| | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus and Daniella Diaz | Presented by American Health Care Association | With an assist from Nancy Vu
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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has a problem. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | Francis Chung/POLITICO | REBELS LEAVE HOUSE IN LIMBO — A revolt of hard line conservatives, angry with Speaker Kevin McCarthy, sent a whole week of legislative business up in flames. It’s not yet clear if the (literal and figurative) smoke will clear by next week. The group of roughly a dozen House conservatives brought legislative action to a screeching halt to exact revenge against the speaker for his deal on raising the debt limit that he negotiated with the White House. After spending Wednesday locked in limbo, McCarthy eventually sent the House home for the weekend without votes on the lineup of popular bills the party had tee’d up for action this week. Sarah, Olivia and Jordain spoke with hardliner Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.), who said “Kevin blew up the unity of the conference last week on the debt ceiling deal.” He complained about McCarthy swapping “one coalition partner for another” by relying on Democratic support for the debt bill and called for a new agreement in writing that would govern how the House GOP would run the chamber going forward. "You've got the tail wagging the dog. You got a small group of people pissed off that are keeping the House of Representatives from functioning today," Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) said Wednesday, fuming about the legislative holdup. Memory lane: Most of those involved in the uprising, though not all, are members of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus. The group originally made a name for itself back in 2015 by disrupting and altering the internal workings of the House when it was unsatisfied with the leadership of then-Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). One of their bread-and-butter moves back then was voting against House rules, forcing leadership to scramble, dragging the legislative process to a crawl and making it harder for bills — even those that the GOP conference broadly supported — to come up for a vote. Sound familiar? McCarthy’s agitators aren’t pulling out the motion to vacate – a vote to oust him as speaker – quite yet. But they are keeping the option in their quiver. So far, the conservative agitators are not making their specific asks of McCarthy public, beyond wanting to revisit handshake deals they made back in January while McCarthy was bargaining for the gavel What comes next?: McCarthy doesn’t want to hold votes in the House if they are set to fail – so he’ll need to appease the small minority within his majority. It isn’t yet clear what that means for the House schedule or his legislative agenda. Next week could also be messy. On the agenda was a bill related to Congress’ ban on federal funding for abortions, known as the Hyde Amendment. But some moderates have concerns and GOP leaders met Wednesday with a small group of members.
| | | | A message from American Health Care Association: It’s time to prioritize seniors’ access to care. The long term care community is facing a historic labor crisis, forcing nursing homes across the country to limit new admissions, or worse - close entirely. A federal staffing mandate would only further reduce seniors’ access to care and lead to more nursing home closures. We need resources to recruit, not unfunded mandates. Learn more about better solutions. | | | GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, June 8, where we have a hankering for Tortilla Coast. CORRECTION: Wenesday’s newsletter misstated Rep. Andrew Clyde's (R-Ga.) support for a rule in a Tuesday House floor vote. Clyde voted in favor of the rule. PULLING THE PLUG ON CONTEMPT — This morning’s planned vote to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress was scrapped late last night by Oversight Committee Chair Chair James Comer (R-Ky.). The panel was set to meet and was expected to vote on bringing a resolution holding Wray in contempt of Congress to the floor, ramping up the GOP’s investigations into President Joe Biden. But when the FBI offered to let the whole panel review a 2020 document at the center of the standoff, that plan collapsed. Comer and ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) will also get a peek at additional documents. Jordain has much more on the late night pivot. CURBING CHAOS AT CRS — The head of the Congressional Research Service will be out at the end of June after facing years of claims of mismanagement of the agency which delivers nonpartisan analysis to Capitol Hill. CRS Director Mary Mazanec will step down June 30, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in an all-staff email this week. Mazanec, who started as director in 2011, will remain as a temporary “senior adviser” to Hayden and will handle “special projects with the Library’s user communities.” Hayden said an interim CRS director would be named “soon.” Mazanec's exit also comes after a turbulent appearance before the the House Administration Subcommittee on Modernization last month, where lawmakers grilled her on high attrition and low morale among CRS workers and woefully outdated technology. The Congressional Research Employees Association, the union representing CRS workers, thanked Hayden and her staff for listening to the issues raised by the union including “attrition trends, employee morale, equity and representation, technology disruptions, workplace flexibilities, and concerns about CRS management’s commitments to communication and transparency.” “CREA looks forward to working with the interim Director and the next permanent Director to continue addressing these issues. Together, we can build a strengthened and revitalized agency committed to its core mission: providing nonpartisan, timely, confidential, objective, and authoritative service to Congress,” CREA told Huddle in a statement. Modernization subcommittee chair Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.) and Washington Rep. Derek Kilmer, the top Democrat on the modernization subcommittee, applauded Hayden’s decision in a statement Wednesday and pledged to work to improve CRS’s operations. “It is in everyone’s best interest to ensure that CRS is functioning effectively and meeting the challenges of a more modern Congress,” they said.
