| | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | | | With an assist from Daniella Diaz
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House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) is ready to roll with a balloon resolution. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | NOT UP IN THE AIR — The House will vote as soon as today on a resolution to condemn China’s use of a spy balloon in American airspace, but the measure introduced by House Foreign Affairs committee Michael McCaul (R-Texas) is completely nonbinding and won’t have any legislative effect. McCaul touted the resolution as bipartisan on Wednesday, but no Democrats are listed among the original cosponsors. The measure will be taken up “under suspension of the rules,” which means it needs a two-thirds majority to be adopted, a signal that McCaul is confident about broad bipartisan support for the proposal. “Why wasn't it shut down when it first invaded U.S. airspace?” McCaul asked reporters about the balloon Wednesday. “I really wanted this to be bipartisan because it would send a terrible signal to China if we are divided on this. We have to be united on this issue against China and China, we don't want to play into their hands, they would love to see political division in Washington.” Ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs committee Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) told POLITICO he’s optimistic House lawmakers will be united on the issue. “I've had some decent conversations with Mike McCaul and I think that we see things similar. There still are some differences. But I think that generally we see it the same in that regard,” he said. BIG BRIEFINGS — Rank and file lawmakers in both chambers will finally have a chance to ask their questions to administration, intelligence and defense officials at two briefings this morning. Get ready to rise and shine: The House briefing will kick off at 8 a.m. and the Senate will be clued in starting at 11:30 a.m. Here’s who will be briefing: Office of the Director of National Intelligence: Morgan Muir, deputy director for mission integration Department of Defense: Colin Kahl, undersecretary of Defense for policy; Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Sims, director of operations, Joint Staff; Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander, United States Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command State Department: Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman Hearings hit cruising altitude: Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) will launch the first public hearing on the balloon today, with Pentagon officials set to testify. Tester chairs the Senate’s defense spending panel and was furious about the balloon’s ride over his home state. The Pentagon’s Asia policy chief, Ely Ratner, is set to testify at Senate Foreign Relations today, also for a hearing focused on U.S.-China policy. RELATED READS: Balloon was part of wider Chinese snooping effort, Pentagon says, from Connor O’Brien
| | A message from Humana: 30 million people choose Medicare Advantage. With Medicare Advantage, members can see better health outcomes at lower costs. That’s one of the reasons why nearly half of the total Medicare population chooses Medicare Advantage. Learn more. | | | GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Wednesday, Feb. 9, where balloon buzz is real. FETTERMAN HOSPITALIZED — Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) was hospitalized Wednesday and kept overnight for observation. After feeling faint at the end of the Senate Democrats’ retreat, Fetterman headed to George Washington University Hospital. “Initial tests did not show evidence of a new stroke,” according to a statement from his team, but more tests are being run. “He is in good spirits and talking with his staff and family.” MANCHIN METER: MAD AS HELL — Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is mad as hell about how President Joe Biden and his administration are implementing the sweeping tax, climate and health care law that was largely shaped by the two men. Manchin and Biden met at the White House on Jan. 3 to talk through the rollout, but it did little to alleviate Manchin’s frustrations, especially with a delay in new guidelines on who gets the law’s generous electric vehicle tax credits. “They almost act like they gotta send $7,500 or a person won’t buy a car. Which is crazy, ludicrous thinking for the federal government,” Manchin said in an interview with Burgess. “I just totally and absolutely am disagreeing with what they're doing.” Wednesday’s pitch: Manchin was in lobbying mode again at Wednesday’s Senate Democratic retreat, where he handed out a summary of his thoughts on the portion of the bill he’s talking up the most: a requirement for new sales of new sales of oil and gas leases. Manchin credits those provisions with putting the U.S. on track to energy independence. “This is bullshit. So they're gonna basically starve us out of energy that we have a tremendous, abundant supply of because of their aspirational thoughts?” Manchin said of fellow Democrats looking to rapidly transition away from fossil fuels. “I will continue to fight and I'll do everything I can to make sure the public knows what they're doing and what it will do to you and your economy and your lifestyle.”
