| | | | |  | | By Daniella Diaz and Anthony Adragna | | | With assists from Sarah Ferris, Olivia Beavers, Nicholas Wu and Jennifer Scholtes
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Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) drew sharp backlash from within her own party after calling Israel a “racist state” over the weekend. | Joshua Roberts/Getty Images | DEMS’ ISRAEL AGITA RETURNS TO HOUSE FLOOR If House Democrats thought they could avoid a messy battle over the Israeli government ahead of its president’s Wednesday address to Congress, they were wrong. Speaker Kevin McCarthy plans to bring a measure to the floor on Tuesday that would affirm support for Israel — essentially rebuking recent comments from Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who drew sharp backlash from within her own party after calling Israel a “racist state” over the weekend.The tricky dynamics: Set for introduction by Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), the resolution would also be timed to the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog. But by offering a broad vehicle to condemn antisemitism while supporting Israel, the vote may also offer electorally vulnerable Democrats a chance for an easy messaging win.Don’t believe us about this prospect for endangered Dems to walk out with a win? Ask McCarthy himself, who suggested as much before the Israel vote was announced.“The Democrats want an out to show they are not antisemitic? I think the Democrats have not just one member that's antisemitic. They have a number of members,” McCarthy told Olivia, adding that Jayapal’s remarks were “unacceptable.”And Pfluger, too, who told Olivia that he doesn’t mind the likelihood that most Dems will support his measure. In fact, he said “the best outcome here” would be all 435 members voting yes. In the hottest seat of all is Jayapal, who has since apologized. Sources told Nicholas that her comments are unlikely to hurt her standing in the Progressive Caucus, where she’s serving her last term in charge. But she has raised plenty of hackles around the rest of the Democratic Caucus by knocking the party’s messaging off-kilter after it had presented a mostly united front against House Republicans. “This completely takes the wind out of our sails after we’d been on offense against the House GOP for weeks,” one senior Democratic aide said. Some Dems privately compared the stumble with another Progressive Caucus misstep last year – a letter calling for direct diplomacy with Russia to end the war in Ukraine. That letter was soon retracted amid a flurry of internal frustration that it had undercut Dems’ bid to pressure the GOP into continued assistance for Ukraine’s war effort. Shortly after that kerfuffle, Jayapal abandoned a bid for House Democratic leadership. Can’t forget: Democrats have long faced internal heartburn over their progressives’ criticism of the conservative-leaning Israeli government’s approach to the Palestinians.They may have a new set of caucus leaders, but it’s clear from the past 72 hours that they haven’t put the past entirely behind them when it comes to messaging on Israel. Still, sources tell Sarah and Nicholas that the fallout from her Israel remarks is unlikely to linger long for Jayapal, who had extensive conversations with senior Democrats — including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — through the weekend. Just listen to one of the Jewish Dems who signed onto a letter condemning Jayapal’s remarks. “I’m appreciative that she put out a statement clarifying her comments and apologizing for them,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) told Nicholas. Also worth noting: Jayapal told reporters she had “lovely, amenable” conversations with her colleagues ahead of the vote. She added she was not worried about her CPC leadership. The Washington Democrat was spotted huddling on the House floor late Monday evening with Minority Whip Katherine Clark and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.).
| | | | A message from PBM Accountability Project: PBM profits are tied to the cost of drugs. That means that PBMs make more money if drug prices are higher. Let’s end the PBM shell game once and for all. Learn more. | | | GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Tuesday, July 18, where someone spotted a rat in House carryout. Thoughts and prayers. Correction: Monday’s newsletter misstated the schedule for a House Rules Committee hearing on two spending bills. That hearing is scheduled for next week. HILL’S FAA FIGHT GETS HYPER-LOCAL A high-stakes clash will play out this week over a matter dear to most every lawmaker’s heart: how quickly they can get home once Congress adjourns. The battle started playing out in the House Rules Committee on Monday evening as it took up the chamber’s reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, which will dominate the floor later this week. DCA dust-up: Unlike most fights on Capitol Hill, this one is driven by geography much more than partisanship. A bipartisan crew of lawmakers is anxious to add more long-haul flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Local lawmakers have voiced strenuous objections, though, citing concerns about noise and congestion. GOP Rep. Chip Roy, whose district has local leaders lobbying for looser rules, said Monday that the current limits on long-haul flights out of DCA are “frankly, for lack of a better word, stupid.” He complained that a city like San Antonio, the seventh biggest in the nation and surrounded by military bases, should have direct routes to D.C. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), at a recent press conference with D.C.-area colleagues, accused his fellow lawmakers of trying to “micromanage something that they don’t truly understand.” So what happened? The Rules Committee, which met late into Monday night, opted for the chamber to consider an amendment led by Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah) that would add seven round-trip flights per day out of Reagan Airport, one for each airline currently operating at the airport, reports POLITICO’s Alex Daugherty, who was in the room all night. (There are 104 amendments total.) Other flashpoints: Lawmakers are slated to consider an amendment to require the reinstatement of pilots fired or forced to resign due to vaccine requirements. They’ll also mull a measure requiring airlines to provide free drinking water on flights longer than an hour. One dodged: The Rules Committee did not advance an amendment that would strike a provision raising the mandatory retirement age for commercial pilots from 65 to 67. The new retirement age, opposed by the nation’s largest pilot union and lawmakers from both parties, ultimately survived amid concerns that striking it would create CBO scoring problems over pension payments.
