with help from Andrew Desiderio
DEADLOCK DEEPENS — Even if a deal comes together on small business aid, it’s unclear how quickly it can pass and get signed into law. With neither side budging on their positions, the Senate quickly gaveled in and out yesterday and won’t return for a pro forma session until Thursday. And even if Democrats and Republicans reach an agreement, they can’t fast-track the vote without the full cooperation of both parties and chambers — and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) already signaled that he wants a recorded vote.
But administration officials warn that the small business loans program is set to run out of money soon, so the pressure is on to clinch a deal. The latest from Burgess, Heather and Zachary Warmbrodt: https://politi.co/2Xt1c4q.
Related read: “Aides expect Schumer, Mnuchin to reach deal on coronavirus relief,” via The Hill’s Alexander Bolton: https://bit.ly/3b7rUDv.
BUT … one thing the Senate GOP is moving on? A sweeping probe into the origins of the coronavirus, with a focus on China and the World Health Organization, which have both become top targets on the right. It’s unclear, however, how closely Republicans will scrutinize President Donald Trump’s handling of the crisis.
“Where did this all start from? Was this transferred animal to human? Was this from a lab in China?” Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson said in an interview with Burgess and Marianne. “We need to know what role WHO might have had in trying to cover this thing up.” The story: https://politi.co/3a811OB.
Related read: “Ron Johnson eyes summer release for Hunter Biden report,” per Andrew and Burgess: https://politi.co/2ySsTt2.
THE PELOSI PACE — Speaker Nancy Pelosi might be working from home, but that hasn’t slowed the 80-year-old down. The Democratic leader — known for her frenetic pace and hectic schedule — has been on a media blitz, appearing on television almost every day from her dining room table and cranking out a slew of telephone interviews with reporters.
Her mission is to hammer the Democrats’ message while also offering counterprogramming to Trump, who has been doing near-daily press conferences from the White House. “He has the bully pulpit and that’s a good thing for a president to have. It’s a bad thing for the health of the country if the president is not speaking truth,” Pelosi said in an interview. “Our purpose is really to say how do we follow the science, the evidence, the data…that will take us down from this.”
And Pelosi has even been cycling through the late night talk shows, including an appearance on “The Late Late Show with James Corden” last night. During the interview, the speaker showed off her freezer full of ice cream — her favorite treat and the subject of many Pelosi profiles. The story from Heather and Sarah: https://politi.co/3a5oBeY.
House GOP leaders are also using unconventional methods to stay connected with the public: Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy recently wrote a post on Medium about how to get the country moving again. Check it out here: https://bit.ly/3biAW0s.
Related reads: “’Almost sinful’: Pelosi skewers Trump over threats to reopen country too soon,” from Sarah and Heather: https://politi.co/2RAD5wM; and “Conservative groups mobilize and push White House to reopen economy despite coronavirus pandemic,” via WaPo’s Jeff Stein and Robert Costa: https://wapo.st/2RB35s2.
CAPITOL COMEBACK — As many congressional observers had suspected, the House will not return on April 20 as originally planned, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced yesterday. Instead, lawmakers were advised that they will likely convene on May 4 unless there is an emergency. “Members are further advised that if the House is required to take action on critical legislation related to the coronavirus response or other legislative priorities, Members will be given sufficient notice to return to Washington, DC,” Hoyer said in a statement.
In other Hoyer news: his weekly pen-and-pads with reporters will resume — via telephone conference call — starting this Wednesday.
And across the Capitol … the Senate is expected to make a decision about its return date as soon as today, per Burgess.
GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Tuesday, April 14, where your host is embarrassed to admit that she’s hooked on the new Bachelor franchise show “Listen to Your Heart.” (Hey, the bar is low on quarantine.)
MONDAY’S MOST CLICKED: Michael Grunwald’s story on “5 Increasingly Hardball Versions of the Next Stimulus” was the winner.
FINE WITH FAUCI — Apparently, retweets do not equal endorsements — at least when it comes to Trump sharing a tweet with the “#FireFauci” hashtag. More from Gabby Orr and Marianne: “The president’s retweet triggered tens of thousands of tweets throughout Monday morning with the #FireFauci hashtag, generating worries even from lawmakers and supporters. … By Monday afternoon, the White House issued a statement blaming the media for the speculation that Trump ignited over the weekend.
