The heavy lifting to come for lawmakers

A play-by-play preview of the day’s congressional news

Jun 26, 2023 View in browser   By Katherine Tully-McManus It will be a steamy summer on Capitol Hill. (Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) | AP A CRUEL SUMMER — Congress may be on a break, but the to-do list isn’t letting up. The upcoming summer spending battles, in the wake of the debt limit deal may get top billing, but there’s lots of major legislative items on the to-do list. They’ll be fighting against each other for oxygen on Capitol Hill and floor time. Each bill will cut it close to get enough votes. NDAA: The House is expected to take up the annual Pentagon policy bill, plus a big slate of amendments, on the floor in July. House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), told Sarah and Olivia last week that despite major divides over the military within his party and across the aisle, he’s not worried about right-wing rebels diverting floor time from the massive $886 billion National Defense Authorization Act. “I really think most of this stuff is going to be out of their system” by the time his defense bill gets a vote next month, Rogers said. But there will be fireworks on the floor after the 4th of July. Amendments to the bill are expected on abortion, gender policies, racial inclusion and electric vehicles and will put members on the record on some of the most divisive issues of the moment. The National Defense Authorization Act has been enacted 63 years in a row, and we don’t anticipate this year will break the streak. GOP Tax Bill: In the House, the Republican majority also wants to forge ahead soon on legislation with a deadline that isn’t until next year and that has no chance in the Democratic Senate: a GOP tax package. The bill, which cleared Ways and Means earlier this month, would undo recent restrictions on several business tax breaks, temporarily expand the standard deduction and revive tax incentives for businesses that have lapsed under the 2017 GOP tax law. Lawmakers are aiming for floor action before the August recess, which, in addition to spending bills, will make for a jam-packed July. But this is just a dry run. As Sarah and Burgess reported earlier this month, Republicans have a much more sweeping plan to replace the Trump-era tax breaks that are set to expire in 2025 if they can win the Senate and the White House next year. Farm Bill: Government funding isn’t the only thing set to run out at the end of September. That’s also when the 2018 Farm Bill is also set to expire, along with the farm commodity support programs and nutrition assistance programs packed into the five-year mega-bill for agriculture and food. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said last week that it wouldn’t surprise her if lawmakers opted to pass a short-term extension of the 2018 farm bill to buy them some more time to come to agreement on a fresh 2023 version. Some farm bill discussions were put on hold (like spending talks and NDAA) during the debt limit battle this spring. But any delay wouldn’t exactly be history-making – Congress has done it before. Other farm-state lawmakers, including Republicans, acknowledge that giving lawmakers some breathing room on the deadline could be helpful. But there are serious concerns from some lawmakers who want a fresh farm bill moved on time that passing an extension would push action too close to the 2024 election, when compromise gets less and less likely. House Republicans are already discussing just how to pass a mega-bill packed with farm-state priorities and massive social programs through a narrowly divided House controlled a fractious majority. House leaders are expecting to lose some votes from the furthest right flank of their own caucus, which means Democrats would be needed to push the bill across the finish line. House GOP hardliners are exploring further cuts to nutrition assistance programs and even changes to some safety net programs for farmers, which have long been a third rail. The House Agriculture Committee is aiming for an early September markup of the bill, which would leave just weeks to reconcile it with a Senate version and clear both chambers. That tight timeline makes an extension of 2018’s Farm Bill more likely. But back to those spending fights…If you’re a spending-bills-or-bust kind of person, our appropriations queens Caitlin and Jennifer have a treat for you on this recess Monday: ‘Real deadline is Jan. 1’: Congress’ typical shutdown punt gets a new twist   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 Monday, June 26, where we’re gearing up for a brutal summer session. HUDDLE WEEKLY MOST CLICKED Sen. Jon Tester’s (D-Mont.) meme participation topped the week, closely followed by Marjorie Taylor Greene Calls Boebert a ‘Little Bitch’ on the House Floor from The Daily Beast. GOING AFTER GARLAND — Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Texas) chimed in this weekend on Twitter, saying that if Congress can’t get the answers it seeks from U.S. Attorney David Weiss’ investigation into tax and gun cases involving Hunter Biden, lawmakers will be looking to oust Attorney General Merrick Garland. “We need to get to the facts, and that includes reconciling these clear disparities. U.S. Attorney David Weiss must provide answers to the House Judiciary Committee. If the whistleblowers’ allegations are true, this will be a significant part of a larger impeachment inquiry into Merrick Garland’s weaponization of DOJ,” McCarthy said on Twitter Sunday. McBRIDE MAKES A BID — The frontrunner to replace Delaware Democrat Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester in the House has made her bid official. State Sen. Sarah McBride, the country’s highest-ranking transgender elected official, launched her campaign Monday to become Delaware’s at-large House member, potentially replacing Blunt Rochester, who is running to fill the seat that will be vacated by retiring Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.). McBride would be a trailblazer for trans politicians, but also would be the youngest elected official The First State has sent to Capitol Hill since Joe Biden's arrival in the Senate in 1972. Meredith Newman at the Delaware News Journal has the story. PELOSI TALKS TERM LIMITS — Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said over the weekend that Supreme Court justices should have term limits. The California Democrat in her own 19th term in the House told MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki” that there “certainly should be term limits” for the justices. “Here we have a body … chosen for life. Never have to run for office. Nominated, confirmed for life, with no accountability for their ethics behavior,” Pelosi said. DEEP DIVE: MANCHIN’S WAR WITH THE WHITE HOUSE — Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) says the president betrayed him with his implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, specifically its electric vehicle provisions. The White House denies that there were any verbal side promises made on implementation of the sweeping bill, which handed the administration broad leeway to interpret climate provisions. Emma Dumain and Hannah Northey dig deep into exactly what Biden may have told Manchin. HUDDLE HOTDISH Is there a bigger endorsement in San Francisco than sitting with Pelosi at Pride? Senate hopeful Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) got to smile and wave alongside his biggest booster. QUICK LINKS  Celeste Maloy wins Utah Republicans’ nomination for special congressional election, from Bryan Schott at The Salt Lake Tribune Interrupted by the pandemic, D.C. summer interns are back in person, from Joe Heim at The Washington Post USS Carl M. Levin, named for late Michigan senator, joins US Navy's destroyer force, from Todd Spangler at the Detroit Free Press Today’s Senate: Less debate, fewer votes and taking forever to do it, from Paul Kane at The Washington Post ICYMI (Not usually Senate news in the “Theater and Dance” section) Bill Bradley was an NBA star and a senator. Now he’s a one-man show, from Peter Marks at The Washington Post TRANSITIONS  CJ Mahler is now a professional staff member handling health care for the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Mahler was previously a legislative assistant for Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.). Jacklyn Rogers is now communications director for Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.). She most recently was deputy comms director for Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).   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.     TODAY IN CONGRESS The House is out. The Senate convenes at 2 p.m. for a pro forma session. AROUND THE HILL A quiet one. TRIVIA FRIDAY’S WINNER: Tommy Brown correctly answered that John Bell took 10 ballots to be elected speaker in the 23rd Congress. TODAY’S QUESTION from Tommy: Only 11 Members of Congress have done this while in office. In 2018, Sen. Tammy Duckworth was the first Senator to do so. 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. 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