| | | | JOIN POLITICO ON 2/9 TO HEAR FROM AMERICA’S GOVERNORS: In a divided Congress, more legislative and policy enforcement will shift to the states, meaning governors will take a leading role in setting the agenda for the nation. Join POLITICO on Thursday, Feb. 9 at World Wide Technology's D.C. Innovation Center for The Fifty: America's Governors, presented by Cisco, where we will examine where innovations are taking shape and new regulatory red lines, the future of reproductive health, and how climate change is being addressed across a series of one-on-one interviews. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | THURSDAY ON FOX — Well, a Thursday hearing packed with Fox News contributors. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who recently left the Democratic Party, and former FBI agent Nicole Parker — both now employed as Fox News contributors — will testify at the first ever hearing on the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. Also on the witness list are Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, plus constitutional lawyer Jonathan Turley and another former FBI official, Thomas Baker. “Republicans appear poised to use the moment — and the significant audience it’s likely to draw — to amplify a long list of perceived slights, all of them linked to a thesis underlying much of the House GOP investigative agenda: that Democrats have deployed powers of the federal government against conservatives. That claim has taken root in conservative circles despite dubious supporting evidence,” write Jordain and Kyle this morning. ARCHITECT UNDER FIRE — Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton will face lawmakers with oversight of his job for the first time since a searing report accused him of misusing resources and masquerading as an off-duty cop. Today’s House Administration Committee hearing is billed as focusing on his agency’s strategic plan to keep the Capitol complex running. But members of Congress with power over his office will be digging into Blanton’s misconduct. “I can assure you that accountability starts today,” House Administration chair Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) plans to say, according to a copy of his opening statement obtained by POLITICO. Your Huddle host and Jordain have more on this morning’s AOC action. FIRST IN HUDDLE: VETERANS BILL — Democratic Rep. Mike Levin (Calif.) and GOP Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.) will introduce a bill today that would authorize $50 million to be appropriated annually for the Commitment to Veteran Support and Outreach Act, to grant funding at the Department of Veterans Affairs for county-level veterans’ service officers. It also authorizes VA to hire two or more full-time equivalent employees in its Office of General Counsel to manage the increased accreditation workload. Read the bill text.
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House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) declares the committee to be in recess due to a power outage that interrupted a hearing on social-media bias on Capitol Hill Feb. 8, 2023. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | Francis Chung/POLITICO | BLACKOUT — The lights abruptly went out Wednesday at the House Oversight Committee hearing with former Twitter employees, part of House Republicans' inquiry into the Biden family. The power went out in a section of the Rayburn House Office Building, leaving offices and hearing rooms in the dark. “I apologize. We’ve never had this happen. The electricity went out,” said Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), who chairs the panel. Watch the moment things went dark. For more substance of the hearing, which did eventually resume, Jordain and Rebecca Kern were there. Things were … spicy. SPEAKING OF SPICY… Lawmakers let loose Wednesday night at The Washington Press Club Foundation’s 77th annual congressional dinner, where Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) headlined. Mace pushed boundaries to get the biggest laughs, while Warnock played it safer but brought the crowd pleasing charm he’s honed at the pulpit.
- Mace on McCarthy: “Did you watch McCarthy during the speaker vote? I haven’t seen someone assume that many positions to appease crazy Republicans since Stormy Daniels.”
- Mace on Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.): “He’s 25 years old. Fuck you. I have stretch marks your age.”... “Maxwell Frost should be a unit of measure. Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi are four Maxwell Frosts years old.”
- Warnock on the venue: “Since the pastor is closing, I guess this is the benediction. In fact, considering we’re in what used to be the Trump International Hotel, I guess we can call this an exorcism.”
- Mace on Republicans: “I know everyone thinks Republicans aren’t funny. But if you get a bunch of us together, we can be a real riot.”
- Warnock, wrapping up: “Thanks again for having me. If you liked what you heard, my name is Raphael Warnock. If you didn’t, I’m Senator Tim Scott.”
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | | | | Listen up… The House Digital Service team wants to hear from staffers in “an open forum for you to share the office problems you’re facing and any ideas you may have for future projects.” All House staff and interns are welcome today 3 to 4 p.m. in Rayburn 2318. QUICK LINKS Hawley’s departure from Armed Services draws speculation, from Mark Satter at CQ Roll Call Federal official warns $191 billion in covid unemployment aid may have been misspent, from Tony Romm at The Washington Post McCarthy brings in record haul at first fundraiser since becoming Speaker, from Hailey Fuchs TRANSITIONS Lauren Friedel will be a partner at Tarplin, Downs & Young, LLC. She was previously clerk and GOP staff director for the Senate Appropriations Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee and is a Richard Shelby alum. Anne Feldman is now senior adviser at HHS. She previously was deputy comms director for Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), and is a Jason Crow alum. MaryAsa England is now press secretary for Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). She most recently was comms adviser/digital comms manager for Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and is a Senate Commerce alum. Macarena Martinez is joining Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) office as Texas comms adviser. She most recently was Texas comms director for the RNC, and is a Trump campaign alum. Carrie Cole is now comms director for Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.). She most recently was press secretary for former Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.). TODAY IN CONGRESS The House convenes at 9 a.m. for legislative business. The Senate convenes at 10 a.m. AROUND THE HILL 10:30 a.m. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) holds his weekly press conference. (Studio A) 12:15 p.m. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and others hold a press conference to introduce a resolution to expel Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) from Congress. (House Triangle)
| | | WEDNESDAY’S WINNER: Morris Pearl correctly answered that at Lyndon B. Johnson’s first State of the Union address, the office of Vice President was vacant. Carl Hayden, president pro tempore of the Senate, was seated on the rostrum where the vice president would usually sit. TODAY’S QUESTION from Morris: Our current ambassador to the United Kingdom, Jane Hartley, met her husband (one of the founding partners of BlackRock) when they were both White House staff members under which president? 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
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