| | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | Presented by Genentech | With an assist from Nick Niedzwiadek FOUR CORNERS OF A GUN DEAL — How did a centrist, a libral and two conservatives get Congress the closest it's been to gun safety legislation in a generation? "Organically," said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). "Not very dramatic," said Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) But it certainly is remarkable. One day after the massacre in Uvalde, Sinema told reporters she wanted a gun deal with Republicans. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) took note, since Sinema usually makes a point to avoid the press. Sinema made a beeline to the Senate floor to ask Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and GOP Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) which Republicans she should talk to, to get something going. They directed her to Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who's state was rocked by the Uvalde shooting, and Tillis. Murphy and Sinema met within an hour, by the next day all four were in a room. But what made it stick? Burgess and Marianne reconstruct how the group came together and why the group had just the right ingredients to make something work. Meanwhile… Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is getting comfortable: "For myself, I'm comfortable with the framework. And if the legislation ends up reflecting what the framework indicates, I'll be supportive," he said at a press conference yesterday. BURN PIT PROGRESS — The Senate has a cloture vote today on an important bill for military veterans who have been fighting for recognition and justice after being exposed to toxic burn pits during their service. The bill will codify that 23 respiratory illnesses and cancers are related to the smoke from burn pits, which were used to dispose of toxic waste in war zones. The bill would make it easier for the more than 3.5 million veterans who were exposed to toxins while serving to receive disability benefits and medical care. It also provides new benefits for radiation exposure and illnesses linked to Agent Orange exposure in the Vietnam War. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the House-passed version of the bill would total almost $322 billion over the next decade, the Senate version clocks in at about $43 billion less. SCHEDULE SCRAMBLE — The Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has switched its hearings schedule around, scrapping the hearing that was scheduled for today and locking in a meeting Thursday, next Tuesday June 21 and Thursday June 23. None are set to be in primetime, so far.
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Wednesday, June 15, where your Huddle host got a LegBranch markup as a birthday present. SOME PRIMARY RESULTS — They aren't all in, but here are some we spotted this morning.
- SC-07: Trump-endorsed state legislator Russell Fry took down impeachment-backing Republican Rep. Tom Rice in the GOP primary. Fry just cleared the majority threshold to win the nomination outright, while Rice got just one-quarter of the vote.
- SC-01: Rep. Nancy Mace survived her GOP primary, defeating Trump-backed Katie Arrington.
- NV-01: Democratic Rep. Dina Titus defeated progressive challenger Amy Vilela. Mark Robertson led the GOP primary to face her early Wednesday morning.
- ME-02: Former Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R-Maine) will face Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) in a rematch of the race in 2018 when Golden ousted Poliquin from Congress.
- Not a primary, but still special: Republican Mayra Flores won the special election for Texas' 34th District, flipping a Biden +4 seat. Former Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Texas) resigned on March 22 of this year, leaving open the 85 percent Latino district in South Texas.
WHEN I WAS A YOUNG WARTHOG — A proposal to retire A-10 attack jets — and Congress blocking the Air Force from doing so — is a perennial battle on Capitol Hill. But there just might be a (narrow) breakthrough, report Connor O'Brien and Lee Hudson . The House Armed Services Committee's defense policy bill will permit the retirement of 21 A-10 warthogs stationed at Fort Wayne Air National Guard Base in Indiana, according to a House Republican aide familiar with the plans and a second person with knowledge of the discussion. That would clear the way for the Air Force to replace them with F-16 fighters.
| | | | A message from Genentech: Stakeholders across the healthcare system have unique priorities and perspectives on what constitutes value. Current approaches to assessing the value of new and innovative medicines are narrow, often leading to a fragmented view of the full impact medicines deliver to patients, health care providers, payers and society. Learn about Genentech's commitment to building an ideal framework that uses a holistic set of attributes to define the value medicines bring to all stakeholders. | | | LOUDER(MILK) FOR PEOPLE IN THE BACK — Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger sent a letter this week detailing Rep. Barry Loudermilk's (R-Ga.) pre-Jan. 6, 2021 tour, specifically noting that none of the activity Capitol Police observed on Jan. 5 tours qualified as "suspicious" or evidence of "reconnaissance" by would-be rioters. More from Kyle and Nicholas on the ever-changing narrative about this tour. The Wall Street Journal's editorial board is calling for the select committee on Jan. 6 to apologize to Loudermilk. LEG BRANCH ROUNDUP — The House Appropriations Committee marks up the Legislative Branch funding bill in subcommittee this morning, with full committee consideration to follow next week. The $5.7 billion bill dropped yesterday, let's look at some highlights in the $954 million boost:
- MRA Hike: The bill proposes $810 million for lawmakers' basic office budgets, a roughly 5 percent hike.