| | | | A message from PBM Accountability Project:   | | | GOP SEARCHING FOR SOLUTION TO DEM DREAMERS PUSH Should undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children – the group known as Dreamers – be allowed to work for the federal government? House Republicans are once again plagued by a Democratic push for it, and they’re responding in the most Senate way possible: pitching a bipartisan gang to talk it over. Appropriations Committee Chair Kay Granger (R-Texas) called for the bipartisan group after Republicans struggled again last week to sink a recurring amendment from House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) that would make Dreamers eligible for federal jobs. Granger said lawmakers would be “listening more to figure out what we can do” about immigration issues. “We’re in a very difficult situation. And it’s really heartbreaking in many places.” So who’s in this gang? Our budget honchos Jennifer and Caitlin are still awaiting a membership list, but we’ll give it to you as soon as we get it. History lesson: Republicans have grappled with this Dreamers amendment before – Aguilar offers it every year. The GOP even adopted it six years ago, when Republicans controlled the House, but then-Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) team smelled trouble and nixed it before it could reach the floor. This time, House Republicans nixed the Dreamers language in a rare, evenly split 30-30 vote last week. But no gang is likely to work fast enough to stop it from haunting the GOP: Democrats could cause floor chaos later this year by forcing votes on it during debate on the chamber’s spending bills. UFO HEARING SET FOR NEXT WEEK It’s happening: The House Oversight Committee will hold a hearing next Wednesday, led by Reps. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) and Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), to discuss investigations by the Pentagon and other national security agencies into unidentified aircraft and hundreds of new UFO reports. Burchett announced the hearing, first reported by Jordain, in a tweet on Monday. Is the truth out there? Olivia asked McCarthy on Monday whether he believes in aliens. "We will continue to see. But I think if we had found a UFO, I think the Department of Defense would tell us, because they would probably want to request more money.”
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE GOLDEN STATE POLITICAL ARENA: POLITICO’s California Playbook newsletter provides a front row seat to the Golden State’s political power centers, from inside the state Capitol and governor's mansion in Sacramento, to the mayor’s office and City Council and Los Angeles, to the influence of Silicon Valley. Authors Lara Korte and Dustin Gardiner bring you exclusive news, buzzy scoops and behind-the-scenes details that you simply will not get anywhere else. Subscribe today and stay ahead of the game! | | | | | QUICK LINKS 3 congressmen working high-stakes jobs at a high-stakes moment — while being treated for cancer, from Scott MacFarlane at CBS News Andrew Clyde’s national profile rose; fundraising success didn’t follow, from Tia Mitchell at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Jordan threatens FBI’s Wray with contempt of Congress, from Miranda Nazzaro at The Hill TRANSITIONS Kevin Smith, former chief of staff for former Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), has joined Humana’s corporate communications team. Larkin Parker is now comms director for Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.). She previously was comms director for Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.). TODAY IN CONGRESS The House convenes at 12 p.m. for legislative business. First votes are expected at 1:10 p.m. and last votes are expected at 5:30 p.m. The Senate convenes at 3 p.m. with two votes at 5:30 p.m.
| | | | 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. | | | | | AROUND THE HILL 8:00 a.m. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) will host a press conference on the introduction of the H-2 Improvements to Relieve Employers (HIRE) Act. (House Triangle) 10:15 a.m. Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah) will host a press conference on his Compromise Proposal to DCA Act. (HVC Studio B) 10:30 a.m. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.) will have a press conference to call for the release of Eyvin Hernandez. (House Triangle) 11:30 a.m. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus will have a press conference on keeping military families together. (House Triangle) 12:45 p.m. Reps. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) and Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.) host a press conference to announce new efforts to address the child labor crisis. (HVC Studio B) 2 p.m. Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) hosts a press conference to reintroduce the People’s Response Act. (House Triangle) 4:30 p.m. New Democrat Coalition Chair Annie Kuster (D-N.H.) and other coalition members host a press conference on the release of their Economic Opportunity Agenda. (HVC Studio B)
| | | | A message from PBM Accountability Project: Every time you go to the pharmacy counter, health insurance middlemen called pharmacy benefit managers – or PBMs – increase their already high profits. Last year alone, the top 3 PBMs recorded more than $27 billion in profits.
It’s time to end the PBM shell game. There is growing, bipartisan agreement in Congress to break the link between the price of medicine and PBM revenues to help Americans afford and access their medications.
Voters agree. More than 80% of voters want to stop PBMs from directly profiting off drug prices.
We need actionable reforms to hold PBMs accountable and to address the games they play that drive up out-of-pocket costs at the pharmacy counter. Decisive action is needed by Congress today. Learn more. | | | | | MONDAY’S WINNER: Tim Arnade correctly answered that future president Ronald Reagan was the president of the Screen Actors Guild the last time Hollywood actors and screenwriters joined together for a joint walkout. TODAY’S QUESTION from Tim: What former member of Congress authored early in their career the “Guiding Principles of Federal Architecture” that are still used today by the federal government? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answers to ddiaz@politico.com. GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning. Follow Daniella and Anthony on Twitter at @DaniellaMicaela and @AnthonyAdragna. | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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