| | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | | | | 
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo | DEMS TRY TO THREAD POLICING NEEDLE — A package of policing and public safety bills that were left for dead more than once in recent months, are headed for House votes today following breakneck closed-door negotiations. The effort was long-delayed by divisions between centrist Democrats who want to blunt Republican attacks blaming Democrats for increasing violent crime and progressives and the Congressional Black Caucus who were invested in police accountability after repeated failures to pass significant law enforcement oversight. But urgent negotiations between Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Congressional Black Caucus Chair Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) yielded an agreement. Today's votes allow House Democrats to squeeze in another legislative benchmark before the midterm elections. Progressive angst: There was the threat of a hiccup last night, when progressive Reps. Jamal Bowman (D-N.Y.) and Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) threatened to not vote for the policing bills unless they get votes on their own measures. Democrats can only lose four votes, so we'll be keeping an eye on other progressives who could vote no. Bowman told Nicholas that he supports law enforcement but remains worried that accountability got crowded out in this deal. "We have to make sure, we have to resurrect everything that was in George Floyd that was lost and to make that part of the conversation," Bowman said, referencing the George Floyd Policing Act. He also raised concerns that a bill from centrist Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) did not go through the committee process, which the other three did. Asked if he was going to vote against the Gottheimer bill, he says "we'll see" But Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), who is a key player in the deal and sponsored one of the bills, isn't worried about today's votes. "We'll be ok," he told Sarah after final votes on Wednesday. "We have plenty of time, there's a lot of progress." Bills, Bills, Bills: The package includes four bills
- Grants for police training and recruitment, especially for local departments with fewer than 125 officers, sponsored by Gottheimer.
- Promoting the deployment of mental health professionals instead of law enforcement for cases involving mental health crises, sponsored by Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.).
- Funding to enhance community violence intervention, sponsored by Horsford.
- Funding for technology investments to help local investigators close unsolved cases, especially gun crimes, sponsored by Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.).
Two bills dropped during final negotiations were proposals from moderate Democratic Reps. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), which POLITICO first reported. Margin maneuvering: With only four votes to spare on the floor, pulling together an agreement on a thorny issue for Democrats is a major feat for leadership and key negotiators. The effort was revived in recent weeks after being left for dead more than once as divisions persisted. Reality check: The package doesn't have the backing of Republicans and has absolutely no prospects in the Senate. But Democrats will still mark passage as a win, because they can talk about it on the campaign trail.
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don't miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY. | | | | | GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, September 22, where it is officially fall. MUTUALLY ASSURED …DELAY? — House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) described on Wednesday a sort of game of chicken playing out with the stopgap spending bill that Congress has just eight days to pass. Asked by Sarah if he wants the House to move first on the continuing resolution, he said: "I don't want to see the House move first, I want to see [the Senate] move first. But if they don't move, we're gonna move." Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), the top GOP appropriator in the Senate, pushed back against some House Republicans, including the Freedom Caucus, pushing for the CR to last into the new Congress instead of the post-election lame duck session. "I think that they ought to do their job now. They're elected to," he told reporters. SCHUMER 2.0 — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) stepped back from his campaign-minded push to move same-sex marriage legislation before the midterms, forgoing the opportunity to squeeze Republicans on a broadly popular issue. Burgess writes that the move surprised both his allies and his critics, but also exemplified a move towards governance instead of scoring political points. When key negotiators Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) told him they knew they could break a filibuster after the election, but possibly not before, he listened. "That's not to say Schumer won't throw a partisan haymaker. But as he leads his 50-member caucus into the midterms, his record as majority leader is coming into sharper relief after four years leading a Democratic minority whose main aim was foiling former President Donald Trump," writes Burgess. More from Burgess: Schumer 2.0: How a surprise same-sex marriage decision explains the Senate leader
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Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) speaks with reporters as he departs a vote at the U.S. Capitol Sept. 21, 2022. (Francis Chung/EENews/POLITICO) | MANCHIN'S BILL — "Sen. Joe Manchin released a bill designed to update the nation's energy permitting rules on Wednesday, setting up the latest round of brinkmanship that will test whether the West Virginian can bend Congress to back his energy policy priorities yet again," writes Josh Siegel. The text released Wednesday is 91 pages and closely resembles leaked summaries that have been circulating. It would direct federal agencies to "take all necessary actions" to issue new permits for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a project delayed by legal setbacks that would deliver West Virginia's natural gas to Virginia and North Carolina. For that, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said he "will do everything I can to oppose it." More from Josh: Manchin sets up new Congress clash with release of energy permitting bill Conscious Uncoupling: Senate progressives want to uncouple the stopgap spending bill and Sen. Joe Manchin's (D-W.Va.) permitting legislation, which could trip up Schumer's vision of packaging the bills together for both leverage and expediency. The move would allow critics of the permitting proposal to vote against it, without endangering must-pass government funding. The group isn't promising to tank a bill that includes both, but they are raising their concerns about the permitting effort. Burgess has more on progressive permitting qualms in the Senate. Senate Republican Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) told Marianne that even with the text out in the open, prospects for the bill are still very unclear. "It's going to depend on what else is on there. If they load it up with all the stuff they talked about loading it up with, it's going to lose a lot of Republicans," he said about the CR. "If they keep it clean, relatively clean, and add Joe's language, then we'll see. Right now there's a lot of permutations of this and until we see what the final product looks like it's kind of hard to predict " What's ahead: Schumer is considering filing cloture today on a motion to proceed to a shell bill, basically a vehicle for a (still not written) stopgap government funding bill. If he moves today, the Senate could reach final passage by next Friday. But this timing isn't final, so stay tuned for moves on the floor.
