| | | | |  | | By Nicholas Wu | | | With help from Burgess Everett, Kyle Cheney and Katherine Tully-McManus
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Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), seen in a Sept. 28, 2021, file photo, is the incoming chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and one of several new leaders of House Democratic subgroups. | John Locher/AP Photo | CAUCUS CHANGES — It's not just House Democrats as a whole who are passing the torch this week. Key groups within the caucus are also holding their own elections — including the Congressional Black Caucus, which makes up a powerful voting bloc and is marking over 50 years as the "conscience of the Congress." Even as House Democrats prepare to enter the minority, these groups are going to continue to play a major role as potential deal-makers in the narrowly divided chamber. Your fill-in Huddle host caught up with the CBC's newly-elected chair, Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), who said the group's priorities next year would include defending democracy and the right to vote and addressing "social and racial inequities that continue to persist." "The agenda of the CBC is the agenda of its members and the more than 40 million constituents that we serve across the country — 17 million black constituents — and the issues that come up from those communities that we serve," he said. One question going into a Republican majority: Would the CBC consider taking GOP members? Republican applications are somewhat of a perennial issue for affinity-based groups like the CBC, some of whom don't explicitly bar Republicans but abide by a shared set of values that often ends up excluding them anyway. "There's nothing in our bylaws [preventing it], and we previously had members from the other side if they chose to seek out membership. That's something we'll absolutely consider," he said. Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) was once a member , for example. The CBC isn't the only group passing the torch. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is likely to have its elections on Dec. 15. Their current head, Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.), is term-limited out, and Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.) is the only declared candidate for chair. On the left side: The Congressional Progressive Caucus has its elections scheduled for Dec. 6. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) is the only announced candidate for chair so far, and it would be her final term if she's re-elected due to caucus term limits. New Dems, new leader: The centrist New Democrat Coalition also elected a new leader, Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.), who beat Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) 51-45 in their Thursday afternoon elections. She told reporters she would focus on "wins for members" in the new Congress given the slim Republican majority, potentially through President Joe Biden's administration or with bipartisan legislation. "New Dems are going to be really critically important because we're a bloc of almost 100 votes, and we're the ones I call the 'can-do caucus.' We're the ones that will work with the Republicans and find bipartisan solutions whenever there's an opportunity," she said. And her assessment of this week's caucus-wide leadership elections? "Democrats are in array!"
| | | | A message from the Association of American Railroads: Freight rail employees enjoy total compensation that ranks in the top 10% of all U.S. industries —and that's before the 24% pay raise in the negotiated labor agreement, which has been ratified by a majority of the unions. Learn more about the agreement that charts a better, stronger future for our employees and industry, and the economy. | | | FIRST IN HUDDLE : Hill veteran Adam Jentleson will join Sen.-elect John Fetterman as his chief of staff, giving the Pennsylvania Democrat an experienced hand as he assumes office, Burgess reports. Jentleson has been advising Fetterman on his transition and prior to that served for years with former Sen. Harry Reid, culminating in a role as deputy chief of staff for the Democratic leader. Since Reid left office, Jentleson has been involved closely in progressive politics and even launched a super PAC earlier this year that played in the Montgomery County, Md., executive race. GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Friday, Dec. 2, where Nick is (temporarily) taking the helm while KTM is out for the day. Hit me up on Twitter at @nicholaswu12 . ADMIN MACHINATIONS: With House Administration Committee chair Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) seeking the top Democratic spot on the Science, Space and Technology Committee, it opens up a spot for another Democrat to seek her perch on what has traditionally been an under-the-radar panel. As it turns out, a person familiar with the situation relays that Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) is interested in the job, whose jurisdiction over federal elections and Capitol matters has grown increasingly fraught since the Jan. 6 insurrection. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who's also already on the Administration Committee and has been floated for its top spot, is currently seeking the top Dem spot on the Oversight Committee. For now, he's sticking with the Oversight race against Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.). WHO'S THAT PLAINTIFF? In May, a secretive LLC called "GoSolar" filed suit against T-Mobile, seeking to prevent the phone company from turning over records to the Jan. 6 select committee. The lawyers representing GoSolar have declined for months to identify who is behind the company. Recent court filings in a low-profile Jan. 6 criminal case finally provided the answer: It's owned by the mother of a man who took part in the Capitol riot, Jonas Buxton of Missouri, who pleaded guilty and faces sentencing Friday, Kyle reports. His mother, Cindy Baier, wrote a letter on his behalf that was filed along with sentencing documents by Buxton's defense team just before Thanksgiving. The accompanying sentencing recommendation filed by Buxton's team notes that Baier's maiden name is "Farrar." Missouri business filings indicate that Cynthia Farrar and Gordon Baier are the owners and operators of a GoSolar LLC based in the same area outside St. Louis where Buxton resides. Those details suggest that Buxton is on a cell phone plan with members of his family, whose account is registered via the GoSolar LLC. The Jan. 6 select committee cast a wide net with subpoenas for phone records, looking for any possible connection between individual rioters and people in Donald Trump's orbit. It's unclear if the committee has discovered any. Related legal news: "Appeals court rejects Trump lawsuit in Mar-a-Lago documents case ," by Josh and Kyle
