| | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | Presented by SEIU Care is Essential | QUESTION TIME WITH KETANJI — The Senate Judiciary committee gets down to business on the second day of confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson and this is where it is going to heat up. Jackson will face questions from the committee and Republicans have already telegraphed that they'll be digging into her representation of Guantanamo detainees, her sentencing record and where she stands on expanding the size of the Supreme Court -- she's made clear she won't be answering that last one. It's going to be a long one. There are two rounds of questioning and each senator will get 30 minutes to ask Jackson questions (or give their own monologue.) In the second round, senators get 20 minutes each. THE DARK MONEY DANCE— Republicans were aligned Monday in raising alarm about the influence of "dark money" on the nomination process , name-checking judicial advocacy group Demand Justice that supported Jackson's nomination. If the playbook seems familiar, that is because it has been a staple of Democratic opposition to conservative nominees backed by the Federalist Society and Judicial Crisis Network. "Democrats insist there's a major difference: they don't work directly with Demand Justice," writes Marianne. Not : Analogous "I honestly don't know that much about them," said Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "If you pick the ACLU, or the [Center for American Progress] those are groups that we've worked with. They're not to us what the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society are to" Republicans. Democrats signaled that they are ready to counter the dark money criticism and questioning from Republicans. Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) played defense on Monday, telling Jackson "there may be others who allege that you are before us today as the product of a campaign led by dark money groups. ... Your record — and the process that led to your nomination — belie such claims." RELATED READS: Ketanji Brown Jackson pledges independence and neutrality in Supreme Court confirmation hearing, Seung Min Kim, Ann E. Marimow and Aaron C. Davis at The Washington Post. It's Jackson's SCOTUS hearing. But GOP can't stop talking about Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Barrett, Jim Saksa and Todd Ruger at CQ Roll Call.
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Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson delivers her opening statement during the first day of her Supreme Court confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C. on March 21, 2022. | Francis Chung/E&E News/POLITICO | | | | | JOIN THURSDAY FOR A CONVERSATION ON CRYPTOCURRENCY AND REGULATION: Cryptocurrency has gone mainstream. With the market now valued at $1.8 trillion, Washington's oversight of the fast-growing industry remains in its infancy. How should Congress and federal agencies shape future regulation of digital asset markets? Join POLITICO in person or virtually for a deep-dive discussion on what's next for crypto, regulation and the future of finance. Programming will run from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. EDT with a reception from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. EDT. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Tuesday, March 22, where there's a stoppage of Senate staff pumping iron (more in Hotdish.) RUSSIAN TRADE MOVES PROVES TRICKY — Is anything more predictable than legislation hitting a Senate speedbump? The House passed a bill to revoke normal trade relations with Russia with just eight nay votes, but that stunning show of unity doesn't mean smooth sailing in the Senate. Republicans in the upper chamber want the legislation to be paired with a separate House-passed bill that would ban Russian oil imports. "The dispute threatens to delay or derail congressional action on an overwhelmingly popular measure designed to punish Russia and deprive its economy of key revenue streams," write Andrew and Burgess. Democratic leaders wanted fast action on the standalone trade bill this week to keep the momentum going on congressional action to help Ukraine and isolate Russia. But even one Republican committed to another course of action can, of course, hold things up. "We are negotiating and my hope is that we will merge the two House bills," Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, said Monday. Much more from Andrew and Burgess: Senate labors to give Biden another win on Ukraine LYING IN STATE — Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Monday that former dean of the House Don Young (R-Alaska) will lie in state in Statuary Hall on March 29. Don't miss this look at how Young's death upends the political landscape in Alaska: After Young's death, Alaska's political world braces for a sea change and an elections marathon, from Nathaniel Herz and James Brooks at The Anchorage Daily News. | | | | A message from SEIU Care is Essential: Home care workers are an essential part of our workforce, but their pay and benefits don't reflect the growing demands of the industry. Chronically low pay is forcing care workers to quit when we need them more than ever.
Inaction is not an option – we need to protect care workers with better pay, benefits, and union rights! Tell the Senate: Invest in care work NOW. | | |
THEY'RE RUNNING— All three octogenarian House Democratic leaders are officially running for reelection, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) – who made his announcement on Monday. "My vision for South Carolina and for this country — you're going to see it on billboards throughout the district — is making America's greatness accessible and affordable for all," he said in Columbia, S.C. after filing for reelection. The three leaders – combined age of 244 years – have said little publicly about their plans to remain in, or vacate, party leadership. (In 2018, Pelosi had committed to just two more terms as speaker as part of a deal to gain the gavel.) Nicholas has more.
