FBI FIGHT TO THE FLOOR — House Republicans are planning to go after the Department of Justice. The question is: Can Senate Democrats stop them? The war between House conservatives and federal law enforcement will play out once again as lawmakers come back from recess next week with the Department of Justice – and a new headquarters for the FBI – squarely in the GOP’s sights now that the debt limit fight is over. Jordain is out with new reporting this morning on how House conservatives' frustrations with FBI and DOJ over criminal probes into former President Donald Trump, as well as Hunter Biden’s plea deal with federal investigators, will come into sharp relief heading into a series of high-profile hearings starting in July. What to watch: FBI Director Christopher Wray will appear before the Judiciary Committee days after the House returns from its July 4 break, as first reported by POLITICO, while Attorney General Merrick Garland will testify in September. And what about the FBI building? House Republicans have already taken one step in their spending bills targeting the bureau: Omitting more funding for a long-planned new FBI headquarters. And while House Republicans didn’t go as far as some conservatives wanted — some members pushed to also rescind funding greenlit in past appropriations bills — Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) didn’t rule out that some of his colleagues could try to insert that language once the bill is on the floor. “I think there will be, probably, an effort” on the floor, Womack said about the possibility that GOP lawmakers try to add rescission language into the bill. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who has been arguing for building the new FBI building in Maryland, said this issue can’t affect the timeline for building a new facility. “It’s outrageous that House Republicans are using the men and women of the FBI, the rank-and-file, as political pawns in this process,” he said. “Everybody has acknowledged that the FBI needs a new headquarters building. I mean, it's falling down around them. And so what the House Republicans are saying is, we're not going to repair the building where the men and women of the FBI work from because they disagree with the director of the FBI.” Can Republicans really block a new FBI building? That’s the big question that remains to be answered. It’s not clear yet whether House Republicans will actually be able to block money for a new FBI building, especially with Democrats in control of the Senate and White House. Still, expect conservatives to try to rein in federal law enforcement in the House GOP spending bill that includes the DOJ budget and the bulk of FBI-related funding. Republicans have discussed multiple ideas for that bill, including salary cuts for FBI and DOJ leaders and tying agency funding to responses when Congress makes oversight requests. GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Wednesday, July 5, where we hope you had a safe and happy holiday. HUDDLE WEEKLY MOST CLICKED: You were dying to know what was up with Rep. Mike Gallagher’s (R-Wis.) John Cena/Mao t-shirt. HITTING THE LINKS — The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, led by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) will hear testimony next week from two top officials at PGA Tour at a hearing entitled: “The PGA-LIV Deal: Implications for the Future of Golf and Saudi Arabia’s Influence in the United States.” PGA Tour COO Ron Price and board member Jimmy Dunne will testify on July 11, but LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman & Saudi public investment fund chief Yasir al-Rumayyan will not, due to “scheduling conflicts,” according to the committee. Two major lines of inquiry we expect senators to dig into: how closely the Saudis will be involved in day-to-day operation of the PGA Tour and just how the merger of the two golf giants will work. ICYMI: NDAA STATE-OF-PLAY — “The Pentagon’s must-pass policy bill has been signed into law each year for six decades. House Democrats are worried Kevin McCarthy is about to muck it up. The $886 billion National Defense Authorization Act could be where McCarthy makes his next concessions to conservative Republicans, letting them load up the bill with provisions that strip Biden-era personnel policies out of the military. But those provisions also run the risk of driving away Democrats whose support will be crucial to the legislation surviving a vote in a closely divided House,” write Connor O’Brien and Joe Gould. NO WAR EXPECTED OVER DOVE — Laura Dove is headed back to the Senate floor. A former Secretary of the Senate under Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) GOP majority, Dove has been tapped by President Joe Biden to be trustee of the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation. The organization was created by Congress to improve teaching about the U.S. Constitution in secondary schools. She is a GOP nominee to the board, which is required to have bipartisan membership. Dove was a longtime trusted advisor to McConnell and he called her a “keen strategist” when she left the Senate in early 2020. This time, Dove will be on the other side of the confirmation process that she’s seen many times from the vantage point of a top Senate aide.
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