| | 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. | | | LIV AND LET DIE — Golf legend Greg Norman recieved a bruising reception on Capitol Hill Wednesday in his effort to repair the Saudi-bankrolled LIV Golf series' reputation. He let on that his meeting with the Republican Study Committee, the House GOP's largest caucus, was a hole-in-one. But lawmakers exiting the meeting told Andrew a very different story. "It was basically propaganda. They're just pushing their deal, and I don't care," said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who bailed out early. "Honestly, this shouldn't be taking up our time. This is a conservative organization, and we ought to be dealing with what we've got to deal with in our country, not worried about a bunch of Saudis, a bunch of billionaire oil people. So I'm out." "Don't come in here and act like you're doing some great thing while you're pimping a billion dollars of Saudi Arabian money," lamented Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas). He later met with Norman one-on-one, but maintains a difference of opinion. More meetings: Norman met earlier Wednesday with House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), per a person familiar with the meeting. He also sat down with Manchin as well as Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who leads the congressional golf caucus. Norman recently visited The Greenbrier resort in Manchin's home state and is eyeing it as a potential LIV host for next year. Rep. Mike Carey (R-Ohio) hosted Norman for dinner at the Capital Grille near the Capitol on Tuesday night. Much more on LIV's Capitol blitz: LIV Golf may need a mulligan on Capitol Hill GINNI THOMAS TO TESTIFY — Virginia Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has agreed to a voluntary interview with the Jan. 6 select committee. "I can confirm that Ginni Thomas has agreed to participate in a voluntary interview with the Committee," her attorney Mark Paoletta said in a statement. Nicholas has more. WHAT CHEROKEE ARE OWED — The Cherokee Nation is launching a campaign to get their treaty-mandated delegate to the House seated. They want it to happen before the 117th Congress adjourns in December. A Cherokee delegate was promised in the 1835 Treaty of New Echota and never honored. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. nominated Kim Teehee in 2019 to serve as the tribe's delegate to Congress and she was unanimously confirmed by the Council of the Cherokee Nation. The Cherokee were promised a seat in Congress in exchange for more than 16,000 Cherokee being forcibly relocated from their ancestral lands on The Trail of Tears. The treaty was ratified by the Senate, but never honored. The Cherokee Nation is calling for a hearing in House Rules on seating Teehee.
- Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla): "As a member of the Cherokee Nation, I firmly believe the federal government must honor its trust and treaty responsibilities to Indian Nations. We are only as good as our word," said Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla) in a statement.
- Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.): "Seating Delegate Teehee in Congress would send a powerful message to every tribe that the United States will honor its commitments to both Cherokee and all American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians," said Fernandez, who chairs the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples.
For the first time in 230 years, Congress currently has members who are part of Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities. There are six Indigenous Americans who are representatives in the House.
Catch up on this effort: CRS Report: Legal and Procedural Issues Related to Seating a Cherokee Nation Delegate in the House of Representatives NPR: Cherokee Nation Names First Delegate To Congress, from 2019 REMEMBERING EMMA — A memorial service for Hill staffer Emma Thomson will be held today at 4 p.m. at Capitol Hill Baptist Church at 525 A Street NE, just five blocks or so from the Capitol. Thompson was an aide to Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) and died alongside her boss in a car crash last month. Those wishing to make donations in Emma's memory can do so: Emma Thomson Political Science Scholarship, Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, 216 Franklin St., Suite 400, Johnstown, PA 15901.
| | | | DON'T MISS - MILKEN INSTITUTE ASIA SUMMIT : Go inside the 9th annual Milken Institute Asia Summit, taking place from September 28-30, with a special edition of POLITICO's Global Insider newsletter, featuring exclusive coverage and insights from this important gathering. Stay up to speed with daily updates from the summit, which brings together more than 1,200 of the world's most influential leaders from business, government, finance, technology, and academia. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | | | | | Modernization is golden… The Modernization Staff Associations is hosting a drop-in reception for D.C. staffers in the Rayburn Gold Room today from 3 to 5 p.m. 17 finger select… Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) took home both the judges' top prize and the people's choice award at the Congressional brewing competition last night at Nationals Park. "Between the two of us, we may be three fingers short. But we won two trophies," quipped Rounds on Twitter, a reference to the childhood farm accident that cost Tester three fingers on one of his hands. The barley for the beer was grown on Tester's family farm in Montana. QUICK LINKS Rep. Pete Sessions pressed officials to investigate Dallas County's 2020 election results, by Philip Jankowski at The Dallas Morning News TRANSITIONS Adriana Hidalgo and Matt Weiner have launched the 501(c)(4) Megafire Action. Hidalgo previously was scheduler and special assistant to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Weiner previously was executive director of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation. Ariel (Gordon) Dorsey is now director for innovation and intellectual property for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. She most recently was senior policy adviser for Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.).
| | | | A message from Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l:   | | | TODAY IN CONGRESS The House convenes at 9 a.m. The Senate convenes at 10 a.m. and will resume consideration of a campaign finance bill with two votes scheduled for 11:30 a.m. The Senate will vote again at 1:45 p.m. AROUND THE HILL 9:30 a.m. Reps. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), Cathay Castor (D-Fla.), Mike Levin (D-Calif.) and Troy Carter (D-La.) hold a press conference on the impact of climate-related disasters on youth mental health. (House Triangle) 10:45 a.m. Pelosi holds her weekly press conference. (Studio A)
| | | WEDNESDAY'S WINNER: Luke Wallwork correctly answered that in 1957, Dwight D. Eisenhower flew on a helicopter to the presidential retreat at Camp David and to his farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. TODAY'S QUESTION: Who is the only president whose remains were exhumed to be tested for poisoning? 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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