MEANWHILE IN MISSOURI — Washington is weighing in on the allegations made by Sheena Greitens, the ex-wife of Republican Senate candidate and former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens that he was physically abusive towards both her and their sons. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) called for Eric Geitens to drop out of the race and told Burgess: "So unfortunately it looks like a pattern to me," Hawley said. "She seems pretty credible to me. You talk about a child with a tooth loose that's bleeding? Come on. That's beyond the pale." AP's Brian Slodysko, Jim Salter and Summer Ballentine reported Monday on her sworn affidavit, which includes anecdotes of physical violence towards their 3-year-old son and behavior so "unstable and coercive" that steps were taken to limit his access to firearms. What does it mean for the crowded GOP Senate primary? Greitens has been in the lead, despite a previous scandal that cost him the governor's office, establishment Republicans working against him and no endorsement (so far) from former President Donald Trump. Natalie Alison and Burgess write that GOP senators are concerned that Greitens could blow their chance to keep what should be a safe Republican seat. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Trump should take "big pause" before endorsing in the race, but stopped short of calling for Greitens to drop out. Natalie Allison and Burgess have more: Greitens allegations spark GOP fears of losing Missouri Senate seat | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO NATIONAL SECURITY DAILY : Keep up with the latest critical developments from Ukraine and across Europe in our daily newsletter, National Security Daily. The Russian invasion of Ukraine could disrupt the established world order and result in a refugee crisis, increased cyberattacks, rising energy costs and additional disruption to global supply chains. Go inside the top national security and foreign-policymaking shops for insight on the global threats faced by the U.S. and its allies and what actions world leaders are taking to address them. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | |
Gym rat memo..."The use of free weights in the Senate Staff Health and Fitness Facility will be suspended during the Supreme Court nomination hearings this week to avoid possible noise disruptions to the hearing room directly below the gym," according to a memo from the Architect of the Capitol's Senate Superintendent. Slamming weights is also just poor gym etiquette, with or without a SCOTUS fight downstairs.
We weren't imagining it… "According to LegiStorm data, House staffers left their jobs at the highest rate in at least two decades," reports Keturah Hetrick, crunching the data from 2021. The turnover rate in the House has been rising since2009 but Hetrick reports that there was a 55 percent jump last year over 2020 exit rates, the highest turnover rate since LegiStorm began collecting salary data in 2001. Some takeaways:
- House Democrats lost workers at a 24 percent higher rate than Republicans, but the top two offices for turnover were in the GOP.
- Late fee? Despite being required by law to publish its own most recent data by Nov. 2021, the Secretary of the Senate has still not published its semiannual report.
QUICK LINKS Ethics advocates say Senate staffers could be breaking rules on stock ownership, from Deirdre Walsh at NPR News Koch Industries' campaign donations questioned after company's decision to remain in Russia, from CNBC TRANSITIONS Where are you moving and grooving to? | | | | A message from SEIU Care is Essential:   | | |
TODAY IN CONGRESS
The House is out The Senate convenes at 10 a.m. and will recess from 12:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. for the weekly caucus lunches. AROUND THE HILL 2:15 p.m. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will have a closed briefing on the Iran nuclear negotiations. | | |
MONDAY'S WINNER: Hunter Pickels correctly answered that Reps. Sonny Bono (R-Calif.) and John Hall (D-N.Y.) both charted Billboard Top 40 pop hits before coming to Capitol Hill. Bono with Cher and Hall as part of Orleans.
TODAY'S QUESTION from previous winner John Palatiello: An iconic Connecticut parkway is named for the member of Congress who was instrumental in its creation. What is the parkway and who was its patron? 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 SEIU Care is Essential: 10,000 people in America turn 65 every single day, and the number of adults 65 and older will double in a few decades. Home care workers have never been more essential, but they continue to be overlooked and denied the compensation and respect they deserve.
Care workers help seniors and people with disabilities live with dignity. But these jobs are severely underpaid, providing a median annual income of just $18,100. Home care workers across the country are demanding racial justice and good union jobs for a workforce primarily made up of Black and Brown women.
It's time for Congress to invest in home care jobs and services for our families. Inaction is not an option. Tell the Senate: Invest in care work NOW. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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