| | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | Presented by Panasonic | With an assist from Jordain Carney
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Jerome Powell faces lawmakers this week. | Win McNamee/Getty Images | POWELL POWER HOUR — The big banks have launched a blitz on Capitol Hill in recent weeks ahead of what they fear will be a serious increase in the amount of funding they'd be forced to keep on hand to absorb losses during economic downturns. In the leadup to his testimony this week, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has already heard loud and clear from certain lawmakers: back off the big banks. Powell will be at the Senate Banking Committee this morning before another hearing tomorrow at House Financial Services. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) shares the bank's concerns and fired off a letter last week telling Powell that there's no reason for a hike in capital requirements for the banks. That's just one line of questioning for Powell to expect this morning. He’s sure to face intense questions on inflation and other moves the Fed has in store. Related: Why the Recession Is Always Six Months Away by Nick Timiraos at The Wall Street Journal CRIME OF OPPORTUNITY — Instead of fretting about the president’s flip-flop on the overhaul of the D.C. criminal code, some Democrats see the opportunity to prove their independence both from progressives and from the president. “Republicans might unintentionally be solving as many problems for Democrats as they’re making. Despite the clear Senate floor schisms that the disapproval votes create, they also give Democrats some party-bucking bona fides that are otherwise rare in the Senate,” write Marianne and Burgess. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) isn’t whipping on the GOP-led effort to rollback the changes to the D.C. criminal code. The Senate will vote Wednesday. From the DMV: Both Maryland Senators oppose the rollback while both Virginia senators support it. And that fraught move by the D.C. council yesterday to try and withdraw the measure? It all went down on Marion Berry’s birthday. Are House Dems feeling…. Set up?
| | | | A message from Panasonic: Deepening our commitment to sustainability. Learn more about Panasonic’s green impact. | | | GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Tuesday, March 7, where you’ve gotta be careful who you take photos with (more on that below.) FIRST IN HUDDLE: McCARTHY COMPLAINT — Nonprofit watchdog group Public Citizen and former Obama ethics advisors have filed a complaint against Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) with the Office of Congressional Ethics over his release of security camera footage from the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol to Fox News. “The Speaker’s release of security footage exclusively to Tucker Carlson is pure and simple using congressional resources for partisan gamesmanship – the very type of polarizing gamesmanship that has caused such damage to the public’s perception of the integrity of Congress,” the group writes. Read the complaint. They are requesting that the OCE investigate whether McCarthy’s exclusive release of the footage to Fox News was a violation of congressional rules. The OCE is a non-partisan entity that reviews allegations of misconduct involving House staff and lawmakers and refers cases to the House Ethics Committee. The office has jurisdiction to investigate alleged violations of a “law, rule, regulation or other standard of conduct.” RELATED: Tucker Carlson, with new video provided by Speaker McCarthy, falsely depicts Jan. 6 riot as a peaceful gathering, from Sahil Kapur at NBC News DREAMING OF SO LONG, SANTOS — New York’s House Republicans want to say buh-bye to their infamous colleague, Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.). Six of Santos’s New York GOP colleagues on the Hill are calling for the embattled New York lawmaker to resign and are building a case against him, with press conferences and a bill from Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.) that would bar members convicted of certain offenses from profiting off book deals, movie or TV contracts or paid speeches. But even as they go public trying to tear Santos down, they are exasperated by constant questions about their colleague. “He’s caused us every day to have to respond to his very existence in the House of Representatives, instead of giving 100 percent of our time to the important issues that Americans and the people who sent us to Washington care about,” Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) told Olivia in an interview. Santos’ take? “They can’t control me,” he said. More from Olivia on the battle over Santos.
| | | | 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. | | | | | SUBPOENA WATCH — House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is issuing three new subpoenas as he ramps up his investigative efforts. Jordan summoned both National Assessment Governing Board's Viola Garcia and Chip Slaven, former interim executive director and CEO of the National School Boards Association, to sit for depositions with the committee — Garcia on March 16 and Slaven on March 17, according to docs viewed by POLITICO. The two subpoenas are related to Biden administration decisions regarding threats against school officials during the Covid-19 pandemic. Jordan previously sent subpoenas for documents on the same topic to the FBI, Justice Department and Department of Education and began receiving records last week. (Republicans have accused the administration of “targeting” parents — something the Justice Department and FBI have repeatedly denied.) The third subpoena went to Nina Jankowicz, who was previously tapped to run a now terminated Disinformation Governance Board within the Department of Homeland Security. Jordan is summoning her to sit for a deposition on April 10. TAIWAN TRIP TIED UP — McCarthy isn’t heading to Taiwan anytime soon. But he is set to meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen in his home state instead, an itinerary intended to avoid upsetting China. He wanted to make a bold trip to counter Beijing’s brazen actions in recent weeks, but Taiwan shared intelligence with his office about the ongoing threats from the Chinese to get him to reconsider. “Tsai’s reluctance to have McCarthy visit signals the impact of China’s military posturing to constrain Taiwan and undermine its de facto independence,” write FT’s Kathrin Hille and Demetri Sevastopulo, who scooped the pivot. BOY MEETS WORLD MEETS CONGRESS — Actor Ben Savage officially launched his campaign for Congress in California’s 30th District, the seat currently held by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). Savage became famous playing Cory Matthews on hit sitcom Boy Meets World. Savage, a Democrat, lost a race for Los Angeles City Council last year and interned for Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) in 2003. He filed paperwork back in January but made his campaign launch public on Monday. No word yet on if Topanga will endorse Cory.
