraq.
| | A message from the Association of American Railroads: America’s freight railroads are driving toward a future with zero incidents and injuries. We’re working as hard as possible to prevent future derailments by instituting new comprehensive practices and technologies. Our safety standards have long exceeded what is federally required and now we’re taking that even further. Learn how we’re going to keep getting safer. | | | GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Tuesday, March 29, where if March Madness isn’t enough there’s more college sports for you to watch. GOP’s (ATTEMPTED) JAN. 6 SCRIPT FLIP — Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) is using his new House Administration subcommittee gavel to spearhead a GOP effort to review the Jan. 6 select committee’s work as well as security decisions made in the lead up to the attack — a two-pronged mission greenlighted by McCarthy. Loudermilk kicked off with a close-to-home focus: The previous panel’s scrutiny over a Jan. 5 tour he gave of the Capitol complex. During a Q-and-A with reporters, he focused on two primary points: Accusing the Jan. 6 committee of misconstruing the tour around the House office buildings that he gave by referring to it as a tour of the Capitol in their final report. He also noted that by the time the Jan. 6 committee reached out to him, federal agents and the panel had already spoken to two members of the group that visited him on Jan. 5. (Loudermilk refused the Jan. 6 committee’s request to speak with him.) “As we sat down as a committee, ‘where do we start?’ And everybody was like, ‘well you know a logical starting place because you know what happened to you,’” Loudermilk said. Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on Loudermilk’s subcommittee, accused him of leaving Democrats out of the discussion before unveiling his first findings, noting that “we have not held any meetings, public or private, to discuss this process.” What’s next? Loudermilk is planning to hold a rolling series of “findings” as he works through the committee’s work. He didn’t rule out releasing a final report, and could hold public hearings as soon as next month. FIRST IN HUDDLE: HISPANIC LEADERSHIP TRUST — Hispanic Leadership Trust (HLT), designed to be the Republican answer to Democrats' Bold PAC, hosted an end of the quarter event on Tuesday with the Miami Mayor Francis Suarez as its special guest. Olivia is told HLT gave out $60,000 to Republican Hispanic and Latino members to support their reelection efforts. Here’s a snap of the group. Per source: Notable guests included Suarez, Reps. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), Anthony D'Esposito (R-N.Y.), Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.), Carlos Giménez (R-Fla.), Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) David Valadao (R-Calif.) and Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González Colón (R-Puerto Rico).
| | | | JOIN POLITICO ON 4/5 FOR THE 2023 RECAST POWER LIST: America’s demographics and power dynamics are changing — and POLITICO is recasting how it covers the intersection of race, identity, politics and policy. Join us for a conversation on the themes of the 2023 Recast Power List that will examine America’s decision-making tables, who gets to sit at them, and the challenges that still need to be addressed. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | HAWLEY’S UC REQUEST — Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) plans to seek unanimous consent on the Senate floor today to move his bill that would ban TikTok from operating in the U.S. But other senators are expected to raise objection, derailing Hawley’s attempt. Fellow Republican Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told Fox News on Tuesday that he thinks banning TikTok is “a mistake” and that the move "goes against the First Amendment." So he’s one candidate for objecting, but if not Paul, a Democrat will likely rise and object. Over in the House… Pennsylvania progressive defends TikTok as ‘incredible organizing tactic’, from Mychael Schnell at The Hill
| 
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, right, speaks alongside U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan during an election eve campaign event on Nov. 7, 2022 in Manchester, N.H. | Scott Eisen/Getty Images | GRANITE STATE GRIND — New Hampshire Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan are using a full-court press to advocate for Michael Delaney’s nomination to the First Circuit Court of Appeals. But some colleagues, even among Democrats, are questioning why they’re staking so much on nominee with a controversial record on two issues: sexual assault and abortion. They’re making their pitch at caucus lunches and in one-on-one conversations with Senate Judiciary Committee members, but as Burgess and Marianne report this morning, it might not be enough. Shaheen says it isn’t true, but there’s plenty of talk about the White House trying to ameliorate the New Hampshirites angry after the state lost its first-in-nation primary status, a move that Biden backed. Burgess and Marianne explore the pitch from the New Hampshire delegation, Delaney’s record, what’s ahead and what nearly a dozen senators (and the White House) are saying about the nomination. SCHULTZ STOPS BY — Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz faces the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today, where he will face questions over allegations that Starbucks illegally intimidated, harassed and fired Starbucks workers who helped organize unionization efforts. Schultz resisted appearing before lawmakers, but complied once he faced the possibility of a subpoena. But last week he stepped down from the top job and handed the reins to a new CEO. But his testimony still holds weight as he remains on the board and as a major shareholder. Related read: Unions are having a moment. So why isn't union membership booming?, from Andrea Hsu at NPR D.C. DOUBLE DIP — The House Oversight Committee holds a hearing this morning on crime, homelessness and the financial status of the capital city, with a markup slated for the afternoon of a resolution that would block a police discipline and accountability bill already cleared by the D.C. Council. The city is facing an increase in some crimes and is struggling to keep the police force staffed, situations that Republicans in Congress have zeroed in on for Congressional inquiry. Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) has blamed “radical left-wing policies” as the root cause of a “crime crisis” in the city. The House Oversight double header coincidentally follows a violent attack on a Senate staffer over the weekend, an incident that Republicans on the Hill have already seized on as an example of what they see wrong with the city. The bill that House Republicans want to overturn would expand public access to police disciplinary records and access to police body-camera footage in excessive force incidents and prevent hiring officers who have committed misconduct. It would also make permanent a ban on using neck restraints, first put in place on a temporary basis after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd in 2020. More from Martin Austermuhle at DCist and Megan Flynn at The Washington Post.
