Needle inches further toward shutdown

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

Aug 22, 2023 View in browser   By Daniella Diaz Kevin McCarthy has two options on the spending fight: a government shutdown or enlist Democrats’ help. | Francis Chung/POLITICO GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN VS. DEMOCRATIC HELP The House Freedom Caucus’ Monday announcement that it would oppose a “clean” short-term spending fix leaves Kevin McCarthy with two options on the spending fight: a government shutdown or enlisting Democrats’ help. The conservative group’s demands — namely that any bill that continues current funding levels must also include their priorities related to the southern border, the Department of Justice and “woke” policies at the Pentagon — are all non-starters in the Democratic Senate. Between a rock and a hard place: For now, some lead Republicans are convinced that lobbying Democrats for help is the better play. “It's a mistake to stumble into a shutdown. It’s just simple. Politically that’s not a good place to be,” appropriator Tom Cole (R-Okla.), who is also the chair of the House Rules committee, told Huddle in an interview. He added that he believes Democrats might get on board a stopgap funding bill, known as a continuing resolution or CR. “In terms of getting the votes for a CR, I mean if it's an agreed-upon CR, that's usually not a problem,” Cole said. Of course, appropriators aren’t personally the ones with a problem if a government funding deal passes with Democratic votes. McCarthy is the one it puts in a bind. We probably don’t need to remind you that members of the House Freedom Caucus were the ones who threatened to call for a vote stripping the speaker of his gavel during the debt deal — because he compromised with Democrats. Conference complaints: The conservative group actually hurt their own priorities with their Monday statement, according to one influential appropriator, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. Disunity in the GOP conference gives Senate Democrats the upper hand on a government funding deal, the Republican cardinal said. Someone’s still in conservatives’ corner: There’s at least one member of leadership who sounded open to the Freedom Caucus demands — House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. The Louisiana Republican said late last week that he supports conservatives who are looking to tie border security measures to the appropriations process. “I agree with the concerns Chip [Roy] and many others have that we have to secure the border,” Scalise told Huddle. “I want us to keep pushing language. And obviously in the appropriations process in the Homeland Security bill is one place we would do that.” Contrary to the messaging of some of his colleagues, Scalise said he has greater concerns than the government shutting down. “I'm more concerned about us not getting control over spending and not putting limits on the damage that the Biden administration is doing to our country,” he said. TICK TOCK: Government funding runs out in just 39 days.   GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE.     GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Tuesday, Aug. 22, where we hope you’re staying cool and dry this summer. GOP MEMBER SOUNDS ALARM ON WILD FIREFIGHTER PAY  Record-setting wildfires this summer have burned forests, leveled communities and sent smoke across North America. Rep. Mike Simpson wants to make sure Congress won’t cut the pay of American firefighters battling those blazes. What he’s worried about: The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funded significant pay raises for wildland firefighters — but those increases sunset Sept. 30, the same day government funding is set to run out. If the raises are allowed to lapse, Simpson (R-Idaho) warns that tens of thousands of firefighters could quit. “If we don't [maintain pay raises] at the end of September, in the middle of fire season, out here in the West, there's going to be a huge pay cut for wild firefighters,” Simpson, who chairs the Appropriations Committee’s Interior & Environment subcommittee, told Huddle. “And that's obviously going to be a problem when you're going to have 20,000 wild firefighters walk off the job because their pay got cut in half.” Expect some resistance: The Idaho Republican is pushing to maintain those pay raises with legislation – and a possible way could be through the appropriations process. But there’s a familiar problem: that runs contrary to his conservative colleagues’ demands to dramatically lower spending. Simpson has previously suggested he might not vote for appropriations bills with the deep cuts requested by hardliners. “If there are people that are just looking at the bottom line at the numbers and that's all, and that's policy, it's easy to say just cut and cut and cut,” he said. “But you've got to look at the policy and the impact that that's going to have.” HUDDLE HOTDISH Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) fell for some fake news on X, formerly known as Twitter, posted by a Barstool Sports personality. QUICK LINKS  As the 2024 election revs up, Asian Americans rise as a powerful voting bloc, by NBC News’s Sahil Kapur Rep. Dean Phillips signals he won’t challenge Biden in 2024, by The Hill’s Sarah Fortinsky GOP lawmaker Heidi Kasama to run for Congress, challenge Susie Lee, by The Nevada Independent’s Tabitha Mueller Hispanic Republicans vie to oust Democrats in diverse districts, by Roll Call’s Daniela Altimari   DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO APP: Stay in the know with the 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. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS – DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID.     TRANSITIONS  Denise Dimapilis is now scheduler for Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.). She most recently was an operations intern at Invariant. Liz Timmons has been promoted to press secretary for the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. She most recently was deputy press secretary. Nico Ballón has been promoted to press secretary for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). He most recently was deputy press secretary for Sanders. Tessa Browne is now communications director for Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.). She recently got a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Elizabeth Darnall is now special assistant to the president and Senate legislative liaison. She most recently was senior health policy adviser for Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.). Mike Marinella has been promoted to be communications director for Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.). He most recently was press secretary for Newhouse. Tiffany Haverly has been promoted to be deputy chief of staff for Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.). She most recently was communications director for Smith and continues as a senior adviser. TODAY IN CONGRESS The House convenes at 2 p.m. for a pro forma session. The Senate convenes at 2 p.m. for a pro forma session. AROUND THE HILL Quiet on Capitol Hill. TRIVIA MONDAY’S ANSWER: John Palatiello correctly guessed that in July 1972, Johnny Cash played “What Is Truth” when President Richard Nixon invited him to the White House to discuss prison reform. Cash also played “The Man In Black” and “The Ballad of Ira Hayes.” TODAY’S QUESTION from John: What do paintings in the Rotunda of the Capitol, a statue in Statuary Hall of the Capitol, and a Little League World Series championship all have in common? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answers to huddletrivia@politico.com. GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning. Follow Daniella at @DaniellaMicaela.   Follow us

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