“In a Monday evening news briefing, Trump himself shrugged off the furor, disavowed the hashtag and said he wasn’t firing the nation’s top infectious-diseases doctor. … ‘Tony Fauci is one of the finest physicians and Americans you will ever meet,’ said Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.). Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) noted that ‘any president gets to pick the people he wants around him,’ but went on to say that ‘I don’t know why he would get rid of Fauci’ and that ‘my experience has been positive with him.’” The story: https://politi.co/3b9XgcJ.
COMMON CENSUS — The 2020 census is the latest thing that could be delayed by coronavirus — although Democrats said they’ve been left in the dark by the Trump administration. More from Matthew Choi: “The Census Bureau is requesting Congress allow a 120-day delay on some data-reporting deadlines, according to a joint statement Monday by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham. The delay would accommodate social distancing guidelines for workers to prevent the spread of the disease.
“Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, chairwoman of the House Oversight Committee, said Monday that the committee would consider the request, but that the Trump administration was stonewalling in providing information vital in assessing the move. Dillingham was not on the call to the committee requesting the deadline changes, Maloney (D-N.Y.) said in a statement. The committee has repeatedly requested a briefing with Dillingham but has not been able to secure one, Maloney said.” The latest: https://politi.co/2K2Hncd.
EYEBALL EMOJI — Bernie Sanders may have dropped his presidential bid, but now Independent Rep. Justin Amash says he might get in the race. The details from WaPo: “Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.) said Monday that he’s considering a White House run against President Trump, a move that could pose a challenge to the president’s campaign for a second term.
“Amash, who left the Republican Party last year and is seeking reelection to his Grand Rapids-area House seat as an independent, made the comment in a tweet responding to a statement by Trump on Monday night that as president, his ‘authority is total.’ Americans who believe in limited government deserve another option,’ the libertarian-leaning congressman tweeted. In a follow-up tweet to a supporter, he added, ‘Thanks. I’m looking at it closely this week.’” The deets from Felicia Sonmez and David Weigel: https://wapo.st/3a9sP5h.
MORE EYEBALLS … Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.), the No. 3 House Republican, is pushing back against Trump’s suggestion that he has “total” authority over the states. “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people,” she tweeted.
NO RESPONSE — Trump blew past a Monday deadline to respond to a bipartisan group of senators seeking a fuller explanation of his decision to fire the intelligence community’s inspector general, Michael Atkinson. The group of senators, led by Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), had demanded that Trump comply with a law requiring him to provide a detailed justification for sacking an independent watchdog within the federal government.
The president’s stated reasoning for the firing — simply that he had lost confidence in Atkinson — was “not sufficient” to meet the requirements of the statute, the senators previously wrote.
COVID CHALLENGE — Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) are launching a bipartisan social media challenge — dubbed #CombatCOVID19Challenge — to encourage people to support communities that are on the frontlines of fighting coronavirus.
Some examples: Cruz posted a video of himself delivering food to the Houston Police Officers’ Union and then challenged former Texas Governor and Energy Secretary Rick Perry, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, and businessman Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale. And Gillibrand sent pizzas to front line medical staff to the Hilton Garden Inn in her hometown of Albany, and then challenged Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), New York Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, and chef and restaurateur David Chang.
FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS … “Bay Area Rep. Mark DeSaulnier improves, is moved out of intensive care,” from Trapper Byrne of the San Francisco Chronicle: https://bit.ly/3ekLheA.
Nothing today.
The House and Senate are out.
Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) and Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) hold a press call with former CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt at 11 a.m. to discuss “the overwhelming benefits of Medicaid and why Medicaid expansion is needed now more than ever as America grapples with the coronavirus crisis.”
MONDAY’S WINNER: Curtis Walter was the first person to guess that 115 former U.S. senators served in WWII.
TODAY’S QUESTION: From Curtis: How many Speakers of the House regained their position to serve in the role non-consecutively? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess to [email protected].
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- Melanie Zanona @MZanona
No signs of progress on small business aid
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