Dems defend … McConnell?

Presented by Electronic Payments Coalition: A play-by-play preview of the day’s congressional news

Sep 07, 2023 View in browser   By Daniella Diaz and Ursula Perano Presented by With an assist from Katherine Tully-McManus Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has proven his aptitude at wrangling his conference and working across the aisle when necessary, contrasting with his House counterpart, Speaker Kevin McCarthy. | Francis Chung/POLITICO MCCONNELL’S HEALTH PUTS SENATE DEMS ON DEFENSE Senate Democrats are confronting an awkward reality about the GOP leader they’ve loved to hate: They need Mitch McConnell to stick around, at least for now. “I don't think there's a hunger or yearning to replace him on our side,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told Huddle in an interview. “I think there's a feeling on the part of our leadership that they can work with him.” McConnell has proven his aptitude at wrangling his conference and working across the aisle when necessary, contrasting with his House counterpart, Speaker Kevin McCarthy. With a government shutdown, Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization and farm bill deadlines all looming over Congress this month alone, Democrats aren’t looking to test their luck with whoever might succeed the man they previously dubbed the “grim reaper” for killing their legislative priorities. “There have been times, which I recall vividly, when we have been so furious that we hardly had words to describe how deeply we disagreed with him and how strongly we condemned him, especially going back to Harry Reid, so it's a mixed experience,” Blumenthal continued. “But he can be very professional and workmanlike with the way he deals with disagreements and giving everybody a fair chance to have a vote or have a say.” The minority leader addressed his health privately with his colleagues during Senate lunches Wednesday, a week after his second public freeze, and told reporters: "I am going to finish my term as leader and I’m going to finish my Senate term.” Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said Wednesday he’d spoken with McConnell on the Senate floor — about West Virginia football, of course — and that the GOP leader “never missed a beat.” Manchin didn’t directly answer a question on whether it’s better for Democrats if McConnell stays on top. “He's done his job and done it well for a long time. I agree and I disagree with him. But we've always had respectful disagreements, and when we did, we tried to work through them,” Manchin said of the Republican leader. Other Democrats have offered their sympathies for McConnell’s recent health concerns. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) — who’s struggled with his own health issues over the past year after suffering a stroke — said he doesn’t like McConnell’s health “being weaponized.” "I truly don't believe in really kind of hammering individuals — you know, elderly. I just don't. And I have to believe in trusting those individuals. And it's not really a partisan thing," Fetterman told reporters Wednesday. — Ursula Perano and Daniella Diaz   A message from Electronic Payments Coalition: STOP THE BIG-BOX BAIT AND SWITCH: Big-box retailers, led by Walmart and Target, are seeking a massive handout from Congress, paid for by consumers. Mega-retailers are trying to trick Congress into enacting harmful credit card routing legislation (S. 1838/H.R. 3881), falsely claiming that it will help small businesses. In reality, this bill transfers billions from consumers to big-box corporations while eliminating popular credit card rewards programs, weakening cybersecurity protections, and reducing access to credit. Congress: reject this Big-Box Bait and Switch. www.stopthebigboxbaitandswitch.com   GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, Sept. 7, where we would like to hear from the “Jeb Bush” who ordered Sweetgreen on Wednesday. (More on that below) TUBERVILLE HOLD ON MILITARY NOMS AT STANDSTILL AFTER RECESS A major deadline to replace the nation’s highest ranking military officer hasn’t moved the Chuck Schumer vs. Tommy Tuberville standoff over nominations — at least not yet. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley’s term is expiring on Oct. 1. Since the Alabama Republican is still refusing to lift his six-month hold on military nominations over an abortion policy, the Senate won’t be able to quickly confirm Milley’s replacement, Gen. C.Q. Brown, as it normally would. