| | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | Presented by Connected Commerce Council | SENATE'S MAN IN THE MIDDLE IS BACK: CLIMATE EDITION — Are bipartisan climate talks the best path forward or a foil for Democrats' final shot at a party-line package stuffed with key party priorities? Tonight: A small group of Senators from both sides of the aisle is set to meet for a second time in two weeks to see if there is any path forward to modernize the nation's approach to energy and combat climate change. But while Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is trying to recruit Republicans for the effort, some Democrats aren't sure it's worth it. There is, after all, a rapidly closing window before the midterms for Democrats to move their legislative agenda — including a party-line package with tax code reforms, provisions to lower prescription drug prices and billions of dollars of investment in curbing carbon emissions. Republicans are dead-set on derailing Dems' last-ditch effort. What Manchin wants: Would Manchin, who tanked the Democrats' last attempt at a robust party-line package, support both a bipartisan energy bill and a Democratic-only tax bill that includes some climate spending? "I'm keeping all options open," he said. (We've heard that one before.) It is not clear that there is the political will to move at least 10 Republican senators to get on board with a bipartisan climate plan, while they try to stifle Democrats' legislative agenda and electoral hopes of keeping Senate control. Bernie's concerns: "What I worry about is doing something that is not significant, and people will say 'We've dealt with climate,'" said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). "My perception is that there are very few Republicans who are prepared to tackle that crisis in a way that's appropriate." Burgess, Anthony and Marianne have much, much more on the shifting calculations on climate legislation in the Senate. | | | | HAPPENING NOW - MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: Go inside the 25th annual Milken Institute Global Conference with our special edition Global Insider newsletter, featuring exclusive coverage and insights from one of the world's most influential gatherings. Stay up to speed with the latest from #MIGlobal, which brings together 3,000 of the world's most powerful leaders and features 700+ speakers representing more than 80 countries. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | |
GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Monday, May 2, where if there's not one more peep about the White House Correspondents Dinner, that's fine with us. Eid Mubarak to all celebrating.
| | | Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) announced last night that he will be isolating in Denver after testing positive for Covid and is experiencing "only minor, cold-like symptoms." That could scramble the Senate schedule for the second week in a row. The disruption to the Democrats' fragile majority could delay action on the nominations of Lisa Cook to the Federal Reserve and Alvaro Bedoya to the Federal Trade Commission. | 
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Speaker Nancy Pelosi shake hands during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, April 30, 2022. Pelosi is the highest-ranking American leader to visit Ukraine since the start of the war, and her visit marks a major show of continuing support for the country's struggle against Russia. | Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP |
PELOSI CODEL IN KYIV — Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Ukraine over the weekend , making her the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the country since the Russian invasion began. She and a small congressional delegation of key House Democrats met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top officials in Kyiv.
"Do not be bullied by bullies," Pelosi said at a news conference in Poland after leaving Ukraine. "If they're making threats, you cannot back down. That's my view of it: that you were there for the fight. And you cannot – you cannot fold to a bully." CODEL manifest: Pelosi was joined by fellow House Democrats including Intelligence Committee Chair Adam B. Schiff (Calif.), Rules Committee Chair Jim McGovern (Mass.), Meeks and Crow. Reps. Barbara Lee (Calif.) and William R. Keating (Mass.). What it means for the money: The trip came just a few days after President Joe Biden unveiled a $33 billion spending package that would provide humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine. While both Republicans and Democrats are aligned on the need to back Ukraine, some GOP members have said they need to dig into the proposal and are expected to push for changes. "There are many components of this bill that require us to move very quickly on. And as the Speaker said, we're negotiating. And that's how democracy works in America." Lee told reporters in Poland. "And so we don't know what the outcome, but we certainly know that we're going to stand with the Ukrainian people and move forward on the security package." RELATED: NPR's Michel Martin spoke with Crow about the Ukraine CODEL; Pelosi Visit to Ukraine Signals Growing U.S. Resolve Against Russia, from The New York Times | | A message from Connected Commerce Council: Small businesses don't have to act small. Digital tools like marketplaces and online fulfillment services help level the playing field for entrepreneurs everywhere. In fact, 87% of small businesses use digital tools to find new customers, while 84% leverage them to sell their products and services. Tech gives small business a huge advantage. Discover all the ways Tech helps drive small business success. | | |
NO PIVOT FOR PROGRESSIVES — House Progressives are taking stock of the last few years, trying to push the Democratic Caucus and Biden's agenda to the left, and aren't yet ready to recalculate their strategies despite the realities of narrow Democratic control and a possible Republican takeover of the House.
