SEALED THE DEAL — Following weeks of gridlock, the Senate passed a bipartisan deal yesterday to replenish a small business loans program. But the “interim” bill — which was the product of negotiations between congressional leaders and the White House and has Trump’s full backing — has ballooned into a $484 billion spending package that also includes money for hospitals, coronavirus testing and disaster loans, among other things. Now the bill heads to the House, where a vote is expected Thursday. All the latest from Burgess and Heather: https://politi.co/2RXFPo8.
So, what’s next? Well, Trump tweeted that “we will begin discussions on the next Legislative Initiative with fiscal relief……..to State/Local Governments for lost revenues from COVID 19, much needed Infrastructure Investments for Bridges, Tunnels, Broadband, Tax Incentives for Restaurants, Entertainment, Sports, and Payroll Tax Cuts to increase Economic Growth.”
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And Democrats have identified a slew of funding priorities for the next major legislative package, including states, local governments, mail-in voting, hazard pay for health care workers and the beleaguered Postal Service, to name a few. “As soon as it has passed in the House, we will advance CARES 2, which must be transformative and far-reaching,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement.
But, but, but … Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says not so fast. He made clear that lawmakers won’t pass “Phase Four” by unanimous consent, meaning it will have to wait until the Senate reconvenes. “You’ve seen the talk from both sides about acting, but my goal from the beginning of this, given the extraordinary numbers that we’re racking up to the national debt, is that we need to be as cautious as we can be,” McConnell told Burgess in an interview. “We need to see how things are working, see what needs to be corrected, and I do think that the next time we pass a coronavirus rescue bill we need to have everyone here and everyone engaged.” The dispatch: https://politi.co/2VOiA0X.
Related read: “Rand Paul and Mike Lee rip Senate for passing coronavirus aid,” via Marianne: https://politi.co/3bunGWX; and “Some Senate Republicans look for ways the federal government can play a bigger role in coronavirus testing,” per WaPo’s Seung Min Kim and Toluse Olorunnipa: https://wapo.st/34XARgI.
PROXY PUSH BACK — House Democrats are forging ahead with a historic rules change to make it easier for lawmakers to work remotely — but they’ll be doing it without the backing of the GOP. The House will consider a plan on Thursday that would temporarily enable proxy voting, in which a member could designate a colleague to vote on their behalf. Democratic leaders argue that such a system will allow Congress to still conduct business, even if lawmakers are away from the Capitol. “This virus has forced us to do things in different ways — to be radically different in many respects,” said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).
But Republicans say proxy voting is no replacement for in-person voting and worry it will fundamentally erode the institution. Rep. Jim Jordan called it a “terrible idea” and “flat out wrong.” Rep. Tom Cole said this makes Congress look “pretty wimpy.” And House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told POLITICO “there was a moment in time” when proxy voting could have been voice voted, but he thinks any good will between the two parties has been erased after Democrats blocked an initial proposal for small business aid. Now, the House GOP is formally whipping against the proxy voting plan, according to a notice sent to members last night.
The Republican push back comes amid growing calls in the GOP for Congress — and the country — to get back to work. McCarthy tried to ramp up pressure on Democrats to reopen the House by sending a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday seeking guidance on when the chamber’s usual duties would resume. And a group of House Republicans, who came back to D.C. early, attempted to seek recognition on the House floor yesterday to inquire about this issue further, but were rebuffed (as you can see in this video dispatch from GOP Rep. Brian Mast.) The story from Sarah, your Huddle host and Heather: https://politi.co/3argVnr.
Related reads: “McConnell blocks Paul’s proposal on emergency remote voting,” via The Hill’s Jordain Carney: https://bit.ly/3bsoSKv; and “Lindsey Graham warns Georgia’s move to restart economy may be ‘too fast too soon,’” per Louis Casiano of Fox News: https://fxn.ws/34SY838.
WE TALKIN’ OIL MONEY — The House GOP held a conference call yesterday with Department of Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette after U.S. oil futures prices fell to their lowest-ever level, prompting Trump to order his administration to formulate a plan to aid the oil industry. During the call, Brouillette gave an update on storage capacity, while members discussed “the importance of working with DOE on possible relief to our U.S. oil and gas job creators to maintain American energy independence,” a GOP aide on the Energy and Commerce Committee told your Huddle host.
Brouillette told lawmakers that “all options remain on the table” when it comes to providing relief to the oil and gas producers, according to a spokeswoman for Minority Whip Steve Scalise, who hosted the call. That includes everything from “working with our oil producing allies in North America, to filling up the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and to ensuring that oil and gas producers have access to the Fed lending facilities created in the CARES Act.” It’s unclear what action, if any, the Trump administration will ask Congress to take. But as Bloomberg reported earlier, “oil firms can access funds from the $2.2 trillion pandemic rescue aid that Trump signed into law on March 27.”
Related read: “‘I’m Just Living a Nightmare’: Oil Industry Braces for Devastation,” from NYT’s Clifford Kraus: https://nyti.ms/3bsWkQN.