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer could hold a floor vote to confirm Brown, but he’s refused to do that on any other military nominations so far, lambasting Tuberville and the GOP for the holdup instead. The New York Democrat wouldn’t answer Wednesday if he would hold a floor vote to replace the top military adviser to the president. “The bottom line is, this is a problem created by Republicans and it’s up to them to solve it,” Schumer said during his weekly press conference. “It’s now up to the Republican Party to get him in line. We’re not going to shift the burden to Democrats when this is a Republican-caused problem.” What happens after that deadline: Milley can’t stay on after his term is up, since it’s set by law, so Vice Chairman Navy Adm. Christopher W. Grady would become the most senior member of the joint chiefs of staff. Still, it’s easier to play blame games when the deadline is a month away. When the president is actually missing his top military adviser, Schumer and Tuberville will likely face a lot more pressure. Senate Democrats do have one other option: changing the Senate’s rules on nominations. But reporters have asked them about this possibility for months, and Democrats made it clear they don’t like the idea. Many still see it as giving into Tuberville. We checked in with one of the Senate’s favorite dealmakers: Manchin said there “has to be a pathway forward” on the issue but couldn’t specify what that would look like. "I've done everything I can. I consider Tommy a friend. He's very strong willed in what he believes. And I just think that he has to look at the damage that's being done and reevaluate that, because I think now it's getting really serious and some people are really concerned,” Manchin told reporters. — Daniella Diaz      A message from Electronic Payments Coalition:   FETTERMAN ON BIDEN IMPEACHMENT Fetterman has a message for House Republicans who are considering impeaching President Joe Biden: “I dare you.” The Pennsylvania Democrat, who took questions from reporters on Wednesday with the assistance of a transcription device, said impeaching Biden “would just be like a big circle-jerk on the fringe right.” Fetterman also insisted Biden wouldn’t face any negative repercussions if he was impeached, stating that “everybody would know that it's bullshit.” — Ursula Perano   GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE.     HUDDLE HOTDISH Sour start … Apparently the first day of the Sweetgreen outpost in Cannon was kind of a mess. Thoughts and prayers for the dogged salad distributors, whom one customer described as “radiating stress.” No word on if “Jeb Bush” got his lunch. Fetterstache we hardly knew ye: Fetterman told reporters his mustache isn’t here to stay. He plans to grow his recess mustache out to blend in with his goatee. Speaking of appearances … We've noticed some senators came back from recess with sharp haircuts. McConnell got a haircut. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) got a buzz cut. The great outdoors with Kaine … Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) announced publication plans for his first book and we like the cover.   DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO APP: Stay in the know with the POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS – DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID.     QUICK LINKS  Exclusive: Dianne Feinstein speaks on family’s financial feud and her daughter’s role in estate, from the San Francisco Chronicle's Shira Stein The Senate hopes to pass a three-bill government funding package next week, from Caitlin Emma and Jennifer Scholtes TRANSITIONS  Lots of moves in Sen. Chris Murphy’s (D-Conn.) office … Deni Kamper is now communications director for the senator. She was previously his deputy communications director. Rebecca Drago is now the senator’s deputy chief of staff. She was previously communications director. Ally Livingston is now deputy communications director. She was previously press secretary. Some moves in Sen. John Hickenlooper’s (D-Colo.) office as well … Michael Judson is now the digital director and press secretary. He was previously the deputy press secretary. Jess Cohen is now the deputy press secretary. He was previously the senator’s special assistant.   A message from Electronic Payments Coalition: CONGRESS: DON’T FALL FOR THE BIG-BOX BAIT-AND-SWITCH: Despite vigorous lobbying efforts from mega-retailers like Walmart and Target, proposed credit routing mandates (S. 1838/H.R. 3881) face steep bipartisan opposition. Consumers and small businesses don’t want to lose valuable credit card benefits or suffer from weakened cybersecurity protections– both consequences of proposed credit card routing mandates. Americans didn’t send their lawmakers to Washington to be fooled by the retail giants’ massive corporate welfare scheme--and they won’t forget those who sold out Main Street so that big-box retailers could line their pockets while consumers and small businesses suffer. Last year, Congress wisely rejected a similar Big-Box Bill, and they must do so again. Congress must protect consumers, preserve the integrity of the payment ecosystem, and reject this detrimental and unnecessary government intervention. www.stopthebigboxbaitandswitch.com   TODAY IN CONGRESS The House is out. The Senate convenes at 5:30 a.m. with two votes at 11:45 a.m. and one vote at 1:45 p.m. AROUND THE HILL Quiet on Capitol Hill. TRIVIA WEDNESDAY’S ANSWER: Sara Bonjean correctly answered that Jeannette Rankin was the lone member of Congress to vote against war with Japan in 1941. TODAY’S QUESTION from Sara: Which member of Congress has a family member who is an international artist and was featured in two Andy Warhol films? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answers to huddletrivia@politico.com. GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning. Follow Daniella on X at @DaniellaMicaela.   Follow us

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