FIRST IN HUDDLE: Good news and bad news for House members: Finally, after years of discussion, lawmakers will soon be able to win reimbursement for job-related meals, housing and other costs. But new rules obtained by Katherine contain catches galore, and members will soon get intimately familiar with that tedious staple of corporate life — the expense report. The framework, drawn up with bipartisan backing and set to be promulgated Friday by the House’s Chief Administrative Officer, is among the biggest changes to Congress' financial operations in decades, and it would upend a long tradition of lawmakers covering an array of their own out-of-pocket costs directly associated with their jobs. The new system addresses longstanding critiques about fairness in compensation that have only grown as costs of living have risen and member salaries have stagnated. But it will require members to get acquainted with a panoply of new rules and potentially make hard choices regarding their office budgets. The deets: Lawmakers will be allowed to claim reimbursement for meals and lodging on a voluntary basis, but those reimbursements will come out of the existing Members’ Representational Allowance — meaning many members may opt out of reimbursement in order to prioritize staff salaries and other expenses. And all expense payments will be made public each quarter, offering a check on concerns that lawmakers might seek to line their own pockets with taxpayer money Pillow talk: When it comes to lodging, hotel stays are OK for reimbursement, as are rents and utilities for properties members use while working in Washington. But those expenses are subject to a daily cap of between $172 and $258, depending on the month, and reimbursements will be closely tied to the House schedule. Members can’t seek reimbursement if they own their D.C. property or have a primary residence within 50 miles of the Capitol. Some Huddle-only tidbits from KTM: No alcohol or entertainment can be reimbursed. And before your boss asks: No, members who sleep in their offices cannot claim reimbursement for lodging. Katherine might be on vacation these next few days but her scoops aren’t! GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Friday, April 7, where we hope you have a fun and warm Easter weekend. TESTER VS. DAINES — Don’t miss Burgess’ latest on Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines: On one side is Jon Tester, one of the Democratic Party’s last red-state incumbents. On the other is Steve Daines, the Senate GOP campaign arm chief. Their state is one of only five with Senate delegations split between the parties, a modern low, and the senators from Big Sky Country might just be the most awkward same-state duo in the chamber. With Montana as a fulcrum for next year’s Senate majority battle, the next two years will be a stress test for the two senators who are already known for having a rocky relationship. “Really bad scenario. It’s just not a good situation,” said Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). Manchin is backing Tester and has tried to stop senator-vs.-senator campaign appearances, even previously endorsing two moderate Republicans. DURBIN WATCH — Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s decision earlier this week to not return her “blue slip” for a Biden judicial nominee is putting a renewed spotlight on Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) amid pressure from progressives to nix the process of requiring home-state senators to sign off on federal district court nominees. The White House is standing by Scott Colom, the nominee in question. Andrew Bates, a spokesperson for the White House, said, via in a statement to your Huddle host, that Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) “is raising spurious concerns about Mr. Colom now, for the first time since we began the vetting process—with her full knowledge and awareness—in January 2022.” “We urge Senator Hyde-Smith to return her blue slip and allow Mr. Colom to receive a hearing,” he added. What to watch: Absent a change of heart from Hyde-Smith, the next move is Durbin’s. A spokesperson said he was “extremely disappointed” and that “in the coming days, he’ll be assessing and will respond more fully.” The bigger picture: If Durbin decides to move forward with Colom’s nomination over Hyde-Smith’s objection, Republicans will undoubtedly continue the policy the next time they control both the Senate and the White House, icing out home-state Democratic senators as they confirm conservative district court nominees in liberal states. (Republicans did the same with circuit court nominees during the Trump era.) But Hyde-Smith’s decision also highlights how, absent a change in the blue slip precedent, Biden is going to need help from GOP senators to fill current and future district court vacancies. Dozens of district court vacancies without a nominee are in states with at least one GOP senator. Other GOP states including North Caroline, Kentucky and Montana, also have upcoming vacancies. But … Democrats have had some success working with GOP senators, with district judge nominees in both Louisiana and Idaho expected to get committee hearings soon and recent confirmations of judges for such red states as Indiana, Ohio and Iowa. An administration official added to Huddle that the White House “is in touch with Republican Senate offices with vacancies in their states and is working in good faith to identify highly qualified nominees.”
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