House leaves town with long to-do list

Presented by The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network: An evening recap of the action on Capitol Hill and preview of the day ahead

Nov 15, 2023 View in browser   By Daniella Diaz Presented by With assists from POLITICO’s Congress team GOP leaders canceled votes after members of their conference revolted, foiling plans to advance yet another fiscal 2024 appropriations bill. | Francis Chung/POLITICO LATEST: The Senate appears on track to pass the House-passed continuing resolution as soon as this evening, preceded by an expected-to-fail vote on a Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) amendment cutting spending. This would mean shutdown averted. Stay tuned at Inside Congress Live PROCRASTINATION STATION House lawmakers skipped town Wednesday for their longest break in nearly three months, leaving behind a long list of unfinished business — and not much time to address it. The much-anticipated Thanksgiving break kicked off on a sour note, with GOP leaders prematurely canceling votes after members of their conference revolted, foiling plans to advance yet another fiscal 2024 appropriations bill. The situation stands to give Speaker Mike Johnson some heartburn with his turkey dinner next week, with conservatives basically refusing to cooperate on these full-year spending bills until they see Johnson commit to cutting spending. The internal GOP impasse leaves the House in tough shape as they try to improve their negotiating posture ahead of a new bifurcated Jan.19/Feb. 2 shutdown deadline. What needs to happen: The stopgap buys time for the House to continue trying to pass what’s left of its 12 appropriations bills. The remaining bills — Transportation-HUD, Agriculture-FDA, Commerce-Justice-Science, Labor-HHS-Education and Financial Services — are the most politically treacherous for Johnson. Conservatives signaled Wednesday that they are done cooperating on the individual bills until Johnson gives them a plan that cuts spending and includes policy wins — never mind that there are plenty of moderate Republicans who aren’t on board with their agenda. “We want policies of the Republican majority, not policies reflective of Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden, “ Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry (R-Pa.) told us. The sudden schedule shift came after a coalition of conservative hard-liners and moderates defeated a rule that would bring the Commerce-Justice-Science bill to the floor and after progress stalled on the Labor-HHS-Education bill that was already under debate. The conservatives said they tanked the rule in direct response to Johnson’s backing of a clean continuing resolution, which passed the House with more Democratic support than Republican support on Tuesday. Moderates, meanwhile, said they didn’t see the point in bringing a bill to the floor that would expose members to controversial amendment votes but couldn’t ultimately pass. Another route: One senior appropriator suggested it might be time for the House and Senate to start conferencing their spending bills despite them not all being passed. “If you just look a couple years back, we would go to conference with the Senate, and the Senate hadn't even passed the bills out of full committee,” Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.) said. “They would just file them, and that's what the House [would] conference with the Senate on.” When asked whether there was any hope for passage of the last five bills, Díaz-Balart said: “We'll see if [conservatives] want to pass the bills or not, because these are the most conservative appropriation bills in the history of this institution, probably in this country.” What’s on tap: When the House comes back on Nov. 28 for a three-week work session, they’ll be under pressure to not only finish the remaining full-year spending bills but also supplemental national security funding that the Senate is still negotiating. And while Congress punted its spending and Farm Bill deadlines into 2024, there’s a major year-end cliff still looming: reauthorization of the foreign surveillance program known as Section 702. Heads up, part 1: Nicholas reports that 76 members of the centrist New Democrat Coalition are asking congressional leaders to bring a security and border package up for a vote. House Republican leaders, who moved an Israel-only bill earlier this month, have not given any signal they’ll be heeding that call. Heads up, part 2: The schedule change means members won’t be on Capitol Hill tomorrow when a long-anticipated House Ethics Committee report on embattled Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) is released. Get those press releases ready, House flacks! — Daniella Diaz, with assist from Caitlin Emma A message from The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network: Congress: Support the highest possible increases for cancer research funding at the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute to make time. Literally. More than 1.9 million people are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in 2023 alone. But by investing in the research of today, you’re helping prevent, detect, and treat many of the cancers of tomorrow, creating countless moments for patients and their loved ones in the process. Fight Cancer. Make Time.   GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Wednesday, Nov. 15, where your Huddle host is running towards Thanksgiving like members run toward their rides to the airport after final votes. GET US OUT OF HERE Ten straight weeks in session nearly brought the House down. Lawmakers faced two shutdown threats and an ugly speakership fight without much of a breather, and the cracks were obvious this week, with shouting matches and near fisticuffs. Here’s what the members had to say about it: Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.): "I think that someone in the cloakroom yesterday said it best, that ‘it's time for a recess and juice boxes.’" Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.): “[Former House Speaker John] Boehner used to say: ‘You don't ever keep them over three weeks, or they’ll start turning on each other. We've been here 10 weeks. You've seen a lot of tension, which is unique as of yesterday.” Rep. Anne McLane Kuster (D-N.H.): "People are smelling the pies. They're ready for time with their family. 10 weeks? We'd never done this. And it turns out, it's too long for some people to handle." Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.): “I've never had a more difficult period in my 11 years in Congress. Because it's the combination of wheel-spinning against the backdrop of real tension. That's not a good combination.” Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.): “We’ve been here a long time. It’s time for us to go home and eat some turkey.” Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.): "I feel like we need to grow up. … I don’t think most Americans are going to feel a lot of pity for the congressional work schedule.” — Katherine Tully-McManus, Daniella Diaz and Jordain Carney, with assistance from Joe Gould   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.     EXCLUSIVE: DEMOCRATS WANT TO RECLAIM ‘FREEDOM’ IN 2024 A group of moderate Democrats — the New Democrat Coalition in Congress and the NewDEAL, a group focused on state and local officials — are rolling out their “2024 Freedom Agenda.” It wraps several planks of the Democratic Party — protecting abortion and LGBTQ rights, advocating for gun control, defending democracy — under a broader message looking to recapture a word Republicans have tried to monopolize. “We're calling it a ‘freedom agenda' and really leaning in on freedom,” said Kuster, the chair of the New Dems, “so that it's the Democratic brand that's carrying freedom, because people have been losing their freedoms to an extreme ideology across the board.” Their message, shared first with Huddle, gives you a good idea of what the party wants to run on in 2024. A sizable chunk of frontline Democrats are New Dems and will make or break a potential Democratic majority next year. The organizations say their new agenda can help the party attract the voters they need for the party to be successful in 2024 — not just the Democratic base, but the swingy suburban voters who have decided presidential races and the fight for control of Congress in recent years. “This election in 2024, we're going to need to build a broad coalition that is not just Democrats, but … center and center-right, even. People who are appalled by the rising chaos and extremism and even political violence on the right,” said Debbie Cox Bultan, NewDEAL’s chief executive officer. Kuster said that she hoped the agenda would serve as a guidepost for her members’ messaging heading into next year. The agenda “makes it easier to share with people, it makes it easier for our members to use it,” she said. “With two wars, and democracy being threatened around the globe and right here at home, and 91 indictments, it's hard to get through to our constituency.” — Zach Montellaro    A message from The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network:   HUDDLE HOTDISH Spotted: A very popular British director on the Senate side today. (We wonder – is he making a political movie next?) Also spotted: A famous actor who could be looking to enter politics? Looks like Patrick McHenry misses his old job.   GET A BACKSTAGE PASS TO COP28 WITH GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Get insider access to the conference that sets the tone of the global climate agenda with POLITICO's Global Playbook newsletter. Authored by Suzanne Lynch, Global Playbook delivers exclusive, daily insights and comprehensive coverage that will keep you informed about the most crucial climate summit of the year. Dive deep into the critical discussions and developments at COP28 from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12. SUBSCRIBE NOW.     QUICK LINKS  Mike Johnson’s resume includes being a board member of a Christian publishing house that called ‘monkeypox’ a penalty for being gay, from Daniel Lippman Why Republicans Are on the Verge of Fistfights, from Kelly Garrity Congress’ dysfunction is making flying riskier, aviation panel says, from Oriana Pawlyk Video: Did the GOP leverage the holidays to avoid a shutdown?  TOMORROW IN CONGRESS The House is out. The Senate is ??? A message from The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network: Cancer takes away many things, but the most devastating is time. And while policies and federal research investment have helped avert 3.8 million cancer deaths since 1991, the fight against the country’s second most common cause of death is far from over. With over 609,000 deaths and 1.9 million diagnoses expected in 2023, there is still work to do in the fight against cancer. And that is where you come in. When Congress prioritizes ending cancer as we know it, you literally make time for patients, loved ones, caregivers, and everybody else affected by 200 diseases known as cancer. By investing in the research of today, you’re helping prevent, detect, and treat many of the cancers of tomorrow, creating countless moments for cancer patients and their loved ones in the process. Fight Cancer. Make Time.   THURSDAY AROUND THE HILL Quiet. TRIVIA TUESDAY’S ANSWER: Michael Herson correctly answered retiring Rep. Brad Wenstrup is the last of a quartet of Cincinnati-area Catholic boys-school alums who served in the House together at the same time. The other three were Trey Radel (Elder), John Boehner (Moeller) and Steve Chabot (La Salle). TODAY’S QUESTION from Michael: What famous U.S. inventor tried to save the life of former President James Garfield and what device did he invent, that if used properly, could have saved the life of the former president? 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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