| | | | |  | | By Jordain Carney, Katherine Tully-McManus and Daniella Diaz | Presented by Southwest Airlines | With a hand from Sarah Ferris and Nicholas Wu | 
The tensions Republicans hoped to bury after a painful speaker’s race are instead being resurrected on everything from looming spending fights to the right flank’s impeachment push. | AP | WE (GOP) CAN WORK IT OUT — House Republicans are, as they say, just doing it live. More than six months into their majority, different factions of the conference are still figuring out how to work with each other — and we’re watching it play out in real time. The tensions they hoped to bury after a painful speaker’s race are instead being resurrected on everything from looming spending fights to the right flank’s impeachment push — which conservative members warn is just beginning. But moderates are fighting back: In a move that flew completely under the radar last week, a group of centrists helped sink amendments to the REINS Act, each aimed at expanding what rules would qualify for congressional scrutiny, from Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas), Bob Good (R-Va.) and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.). “We were sending a signal,” one of the centrist GOP “no” votes told POLITICO, summing up the strategy as an example of how they can hold the right flank “accountable” without negatively impacting leadership. The GOP member, who requested anonymity to discuss a private discussion, added that they told Good in a previously unreported conversation: “You want Good bills passed, [then] put another name on it.’” Good, asked if he believed his abortion-related amendment's failure was linked to his previous vote against a rule, quipped: “I can’t imagine that.” He added it would be “pretty sad commentary if individuals would put anything ahead of voting to protect life.” Caveat: Not all of the “no” votes were strategic. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) said his opposition to the conservative amendments was based on policy. There’s been a swirl of chatter among House Republicans about what the best strategy for dealing with a right-flank that is more than willing to play hardball to bend the rest of the conference to its will. Main Street Caucus Chair Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) was skeptical the Freedom Caucus step of sinking rules would be copycatted but acknowledged that “I’ve heard people talk about that tactic, you know, out of frustration.” While members of the small business-oriented group are “giving one another advice,” he described the vibe during a recent breakfast meeting as “people understand that the best way — the most productive way — to move forward is try to stick together.” Fitzpatrick added that how to respond to tactics like shutting down the floor was a leadership decision but “I’m always happy to build a coalition with my Problem Solver Democrats.”
| | | | 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. | | | | | What happens next: The right flank’s latest push will get a test today when the House votes on referring Rep. Lauren Boebert’s (R-Colo.) resolution impeaching President Joe Biden to committee. (The Colorado Republican’s tactics have sparked backlash from other Freedom Caucus members. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) told Olivia a story about their floor fight was “impressively correct.”) And the spending fight amongst Republicans is sure to cause nonstop drama as conservative hardliners argue for spending caps below what President Joe Biden negotiated with Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). A preview of that forthcoming fight — and headache for the speaker — played out behind closed doors Wednesday. Good said that he made the case during the meeting, which included members of leadership, that “we’re going to have a very difficult time passing with Republican votes spending bills that don’t go back to ‘22 levels without rescissions.” Related read: House GOP’s latest fracture: How fast to try to impeach Biden, from Olivia, Nick and Sarah GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, June 22, where it might not feel exactly like summer outside, but your Huddle hosts still want some ice cream.
| | | | A message from Southwest Airlines: Southwest Airlines’ purpose has always been to connect you to what’s important in your life, and we’re ready to welcome you onboard this summer. To help us serve you, Southwest developed an action plan that accelerates operational investments and reliability, enhances cross-Team collaboration, and improves our operations. Learn about how Southwest is preparing for your next trip with our action plan and path forward. | | | FOUR YEARS LATER — Four years after an internal watchdog found major flaws in how the Architect of the Capitol handles cases of harassment, a new report card shows employees are still witnessing and reporting general and sexual harassment of colleagues by members of congress, congressional staff and tourists. An inspector general report published in 2019 detailed the Architect of the Capitol’s lack of a unified system for effectively tracking complaints and resolutions of sexual harassment cases (and that attempts at anti harassment training unintentionally validated bad behavior). A “follow up evaluation” released this month by the Architect of the Capitol’s Office of Inspector General found improvements, including an independent and confidential 24-hour hotline and alignment of anti-harassment policy with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. But major problems remain. Reports of harassment targeting Architect of the Capitol employees, including by lawmakers, have continued. And the IG found that the agency could do more to prevent harassment committed by non-employees, from visitors in the CVC to Capitol Police and lawmakers, and to hold all perpetrators accountable. Among the 12 recommendations issued is one urging the Architect of the Capitol to “develop or update policies and procedures” on “how the agency will document and investigate nonemployee harassment.” The Architect of the Capitol is still collecting poor data despite a new case management system and the agency does not proactively follow up with accusers/complainants to ensure safe re-entry into the workplace, according to the latest report. Read the full OIG report here.
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DEMS: WHAT ABOUT SANTOS? — Some Democrats are weighing a tit-for-tat response after House Republicans voted to censure Adam Schiff for his leading role in Democratic investigations of former President Donald Trump. Sarah and Nicholas report that a small group of Democrats were talking on the floor about offering a privileged motion against embattled New York Rep. George Santos Thursday, with one of them saying about the group: “I’ve never seen anybody so angry.” There’s a lot of energy for a response from Democrats’ rank and file. As the censure vote wrapped Wednesday, Nicholas heard from the gallery that Democrats were shouting: “What about Santos?”