"I think the strategy doesn't change," said Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), the group's deputy chair, who added: "Obviously, the more people who are engaged, the more ideas we have, the more momentum we have, the better." Even if Republicans take the House, there's still a good chance of growing the Progressive Caucus thanks to redistricting — which has allowed a new crop of liberals to run in safe, newly-opened Democratic seats without challenging an incumbent. "My back-of-the-envelope math is that the [Democratic] caucus will continue to move to the more progressive side because the base is much more liberal and progressive than it was 10 years ago or 20 years ago," said Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), a member of both the Progressive Caucus and the more centrist New Democrat Coalition. Nicholas has more on the Progressives' prognosis: House progressives not rebooting yet after a year of glitches DEMS' IMMIGRATION CONSTERNATION — What are the prospects of comprehensive immigration legislation moving this year? "Zero," said Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), a lead sponsor of President Joe Biden's signature immigration bill. And yet immigration is dominating conversations on Capitol Hill and the campaign trail, especially in battleground races that will determine control of Congress. "Ending this Congress without immigration reform will be a big letdown for the immigrant community," warned Rep. Chuy García (D-Ill.). "We said that if we could win both chambers and have the White House, that would be the alignment. There is great expectation that this is the moment, and if it doesn't happen, it will be a long wait again." Democrats are split on the Biden administration's decision to end the Trump administration's policy of expelling migrants and denying entry to asylum seekers at the southern border, in the name of Covid safety. But many say that pinpoint issue isn't representative of efforts on broad reform. Marianne, Sarah and Laura Barrón-López dug into the Democrats' divisions and dashed ambitions for immigration legislation.
| | | | INTRODUCING DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER, RE-IMAGINED: Technology is always evolving, and our new tech-obsessed newsletter is too! Digital Future Daily unlocks the most important stories determining the future of technology, from Washington to Silicon Valley and innovation power centers around the world. Readers get an in-depth look at how the next wave of tech will reshape civic and political life, including activism, fundraising, lobbying and legislating. Go inside the minds of the biggest tech players, policymakers and regulators to learn how their decisions affect our lives. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | | ICYMI: NEW CAPITOL COPS, kind of— Starting today, you'll start to see private security officers around the Capitol complex, decked out in "grey dress pants and a navy-blue blazer," rather than the police uniform. They are unarmed and will be stationed inside "secured buildings" and "existing patrol areas." Nicholas has more details and Roll Call first reported the arrival. The Capitol Police union strongly opposed the move to bring in private security back in January and the Capitol Police chief told lawmakers in March that USCP had to move to a new contractor after many contracted guards with the original company couldn't pass background checks. | | |
Fox friend forever…Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.) gave Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) a painting of the fox that bit him a few weeks ago, hand-painted by Murphy.
QUICK LINKS The GOP senator who faulted Trump for Jan. 6 — and lived to tell about it, from Adam Wren in Indianapolis Senate GOP to primary voters: Don't screw it up, from Jordain Carney from The Hill TRANSITIONS Senate Republican Conference Chair John Barasso (R-Wyo.) announced this morning that Katharine Cooksey Noyes is joining the SRC team as communications director, and Andrew King is now digital director. Sophie Delquié is now the senior digital strategist and Taylor McCormick is digital strategist for the SRC. Julian Fleischman is joining the Kyle House Group as policy associate. He previously was senior legislative assistant for Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.).
| | | | A message from Connected Commerce Council:   | | | TODAY IN CONGRESS The House is out. The Senate convenes at 3 p.m. with a vote scheduled for 5:30 p.m. AROUND THE HILL A quiet one to start the week. | | |
FRIDAY'S WINNER: Colby Harriman correctly answered that William Henry Seward was the first sitting Secretary of State to travel abroad. His first trip was to the Danish West Indies (modern-day U.S. Virgin Islands).
TODAY'S QUESTION from Colby: Which president and his wife attended Napoleon's coronation at Notre Dame Cathedral? 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 Connected Commerce Council: Small businesses have a big impact thanks to Tech. E-commerce marketplaces, two-day shipping, and powerful analytics help startups go from dream to reality in just a few clicks. Plus, Tech levels the playing field for small business leaders everywhere — 91% of SMBs say that digital tools are important, if not critical, to the success of their business. Discover all the ways Tech helps drive small business success. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
Comments
Post a Comment