| | | | 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. | | | | | HOME STATE LOVE ― North Dakota GOP Gov. Doug Burgum (R) launched a longshot presidential campaign on Wednesday ― but with the backing of his home-state senators, marking a few more non-Trump endorsements for the 2024 race to the White House. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), who first endorsed Burgum to the Messenger, touted his working relationship with the governor and highlighted the policy issues the pair have collaborated on: energy, agriculture and environment, and unsurprisingly, tech (Burgum was a software executive before he became head of the state). “He manages a really good state in a really good way,” Cramer told POLITICO on Wednesday. “I can't imagine why I wouldn't want my governor to be the President of the United States if I could pick him.” Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), who has known Burgum for at least three decades, previously endorsed the governor in a statement to the Grand Forks Herald. “He's always supported me throughout my career, and I think he's got a lot to offer,” Hoeven told POLITICO. “Not only will he get out there and do a good job ― he's been a leader in business, a leader in government ― but he'll tell the North Dakota story, and I think we have a great story to tell about our state.” Huddle will note that the pair’s endorsement is an easy way to get out of the Trump versus DeSantis question, as Burgum’s launch into the race creates an even more crowded Republican primary. When asked if the senators would endorse another candidate in the general if Burgum were to lose, Cramer said that he was open to the possibility. “I imagine I will, if that day comes, but we’ll see.” Hoeven, however, said that he wouldn’t begin to speculate on what the future may bring.
| | | | Trailblazing guest chaplain… Someday. This morning’s House prayer was supposed to mark a milestone. Head Granthi Giani Jaswinder Singh of Pine Hill, New Jersey, was set to be the first Sikh guest chaplain to lead the opening prayer in the House. But since it’s just a pro forma session and the House is gone for the week, the guest of Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) will be rescheduled for another date. Be a helping hand… The Office of Employee Assistance and the Modernization Staff Association are teaming up to host a training on “mental health first aid,” aka how to help someone experiencing a mental health or substance use problem. The session is Friday from 11 a.m. to noon and open to Hill staffers. RSVP here. QUICK LINKS Special election to replace Rep. Stewart pushes Utah’s 2023 city elections back to Nov. 21, from Robert Gehrke and Jeff Parrott at The Salt Lake Tribune ‘I’m worried about it’: GOP agonizes over 2024 primary field, from Burgess and Olivia How Sam Altman Stormed Washington to Set the A.I. Agenda, from Cecilia Kang at The New York Times
| | | | A message from American Health Care Association:   | | | TRANSITIONS Where are they now? Tom O'Halleran, who represented Arizona's 1st District from 2017 until his defeat in 2022, will be a senior adviser at the Department of Agriculture for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which oversees major conservation programs. Cindy Axne, who represented Iowa's 3rd District from 2019 until she lost to Republican Zach Nunn, will be senior adviser for rural engagement, delivery and prosperity at USDA. Charlie Crist has been nominated to be representative of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization, with the rank of ambassador. New Freedom Caucus Faces: Harry Fones is now the House Freedom Caucus communications director. He has been on the Hill for two years serving in the offices of Reps. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.), Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) and the Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth. Previously, he served in the Trump Administration at the Department of Homeland Security. Cesar Ybarra is now policy director of the HFC and was most recently the vice president for policy at FreedomWorks. He is an Andy Biggs and Matt Salmon alum. Noah Sadlier is now comms director for Rep. John James (R-Mich.). He previously was comms director for Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.). Darrin Munoz is now chief of staff for Rep. Mike Carey (R-Ohio). He most recently was deputy chief of staff/legislative director for Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.). TODAY IN CONGRESS The House convenes at 9 a.m. for a pro forma session. The Senate convenes at 10 a.m. for consideration of the nomination of Molly R. Silfen to be a Judge of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims for a term of fifteen years. Two votes are expected at 11:30 a.m., on Dilawar Syed to be Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration and cloture on Silfen. At 1:45 p.m., the Senate may vote on confirmation of Silfen.
| | | | GET READY FOR GLOBAL TECH DAY: Join POLITICO Live as we launch our first Global Tech Day alongside London Tech Week on Thursday, June 15. Register now for continuing updates and to be a part of this momentous and program-packed day! From the blockchain, to AI, and autonomous vehicles, technology is changing how power is exercised around the world, so who will write the rules? REGISTER HERE. | | | | | AROUND THE HILL 9 a.m. Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) and others hold a press conference on Clyde’s Congressional Review Act joint resolution on the pistol stabilizing brace rule. (House Triangle) Noon Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif) and others hold a press conference to reintroduce the Reuniting Families Act. (House Triangle)
| | WEDNESDAY’S WINNER: Nate Humphrey correctly answered that Abraham Lincoln was the first president to have cats as pets after Secretary of State William Seward gave him two he named Tabby and Dixi. TODAY’S QUESTION from Nate: Who is the only American governor to die in office from an assassin’s bullet, and which state did he govern? 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
| | | | A message from American Health Care Association: America’s seniors need our help. The long term care community is facing a historic labor crisis that is forcing nursing homes across the country to limit new admissions, and for hundreds, close their doors. Facilities are doing everything they can to hire more caregivers, but with limited government funding, they can’t recruit the staff they need.
A federal staffing mandate without resources would only make the crisis worse, forcing more nursing homes to close and limiting access to care for seniors. We need Washington to invest in long term care and our workforce to ensure seniors have the caregivers they need. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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