| | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | | | With help from Marianne LeVine, Sarah Ferris, Gavin Bade and Andrew Desiderio | 
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) talks to reporters about the upcoming Supreme Court confirmation on Capitol Hill on February 01, 2022 | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images |
KNOWING CHUCK SCHUMER — Chuck Schumer watched Republicans confirm three Supreme Court justices under former President Donald Trump, a third of the highest court. But as Senate Majority Leader, Schumer now has his own golden opportunity to shape -- and win -- the latest high court battle.
The New York Democrat has a long history on judicial nominees in the Senate that, as Marianne writes, is coming around to a "full circle" moment ahead of the Biden SCOTUS confirmation process. Schumer's Judiciary: Schumer was a strident voice on the Judiciary Committee early in his career and colleagues in both parties both remember it well -- but their takeaways are different. Democrats describe a senator who foresaw a rightward shift in the federal judiciary; Republicans, meanwhile, vividly remember his push to filibuster President George W. Bush's judicial nominees. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) blamed Schumer for the increasingly partisan confirmations of district and circuit court nominees. No regrets: In a statement to POLITICO, the Democratic leader indicated he has no regrets. "I never relished this fight, but the fight came to us," Schumer said. "Faced with a dark-money-funded juggernaut, we had to fight against these extreme right-wing nominees. I think the records of many of these judges have proven me right." More from Marianne: 'The fight came to us': Schumer the judicial warrior heads into SCOTUS battle Speaking of Judiciary… The Senate panel has a hot markup today on a bill aimed at breaking the stranglehold that Apple and Google have on mobile app markets (hello, if you're reading this on your phone). | | | | 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. | | | | |
GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, February 3, where there are 15 days until government funding runs out.
TUCK IN FOR HOUSE ACTION — The House moves onto amendment debate and votes Thursday after kicking off action on the massive COMPETES Act to counter China Wednesday. There are more than 260 (!) amendments slated for floor action before the bill gets a final roll call, which is expected on Friday. Democratic leaders are projecting confidence that they'll be able to hold their caucus together to back the bill, brushing off concerns from some in the caucus about process matters. Only one Democrat, Rep. Elissa Slotkin (Mich.), voted against the rule to open debate on the anti-China bill, and even so, she told reporters she will eventually vote on the final bill. "It was a shot across the bow to leadership that I'm sick and tired of us taking bipartisan issues and making them partisan," she said. Amendment drama: Some progressives want amendments to pass that would place guardrails on corporate subsidies, insert safeguards against spending military funds on governments that have committed human rights abuses, and impose stricter racial and gender diversity rules on companies receiving semiconductor funding. We'll be keeping an eye on those as amendment action continues. What's next: The plan is to plow through amendment votes all day today and into tomorrow, with a final vote aimed before the House leaves for the weekend. ETA on last House votes tonight are 10:30 p.m., but that's just a ballpark. RUSSIAWATCH — Biden's top national security officials will hit the Hill today for a pair of briefings on the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Senators will get their chance first, at 11 a.m. The House briefing follows at 1:30pm. According to aides, the briefers will include Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Joint Chief Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and others. The twin sessions come one day after Biden formally authorized the deployment of around 3,000 U.S. troops to Eastern Europe, as fears mount of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. What about those sanctions? No final deal yet and the Senate is set to leave town today. PROGS MEET WITH INFRASTRUCTURE CZAR — Mitch Landrieu, a senior White House adviser who is supervising the outlays of infrastructure spending, will join the Congressional Progressive Caucus meeting today to talk about the group's priorities as the federal dollars are doled out. Landrieu addressed the full Democratic Caucus on Jan. 12, but will focus today on key equity issues for progressives, including prioritization of lead pipe removal and broadband expansion in communities the most in need. The CPC is also focused on changes to the National Environmental Policy Act, with the aim of giving communities recourse if projects near them have negative impacts on climate or health. | | | | A message from Better Medicare Alliance: Nearly half of all Medicare beneficiaries today choose Medicare Advantage. It's not hard to see why. Medicare Advantage beneficiaries save an average of $1,640 a year compared to fee-for-service Medicare, and a new Morning Consult poll shows 9 in 10 beneficiaries are satisfied with their coverage. Medicare Advantage – it's working. | | |
VIBE CHECK: ECA IN THE GOP— Vibes are mixed. Former President Donald Trump weighed in on the bipartisan Senate effort to make changes to the Electoral Count Act, the law that governs Congressional approval of Electoral College outcomes, calling the GOP participants "RINO Republicans." The move from Trump is highlighting a split within the GOP over whether it is worth pursuing. Burgess checked in with 13 Senate Republicans and heard mixed reviews.
Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.): "It's split. I think there are some political ramifications to doing it now, with the former president coming out forcefully and vocally." Rand Paul (R-Ky.): "It could be something we could do in a bipartisan way." Burgess reports that the toughest sell are, not surprisingly, those senators that voted against certifying the 2020 election. Get a sense of where GOP senators stand: Trump interference exacerbates GOP split on election reforms ROAD TO RECOVERY — Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) is expected to return to Washington in four to six weeks, barring any complications, according to his office. Marianne has more on yesterday's update from a senior Luján aide . A Schumer spokesman said Wednesday night that Luján's "absence is not expected to affect the Senate's timeline for moving a SCOTUS nominee." THE HUNT FOR RED NOVEMBER— A POLITICO analysis of fresh data this week from the Federal Election Commission shows that at least 53 Republicans raised over $500,000 last quarter, compared to 38 Democratic candidates in House races, an hopeful signal for Republicans gunning for the House majority in the midterms. Key takeaways from Ally Mutnick and Allan James Vestal:
- House Democratic incumbents still have a large cash-on-hand advantage in many key districts and only a few of Democrats' most vulnerable incumbents were outraised by a GOP challenger
- GOP candidates were the top-raising candidates in many of the most competitive open seats
- None of the seven pro-impeachment Republicans seeking reelection were outraised by a challenger.
- More from Ally and Allan: House Republicans close money gap in hunt for the majority
| | | | 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. | | | | | WELCOME TO THE RAINEY ROOM — The House is set to honor the House's first Black member, Joseph H. Rainey (R-S.C.), with a room in the Capitol named for the trailblazer who joined the House on Dec. 12, 1870. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), Reps. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), Tom Rice (R-S.C.) and others will unveil the new name of H-150 "The Joseph H. Rainey Room" this afternoon. Back in Dec., 2020, the House installed an exhibit on Rainey and other barrier-breaking Black members of the House on the first floor. Your Huddle host got to join Clyburn and Pelosi for a guided tour. | | |
Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) is the latest lawmaker to report a positive covid test. She was on the same CODEL to Ukraine with Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas), who tested positive earlier this week.
QUICK LINKS GOP Rep. Rice stands by his impeachment vote of Trump. It could cost him his job, from NPR Tribal groups want to boost traditional diets in federal food aid, from Ellyn Ferguson at CQ Roll Call Mooney opens legal expense fund to pay costs from congressional investigations, from Chris Marquette at CQ Roll Call TRANSITIONS Charlotte Robertson is joining Abby Finkenauer's Iowa Senate campaign as digital director. She most recently was digital director for Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.). Bailee Beshires is now a manager of strategic comms at Woodberry Associates. She previously was press assistant for Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), and is a Lamar Alexander alum. Max Beckeris is joining the Bockorny Group as a principal. He previously was coalitions coordinator for the House GOP Conference under then-Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), and is an NRCC alum. Ward Cormier is now senior director of federal affairs for The Picard Group. He was most recently deputy chief of staff for Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.). Crawford Pierson is now congressional affairs coordinator for the Solar Energy Industries Association. She most recently was scheduler/office manager for Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.). Brian H. Williams is now health policy fellow for Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). He is a professor of trauma and acute care surgery at the University of Chicago Medicine and Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow at the National Academy of Medicine. | | | | A message from Better Medicare Alliance:   | | |
TODAY IN CONGRESS
The House convenes at noon for legislative business with votes expected throughout the afternoon and evening. The Senate convenes at 10 a.m. with votes at 12:30 p.m. AROUND THE HILL 8 a.m. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will attend the 70th National Prayer Breakfast, co-chaired by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.). Remarks expected from Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative and author of "Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption," and a performance from gospel music singer Kari Jobe (Capitol Visitors' Center). 10 a.m. House Oversight and Reform Committee holds a roundtable with former Washington Commanders employees on workplace misconduct and sexual harassment (Rayburn 2154). 12:15 p.m. Pelosi holds her weekly press conference (Studio A). | | |
WEDNESDAY'S WINNER: That was a stumper. No one answered that H.R. 6459, a bill focused on grants to local governments to address community development and public infrastructure challenges, sponsored by Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn), was the first to be filed in the electronic "eHopper" system.
TODAY'S QUESTION: Who was the first House speaker to make a televised address in the House chamber? 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: Medicare Advantage works for more than 28 million Americans – whether they're living on a fixed income, or in an underserved neighborhood. It's health care the way it should be – high-quality, coordinated, accessible, and affordable.
According to a new poll conducted by Morning Consult, 9 out of 10 seniors are satisfied with their Medicare Advantage, and research shows Medicare Advantage beneficiaries save an average of $1,640 a year. Medicare Advantage – it's working. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
Comments
Post a Comment