DCCC ATTACKS GOP ON DOBBS — First in Huddle: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is launching a new website and three digital ads, each backed by a four-figure buy, that will run against all 31 of the DCCC’s targets on the first anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade. It’s a preview of the issues Democrats plan to wield against Republicans in an effort to win back the House majority in next year’s election. “Republicans want to ban abortion nationwide – it’s that simple. In the earliest weeks of their majority, they tried to pass dangerous new restrictions that would have jailed doctors and left women without critical health care, and just last week advanced restrictions on safe abortion medication,” DCCC spokesperson Viet Shelton said in a statement to Huddle. “They cannot not be trusted to defend women’s freedoms and, as a result, they will lose their majority in 2024.” SOUR SENATE SPENDING — Senate appropriators are set to vote this morning on the so-called 302(b) allocations, a.k.a. the topline funding levels for the dozen annual spending bills. But Republicans may be unsatisfied with the fiscal 2024 funding targets set by Democrats. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the Senate’s top Republican appropriator, told Caitlin she expects a “robust debate” at the markup. She'll be pushing to ensure the military and homeland security budgets aren’t shortchanged. Starting strong: But it won't all be acrimonious. The Senate is starting with two bills that are expected to receive bipartisan support: The Military Construction-VA and Agriculture-FDA spending measures. OBAMA STEPS IN – Former President Barack Obama has hosted a handful of informal, but lengthy, private meetings with groups of next-generation House Democrats this spring, Jonathan Martin reports Thursday. The initial session featured the chamber’s new trio of leaders, but he then held subsequent conversations with a range of lawmakers. Included were progressive members, like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), as well as more moderate lawmakers, such as Reps. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) and Haley Stevens (D-Mich.).
| | | | Grateful Fed… Turns out Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has been a Grateful Dead fan for 50 years. Big Red Boots make their debut on Capitol Hill … Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) didn’t participate in Wednesday’s Sneaker Caucus event but he posted photos of himself rocking the viral MSCHF Big Red Boot. Schumer’s shhh… During a Wednesday presser, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) shushed the room. Then he realized he had shushed in the direction of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). “Yikes,” he sighed. Burgess clipped the video. QUICK LINKS California politicians have felt Dianne Feinstein’s absence for years, from Edward-Isaac Dovere at CNN Marjorie Taylor Greene Calls Boebert a ‘Little Bitch’ on the House Floor, from Zachary Petrizzo and Sam Brodey at The Daily Beast Ocasio-Cortez joins other squad members in boycotting Modi speech, from Sarakshi Rai at The Hill
| | | | A message from Southwest Airlines: Southwest Airlines’ purpose has always been to connect you to what’s important in your life, and we have developed an action plan to ensure we’re ready to serve you. Our plan includes:
· Accelerating operational investments and reliability by investing in technology and tools that will improve our recovery during irregular operations;
· Enhancing cross-Team collaboration by strengthening the way our Teams work and communicate together to streamline decision-making; and
· Improving winter operations by reinforcing airport infrastructure, increasing the availability of winter equipment, and bolstering our overall preparedness for extreme winter conditions.
In addition to our action plan, we’re continuing to invest in your Customer Experience. Some of our new initiatives include increasing self-service options, bag tracking, and implementing more real-time day-of-travel communications. Learn about how Southwest is preparing for your next trip with our action plan and path forward. | | | TODAY IN CONGRESS The House convenes at 10 a.m. for morning hour debate and noon for legislative business. At 4 p.m., the House will reconvene for the purpose of receiving, in a joint meeting, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Senate convenes at 10 a.m. with votes expected at 11:45 a.m. and at 1:45 p.m. AROUND THE HILL 9 a.m. Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) will hold a press conference on the introduction of a resolution establishing Women’s Sports Week. (House Triangle) 10 a.m. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and others hold a press conference on the introduction of the Abortion Justice Act. (House Triangle) 10 a.m. House Appropriations Committee markup of the fiscal year 2024 Defense and Energy and Water Development appropriations bills. (2359 Rayburn) 10 a.m. Senate Judiciary Committee executive business meeting to consider Tara K. McGrath’s nomination to be U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California, and the Cooper Davis Act. (260 Hart) 10:30 a.m. Senate Appropriations Committee markup of the fiscal 2024 Military Construction-VA spending bill and the Agriculture spending bill. (106 Dirksen) 12 p.m. House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Chairman Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) and members of Congress who are veterans, including Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) and Jeff Jackson (D-N.C.) will hold a press conference on gun violence prevention. (Studio A, HVC-117A)
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | | WEDNESDAY’S WINNER: Loretta Kane correctly answered that Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) is the most recent senator to cross the 10,000 votes threshold, the only woman so far to reach that milestone. TODAY’S QUESTION from Loretta: What national advocacy group launched a hunger strike outside of the White House to protest then-President Bill Clinton's efforts to roll back public assistance for poor families? 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 and Daniella on Twitter @ktullymcmanus and @DaniellaMicaela | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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