- Intern pay: The bill would fund a brand new House Intern Resource Office and provide an extra $4.1 million this year, a total of $24.3 million, in specific funding for hiring interns. That would provide member offices with $46,800, dedicated to pay interns, an $11,800 boost over current funding.
- Workplace Rights Office: The bill would increase funding for the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights by $500,000, the amount OCWR estimated it would need to implement the House resolution that will grant nearly 9,100 House staffers the ability to form unions (once the regulations become effective on July 18.)
- Capitol Police: The bill would provide a $105.6 million increase for Capitol Police, for a funding total of $708 million. The increase is intended for hiring more cops, improving training and fulfilling security recommendations made in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
- Busts, busted: The bill includes language to direct the Architect of the Capitol to remove busts and statues of people who "participated in the Confederate Army or government, as well as the statues of white supremacists" including Charles Aycock, John C. Calhoun, and James Paul Clarke and the bust of Roger B. Taney.
| | | | DON'T MISS 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. | | | | | CONTRACTING CONCERNS — It's not video production paradise, say nearly 30 House Democrats. The group sent a letter to the Capitol's Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindor regarding contract workers they say are being paid, on average, a third less than direct employees who do comparable production work for the House, reports Nick Niedzwiadek from our Morning Shift labor newsletter. "We believe that employees who perform the same work under the same conditions should be paid the same rate, whether they are direct employees of the CAO or employees of a contractor," states the letter, led by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Miss.). Workers contracted under Maslow Media Group make $32 per hour, whereas House Recording Studio colleagues make $49 hourly to also produce video content, according to the letter. The lawmakers also raised concerns that these workers lack the benefits, including access to Covid vaccines, available to their Capitol-employed colleagues. The letter writers are asking for the contract to be reworked to address such concerns. Read the letter. | | | Vote no, tout the dough… Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) just snagged second place in the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee's competition to promote the bipartisan infrastructure law and earmarks brought home. She hosted 24 events touting the Democrats' policy wins… Despite voting against the infrastructure bill she's touting. (Tlaib objected to the infrastructure bill being split from social spending, warning that the second measure would get stuck. Which is what happened.) QUICK LINKS Herschel Walker Says He's a Model Dad. He Has a Secret Son, by The Daily Beast's Roger Sollenberger TRANSITIONS Stephanie Parks is joining Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) office as senior advisor focusing on health care policy. Parks was previously Health Subcommittee staff director for Ways and Means Republicans and policy advisor for then-Speaker Paul Ryan. Reginald Belon is joining the Commerce Department as a scheduler. He previously was director of operations for Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.). Noah Sadlier starts as communications director for Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.) today. He previously worked off the Hill at Flexpoint Media. Armita Pedramrazi has been promoted to be chief of staff for Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.). She previously served as legislative director and deputy chief of staff for Rep. Scanlon. | | | | A message from Genentech:   | | |
TODAY IN CONGRESS
The House convenes at 10 am for morning hour debate and noon for legislative business. The Senate convenes at 10 a.m. with two votes at 11:45 a.m. and two votes at 5:15 p.m. AROUND THE HILL 9:30 a.m. Senate Appropriations Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee hearing on the fiscal 2023 budget for the Labor Department. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh testifies (Dirksen 138). 11 a.m. House Appropriations Legislative Branch Subcommittee markup of the panel's draft fiscal 2023 appropriations bill (Rayburn 2359). Noon Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) hold a press conference on Jan. 6 trials and DC jail treatment (House Triangle). 2 p.m. Rep. GT Thompson (R-Pa.) and GOP members of the Agriculture Committee hold a press conference on the Republican's agriculture plan (Access thru HVC-117). 3 p.m. Rep. Troy A. Carter (D-La.) holds a press conference on Louisiana's redistricting session (House Triangle). | | |
TUESDAY'S WINNER: C. Conley Lowrance III (yes, the same guy as yesterday) once again answered correctly that just three days after the first television broadcast of the House, President Harry Truman delivered the first televised State of the Union Address.
TODAY'S QUESTION from Conley: In July 1948, Congress met for an 11-day special session and passed legislation aimed at inflation and housing. What was this session known as? 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 Genentech: As our healthcare system evolves it is imperative for us to consider what value medicines bring to patients, health care providers, payers and society. However, healthcare stakeholders often have a range of unique and differing perspectives on value. When it comes to defining, measuring and communicating the value of medicines, we need a framework that uses a more holistic set of attributes that are transparent and meaningful to all stakeholders. It is essential that we look more closely at the full range of benefits medicines offer and help ensure those benefits are incorporated into decisions about drug development, pricing, payer coverage and regulatory actions. Learn more about how Genentech is working to help all stakeholders fully understand a treatment's total impact to ensure we get the right treatments to the right patients. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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