| | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | | | SPENDY SEPTEMBER — With just a handful of legislative days left before the new fiscal year, negotiations over the stopgap spending bill needed to avert a government shutdown are picking up steam. Over the weekend, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) reemphasized his commitment to another aid package for Ukraine. "I will be pushing for at least $12 billion in aid for Ukraine in the budget so they can continue to win the war effort," he told reporters in Manhattan on Sunday. Senate Republicans have said in recent days that they could stomach additional aid for Ukraine to keep the momentum against the Russians going, but House Republicans are chillier about another injection of funding from the U.S. Watch the weather: Is emergency and disaster funding in the air? Over the weekend Alaska was lashed by a historic typhoon that has left more than 1,000 miles of coastline grappling with massive floods, washed out roads and power outages. And President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico as the island was pummeled over the weekend by Hurricane Fiona. The move activates the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to run disaster relief efforts. These natural disasters follow catastrophic flooding in Kentucky in recent weeks and raging wildfires across the West. Disaster aid funding for regional crises following natural disasters can hitch a ride on whatever spending vehicle is on the move, if enough lawmakers sign on. We're keeping an eye out to see if this weekend's storms change the calculation. Covid aid: President Biden may have torpedoed his own request for another $22 billion to combat the coronavirus pandemic for vaccines, testing, and treatments. In an interview that aired last night on 60 Minutes, he made a declaration: "The pandemic is over. We still have a problem with Covid. We're still doing a lot of work on it. It's -- but the pandemic is over." The covid funding was already a tough sell for Republicans in Congress who have little interest in ad-ons beyond Ukraine aid to the stopgap spending bill. Biden's comments will make the Democrats' pitch even harder.
| | | | JOIN THURSDAY FOR A GLOBAL INSIDER INTERVIEW : From climate change to public health emergencies and a gloomy global economic outlook, the world continues to deal with overlapping crises. How do we best confront all of these issues? Join POLITICO Live on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 10:30 a.m. EDT for a virtual conversation with Global Insider author Ryan Heath, featuring World Bank President David Malpass, to explore what it will take to restore global stability and avoid a prolonged recession. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Monday, September 19, where Union Jacks still fly along Pennsylvania Ave in honor of Queen Elizabeth II, whose funeral is underway in London. RASKIN'S BIG BID — Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) has the national profile and big investigations on his resume. But, as Jordain reports this morning, the 59-year-old Maryland Democrat may be seen as too junior to snag the key committee spot he wants next year: House Oversight. He's not alone. Seventy-two-year-old Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and 67-year-old Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) both outrank him on the panel. Early jockeying has begun and Raskin has lined up a whole whip operation. In the House Democratic Caucus, seniority rules, though it is not an official rule. House Dems do tend to rely on seniority for coveted positions like Oversight, which could make Raskin's bid a gamble. Raskin's pitch for himself? "I think that this will be a judgment of the caucus about the character of the times that we're in and whose particular experience and preparation is most indicated by the times," Raskin told Jordain in an interview. Jordain has more, including on the more senior candidates, how the midterms could scramble the selection and what the top job looks like in the minority: He's a Dem investigative champ. That doesn't guarantee a promotion. ELECTORAL COUNT ACTION — The House and Senate have different ways they want to change the 135-year-old law that governs the transition of presidential power. Both proposals could see action this week House: Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) dropped an op-ed last night touting their own proposal for overhauling the Electoral Count Act, clarifying the role of the vice president in the electoral count process and holding governors to account for submitting lawful election results to Congress. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said on the floor Thursday's that the House could take up the Lofgren/Cheney ECA overhaul this week. The House Rules Committee has a meeting on the bill lined up tomorrow. Read the WSJ Op-Ed. Senate markup: The Senate Rules Committee marks up a bipartisan proposal a week from Tuesday. The bill is the fruit of months of closed-door negotiations, led by Republican Susan Collins (Maine) and Democrat Joe Manchin (W.Va.). The Senate Rules Committee held a hearing the first week of August on the legislation.
| | A message from Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l: The pilot shortage isn't real, but the threat to passenger safety is. Some airlines are threatening service reductions unless the FAA agrees to reduced pilot training. They claim there aren't enough pilots so they want to lower the bar on safety. But we have more than enough pilots - 1.5 certified pilots for every one we need on the job. Learn why there's no pilot shortage and no excuse for airlines to cut passenger safety. | | |
WARNOCK IN THEIR SIGHTS — Republicans need to tear down Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) if they're going to unseat him in November. It's a tall order to make the pastor of Martin Luther King Jr.'s home church look like any old slimy politician, but the GOP is trying, Natalie Allison and Burgess report this morning . One major target: money, money, money.