| | | | POLITICO APP USERS: UPGRADE YOUR APP BY DECEMBER 19! We recently upgraded the POLITICO app with a fresh look and improved features for easier access to POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Starting December 19, users will no longer have access to the previous version of the app. Update your app today to stay on top of essential political news, insights, and analysis from the best journalists in the business. UPDATE iOS APP – UPDATE ANDROID APP . | | | | | PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS ON THE ROCKS: A top bill to shore up the nation's defenses against future pandemics is threatened by the end-of-year congressional pile-up, Alice Miranda Ollstein reports . The legislation would enact a raft of policies including starting a legislative task force to investigate Covid-19, establishing a White House office for pandemic preparedness, and revamping other related programs. It's got bipartisan support and is backed by both the Democratic chair and Republican ranking member of the Senate HELP committee, but lawmakers are increasingly skeptical they'll be able to get it into law. "Not much is happening on it," Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) said Thursday. "We need Henry Kissinger to get in here and put the pieces together on this triangular diplomacy." The solution would be classic Congress: a punt to next year. Some lawmakers are considering attaching the legislation to another piece of legislation that has to come up next year to reauthorize biosecurity and public health programs. But that would mean passing a Republican-held House, which isn't a sure thing. 2024 WATCH: Michigan is poised to replace Iowa among Democrats' early nominating states in presidential primaries after Biden called on Democrats to revise their primary calendar, Jonathan Martin and Elena Schneider report . It's been a goal of Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), who'd made a previous push for Michigan to move up ahead of the 2008 primary along with then-Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.). Your fill-in Huddle host, a native Michigander, has many thoughts. In related 2024 news: "Haley, Pence and other potential '24 candidates buff up their dark money groups," by Hailey Fuchs
| | | | A message from the Association of American Railroads:   | | | DECISION TIME FOR THE JAN. 6 COMMITTEE — The select panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection has what could be a crucial meeting Friday morning as they wind down their investigative work and prep their final report. Among their agenda items are decisions on criminal referrals, chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) told a small group of reporters last night: "We'll discuss it." There's a subpanel of the committee currently led by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) that's expected to present recommendations on how to handle the referrals and Republican lawmakers who decided to snub the panel's subpoenas. Thompson told reporters there are three potential options for the Republican lawmakers: They could be referred to the House Ethics Committee, held in contempt of Congress like other recalcitrant witnesses, or left alone. HOYER HOTDISH — There'd been some speculation that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) might have tried staying in House Democrats' leadership in the minority, perhaps running for the No. 2 position of whip. But he ended up deciding against it. The New York Times' Annie Karni has a wide-ranging interview with Hoyer about his tenure in leadership over two decades and his decision to step aside. "The minority whip is a very nice office, it's a very nice title, but all you're doing is what the majority leader tells you," Hoyer told the New York Times. "I've been re-elected 10 times. If you're a good leader, you know when there's a time to go or to stay." And it's sounding like he's ready to move on to the next stage of his life and his career, too: "I have a great family, I have a great relationship that I'm in, it's a good time," he said. "Think of the responsibility I no longer have!" Spotted: Hoyer attending last night's White House state dinner with longtime Democratic strategist and Brookings fellow Elaine Kamarck ALL EYES ON GEORGIA: Early voting in Georgia for the runoff election between Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Republican Herschel Walker is looking robust, reports the Wall Street Journal's Cameron McWhirter. But it sounds like voters are also getting fatigued by the constant barrage of ads. 54-year-old Gary Esslinger, of Covington, Ga., told the newspaper "it's getting old" and that he'd blocked email and text ads and added an ad-blocker on YouTube. Gabriel Sterling, a top deputy to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, tweeted Thursday evening that 293,795 people voted that day. He estimated over 1.8 million people will have voted before Tuesday's runoff. Warnock holds a slim lead over Walker, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS out Friday. 52% of likely voters backed Warnock to 48% picking Walker. CNN's Jennifer Agiesta and Ariel Edwards-Levy write that independents, a relatively small fraction of likely voters, are breaking towards Warnock. Negative views of Walker, with a majority saying they feel he is not honest and trustworthy, might be dragging him down in the polls.