| | | | A message from the Association of American Railroads:   | | | BARRY BLACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT — When the chaplain says prayers aren't enough, that gets people talking.
| | | Moooove along… A creative and neighborly note spotted outside the House Agriculture Committee on Tuesday. The neighbors are getting restless. New pic, who dis? … Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) found out how to update his official House photo after, well, many years. He’s letting his lettuce grow and rocking a lemon-lime tie. (But we want to see the George Mason ID photo.) QUICK LINKS Schumer’s highway to the Catskills angers environmentalists, from Danielle Muoio Dunn Hill frustrations simmer over banking chief, from Victoria Guida A Campaign Aide Didn’t Write That Email. A.I. Did, from Shane Goldmacher at The New York Times Inside the backchannel communications keeping Donald Trump in the loop on Republican investigations from Annie Grayer, Alayna Treene, Melanie Zanona and Kristen Holmes at CNN TRANSITIONS Former Rep. Tom Malinowski has joined the McCain Institute at Arizona State University as a John McCain Senior Fellow.
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | TODAY IN CONGRESS The House convenes at 10 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business. First and last votes are expected around 5:30 p.m. The Senate convenes at 10 a.m. to continue consideration of the resolution to repeal the authorizations for use of military force against Iraq. At 11:30 a.m. the Senate will vote on the AUMF repeal and on invoking cloture on the motion to proceed on a fire grants bill. Additional votes are expected on WOTUS and a resolution to end the Covid-19 emergency declaration. AROUND THE HILL 9:30 a.m. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) and Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) hold a press conference on medical malpractice at the Defense Department. (House Triangle) 10 a.m. House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing on the Department of Homeland Security’s fiscal 2024 budget request, with testimony from Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. (2362-A Rayburn) 10 a.m. House Appropriations State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee hearing on the fiscal 2024 budget request for the Treasury Department’s international programs, with testimony from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. (2358 Rayburn) 10:30 a.m. House Energy and Commerce Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee hearing on “Taking the Buzzer Beater to the Bank: Protecting College Athletes’ NIL Dealmaking Rights.” (2322 Rayburn) 11 a.m. House Appropriations Legislative Branch Subcommittee hearing on the U.S. Capitol Police’s fiscal 2024 budget request. (HT-2 Capitol) 11:15 a.m. Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) holds a press conference on air travel safety. (Senate Swamp) 11:30 a.m. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and other House Democrats will gather on the East Front steps for an event on addressing gun violence. 12:30 p.m. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) holds a press conference on gun violence prevention. (Senate Swamp) 2:30 p.m. Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), members of the caucus on the D.C. Disapproval Resolution. (House Triangle)
| | | TUESDAY’S WINNER: Alex Nelson correctly answered that Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. President born in a hospital. TODAY’S QUESTION from Alex: How many alumni and faculty of Georgetown University are serving in the 118th Congress? 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 Association of American Railroads: America’s freight railroads have a history of being safe—mainline accidents reached an all-time low in 2022. But we know there is still work to be done to reach a future with zero incidents. Immediate steps we are taking toward that goal include:
1. Installing thousands of additional accident-preventing detectors,
2. Establishing safety-first standards for stopping trains and inspecting bearings,
3. Training 20,000 first responders nationwide on accident mitigation,
4. Leading an industry-wide re-evaluation to improve tank car fire protection,
5. Proactively removing wheel sets that posed an increased risk of derailment from service,
And more. Rail is essential to keeping the U.S. economy strong, but we also recognize we must regain the trust of the communities we serve. That’s why we’re never going to stop improving, so that every part of America can continue to rely on rail to safely and efficiently deliver. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment