| | | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | | | With help from Andrew Desiderio HERE (DEMS) GO AGAIN ON (THEIR) OWN — The Senate returns today, on what was slated to be a recess week, to take action on the Democrats' efforts to enact federal elections reform and restore key oversight protections from the Voting Rights Act, a move that is sure to lead to a showdown over the chamber's 60-vote filibuster threshold. Senate Democrats will gather in-person tonight for a special caucus meeting ahead of this week's risky action for the caucus, which still is not unified on altering the chamber's filibuster rules in order to pass the elections and voting rights legislation. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) will file cloture on the elections and voting bill today with a vote to end debate on the House-passed package expected as soon as Wednesday. That will require 60 votes and is expected to come up short. That will pave the way for a vote on changing the Senate's rules. It is still not clear what form that will take – there are not enough votes for eliminating the filibuster outright – but multiple options for tweaking the process have been on the table in recent weeks All eyes, once again, will be on Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), who last week reiterated their stance against axing the filibuster. But there are other Democrats waiting for details of filibuster changes before they'll commit. Democrats in both chambers are struggling to frame what seems to their base like a repeat of the struggles they faced with the $1.7 trillion party-line social spending plan: pitting Democrats against each other instead of a unified message and enough votes to pass legislation backed by their base. Marianne, Nancy and Sarah write that "Rank-and-file House members are shifting from criticizing Manchin and Sinema less to training their ire on Republicans. But they're also starting to ding their own leaders for overpromising and underdelivering." Don't miss their analysis of what another bruising week could mean for Democrats: Dems stare down another failure to deliver for their base "If we do not protect the vote with everything that we've got, we will not have a country to protect going forward. I don't know where we got the notion from, that this democracy is here to stay no matter how we conduct ourselves," House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) said on CNN over the weekend. | | | | DON'T MISS CONGRESS MINUTES: Need to follow the action on Capitol Hill blow-by-blow? Check out Minutes, POLITICO's new platform that delivers the latest exclusives, twists and much more in real time. Get it on your desktop or download the POLITICO mobile app for iOS or Android. CHECK OUT CONGRESS MINUTES HERE. | | | | | GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Tuesday, January 18, where it is a lot warmer than Kyiv (more on that below.) GOP SPLIT SCREEN — Republicans in both chambers are brimming with confidence that they'll control Congress after the midterm elections, which has them thinking ahead about how to work with — or against — President Joe Biden. "Some Republicans are mulling ways to collaborate with Biden on issues like trade, energy or tech; others are prepared to go scorched-earth as their party eyes the bigger prize of retaking the White House in 2024," write Olivia and Burgess. Given how differently Republicans in each chamber tend to handle critical pieces of legislation like funding the government and raising the debt ceiling, the GOP's collaborative camp could struggle in 2023. Plus the fact that former President Donald Trump is still flexing his influence over the party and lashing out at lawmakers who don't adhere to his party-line. "Given those dynamics, there's no unified GOP agenda for voters to examine this fall — other than an up-or-down vote on Biden and congressional Democrats' record. Republicans aren't sure what will happen next if they actually win," write Burgess and Olivia in their latest on where Congressional Republicans are headed. WEEKEND IN KYIV — A bipartisan group of senators spent about 24 hours in Ukraine this past weekend to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to Ukraine's security as it stares down a possible Russian invasion. But their message of unity came just a few days after the Senate took a very divisive vote on sanctions for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which laid bare the disagreements between the two parties over how to preserve the U.S. and Ukraine's leverage to deter a Russian incursion. Calling from the Ukrainian capital , Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) downplayed and dismissed that vote as "small differences over tactics" that didn't undermine the CODEL's message of bipartisan unity. "We didn't hide from the visual that we portrayed through last week's vote," Murphy told Andrew on a call with reporters. "In fact, we told Zelenskyy and others that we were in Kyiv today in part to make sure there wasn't a false impression given by a vote on a very narrow sanction." And yet… last week's vote was thorny in particular because it pitted Democrats against the Zelenskyy administration, which wanted to see Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) bill pass. Democrats and the White House contended that sanctioning Nord Stream 2 immediately would eliminate the U.S.'s leverage over Moscow. But bipartisan action on Russia sanctions could be coming sooner than we think. Murphy said he came away from this trip believing the Senate could muster 60 votes on a conditional sanctions package, like the one offered by Senate Foreign Relations Chair Bob Menendez (D-N.J.). Schumer has said he's open to "reasonable additions and modifications" to that legislation, which Menendez has dubbed "the mother of all sanctions." Some Republicans have expressed support for the bill, which would impose unprecedented sanctions to cripple Russia's economy. So, with huge question marks for the Senate's agenda after this week's voting rights push, it looks like Menendez and Schumer are laying the groundwork for a big legislative push. | | | | A message from Better Medicare Alliance: Nearly half of all Medicare beneficiaries today choose Medicare Advantage, and they're ready to make their voices heard. In a new poll conducted by Morning Consult, 92% say that a candidate's support for Medicare Advantage is important to them when casting their vote, while 93% believe protecting Medicare Advantage should be a priority for the Biden administration. Medicare Advantage – it's working. | | |
| | | So, about Succession... Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) has some thoughts. Attn: Interns… The House's Office of Diversity and Inclusion is hosting a resume review session Jan. 31 at 12 p.m. Staff assistants from both sides of the aisle will hold a Q&A with interns and offer tips for tailoring resumes for applications to House offices. | | | | BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we've got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don't miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now. | | | | |
QUICK LINKS
Iowa's Child-Care Problems Show Scale of Washington's Challenge, from The Wall Street Journal Liz Cheney's Wyoming Nemesis Is an Oath Keeper Who Was at Capitol Rally, from Sam Brodney at The Daily Beast Marlon Bundo, Pence family rabbit and unlikely gay rights figure, dies, from Bryan Pietsch at The Washington Post 'Kind of a centrist but very pragmatic': After year in Senate, Mark Kelly touts microchips bill, infrastructure, COVID-19 aid, from Yvonne Wingett Sanchez at The Arizona Republic TRANSITIONS Blake Davis has joined the Biden-Harris Administration as a Senior Advisor at OPM. He was previously Chief of Staff to Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.). TODAY IN CONGRESS The House convenes at noon for morning hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business, with votes postponed until 6:30 p.m. The Senate convenes at noon. No roll call votes are expected. AROUND THE HILL 6:45 p.m. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to hold a ceremonial swearing-in for Rep.-elect Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.), who was elected to replace the late Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.). | | | | A message from Better Medicare Alliance:   | | |
| | | FRIDAY'S WINNER: Eric Buetens correctly answered that John "Bishop" Sims spent 40 years shaving senators at the Senate barber shop in the Capitol during the week, and preaching on Sunday. Many of you sent personal stories of Senate barbers in more recent years, which delighted your Huddle host. TODAY'S QUESTION: When did the Senate implement a voice amplification system for the Senate Chamber? The GOP Leader at the time said this: "As one grows older, his vocal chords lose a little of their dynamite — a little of their resonance. The voice becomes thin, sometimes a little squeaky. Well, even a squeaky voice — or a thin, piping treble — is entitled to be heard on the floor, as well as a resounding bass." 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 on Twitter @ktullymcmanus | | | | A message from Better Medicare Alliance: Leaders in Washington face tough choices today, but protecting seniors' Medicare Advantage coverage? That's an easy call. According to a new poll conducted by Morning Consult, 9 out of 10 seniors are satisfied with their Medicare Advantage, and 88% would oppose efforts to cut the program.
What's more, 76% of beneficiaries would be less likely to vote for a lawmaker who supported cuts to Medicare Advantage. 29.5 million Americans are projected to enroll in Medicare Advantage in 2022 alone, and they're ready to stand up for the health coverage they choose and enjoy. Read more.
Medicare Advantage – it's working. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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