| | | | GO INSIDE THE MILKEN INSTITUTE FUTURE OF HEALTH SUMMIT: POLITICO is featuring a special edition of our "Future Pulse" newsletter at the 2022 Milken Institute Future of Health Summit from Dec. 6 to 8. The newsletter takes readers inside one of the most influential gatherings of health industry leaders and innovators solving the biggest global health issues to ensure a healthier, more resilient future for all. SUBSCRIBE TODAY TO RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE . | | | | | | | | OFFICE LOTTERY MADNESS: It is one of the most strange and delightful congressional traditions: freshman office lottery day! Each newly elected House member will take their chances, picking a numbered chip as they're called by their last names in alphabetical order. The traditional room lottery draw is run by the House Superintendent's Office under the Architect of the Capitol, and the drawing will kick off at 8 a.m. this morning. The chip number corresponds to the order in which they can choose an office. Expect cheers, groans, good luck charms and some dancing. Seriously, Katherine has seen it all on lottery day: rosaries, lucky push-ups, anxious gyrations and lots of prayers. Members-elect will then scatter across the House office buildings to size up the available real estate before making their selections. Who will get the corner office and who will be left to toil in the badlands? Note to freshmen: Don't get your hopes up for a view of the Capitol dome. Flashback Friday: "No cheers or jeers at the mostly virtual House office lottery," by Katherine Tully-McManus
|  | Quick Links | | Ways and Means chairman coy about path ahead for Trump taxes by Roll Call's Ellyn Ferguson Pennsylvania Republicans reconsider their war on mail voting by Holly Otterbein Freight rail strike averted, after frenzied negotiations by Alex Daugherty, Burgess, Tanya Snyder and Nick Niezwiadek GOP tension builds over House speaker race as McCarthy and critics prep for floor fight by CNN's Melanie Zanona and Manu Raju
| | TRANSITIONS | | Former Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.) is now an SVP in Ervin Graves Strategy Group's government relations practice. He most recently ran for Arizona governor and was VP for government affairs at Arizona State University. Jordan Evich is now a principal and appropriations practice lead at Monument Strategies. He previously was deputy chief of staff for Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) Kim Devlin is now managing director at Actum's New York office. She previously was managing director at Mercury Public Affairs, and is a Tom Suozzi alum.
| | TODAY IN CONGRESS | | The House meets at 9 a.m. for legislative business. The Senate is out.
| | AROUND THE HILL | | 9 a.m. New Democrats hold a press conference celebrating the newly elected New Democrat Coalition leadership team and freshmen members
| | | THURSDAY'S WINNER: Taylor Newman was the first to correctly answer that then-Rep. Mike Crapo was the sitting member of Congress who served as the first official "freshman liaison" to the leadership of the House GOP Conference back in the 103rd Congress. TODAY'S QUESTION from Ally Mutnick : Which vice presidents succeeded the four presidents who were assassinated? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answers to nwu@politico.com. GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning. Follow Nick on Twitter @nicholaswu12
| | | | A message from the Association of American Railroads: Today, the average unionized freight rail employee earns $126,000 per year in total compensation that includes best-in-class healthcare coverage and substantial sickness benefits. On top of providing pay and benefits that rank in the top 10% of all U.S. industries, railroads remain committed to being a leader in union jobs. The tentative labor agreements will boost our already excellent wages by a total of 24%, bringing average annual compensation up to a projected $160,000, and will provide employees an average payout of $16,000 once ratified. The negotiated contracts have now been ratified by a majority of railroad unions. See how the agreements reward workers for the vital role they play in America's supply chain and build on railroads' proud tradition of providing stronger compensation packages than comparable industries. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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