HAPPY WEDNESDAY! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this April 22, where your host is forever scarred by Sen. Mark Warner’s aggressive use of mayo on his “soon-to-be-world-famous Tuna Melt.”
TUESDAY’S MOST CLICKED: Axios’ story on the White House telling Republicans to watch Rep. Dan Crenshaw for coronavirus messaging was the winner.
RUSSIA REPORT — The Senate Intelligence Committee finally wrapped up its Russia probe — and the GOP-led panel backed up the intel community’s assessment about Russian interference in the 2016 election. Martin Matishak and Andrew with the breakdown: “The Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday reaffirmed its support for the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the goal of putting Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
“Tuesday’s bipartisan report … undercuts Trump’s years of efforts to portray allegations of Kremlin assistance to his campaign as a ‘hoax,’ driven by Democrats and a ‘deep state’ embedded within the government bureaucracy. The intelligence community’s initial January 2017 assessment of Moscow’s influence campaign included ‘specific intelligence reporting to support the assessment that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and the Russian government demonstrated a preference for candidate Trump,’ the committee’s report says. The panel also found ‘specific intelligence’ to support the conclusion that Putin ‘approved and directed aspects’ of the Kremlin’s interference efforts.” The story: https://politi.co/2xOO0fL.
Related: “Devin Nunes: ‘Obama’s dossier’ a subject of criminal referral to Justice,” via Daniel Chaitin of the Washington Examiner: https://washex.am/3cC4rKZ.
SHALALA’S STOCKS — Some more updates about Rep. Donna Shalala’s (D-Fla.) stocks, now that she has been tapped for a congressional oversight commission on coronavirus. From the Miami Herald: “Shalala, the lone House Democrat on the committee set up to oversee $500 billion in taxpayer money being used for coronavirus-related payouts to large businesses, violated federal law when she failed to disclose stock sales while serving in Congress.
“Shalala told the Miami Herald on Monday she sold a variety of stocks throughout 2019 to eliminate any potential conflicts of interest after she was elected to Congress in November 2018. But the transactions were not publicly reported as required by the STOCK Act, a 2012 law that prohibits members of Congress and their employees from using private information gleaned from their official positions for personal benefit and requires them to report stock sales and purchases within 45 days. Shalala’s office said the congresswoman and her financial adviser made a mistake.” More from Alex Daugherty: https://hrld.us/2VOifvh.
Related: “Ethics guidance on coronavirus relief package: Lawmakers may be able to apply for some loans,” by Roll Call’s Chris Marquette: https://bit.ly/3buA215.
GRENELL SAYS GET OUT OF HERE — Richard Grenell, Trump’s acting intelligence chief, has rejected House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff’s request for details about efforts to overhaul the intel community’s leadership. Kyle with the deets: “In a Monday letter to Schiff, obtained by POLITICO, Grenell chides Schiff for asking about the leadership changes without acknowledging the appointment of two women as acting leaders of the National Counterterrorism Center.
“But Grenell’s sharply worded missive is not responsive to any of Schiff’s requests for details about the acting intelligence chief’s efforts to remake aspects of the intelligence community while serving in his role. Schiff said wholesale changes to the operation of the crucial national security apparatus would be inappropriate without a Senate-confirmed leader in place. He asked for details about the changes Grenell has reportedly imposed, as well as justification for the decisions.” The dispatch: https://politi.co/3eG8c47.
CAN WE SPEAK TO MANAGEMENT? — Democrats are worried about Trump opening up the country too fast, but they say they can’t get any information from a key agency that manages the 2-million-strong federal workforce. Daniel Lippman explains: “Democrats say the government’s top human resources office is stonewalling their efforts to understand how and when the federal government itself will return to normal. Specifically, the Office of Personnel Management is refusing to brief Capitol Hill on the status of the agency and federal employees’ teleworking arrangements, Democrats say.
“The requests for updates have come from a number of congressional committees … But in the last three weeks, Jonathan Blyth, the head of OPM’s congressional affairs shop and the former chief of staff at the agency, has twice declined the requests, citing ‘a very dynamic situation with our response to covid19.’ … Democrats’ frustrations with OPM are boiling over as the agency … and the Presidential Personnel Office — which places political appointees into jobs across the administration — are in the throes of upheaval.” The story: https://politi.co/3ax1Lgm.
Oriana Piña is now director of Hispanic media for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). She most recently was a senior associate at SKDKnickerbocker.
Miguel Franco is now VP of government affairs at NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises. He previously was chief of staff to Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.).
The House and Senate are out.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), and GOP Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) hold a media availability at 3 p.m. on the House Triangle.
TUESDAY’S WINNER: Casey Burgat was the first person to guess that President George Washington dealt with more epidemics of infectious diseases (a total of nine) than any other president.
TODAY’S QUESTION: From yours truly: how many senators have changed parties while in office? 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
Lawmakers already at odds over next rescue bill
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