"Warnock's opponents are zeroing in on a unique $7,400 monthly housing allowance he receives as pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church. The stipend amounts to nearly $90,000 in income that appears to far exceed his housing costs back home, money that's exempt from income taxes." Warnock says he has "followed all the appropriate processes" and his staff have cleared the housing stipend arrangement with the Senate Ethics Committee. PELOSI DIPLOMACY — Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) landed in Armenia this weekend amid a fragile cease-fire that has paused border fighting with Azerbaijan that killed more than 200 soldiers in recent days. Pelosi strongly condemned the attacks by Azerbaijan as "illegal and deadly." Pelosi, along with Reps. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) and Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), co-chairs of the Congressional Armenian Issues Caucus, and Rep. Anna Eschoo (D-Calif.) visited Yerevan, the capital of Armenia and met Sunday with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, whom Pelosi described as "a valued partner in advancing security, prosperity and democracy in the Caucasus region." Speier is of Armenian descent, and Eshoo is of Armenian Assyrian descent. The CODEL was planned before deadly clashes erupted on Sept. 12 along the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia, a long-disputed territory that is part of a decades-long conflict. Pelosi's visit makes her the highest ranking U.S. official to visit Armenia since the country's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. "The democracy in Armenia is a value to the world, a joy to the world," Pelosi said. "We have to enlarge the issue though ... What does security in Armenia mean to regional and global security? What does democracy in Armenia mean to end the fight between democracy and autocracy which is going on in the world now? In both cases, it means a great deal." LIV FREE OR DIE — LIV Golf's CEO heads to Capitol Hill this week, reports Daniel Lippman. The golf tournament has faced criticism of its ties to Saudi Arabia, including from families of 9/11 victims. "LIV Golf is coming to the Hill this week to meet with lawmakers from both parties," spokesperson Jonathan Grella told our friends at Playbook. "Given the PGA Tour's attempts to stifle our progress in reimagining the game, we think it's imperative to educate members on LIV's business model and counter the Tour's anti-competitive efforts." Catch up on LIV's foray into lobbying: LIV golf lobbies up, from Hailey Fuchs PARDON ME? — Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) asked then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows for Trump to consider a preemptive pardon, according to testimony given to the Jan. 6 select committee. The Washington Post reported that former Trump personal aide Johnny McEntee told the Jan. 6 panel that Gaetz requested a preemptive pardon from President Donald Trump in the sex-trafficking investigation that has involved him. (Gaetz did not end up receiving a pardon from Trump.)
| | | | Join POLITICO Live on Tuesday, Sept. 20 to dive into how federal regulators, members of Congress, and the White House are seeking to write the rules on digital currencies, including stablecoins. The panel will also cover the tax implications of crypto, which could be an impediment to broader adoption and the geopolitical factors that the U.S. is considering as it begins to draw regulatory frameworks for crypto. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | |
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) has mild symptoms and has tested positive for Covid.
| | | Kaine takes the stage… Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) played harmonica onstage with Willie Nelson and the Avett Brothers at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Lawmakers v Lobbyists… House members face off tonight against lobbyists in the 22nd Annual Congressional Basketball Game at Gallaudet University. It is a mostly Republican affair, with Reps. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) and Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) as the only Democrats on the roster, which includes Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and GOP Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.). QUICK LINKS Why we may not know who won the Senate on Election Day, by Zach Montellaro What good is 16 weeks in Congress? Mary Peltola is about to show us, from Dan Zak at The Washington Post Republicans in key battleground races refuse to say they will accept results , from Amy Gardner, Hannah Knowles, Colby Itkowitz and Annie Linskey at The Washington Post TRANSITIONS Benjamin Bryant is now comms director of American University's Sine Institute of Policy and Politics. He most recently was comms director for Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.) and is a Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) alum. John Sansone is now deputy scheduler for Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). He is a former intern for Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). Lacy Nelson is now director of comms for Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service. She most recently was comms director for Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.).
| | | | A message from Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l:   | | | 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 3 p.m. to resume consideration of the nomination of Florence Pan to be U.S. Circuit Judge for D.C., with a cloture vote on the nomination scheduled for 5:30 p.m. AROUND THE HILL 2 p.m. House Rules Committee meets to consider a bill that would authorize federal direct consolidation loan borrowers to separate joint consolidation loans. (H-313)
| | | FRIDAY'S WINNER: Joseph correctly answered that Sen. Alva M. Lumpkin served just 10 days after being appointed to fill the vacancy created by James F. Byrnes's 1941 appointment to the Supreme Court. TODAY'S QUESTION: Which House rule, since changed, did the House suspend for Queen Elizabeth II's speech to Congress in 1991? 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 Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l: Airline efforts to reduce pilot training undermine Congress' intent to improve passenger safety. Regional airlines are threatening to cut service to smaller cities unless they can reduce the number of hours pilots spend training and gaining experience. But pilot training and experience is essential to passenger safety. Air travel fatalities have dropped 99.8% since Congress established these standards in 2010. Carriers like Republic Airways and SkyWest Airlines that say higher safety standards are just too costly and slow the pipeline of potential pilots have their priorities wrong. We can't compromise passenger safety to increase airline profits. Get the facts about pilot supply and learn why passenger safety is at risk. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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