| | | | A message from Panasonic:   | | | SWAG(EL) UPDATE — Congressional Budget Office Director Phillip L. Swagel is leading an all-members briefing for the House on Wednesday on the agency’s budget and economic outlook for the next decade, just a day before President Joe Biden is set to release the bulk of his fiscal 2024 budget request. PHOTO OP — Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) says he didn’t know that when he posed for a photo last week while walking between two hearings, the group he snapped a pic with were high profile neo-Nazis. "I absolutely condemn and have zero tolerance for hate groups, hate speech, and violence. I did not take a meeting with these individuals,” Rosendale told the Billings Gazette in an email. “I was asked for a photo while walking between hearings, accommodating as I do for all photo requests, and was not aware of the individuals' identity or affiliation with these hate groups that stand in stark contrast to my personal beliefs." The March 1 photo included Nazi sympathizer Greyson Arnold, who was at the Jan. 6 insurrection, and Ryan Sanchez, who was once part of the white supremacist street-fighting gang Rise Above Movement. The Billings Gazette has much more on the incident.
| | | Mini Mitt… Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) was a good sport about this hilarious NRSC fundraising image where he is teeny tiny next to the rest of the 2024 Senate GOP incumbents. “It’s like they sized that to my scale of the Republican base,” he told Seung Min Kim at The AP. QUICK LINKS Republican Votes Helped Washington Pile Up Debt, from Jim Tankersley at The New York Times John Fetterman sponsored a bill from the hospital. Here’s what he can and can’t do in the Senate during treatment, from Jonathan Tamari at The Philadelphia Inquirer TRANSITIONS Miles Lichtman is now Democratic staff director of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. He most recently was Democratic health policy director for the House Oversight Committee. Tyler Hardy is now a VP with Elevate Government Affairs. He previously was deputy legislative director for Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.). Robin Juliano is now with Cornerstone Government Relations’ federal government relations team. She previously was Democratic staff director for the House Appropriations Committee. Arian Beckwith is now legislative director for Rep. John James (R-Mich.), returning to the Hill after a stint as government relations director for World Food Program USA. Beckwith is a Sen. John Boozman, former Rep. Mark Walker and the late Rep. Jackie Walorski alum. Anna Holland is now press secretary for the House Homeland Security GOP. She most recently was deputy press secretary at the House Republican Conference and is a Ted Cruz alum.
| | | | 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 noon for morning hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. The Senate convenes at 10 a.m. to resume post-cloture consideration of Robert Stewart Ballou’s nomination to be a U.S. District judge for the Western District of Virginia. The schedule:
- 11:30 a.m. vote on Ballou’s confirmation and on a motion to invoke cloture on Andrew G. Schopler’s nomination to be a U.S. district judge for the Southern District of California.
- The Senate will then recess until 2:15 p.m. for weekly caucus lunches.
- 2:15 p.m. vote on Schopler’s confirmation, if cloture is invoked, followed by a motion to invoke cloture on Arun Subramanian’s nomination to be a U.S. District judge for the Southern District of New York.
- 4:30 p.m. vote on Subramanian’s confirmation, if cloture is invoked, and on a motion to invoke cloture on Patrice H. Kunesh’s nomination to be the commissioner of the Administration for Native Americans at HHS.
AROUND THE HILL 10 a.m. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.) holds a press conference on a bill on the “No Fortune for Fraud Act.” (House Triangle) 10 a.m. Senate Banking Committee hearing on the semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testifies. (Hart 216) 10 a.m. Senate Finance Committee hearing on tax policy's role in increasing affordable housing supply for working families. (Dirksen 215) 2 p.m. Senate Democratic and GOP leaders hold separate press conferences following closed door caucus lunches. (Ohio Clock Corridor). 2:30 p.m. The Senate Banking Committee holds a hearing on the economic and financial consequences of a federal debt limit default. (Dirksen 538) 3 p.m. House Rules Committee business meeting to consider three measures, including a resolution that would overturn the Biden administration's Waters of the U.S. rule. (H-313) 3 p.m. Senate Judiciary Antitrust and Competition Subcommittee hearing on reining in dominant digital platforms and restoring competition to digital markets. (Hart 216) 3 p.m. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) holds a press conference on TikTok. (Senate Studio)
| | | MONDAY’S WINNER: Keith Kennedy correctly answered that Sen. Mark Hatfield (R-Ore.) was in charge of President Ronald Reagan’s first inauguration as chair of the Joint Congressional Committee for Inaugural Ceremonies. TODAY’S QUESTION from Keith: In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson and the Democrats won a landslide victory. Only two years later, six new Republican Senators were elected to the 90th Congress. Who were they? 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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