CONFIRMATION BIAS — After Republicans blocked a voting rights bill last Congress, Senate Democrats tried, ultimately unsuccessfully, to alter the Senate rules. This year, with Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) blocking a host of military promotions, Democrats are signaling they'll use a different tactic. The Tuberville hold, over Pentagon abortion policies, is showing no signs of letting up as the chamber prepares to come back for its July session. And another run at a rules change is not in the cards. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in an interview with Burgess last week that he wants the GOP to handle the issue – while building a bit of a pressure campaign on Senate Republicans. "The pressure mounts each day. And I’m waiting for the Republicans to tell him," Schumer explained. "Mitch McConnell said something negative about it. I'm hoping the pressure will mount. It's a loser for them. It's a loser on both fronts. It's a loser on women's right to choose. And it's a loser on national security.” McConnell has now twice dinged the idea of Tuberville holds to get a policy change, and some other Republicans have expressed misgivings about the strategy. But the reality is that pulling an end-around on Tuberville via a rules change would be all but impossible – Democrats would be challenged to muster the 50 votes they need to change the Senate rules to disrupt the Alabama Republican's tactics. The last time the Senate changed the rules, the chamber was in Republican hands in 2019. The GOP cut debate time on district court nominees and subcabinet executive nominees down to two hours, a change both parties have exploited. The change was deployed for several reasons: Democrats were dragging out confirmations, Republicans had just lost control of the House, and – most importantly – two more GOP Senate seats gave McConnell the votes to do it. Two GOP senators, Mike Lee of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine, voted with Democrats against the rules change. GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Wednesday, June 28, where we’re looking for hot news tips during recess. GOP VS. GARLAND — Attorney General Merrick Garland will appear before the House Judiciary Committee on Sept. 20, according to a person familiar with the hearing. Garland’s testimony is part of a series of routine oversight hearings the committee holds – but don’t expect a bland appearance. In addition to the attorney general, FBI Director Chris Wray will testify during the week of July 10, followed by a hearing with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas during the final week of July — two appearances first reported by POLITICO. The public confab with Garland has been in the works for months with Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) initially predicting it would happen before the August recess. But the official scheduling comes after Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) opened the door to a potential impeachment inquiry against Garland over whistleblower testimony alleging DOJ and a U.S. attorney’s office tried to interfere in the IRS’s Hunter Biden investigation. Garland has denied allegations that DOJ tried to hamper the years-long probe, overseen by a Trump-appointed U.S. attorney, into the president’s son. FIRST IN HUDDLE: PAY UP — Advocates for investment in the Capitol Hill workforce are calling on Senate Appropriators to set aside dedicated funding for committee interns like the House did two years ago. Pay Our Interns and five other groups are sending a letter this morning to Legislative Branch Subcommittee leaders Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) asking for “at least $7,000,000 in dedicated funding” to compensate Senate committee interns. The ask from outside advocates comes months after Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) made the same ask back in March, with support from more than a dozen colleagues. They point to the common situation where law students or graduates have yearlong internships and fellowships on Senate Committees without compensation. “This funding can offer stipends or allowances that alleviate financial burdens, enable interns to focus on their work without compromising their basic needs, and ensure the prevalence of unpaid legal internships within committees is obsolete,” they write.
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