House GOP eyes a lifeboat as Senate spending bill sinks

Presented by Citi: An evening recap of the action on Capitol Hill and preview of the day ahead

Sep 14, 2023 View in browser   By Jordain Carney, Sarah Ferris and Daniella Diaz Presented by With assists from POLITICO’s Congress team Under the emerging plan, Republicans would pass a stopgap spending bill with their sweeping border bill attached. | AP JUST IN: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be visiting Washington next week and meeting with key members of Congress as part of his visit to the U.S. for the UN general assembly, a person with direct knowledge told POLITICO’s Adam Cancryn. THE HOUSE TRIES TO WORK SOME SPENDING MAGIC When the day started, the Senate was riding high as it prepared to take up a big appropriations package, while the House was in open revolt over its own spending situation. Now, it appears, the roles might be reversed: The Senate now appears to be stuck — more on that below — while there's fresh energy in the House behind a Republican effort to break their internal logjam As Olivia, Sarah and Jordain scooped, the brewing House deal aims to unite the GOP behind a short-term stopgap and potentially unstick the full-year Defense bill that foundered Wednesday due to conservative opposition. What we know: The House GOP talks are being spearheaded by the Freedom Caucus and the business-oriented Main Street Caucus. Under the emerging plan, Republicans would pass a stopgap spending bill with their sweeping border bill attached, minus the mandatory E-Verify language that gave some of their members heartburn. The funding patch would also include spending cuts to placate some on the right flank, most of whom have never backed a stopgap bill. It would also pave the way for action on the massive Defense spending bill that has been stalled for days, sparking frustration across the GOP. Reality check: The talks are not a done deal, with plenty of details still to be worked out. Early reviews from the Freedom Caucus have been mixed. Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.), who emerged from an HFC meeting this evening, said there wasn't "consensus" within the group just yet. And, to be clear, even if this emerging plan is executed to a T, it would not prevent a shutdown, as Democrats (and some Republicans) in the Senate are certain to reject its terms. But after days of chaos, the talks are a glimmer of hope for McCarthy that his conference can coalesce behind a plan — one that could give House Republicans a rallying point as they brace for negotiations with the Senate. Just as important, it would offer McCarthy a release valve — at least a temporary one — for his increasingly fractured conference, just as some of his allies start to kvetch that he needs to take a firmer line against his right flank. Hardball with the hardliners: The tactics those McCarthy allies are floating include putting the Defense bill on the floor and essentially daring conservative hard-liners to vote against it. Some want him to put forward a “clean” short-term funding bill to buy them a month or two of more time — a move that would prompt a vote of no confidence, according to some on the right. Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) put it like this: “You can give them everything they want, they’re still not going to vote for it. We’ve got to get away from it and start dealing with trying to get 218 votes. Which means you have to work with some Democrats, which means there will be a motion to vacate the chair. There's going to be one anyway. The sooner McCarthy takes that on, the better.” Movement in the middle: A bipartisan group of centrists is also starting to talk about how to move a short-term spending patch as they try to find a shutdown off-ramp. One member of the group cautioned the idea isn’t ripe — it’s certain to spark fierce backlash from the right — but that the group isn’t going to “sit by” and let the government shut down. Meanwhile … House Democrats are preparing for the worst. Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.) is holding a members-only briefing on “how to best serve your constituents during a government shutdown” next Wednesday, according to an invitation obtained by Nicholas. — Jordain Carney and Sarah Ferris, with assist from Olivia Beavers   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 EVENING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, Sept. 14, where senators apparently had some Jello for lunch. (But not you, Sen. Sinema.) SENATE ‘MINIBUS’ HITS A REAL SNAG And now for the Senate, where hopes of efficiently passing a three-bill “minibus” evaporated this afternoon after Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) objected to an amendment agreement — derailing a bipartisan plan to finish work on the bill as soon as next week. The substance of what Johnson objected to was taking the Military Construction-VA bill, which the Senate advanced on a 91-7 morning vote, and adding the Agriculture-FDA and Transportation-HUD bills to the package. And on this conservatives have significant sway: Party leaders want unanimous consent to tie the three bills together, and the right isn't about to give it. “The Senate has been broken as long as I have served. The level of dysfunction is grotesque,” Johnson said in a statement. “Spending is completely out-of-control, and putting a minibus on the floor 3 weeks before the end of the fiscal year can hardly be called regular order.” The alternatives available to leadership include simply moving forward with the MilCon-VA bill or trying to suspend the rules to keep the $280 billion trio together, which would require 67 votes. Either way, everyone we talked to on Thursday said this isn't easy to get around. At all. The reaction: Johnson’s move sparked frustrations, with top appropriators Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) both airing their dismay on the Senate floor. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), meanwhile, compared the appropriations process to “childbirth” and chided the House and Senate lawmakers who want bills considered one-by-one. “Let's try to figure out what is going to benefit the greater good here,” Murkowski said. “We’re all looking for perfection. We're not going to get it, so let's keep working towards it, but don't blow up the whole place. And that's where we're at right now.” — Burgess Everett, Daniella Diaz and Caitlin Emma, with assist from Anthony Adragna    A message from Citi: Disruptive innovation sparks industry transformation. Innovations in technology can potentially change the way we shop, access the internet, organize data, and more. Vertical farming – where plants or crops are grown indoors in vertically stacked layers – uses 95% less water and 99% less land than conventional farming. This Citi GPS Report, Disruptive Innovations IX, takes a closer look into this and other leading-edge concepts that could disrupt their marketplace – from retail and healthcare to 5G.   INDICTMENT GIVES MEMBERS A FLY-OUT SURPRISE The news of Hunter Biden’s indictment on three gun-related charges broke just moments before the House came back for its first vote series today, and we heard from the usual suspects. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer took a victory lap Thursday and said the indictment wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for the work his committee was doing investigating the president. The indictment, he said, changes nothing about the committee’s work. “My investigation of Joe Biden, it never was — even though a lot in the media say it’s a Hunter Biden investigation — this has and always will be an investigation of Joe Biden. So with respect to what we're doing, [the indictment] has no impact on it whatsoever,” Comer told reporters,” adding, “this is the one crime he's committed that you can't tie to Joe Biden.” Democrats, meanwhile, shrugged off the news: Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Oversight Democrat, said the indictment showed that “the rule of law is functioning in America.” (You’ll recall Huddle detailed yesterday how Dems have been preparing to politically sequester the younger Biden from his father as they assail the impeachment inquiry’s legitimacy.) The same held for swing-district Democrats, who headed back to their districts this afternoon showing no outward signs of concern. “I’m not focused on it. I’m focused on the work for the people of Illinois,” said Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.), while Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) said people in his district “are worried about much different things than what we're worried about here in Washington.” — Nicholas Wu and Daniella Diaz   A message from Citi:   HUDDLE HOTDISH In case the mental health provider shortage has got you down ... they're getting creative in Rayburn. A Slate writer made Mitt Romney’s salmon sandwich with ketchup. Speaking of Romney’s salmon sandwich, Murkowski says all is forgiven.  Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.) is seeing double. Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was spotted by Nicholas walking around the House chamber with Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.).   GO INSIDE THE WORLD’S BIGGEST DIPLOMATIC PLATFORM WITH UNGA PLAYBOOK: The 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly will jam some of the world's most influential leaders into four city blocks in Manhattan. POLITICO's special edition UNGA Playbook will take you inside this important gathering starting Sept. 17 — revealing newsy nuggets throughout the week and insights into the most pressing issues facing global decision-makers today. Sign up for UNGA Playbook.     QUICK LINKS  ‘You’re screwed’: Romney’s exit threatens a collapse of Senate’s middle, from Burgess Everett Hawaii utility and energy officials will head to the Hill for a hearing on the Maui wildfires, from Anthony Adragna NASA to Americans: Help us spot UFOs, from Matt Berg   A message from Citi: Innovations in technology can potentially change the way we shop, access the internet, organize data, gain education, and more. The recent Citi GPS Report, Disruptive Innovations IX, takes a closer look into 10 leading-edge concepts that could disrupt their marketplace – from retail and healthcare to 5G. For instance, vertical farming – where plants or crops are grown indoors in vertically stacked layers – uses 95% less water and 99% less land than conventional farming. While vertical farming automation is still in its infancy, its advancements aim to usher in the agricultural system of the future – one that contributes less food waste, reduces deforestation and soil usage, and helps to accelerate the food production needed to feed the world. Learn more here.   TRANSITIONS  Ian Fluellen is now the Director of Government Affairs for General Electric. He most recently was the deputy chief of staff and legislative director to Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) TOMORROW IN CONGRESS The House is out. The Senate is out. FRIDAY AROUND THE HILL *crickets* TRIVIA WEDNESDAY’S ANSWER: John Palatiello correctly guessed that Barack Obama and his future wife Michelle went to see “Do the Right Thing” on their first official date in 1989. TODAY’S QUESTION from John: What candidate for Congress in the Reagan landslide year of 1980 became the first Republican since Reconstruction to win his North Carolina district by campaigning across his district in a covered wagon? 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 evening. Follow Daniella on X at @DaniellaMicaela.   Follow us

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